Morning sickness, which can strike at any point during the day or night, affects between 50-90% of all pregnant women at some point during their pregnancy, typically in the first 16 weeks (Source: Feinstein, ed. 1996). Many women will enter the second trimester of their pregnancy and put the vomiting, dry heaves and nausea behind them while others will continue to be ill right up to the day of delivery. There are several tips and hints that a woman can keep in mind to ease some of the miserable discomfort of morning sickness, and the easiest to remember is to not let your stomach get empty.
The longer that you go between meals, the more likely you are to be ill, which is why so many women are sick the first thing in the morning. Even if you ate before you went to bed, you have typically spent at least six hours or more without food – a long time to go if you are pregnant. Your body needs increased nutrients to support the growing fetus as well as the other increases going on inside of your body. A pregnant woman’s blood volume will increase by 50% for instance.
Your calorie count will increase as will the need for all of the nutrients. Protein intake should be no less than 60 grams per day, and more if there are twins (Source: Medio-Consult Nutrition Services). The increased protein is needed for physical growth, cellular and mental development of the baby, the placenta, the amniotic tissues and maternal tissues. After delivery the protein need will decrease slightly, however if the mother is breast feeding, the need will remain elevated by about 20 grams to ensure that the baby is getting enough milk. The baby’s growth is the fastest during the second and third trimester when the mother should be finished with the morning sickness.
While it is not a good idea to allow your stomach to get completely empty, it is also not a good idea to be completely full – the more food you eat at one time the more likely you are to have bloating, gas and heartburn, especially once the baby starts growing enough to push the stomach upward. It is far better to eat smaller meals far more often (aim for every two to four hours). Eating a small snack before bed and then again before getting up in the morning is also a good idea. These snacks should be based on complex carbohydrates and proteins for quick energy and then long lasting satisfaction. Proteins take longer to break down in the body so you feel satisfied for longer and can keep the body from feeling empty which causes some of the nausea.
Additional problems that you might find in pregnancy include hemorrhoids (sometimes quite severe) and others. A very serious problem related to pregnancy is called preeclampsia. This can also be called toxemia of pregnancy or gestational hypertension. It can occur in women who have never had a problem with their blood pressure at all. Because it can affect the woman’s kidneys and other organs and can be very serious for the baby as well, it is important to make sure that the condition is discovered and treated before it gets serious. It typically starts after the 20th week of the pregnancy and involves not only increased blood pressure, but also causes proteinuria, or elevated levels of protein in the urine. If the condition progresses to seizures and other complications, it becomes eclampsia.
Preeclampsia is the leading cause of complications with the baby including low birth weight, premature birth and sadly, stillbirth. There is no way to prevent this condition and the only way to cure it is by delivering the baby, which cannot be safely done until the baby is at the accepted age of viability (which is the age at which the baby stands a better than average chance of survival outside of the womb).
High blood pressure occurs in about 6-8% of all pregnancies in the United States, about 70% of these are first pregnancies. Preeclampsia occurs more often in older women and in multiple births but there are other conditions that can increase the risk of developing it. These include:
– Women with hypertension before pregnancy
– Women who have had preeclampsia with a previous pregnancy
– Obese women
– Those under age 20 and those over age 40
– Multiple birth
– Diabetics and those who have kidney disease, rheumatoid arthritis, lupus and scleroderma
Symptoms of Preeclampsia
Some women have no symptoms other than the protein in the urine and the high blood pressure readings. Others may have headaches that are frequent or unusually severe, blurred vision, sensitivity to light and abdominal pain. If preeclampsia is suspected, the doctor may increase the frequency of the office visits so that the condition can be more closely monitored.
Preeclampsia is only dangerous to both mother and child during the pregnancy. Studies have shown that it does not automatically increase the risk of developing hypertension later in life and most women’s blood pressure return to normal about six weeks after the delivery. However, if you have developed preeclampsia because of obesity, diabetes or kidney disease, it is very likely that you will remain hypertensive or develop it in later years.
Additional Pregnancy Issues
Though not as severe as preeclampsia, heartburn, particularly in later pregnancy can also be problematic. As the baby continues to grow, the uterus pushes the stomach up, allowing the stomach acid to back up into the throat. It also pushes on the bladder causing the mother to have to urinate more often. Finally, the bulging uterus also compresses the intestine, leading to bouts of constipation. Both the heart burn and the constipation may be lessened by the same concept used in early pregnancy for the morning sickness. Small meals can keep the body from having to deal with as much food at one time. Increasing the amount of water could help with one issue but would only serve to worsen another.
Keeping the body working properly during pregnancy is very important because you have to be healthy and strong for the delivery as well as able to provide nutrition to the growing baby within you. Profect and Proasis, protein supplements from Protica can help by being a great protein supplement for on the go, as well as a handy between-meal snack. Each provides high quality and easily absorbed protein and comes in a number of fruit based flavors for additional palatability. In addition to the handy single serving size (2.9 fluid ounces, 100 calories and 25 grams of protein) there are a number of other sizes to choose from to suit your personal needs. Proasis is the first all natural liquid protein supplement and contains no lactose, fat, egg, gluten or aspartame. It is also available in a number of flavors and can be a very beneficial way to get the protein that you need without the ingredients that you do not.
Protica Research (Protica, Inc.) specializes in the development of Capsulized Foods. Protica manufactures Profect, IsoMetric, Pediagro, Fruitasia and over 100 other brands, including Medicare-approved, whey protein drinks for immunodeficiency patients. You can learn more at Protica Research – Copyright