Will morning sickness harm my baby?

Your questions answered by Yvonne Wake of Greatvine.com

I am suffering from sickness throughout the day and can’t seem to keep anything down. I’m worried my baby isn’t getting the nutrients they need – what should I do?

Nature is wonderful! Sickness is proof that you are pregnant and therefore (although unpleasant!), it is something that happens and we have no real medical justifications as to why.

It is also seen as a ‘good sign’ that your body’s hormones are doing a good job in preparation for a healthy newborn. However, its quite common to fear that baby might not be getting all the correct nutrients because you are not keeping your food down.

Don’t worry about this. The baby has very small needs for nutrients at this point and is more susceptible to chemical reactions to other harmful foods that could cause birth defect.

Part of the process

There are lots of theories and scare stories around that go back centuries, so its understandable that a new mum-to-be is going to be concerned, but one theory is that morning sickness (or ‘throughout the day’ sickness) actually HELPS a pregnant woman to only ingest the healthiest and safest nutrients that baby her needs at this time.

There is also no evidence to suggest that if an expectant mum does not experience sickness in pregnancy, there is something wrong. So to summarise, its not pleasant, but its all part of being pregnant and like children count down the days before Christmas, just know that soon it will subside and you will have a beautiful healthy baby in your arms and that it would all have been worth it!

How to cope with morning sickness

Find out more here on how to ease that queasy feeling and to see real mums talking about their experiences.

Yvonne Wake

Yvonne Wake (BSc. MSc) is a qualified public health nutritionist and university lecturer in nutrition and health, with over 30 years of experience in health matters. Yvonne has managed her own successful health clubs in London, and specialises in helping people obtain a healthy and well-balanced life as it relates to their diet, physical fitness and lifestyle. For individual advice you can trust, book a private call with Yvonne at www.greatvine.com/yvonne_wake.