Morning Sickness: Coping With The Worst
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Natural Remedies If you're interested in finding natural, drug-free alternatives to help you cope with nausea, many women find chiropractic care, massage, acupressure and/or acupuncture to be helpful. The downside? Health insurance doesn't always cover these approaches. The most important thing you can do, Dr. Steven Ravins says, is be aggressive about hydrating yourself — particularly upon awakening. “Even if you drink a gallon, it takes a good hour or so for the body to start absorbing some of this liquid. It may be in your stomach, but it’s not in your circulation, diluting out those hormones.” If a woman can keep herself hydrated, she’ll start to mobilize, Dr. Ravins says, “and over the course of the day, she’s going to feel much better.” Dr. Ganz concurs. "Women don't have to eat, but they do have to drink." He recommends drinking small sips of Gatorade or another drink with electrolytes to help maintain your electrolyte balance. Whatever you can tolerate and keep down will help you — and your baby — stay healthy. Finally, perhaps the best coping technique is to remember the purpose of the nausea and sickness: you are having a baby. Sheri Pepper says that when she felt her worst, she would lie down and think about the tiny person growing inside of her. "I think knowing that it wasn't a permanent condition and that this beautiful baby was growing inside me did the most to get me through it," she says. It may seem like an impossible outcome, but in just a few short months, all of this will be forgotten when you look into your baby's eyes for the very first time.
New Iron Supplement Prevents Sickly Side-Effects
Even if you're not having a hard time with morning sickness, you may be feeling queasy because of the common side-effects of manufactured iron supplements. Rather than discontinuing use of prescribed iron pills, a study published in the Clinical and Laboratory Haematology Journal has shown that a new product, Spatone Iron+, can help prevent iron deficiency in pregnant women without any gastro-intestinal side-effects. The product is a naturally-occurring spring water that provides 100 percent of the average daily iron requirement for pregnant women, most of whom only acquire 50 percent of the average daily requirement through their diets. "This is great news for pregnant women, especially for those weary of taking iron pills because of the unpleasant side-effects," says Dr. Dan McKenna, specialist registrar in obstetrics and gynecology, Antrim Area Hospital, Northern Ireland. "Our research shows Spatone Iron+ helps prevent iron deficiency in pregnant women, and it does not cause constipation and stomach irritation that traditional iron supplements do." Iron deficiency is a common problem in pregnant women. In the U.S. it is estimated that 35 percent of pregnant women in the first trimester suffer from iron deficiency; that number jumps to 85 percent in the third trimester. A growing baby places enormous demands on iron reserves, and significant amounts of iron can be lost during childbirth as well — so it is crucial that these iron stores be replaced as soon as possible. If iron is not kept at the required levels, anemia may set in; and this not only causes lack of energy, but in severe cases it can lead to breathing difficulties, palpitations, and chest pains. For pregnant women having trouble swallowing pills, Spatone Iron+ comes in single packets that can be poured into fruit juice. Because the iron is already in the water, it is absorbed faster and more easily by the body. So only a small amount needs to be taken to obtain the average daily iron requirement. Additionally, any excess iron the body does not require is expelled easily, so it does not produce unpleasant side-effects normally associated with iron pills, says Spatone's distributor, Sea-Band International, which also manufactures a well-known anti-nausea wristband. Spatone Iron+ is available at all Osco-Savon drug stores, Walgreens.com, in New Jersey at Harmon drug stores, and in upstate New York at Kinney drug stores. The cost for a 14-day supply is $9.99 and $19.99 for a 28-day supply. For more information, access www.sea-band.com.
— Lauren C. Freedman