Morning sickness

For a lay person:

Morning sickness is nausea and vomiting in early pregnancy, which can happen at any time of day. It usually begins around the sixth week and settles by the middle of pregnancy, and is not harmful to the baby in most cases.

For a trained medical person:

Common in the first trimester and thought to relate to rising hCG and oestrogen; the severe form, hyperemesis gravidarum, causes dehydration, electrolyte disturbance and weight loss. Assessment includes hydration status, weight, ketones and electrolytes, and exclusion of other causes such as molar or multiple pregnancy, urinary infection or thyroid disease. Management is dietary advice, ginger, and antiemetics such as antihistamines or pyridoxine-doxylamine, with intravenous fluids for hyperemesis.

In Chinese medicine:

Liu and Tseng's textbook differentiates this condition into these patterns: Spleen and Stomach Deficiency; Disharmony of Liver and Stomach; Qi and Yin Deficiency. Treatment follows the pattern a patient presents with, not the Western diagnosis alone.

When to get help: Get medical help if you cannot keep fluids down for a day, pass little urine, lose weight, vomit blood or feel faint. Many herbs are unsafe in pregnancy, so only take them under the guidance of a qualified practitioner who knows you are pregnant.