#morningsickness 101 What is morning sickness? Is it only in the AM? What causes it? Do ALL pregnant women experience it? What’s the cure? My understanding of ‘morning’ sickness before completing an advanced cert in pre- and postnatal coaching with @thegirlsgonestrong (and now having experienced #theworst of it myself) was basic at best. So, if you’re anything like I was, a little edu on the subject will do you (and any pregnant woman you encounter) well. *** ROOKIE TIP Don’t ask 🤰🏻🤰🏼🤰🏽🤰🏿if she’s experiencing AM sickness. Chances are she is, and if she is, chances are she’d rather not use this moment of relief to relive it for the sake of small talk. If she wants to talk about her experience, 1. Let her bring it up; and 2. Create and hold space to do so safely and without judgement. *** NEED TO KNOW INFO AM sickness is a combo of symptoms ranging from FEELING sick to actually GETTING sick. Think nausea, general upset stomach, bloating & gas, constipation, as well as diarrhea, active #gagreflex, or vomiting. Heads up! It’s not just a morning thing. It’s an all-the-time thing. Morning. Afternoon. Night. It comes and goes (or it doesn’t). 70% of women struggle with some degree during #earlypregnancy (first 13 weeks/3 months AKA trimester 1). Some women struggle with extreme symptoms #hyperemesisgravidarum for their entire pregnancy. The cause of AM sickness is debated by the #maternalmed community, but all theories directly relate to other early pregnancy side effects: sensory intensification (smell + taste), drastic surge of hormones (hCG, estrogen, progesterone), rapid change in size/location of internal organs (uterus, stomach, lungs, diaphragm), and even disruption to inner ear pressure. Here’s the best part: time is the only tried and true cure. Exercise, #mindfuleating and ginger are common recs among struggling moms-to-be. Learn more about how I coped with severe AM sickness in part 2 of my ghosting SM post. Until then, share below👇🏼what you wish you’d known, what was most/least helpful, or what, if anything, surprised or shocked you when it came to learning about (or experiencing) AM sickness. Xx