I recently got a chance to interview Dr. Siobhan Dolan and her patient, Kate Cleary. Dr. Dolan is a medical advisor for the March of Dimes and also co-author of Healthy Mom, Healthy Baby. She is also an Associate Professor in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology and Women’s Health at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York City.
Since I recently just gave birth to my 4th son, talking about pregnancy was really fresh in my mind too. It's amazing how each pregnancy is different and how I was shocked that with the span of 5 years from my last things were just so different. One of the great new differences though is doctors and researchers are understanding more and more about pregnancy and that is so beneficial. After all, I believe knowledge is power. In my previous pregnancies morning sickness was really non-existent. But this last one was a doozy...I kept thinking something was wrong because I made it fine this first 2-3 months with no problems and by month 4 - I couldn't even walk into my kitchen without running to the bathroom. Dr. Dolan shared that 3 out of 4 pregnant women have morning sickness symptoms. But what I was shocked to hear was that morning sickness is a real medical condition, not just an inconvenience. Nausea, vomiting, retching and dry-heaving disrupt everyday activities and can negatively affect a woman’s emotional and physical wellbeing, her family, and her career. In addition, NVP (nausea and vomiting of pregnancy) can cause symptoms to last for two-to-six hours a day, often in the afternoon or evening – so the term “morning sickness” does not accurately represent the experience for many pregnant women. I can attest to that!!!
In a national survey that evaluated more than 600 currently or recently pregnant women’s experiences with NVP highlight key findings: nearly half of the women reported that morning sickness adversely affected their ability to care for their children; caused them to miss work and feared a negative career impact; and increased anxiety about a healthy pregnancy outcome. More than half reported difficulty taking prenatal vitamins and worried about their ability to eat nutritiously. Again, I was right there...I couldn't get my older boys off to school in the morning with their lunch or feed them breakfast. Thankfully my step-daughter pitched in. I tried, but every time I would go into the kitchen - the smell just set me off! I couldn't cook dinner for my family, nothing...hubby had to step in or take out was in order. And gosh, I just wanted home cooked nutritious food for the baby. It was a financial burden too because eating out is just expensive for a family of 6. Thankfully, it did end a few months later, but boy talk about life altering for a bit.
Dr. Dolan's patient, Kate, was 29 years old and in very good health when she and her husband Christopher became pregnant for the first time. She was about 7 weeks pregnant when she first experienced NVP. She would try to consume all of her daily nutrients in small meals throughout the day, as she was unable to eat or even tolerate the aroma of food after 4:00 PM daily. Kate was very careful to eat protein, veggies, and fruit as snacks because she was very focused on providing as much vitamins and minerals as possible for her growing twins. She even purchased eggs fortified with omega threes. The NVP continued throughout her pregnancy, although she did not take any medication for NVP.
Dr. Dolan shared that this is truly a medical condition and not just normal part of pregnancy. She explained that the hormones and other things going on during pregnancy attributes to these changes which can lead to NVP. Some of the symptoms of morning sickness can be dangerous to the health of the unborn child and mother. It is important during pregnancy to take vitamins and these are essential for growing the child and mom's body that may have been depleted of minerals and vitamins. When food or vitamins cannot be stomached then there is a loss of these nutrients to the body. Deficiencies can cause all sorts of problems. It is important that we open the conversation with your health care provider about your symptoms so that they can help you work through it.
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