While most pregnancy vomiting is par for the course, nothing to worry about and actually desirable as an indication that all is well and progressing as it should be, there are some cases in which vomiting during pregnancy is not OK.
- Very frequent vomiting may cause dehydration in some cases, and so depletion of water should not be allowed to be caused in body. Fluid intake should be increased if required so that there is no dehydration.
You can detect dehydration by the presence of symptoms such as dizziness, thirst, passing less than normal urine or passing no urine. Also if the urine is of a darker color or if a urine test shows the presence of ketones then this indicates dehydration.
- If the frequency or duration of the vomiting is such that there is dehydration or loss of certain essential salts, minerals and nutrients then this could indicate the rather serious condition of hyperemesis gravidarum which could require hospitalization, specific treatment and administering of fluids through a drip. As a rule, if you vomit more than three or four times in a day you should consult with your doctor.
- If there is weight loss during pregnancy, this is not a good sign and the doctor should be consulted.
- If the vomit contains blood or if it has the appearance of coffee grounds then this is abnormal and a doctor should be consulted.
The underlying reasons for the presence of blood in the vomit of a pregnant woman could be many: it could be due to bleeding teeth or gums which could indicate the presence of an oral a disease. Or it could be a gastric problem that should be investigated at once.
Sometimes it could be that the blood in the vomit is not a cause for worry since it is only the fact that there is nothing left in the stomach to throw up which causes blood to appear.
Also at times it could be the sheer force of the vomit that may cause traces of blood to appear, but problems have to be ruled out, and so a consultation with a doctor should be done.
So while pregnancy vomiting is quite normal, the frequency of it, the impact that it has on your health and that of the baby as well as its consistency and appearance are the important factors that could indicate the presence of problems.
