So, you’ve got a hunch you might be pregnant.
And now your stomach is feeling… off. You’re not sure if it’s a bug, food poisoning, or really the first sign you’re with child.
Want to know for sure if what’s going on with your body is pregnancy-related or not?
Well, you’re in luck, we’ve got some helpful ways to tell if your morning sickness is actually due to a baby on board, and some great ways to feel less sick whatever the cause may be!
Morning Sickness VS Stomach Bug: The Differences
Pregnancy-related sickness AKA morning sickness is all to do with hormones, and the way your body is changing to accommodate a baby. It’s basically your body’s way of telling you that it’s working hard to adjust.
Stomach bugs are caused by germs or bacteria, and they can be contagious. You can get them from food, water, or other people who have them.
While both can make you feel pretty lousy, they have some major differences:
Morning sickness is often accompanied by queasiness and retching instead of vomiting (although vomiting is possible).
Morning sickness also tends to make you feel sick from certain smells and tastes, like perfume, cleaning products or foods with a strong odour.
You may also feel tired.
Stomach bugs are generally shorter than morning sicknesses, they’ll last for about 1-2 days at most. Morning sicknesses, on the other hand, can last throughout your whole pregnancy, and sometimes beyond!
Morning sickness tends to occur at the same time every day, usually in the morning and evening, while it’s not uncommon for stomach bugs to come on suddenly, without warning.
With a stomach bug, you’ll likely get fever and diarrhea as well as nausea or vomiting, but not so with morning sickness!
Of course, there are some exceptions to these rules—and some unlucky people experience both morning sickness and stomach bugs at the same time during their pregnancies!
But now that you know about these differences, you are hopefully closer to figuring out what’s going on in your own life.
If you’re still not sure, here are two questions you can ask yourself to get an even clearer picture of whether it’s morning sickness or something else entirely.
1. Have you been around someone who seems to be suffering from a stomach bug or another illness?
This question might seem obvious, but it is easy to forget or overlook certain things when you are filled with excitement (or worry) about possibly being pregnant.
So think back, if you have been around someone who seems to be suffering from a stomach bug or another illness. Chances are it’s not morning sickness–you’ve probably just picked up some of their germs.
Of course, if you work in an environment surrounded by people, this question may not help as much. So let’s move on to the next.
2. What Other Symptoms Do You Have?
Morning sickness is just one of many symptoms that may point to pregnancy. If you find yourself ticking off some more of these 10 early pregnancy symptoms, it’s a sure sign you are pregnant rather than ill with something else.
10 Common Early Pregnancy Symptoms
- A Missed Period
It’s as simple as it sounds: You haven’t had a period in over two weeks, or you’ve had one and it was shorter than normal. If you have already been trying to conceive, this is the first sign that you could be pregnant.
- Sore/Tender Breasts
As early as two weeks after conception, your breasts may begin to feel sore due to increased breast blood flow during this stage of pregnancy. The hormone progesterone causes the receptors in your breasts to enlarge and become more sensitive to touch. So if your breasts feel sore or tender, it could be because they’re getting ready for nursing duty!
- Frequent Headaches:
While headaches aren’t exactly uncommon for everyone in general, they can be especially prevalent during pregnancy due to hormonal changes and increased blood flow throughout the body.
- Fatigue/Exhaustion
When you’re pregnant, your body uses up more energy to support the baby growing inside you. This can lead to fatigue and exhaustion, especially in the first trimester
- Constipation
Constipation is another common early pregnancy symptom. This can be caused by hormonal changes that slow down digestion and elimination, so if your stomach feels bloated and full but nothing seems to want to come out, that could be why!
- Frequent Urination
Your body is producing extra hormones during pregnancy. These hormones cause your kidneys to produce more urine than normal, which can lead to frequent trips to the bathroom.
- Food Cravings/Aversions
Hormones are surging through your body, and that can make some foods taste especially delicious or particularly unappetising. You may find yourself craving foods that are considered “unhealthy,” like sweets or salty snacks. But don’t worry: these cravings are completely normal! They’ll go away once your body acclimates itself to this new hormone balance.
- Bloating/Weight Gain
Because of all that extra fluid in your system, you might feel like you’ve gained weight (even though you haven’t). This is completely normal—try not to stress out too much about it.
- Increased Irritability/Mood Swings (And Everything In Between)
The first thing you might notice is that you’re feeling extra moody, and you’re not sure why. Don’t worry—it’s totally normal to feel off-kilter in the first trimester of your pregnancy. Your hormones are all over the place, so it’s totally understandable if your emotions aren’t quite on point.
- Trouble Sleeping
You may also notice that it’s harder than usual to fall asleep at night or stay asleep through the night. It’s because your body is working overtime to support a new little human inside of it, so sorry to report, but getting restful sleep can be tough!
How To Be 100% Sure
Even if all signs point to pregnancy, it’s better to get confirmation.
So how do you find out if you’re definitely pregnant? The most common way is to use a home pregnancy test. You can buy these at any pharmacy or grocery store.
How Accurate Are Pregnancy Tests?
In general, home pregnancy tests are about 99 percent accurate when taken correctly. However, if you are testing early, before your missed period, the results may not be entirely reliable. Most doctors recommend waiting until after your period is late before using a home pregnancy test. We recommend Clearblue Digital Pregnancy Tests
If you get a positive result and are thrilled to be pregnant, Congratulations
And, don’t worry, we won’t leave without sharing some great tips on how to deal with morning sickness.
8 Top Tips To Help With Morning Sickness
- Eat small meals throughout the day and try not to skip breakfast
- Keep crackers in the car or in your purse so that you have something to nibble on when you’re away from home and feeling nauseous.
- Exercise regularly – even if it’s only for 5 minutes each day! This will help reduce stress and anxiety which can make morning sickness even worse
- Try ginger! Ginger has been used in Ayurvedic medicine for thousands of years to treat nausea, so it’s no surprise that it can help you kick your morning sickness to the curb.
- Stay hydrated! Dehydration often contributes to nausea, so drink plenty throughout the day. If you’re worried about getting enough liquids, try drinking flavoured waters or just adding some lemon or lime juice to your water. You can also try eating fruits like apples and oranges—they’re full of vitamins and minerals and will help keep you hydrated.
- Try taking vitamin B6 supplements—they’ve been shown to be very effective in reducing nausea while pregnant.
- Chew gum or suck on sweets to stimulate saliva production, which can help to ease nausea.
- And finally, rest! Pregnancy exhaustion can contribute to morning sickness, so try your best to relax and get 8 hours of sleep each night. Growing a baby is hard to you deserve to take it easy and put your feet up regularly.
- High Tech Wristbands such as the attached have been shown to reduce or eliminate Morning sickness symptoms in 85% of women.
- More natural methods, such as This Kit Developed by Midwives make use of Essential Oils, Ginger and Vitamins to fight back against Morning Sickness Symptoms.
If none of these tips work it might be time to see a doctor.
Morning sickness is typically a normal part of pregnancy, but it can sometimes be a sign of a more serious problem. If you have the following symptoms, you should contact your midwife, doctor, or 111:
Your morning sickness is so bad that it interferes with your ability to eat, sleep, or take care of yourself and your family. Or, you’re vomiting and;
-Have very dark-coloured urine or have not had a pee in more than 8 hours
-Are unable to keep food or fluids down for 24 hours
-Feel severely weak, dizzy, or faint when standing up
-Have tummy (abdominal) pain
-Have a high temperature
-Vomit blood
-Have lost weight
No matter the cause of your nausea, whether morning sickness or something else, we wish you all the best in dealing with it, and hope this read has been useful!
