Chorevia

Day 46 of 280 · 6 weeks + 4 days

When sickness is more than sickness

Last reviewed · 3 min read · 7 sources · Plain-text version

Most morning sickness is mild. Today: what hyperemesis gravidarum is, the numbers that mean a call, and a once-a-week habit that catches it early.

Size this week
about the size and shape of a pea
Length this week
around 6 mm from head to bottom
A Latina woman in a loose t-shirt standing on a bathroom scale in a small tiled bathroom, morning light through a frosted window, a notebook on the sink.

Six weeks and four days. Yesterday was rest. Today is the line between ordinary morning sickness and the kind that needs a provider, and a two-minute habit that keeps you on the right side of it.

Your baby

A single green pea resting on a fingertip, close up, soft window light.

Around 6mm long, about the size and shape of a pea (NHS). During weeks 6 and 7 the heart beats at a regular rhythm, which can be seen on vaginal ultrasound (MedlinePlus); before that, the heartbeat usually cannot be heard or seen on ultrasound until at least 6 to 7 weeks (MedlinePlus). Around it, the liver, brain and musculoskeletal system are developing (NHS).

Your body

Morning sickness is common this week (NHS), and mild morning sickness does not harm the baby (MedlinePlus). Hyperemesis gravidarum is different: severe, ongoing nausea and vomiting that can lead to dehydration, weight loss and electrolyte imbalances, with weight loss that can exceed 5% of body weight (MedlinePlus).

The risk is higher with twins or multiples, a molar pregnancy, a tendency to motion sickness, a previous bout of it, or a female relative who had it (MedlinePlus). Researchers now identify GDF15, a hormone the placenta produces at high levels early in pregnancy, as the main cause, and people with lower GDF15 before pregnancy react more strongly to it (MedlinePlus). Severe nausea often improves by weeks 14 to 16, though some women have symptoms the whole pregnancy (MedlinePlus).

Try today

  1. The weekly weigh-in

    Time: 2 minutes, once a week

    1. Pick a day and a time, first thing and after the bathroom, and the same scale every week.

    2. Write the number and the date in your notes. MedlinePlus's instruction is to weigh yourself regularly to watch for excessive weight loss (MedlinePlus).

    3. Compare it with last week. A loss of more than 2 pounds (1 kilogram) in a week is MedlinePlus's line for contacting a doctor (MedlinePlus).

    4. Bring the list to the first visit.

    Make it work:

    The point isn't the gain. The expected gain in the whole first trimester is only 2 to 4 pounds (OWH), so a flat line is fine; it's a falling one you're watching for.

Watch for

  • Normal

    nausea, and vomiting now and then (NHS).

    Call your provider

    if you lose more than 2 pounds (1 kilogram) in a week, if vomiting doesn't improve with home remedies, or if you vomit blood or material that looks like coffee grounds (MedlinePlus).

  • Normal

    a day when food is hard to face.

    Call your provider today

    if you can't tolerate any fluids for over 12 hours, lose more than 5 pounds (2.3 kilograms), feel lightheaded, or notice signs of dehydration (MedlinePlus).

  • Normal

    needing to lie down after a bad morning.

    Go to the ER

    if you can't drink for more than 8 hours or eat for more than 24; the CDC lists severe nausea and throwing up among the urgent warning signs that need care immediately (CDC).

For you

If you're the one who can't keep anything down: it is not something you did. The current explanation is a placental hormone and how your body happened to react to it (MedlinePlus). And the other half of the same page is the part to hold on to: with proper identification and follow-up, serious complications for the baby or the mother are rare (MedlinePlus).

If you're the partner: the weigh-in is a job you can own. Remember the day, keep the notebook by the scale, and be the one who says the number out loud when it has dropped. Severe vomiting can require hospital IV fluids (MedlinePlus); the ride is yours.

Sources

This guide is general education that summarizes published research and guidance from groups like the American Academy of Pediatrics, the CDC, and the WHO. It isn’t medical advice, and every child develops on their own timeline. Your pediatrician knows your child; if something feels wrong, call them. In an emergency, call 911.

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