According to a small-scale study from 2009, the children with mothers who had morning sickness when they were pregnant with them were found to have sharper wits than their peers.
The study published in the Journal of Pediatrics concluded that from the 121 children from Canada, aged 3 and 7, the ones whose mothers had morning sickness in pregnancy, on some IQ, language, and memory tests, had higher scores than the others.
Moreover, the usage of the med diclectin that’s prescribed to women with pregnancy morning nausea in Canada didn’t lower the effects.
What’s more, the children whose mothers took the meds had the highest scores on some of the tests.
Nausea in Pregnancy, not so Terrible after All?
The study’s lead Dr. Irena Nulman from the Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto suggests that vomiting and nausea in pregnancy isn’t damaging and that it may actually benefit the children’s mental health development.
Pregnancy is commonly associated with vomiting and nausea, especially in the first three months.
As it has to do with the changes in specific hormones necessary for the growth of the placenta, some experts consider this symptom to be a symptom of healthy pregnancy.
What’s more, previous studies have linked it with reduced rates of miscarriages, pre-term babies, and stillbirth. However, any long-term benefits aren’t entirely clear.
The study Nulman led was done with 45 children whose mothers took the above-mentioned medication for their morning sickness, 47 children whose mothers had morning sickness, but didn’t take the medication, and 29 children whose mothers didn’t experience nausea and vomiting in their pregnancies.
Although all of the kids scored in the normal range for mental development, some scores were higher in the group of children whose mothers had morning sickness and they were even higher as the severity of the sickness increased.
Be Careful, Morning Sickness Isn’t Always Benign
A small percentage of pregnant women can develop a condition known as hypermesis gravidarum- a strong and ongoing nausea and vomiting which may cause dehydration, weight loss, and malnutrition.
Nulman notes that no one knows the reason behind this disorder and it may have other physiological underpinnings than the non-harmful morning sickness.
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