Horrible Morning Sickness:Help!

I also had horrible morning sickness with a lot of vomiting during my pregnancy. Frankly, nothing ever really made it go away, but I did find that a few things were helpful:
1. My midwife suggested vitamin B6 (or 12, I can't remember) shots which I found very helpful--I got them once or twice a week and was able to keep some food down after I got them
2. I quit taking prenatal vitamins during the first trimester--which I know is sort of not a great idea, but they seemed to really intensify the sickness for me
3. I found ginger gum to be somewhat helpful
4. The advise to eat little tiny meals was useless because I was so sick all the time and pretty much vomited every time I ate anything; my midwife did give me a prescription which helped but made me go to sleep, which doesn't help for work, but it might be useful if you are losing too much weight as I was
5. I also found pickles to be useful--I also heard pineapple is good because it has digestive enzymes in it--furthermore, I have heard that kimchee and kefir are useful because they contain digestive enzymes that can help your body digest the food--I always felt that my body wasn't digesting food during the first months--that it just sat there, so foods that are sort of acidic were useful.
6. There is a book that my midwife had that was something like, "when morning sickness lasts all day" which was sort of helpful (but I found it after I got better)...

I hope you feel better soon--it's such an awful feeling!

Hi E.,
Didn't read the other posts, sorry if I repeat. I was in your boat not that long ago! My first was easy too. Now, I have a 4 month old and I was sick the enire pregnancy! Ginger definitely helped! They make little candies called "preggie drops" they make them in lollypop form too called "preggie pops". Those were a tremendous help when I had to be out in public. In your case, you could keep a container of the drops in your desk drawer. This next part is not meant to scare you: I was so sick I needed to be on home IV therapy for a month. I couldn't keep anything down (not even water). I had to take Zofran in liquid form through the IV. I was afraid it would hurt the baby, but my son is perfect! Don't be afraid to take it if it helps.

I am also pregnant with my second this time the morning sickness wasn't as bad as with #! but it was bad initially. With my first I was sick 24 hours/for 10 months (I was late and that whole 9 month thing is a lie!) Anyways, I tried Ginger Root which did occasionally take the edge off so I could at least work. I ate smaller things throughout the day (not sure if you can do that teaching) but yogurt, granola bars, fruit, etc) every couple of hours seemed to help. I also constantly had sour candies in my mouth. Freeze pops as an evening snack seemed to help get through the night. With this pregnancy, I was the most sick in the middle of the night; I finally gave in and got a prescription which was fantastic!! after 3 days of taking the medicine I have only moments of rare nauseousness. Hope you feel better soon!

talk to your doctor about taking zofran. it is an anti nausea drug that is safe during pregnancy. I could not have made it out of the house during the first 16 weeks of my first pregnancy without it. I vomited non stop. If you are not actually vomitting your doctor may not prescribe it though. I was actually seeing a perinatologist (doctor who handles high risk pregnancies) for other reasons and she highly recommended zofran and in fact was taking it herself while pregnant. That made me feel really good about taking it. good luck and remember (most likely) it won't last all that long!

Hi E.,
I would try the Sea Bands. I had only mild nausea with my last pregnancy and I found that Country Time lemonade (the kind that comes in a can like soda, not when you make it yourself with the powder) was great for me, but I know that when you are a teacher and have limited bathroom breaks, drinking extra fluids might not work so well for you. You could also try the Preggie Pops, made for nausea - while they didn't exist during my last pregnancy, I did use them a few years later when I was undergoing chemotherapy.
Good luck!

Hey E.!
I feel your pain! I am a speech pathologist, and so I also had to put on the happy face and work with kids which was the last thing I felt like doing! I was sick my entire pregnancy, and basically, hated every day. The only thing that helped me keep anything down was Zoloft. I was scared it would hurt the baby, but it was fine and my doctor said he wouldn't have prescribed it if it was dangerous. Good luck and hang in there!

Hello E.,
I'm sure you have read this before (I don't usually read other responses until after I've posted mine), but there are a few things you can eat/drink to help nausea.

Sip ginger ale, ginger snaps, saltine crackers, ice chips/cubes worked great for me, I also craved anything with milk - chocolate milk and ice cream, eat small meals/snacks throughout the day, eat whatever you crave thats edible. Dont forget to try rolaids or tums for antacid- that can help with mild nausea.

See if you can get out of cooking for a little while. Smelling different foods while cooking can also turn the appetite sour and keep your kitchen aired out so no smells linger that long. Or cook on the grill often.

With my 3rd child, all I could do was eat often to keep food in my stomach and I craved salads all the time. I also felt sick constantly, but I could keep it mostly under control- until I smelled the water in the house I lived in, then I lost control and had to have my older girls wash the dishes for me and change all the shampoos in the house - no more pert plus and I still have a hard time with it 9 years later!

With my 4th and last, I was always feeling sick, then one day the vomiting started, with everything I ate and drank until I couldn't even drink water and went in the hospital for dehydration - for 3 days. the only thing that worked during my stay was zofran, but they wouldnt send me home with a script because my insurance wouldn't pay for it without a fight from my docter. The meds they sent me home with worked for 2 days, but I ended up in the hospital again 1 week after the first time - and lost 25 lbs. After a 2 day hospital stay, I got my script (very expensive -$92 for 3 8mg tablets, then got samples of zofran from my doctor. I broke what I could in half to last longer.

It worked great, and I was told that zofran was mainly for cancer patients to curb nausea during chemotherapy treatments. (which I had to experience it all firsthand, brain tumor - 6 months later, with my 13 year old daughter, currently 16 and in remission) thanks to many prayers, alot of help from friends, great doctors and nurses at CHOP and God!

They have zofran in generic now, so it should be easier to get if your nausea is that severe, ask your doctor. They do have stuff to help.

Good luck

Hi E.,

Congratulations!

It's been many years, but I remember the 24 hour sickness very well. The best advise I have is try to keep something in your stomach, even if it's just water. (That also helps when your vomiting alot, for me it was 2 to 5 times a day)

Saltines are the recommended choice, and they do help. But try different foods and find what's best for you.

I tried all the natural rememdies (seabands, lemon wedges, ginger, crackers, etc) but nothing worked. My OB recommended vit B6 and half a unison tablet. I tried it and felt like a brand new person, it was amazing!

I KNOW it is awful but when you are at work and distracted it seems a bit better for a while.I did Zofran but it makes you constipated and coming down from it was even worse. I like the b6 and unisom idea. Also plenty of cold lemon water and starchy food, eating before getting out of the bed.. Fresh air and walking,SLEEP. Try to remember it will be over at 17weeks and that it is a sign baby is healthy

Yes, it is such a frustrating thing! I use to have nausea and be hungry, but there was no food that sounded good to me. I found keeping ginger snaps handy to be useful and nibbling on them throughout the day.

Hi,
I am also pregnant with my second and I can commiserate with you big time! For me my first pregnancy was worse though. What helps me best is Seabands bracelets. They use an acupressure point in your wrist to help curb the nausea, they were developed for seasickness but work great for morning sickness. They can be purchased at any CVS and probably other pharmacies as well. They never made me feel completely better, but I was at least functional when wearing them instead of spending all my time with my head in the toilet bowl!
Best of luck, hopefully it will subside in a few weeks!

HiElaine A,

So sorry you are having such morning sickness all day long, When i was pregant I also felt the exact same way.How about saltines they seemed to take the edge off for me, also a little dab of salt in the back of my tougue. How this helps..

Congrats & good luck on going back to school hope you feel better.

J. Y

Zofran!!! A friend of mind swears by it because she has gotten Hyperimesis with both of her pregnancies. It's the same thing they give cancer patients going through chemo, and it's 100% safe when you are pregnant. It's very expensive though. My friend would only use half a wafer at a time, and it was enough. If you have a good doctor he/she will prescribe it for you. Another friend is taking Phenergen because she can't afford the Zofran, but it puts her to sleep. Not do-able for you since you are a teacher. Good luck to getting some relief!

i have been having simliar experience.
i try not to bend over too much and keep crackers nearby!

Ginger - real ginger actually helped me a lot. Health food / organic stores usually have some kind of Ginger lozenge.

Also try the sea bands for motion sickness. It is the same acupressure point for all nausea so that worked too. I just couldn't stand to wear them all the time.

Good luck!

I am pregnant with my first and I had horrible morning sickness as well. The only things I found that worked were sea bands (worn around the wrist, many people use them for motion sickness, can be purchased at any pharmacy) and something called Prego Pop Drops. I bought these at a maternity store in the midwest, so I have no idea if you can get them anywhere up here but with the wonderful internet I'm sure you can shop online. If you want to try before you buy, I have an unopened container that I was going to throw out, so if you want you can just have them and we can make arrangements to meet or whatever privately.

My doctor changed my prenatal vitamins to one that was higher in b12. I had all day sickness for the length of my last 2 pregnancies. I used the sea bands (they worked fantastic) but are annoying to wear all the time. I also sipped on ICE COLD milk and drank milk shakes and nibbled saltines. That helped me a lot as well crazy as it sounds. No wonder I gained 45lbs with 1 and 50lbs with the other!!! LOL Good luck, I know how much it sucks. Also make sure you get enough sleep. I found it was worse when I was tired.

When are you taking your vitamins? Another teacher and I were both experiencing morning sickness until we stopped taking our vitamins before school. Another co-worker stopped taking the prescription vitamins and got dr. permission to take flintstones. Hope this helps!

Congrats on your pregnancy:) E. I am a teacher as well and for my first pregnancy I experienced "all day" sickness too. Fortunately my doctor prescribed me something for it bc the crackers and tea remedy made me feel worse. I don't remember what it was called but speak to your doctor about it. I took the meds, drank ginger ale and ate very small meals. I loaded up on snacks like grapes, nuts, etc...It went away eventually and I even was able to stop the medication.ohhh, I also switched my prenatal vitamins bc some could cause nausea too.
Hope this helps.
M.

I remember my morning sickness days. After the morning sickeness disappeared I had read an article about acupunture helping many people with morning sickness. Thought I would pass that along. I wish I had known, I would have tried it.

How far along are you. I totally understand, I was sick 24/7 with my 1st baby and my 2nd. Try ginger candy, sour apples, sea bands(band you place around your wrist) help a lot of people and maybe have a talk with your Principal and see if you can have a sub on standby if it gets too tough. With my 1st, I was in bed most of time it was so bad. It did diminish and went away after the 3/4 month though. Make sure to keep track of the foods and smells that make it worse. I hope this is of some help:)

I was like this with my fourth child. My Doctor put me on Zofran. Worked like a charm and I was able to eat. The first week you start taking it does cause slight headaches. I didn't mind them since I was able to look at food again.

Nanc