Sickness - Belleville,IL

Ginger gum. I didn't really get morning sickness much. If I did, it meant I needed to eat something. But I get sea-sick, and I heard about ginger gum from a pregnancy website. It WORKS. It doesn't make it go away 100%, but maybe 95% so it's definitely helpful for nausea. It's a bit expensive, but it may be worth it if it can help. I got it at CVS pharmacy on the shelf.

If you are truly having it all day and night and are keeping very little or nothing down, please see your ob/gyn now. There is a condition called Hyperemesis gravidarum, which is sickness and nausea so extreme that it throws off the mother's electrolyte balance and can be dangerous to the fetus and to the mother. True hyperemesis gravidarum requires medical intervention immediately. Better to see your doctor and rule it out than to just chew ginger and find out too late it was something serious.

The chances of this being hyperemesis are not huge, but I would still get it checked out just in case. Then if your doctor says it's normal sickness, be sure to get your doc to give you specifics on what to try to eat, when to come back if things get worse, etc. Don't let the doc brush it off; you need enough nutrition for two.

And please don't ever think, "I don't want to go to the doctor because I'll look silly if it's 'nothing' or 'normal.'" It's always better to get checked out. I see too many posts on here from moms saying "I'm posting here because I don't want to look silly to my doctor." But we're not doctors and can't tell what is normal for you and your baby.

Ginger snaps. I HATE them but I ate them through all 3 pregnancies because I always had morning sickness. With my first, they put me on Zofran (I believe) to help with the side-effects.

Also, keep some Saltines by your bed and eat one before you even get out of bed. Sometimes an empty stomach can cause it and make you not want to eat at all.

Prenatals made me sick with the first also. We tried many different brands and my OBGYN finally put me on Flinstones. I've also heard to take them at night before bed...but I couldn't sleep once I took them.

I hope it gets better!

Eat slowly and pay attention to what your body doesn't want. Strong odors can be a trigger.

Eat often but don't over eat. The trick is to not let yourself get hungry but don't eat til your stuffed either.

Stay away from excess grease and sugar, it makes it worse. But spices can be great, go with your cravings.

Keep Tums around. Tums are mostly calcium anyway, and can help you keep you equilibrium when you are out and about.

Every pregnancy is different.
Try crystallized ginger.

Not every pregnancy is the same, is it? And you're more tired now because you already have a child, so that changes things.

Many many small snacks. Sometimes you can eat a food but not prepare it (I could eat tuna but couldn't stand the smell of the can opening, so my husband did that). Sometimes it's the opposite - I could open Swiss cheese but couldn't eat it especially melted. The "standard" is saltines and ginger ale because ginger is settling to the stomach, but today's ginger ale has so much high fructose corn syrup that many women don't want it or don't do well with it. My neighbor lived on lightly salted almonds and kept a batch in her car & purse. At least 20 other friends used a highly absorbable patented protein shake (safe for pregnant moms and that even has a kids version proven safe for infants/preemies) - it was absorbed so quickly that even if they got sick, they didn't lose all that nutrition. Several of them used to worry about vomiting up their prenatal vitamins too - "did I get the vitamin, or didn't I?" So they solved that problem as well.

When I worked in women's health, the big issue we learned was a low sugar level - you get sick, your blood sugar levels drop, which cause more nausea, which worsens the problem. It's called hyperemesis gravidarum and it just means what you're going through. Keeping a little salt, sugar and fluids in your body at all times can help break the cycle.

Good luck!

Take your prenatals at night, before going to sleep. Sometimes they will upset your stomach, so is way you can sleep through any nausea they may bring. (If they do... I had to be on a prescription prenatal due to some issues I was having, and it was bad for me... But I know plenty of moms who don't have issues with feeling ill from their prenatals at all.)

I had to nibble on a couple saltines (or ritz, when I wanted a better flavor... But the saltines helped more.) while I was still in bed in the morning.

Ginger ale never did much for me, but peppermint (PURE peppermint in e ingredients... not just peppermint flavor.) candies helped!

Also, find something you LIKE the smell of. For me, it was mint, orange peels, and lavender. I made and carried around a little satchel with those things in it, and I would sniff it when my stomach was queasy... Sometimes it helped, sometimes it didn't... But it was a LIFESAVER when a random smell started to set off my stomach. Walking through the grocery store was an absolute nightmare before I learned that little trick!

((HUG)) I've been there, too. Why on earth is it called morning sickness if it lasts all day?

Ginger tea or crystallized ginger may help settle your tummy, at least enough for you to get something down and keep it there. Be sure you're drinking enough liquids. Eat small amounts often, and pay attention to whether certain foods or smells trigger the problem. Sometimes things you love at other times can be the worst offenders. Broccoli is my favorite veggie. I couldn't even be in the same room with it cooking when I was pregnant.

If there is something you enjoy and can tolerate, eat up (as long as it isn't junk food)! I know that right now eating is probably the last thing you want to do, but you must. Is there anything left that tastes good to you? When I was expecting my first, one of the few foods that worked for me was peaches. Luckily, they were in season. With my second, cheese and yogurt were good (and almost nothing else).

See if anything yummy from the orchards at Eckert's might tempt you. I used to live in Swansea. I miss their peaches! :-)

Zofran! If you don't want to take that, you should check your health foods store for the preggo pops. They're suckers that help with the sickness.

Ugh it's awful isn't it!! I had the same issue, all pregnancy long, both pregnancies. Nothing ginger ever helped me, but give it a try. Ginger snaps, ginger ale, anything. My ob had prescribed prenatal vitamins, I took them at bedtime instead of first thing in the morning. I also had prescribed medication, Zofran, it was my only relief. Ask your ob, it really can make a difference. Also, Benadryl is safe during pregnancy for allergies, but it also helps relieve nausea.

Hope you get some relief soon!

Ugh it's awful. I had it for 6 months with my first child and for 8 months with my second. For me it helped to eat protein rich little snacks all throughout the day. All day long! I normally don't drink soda but ginger ale really made me feel better too. Some days I had to leave work it was so bad. Hang in there!

Ginger snap cookies and ginger ale were life savers for me.

If it is really bad, I believe my OB gave me an anti-nauseous medication that I could take as needed. I don't remember what it is called though. I haven't read all the other posts yet, but if you don't already, make sure you are eating frequently! And eat what makes you feel better, meaning don't worry about how healthy it is or not. The important thing is that you having something in your stomach and you aren't vomiting! When my mom was pregnant with me, she had horrible morning sickness and the only thing that got her through the day was regular potato chips. Good luck!

it helped me to have a few sips of soda and a cracker BEFORE getting out of bed in the AM

My cure was peanutbutter crackers before I even got up in the morning, and off and on during the day. Also, your prenatals should help and I've heard that magnetic bracelets (like they have for motion sickness works). Good luck and congrats!