My best friend lives 2,000 miles from me and is pregnant with her 2nd baby. Her morning sickness is much worse this time around, she has tried every medicine (zofran, unisom, Vitamin b6 etc) and herbal stuff as well (ginger, peppermint, etc) and nothing helps. I want to send a care package to tell her I love her and to cheer her up, but I'm drawing a blank on what to send. I know food doesn't appeal to her at all... any ideas?
Thanks so much fro your help:)
Mouth wash. lol. I went through the stuff like crazy when I was prego. (I threw up at least 2x a day, every day, for the entire first trimester and a half, then again for the last half of my 3rd trimester) Gum. (NOT fruity flavors... the spearmint ones helped me out) You could also send her one of those pregnancy pillows (you could air-vac in in a space bag to make it more shippable) to help her be more comfortable later.
Aren't you a good friend! What a great idea. Lots of great ideas so far, so some on my list are repeats:
fuzzy slippers or socks
dvds
books (either pregnancy related or just funny- I would personally find a funny chick lit type to take her mind off things
toys or books to keep her older child occupied
I would make funny signs for her to hold up- "out of my way- toilet bound!" or "please don't make or bring anything that smells near me", things like that, just for fun
And I just can't resist saying that I wouldn't recommend pot! I didn't get the impression that you were planning on risking a felony to send an illegal carcinogen to your friend, but I just had to say something. :-)
i had morning sickness and afternoon sickness when i was pregnant tell her to avoid orange juice stuff with acid i found triggered my nausea and try the colored tums for gas it wont bother the baby as for mints nope they dont work they have these prego pops sold at motherhood maternity stores but they are real sour candies she has to watch what she eats anything that smells like uggh dont eat it and try fruits like mango and pink grapefruit worked for me
My niece is going through the same thing and I just dropped off a little box with:
- mini cans of gingerale
- a box of those icepops in a tube that you can freeze
- comfy slippers and fuzzy socks
- hair ties (obvious reason)
- 2 paperbacks
- IOU for a mani/pedi trip when she's finally through the woods
This is very thoughtful and honestly she will be happy to get something in the mail from you. Make sure to send her random cards and notes for no reason. My mom and best friend sent me (and my husband) little notes throughout my pregnancy and it was just so thoughtful and nice at the end of the day to know that someone was thinking of you!
I don't know if it will help with morning sickness, but for upset stomach I get some ice, sprinkle some salt on it, squeeze some lemon juice on the salty ice and pour Pelligrino or some type of mineral water on it. And eat some crackers here and there while drinking this concotion. Hope it helps.
Honestly, unless it's 100 percent natural peppermint, the peppermint can actually worsen hearburn/nausea because of the sugar content. It will also surpress her milk production if she is chosing to nurse. I had heartburn and morning sickness with my baby although not toooooo terrible, I ate saltines because they were the only thing that made me feel better and the only thing I could even think about eating.
My friend had these things called 'preggie pops' and she thought they worked and were yummy, they are sweetened with fruit juice only...you can get them at drug stores and babies r us. Also chewing gum after eating can surpress any reflux. I am not sure if she is actually throwing up or just nauseous but she could be losing nutrients not to mention energy so bananas are a good food and they are mild. (although shipping can prove difficult :)
You are such a good friend!
My bff is going through the same thing!!!
Right now suckers help with the morning sickness. Maybe like a bouquet of suckers and some stuff for a bubble bath. Some thing that relaxes her and distracts her mind from being sick. Books, stuff for pedicures, massages anything like that would be great!!!
Just the though of you sending her something will make things a little better!
You have some great suggestions so far. I remember when I was going through this, I loved to sleep/rest. So maybe:
- some slippers, a nice soft blanket, a new pillow, etc.
- a cleaning service- I would've loved this because I felt too awful to keep up!
- books and magazines are a good option
- I second the preggo pops - I found them at Babies R Us
- Anything that can be used later to give her something to look forward to - for ex, a gift card to eat or shop once she feels better!
- A favorite movie to take her mind off of things
- an ipod or other music listening device
Having been there...probably nothing :(...food is probably a bad idea because everyone has to figure out what and if anything works for them--the second time around bubble mint gum and jolly ranchers--the first time--nothing! I think there is a book called "when morning sickness lasts all day" that I found afterwards...I might have liked that...and the website helpher.org too!
Books! They have no scent! :)
Pretty socks
Unscented beeswax candles
A scarf
Magazines - but sniff them first to see if they contain any perfume samples.
Music - my BIL made me a CD of a bunch of different music. It was great! I listened to it every day.
The gift cert. for actupuncture or massage were GREAT ideas!
You are such a good friend! I had hyperemesis, and it was horrible. My friends and family always did little things to cheer me up and I will be forever grateful for their support during such a difficult time.
Here's a couple things you could send:
*A pregnancy book that maybe she doesn't have (like "What to Expect when You're Expecting").
*A pregnancy journal - any journal would do for this, but there are some great ones out there that encourage the expecting mom to write about certain topics and have little details about that day/week/stage of pregnancy.
*I also saw an "Essential Pregnancy Organizer" - this is great because it keeps her busy and her mind occupied while being able to see what she can look forward to.
*Pregnancy Teas
*Anything that will remind her that although she has an extreme case, it will pass and the best part is yet to come :).
Mine was "morning noon and night sickness" with the 2nd pregnancy. Being sent food or teas would have been a miserable reminder of how miserabe I felt. What helped the most were things to help keep my first child entertained (a new DVD, or an age appropriate game), and definitely a gift certificate for a cleaning visit by a maid service. You can google which national, insured and reputable maid services are in her area and buy her a gift card to use either now or after the birth of the baby. You're a good friend to want to cheer her up!
If she has a sense of humour you could send her a nice flower bouquet but have them put it into a really pretty bucket so that she will have a nice puke bucket when the flowers die. Just a thought
Tell her good luck and I hope she is feeling better
Does she have a pregnancy journal? I have kept one for each of my three pregnancies. They are fun to reread later on. Also, when I was pregnant with number three I would go back and reread my journal from child number one and two to compare notes and to give me hope that my morning sickness would eventually come to an end!
I had BAD morning sickness and migraines, with both my pregnancies.
Per my OB/GYN's suggestion, I got Acupuncture.
THAT is the only thing, that got rid of it, immediately and permanently.
That is what I recommend.
It is actually very relaxing, does not hurt, and it only took 1/2 hour.
The only thing that has ever helped me at all are Sour Patch Kids.
I think a gift certificate to acupuncture, or to a local mid-wife (you could call ahead to see if you think she'd like them and they could help her) would be nice.
Oatmeal was the only thing that worked for me for one pregnancy -- plain. Yuck! I am only starting to be able to cook it again for my kids 8 years later!
A good novel to keep her mind off it?
Natural, unscented bath and body products? I like www.passionatehomemaking.com for those kinds of things. We use lots of her recipes.
A quiet toy for the older child to play with when Mommy just needs to lay down.
A nice, dark towel that she can clean up with after she returns meals. Or a pretty hair tie that would keep her hair out of the mess. On the more humorous side -- a pretty padded toilet seat to lean her head on. :)
Just a little pretty she can look at and know you love her. I had a friend send me a little water globe. She didn't know what to do, but just wanted me to know she cared. I still have it on my bedside table, even though it's been broken through our many moves. To this day, it's one of my most treasured items.
I feel her pain! You're such a good friend! Sometimes there is just nothing at all that will help, but knowing someone cares and loves you is such an encouragement. Thanks for being such a good friend!
