I'm 7 1/2 weeks pregnant with my 3rd child. I have been feeling really sick and was wondering if any of you have suggestions of what I can do. I've tried gingerale and saltine crackers and the preggie pops. I need help! Thanks!
Someone posted this a few months ago , so you might want to look it up. these helped a bit for me:
*Ginger tea
*Sucking on hard candy--especially peppermint or lemon
*Sucking on a lemon wedge
*Instead of cracker, dorritos worked
*7up
*Sea bands
*motion sickness pills(my Dr.advise)
GL and Congratulations!
I was sick for 9 months with my second son, try cutting a fresh lemon in 1/2 and sniffing it. Sounds wierd but something about citrus is supposed to help with sickness.
Good luck!
If you can find gingerbread chapstick that used to help me becasue you could smell the ginger all the time. Also just a bag of ginger bread cookies and smell the bag... I don't know why this helped but it did, I never ate the cookies just smelled them...
I also have friends that needed to eat something before they even got up out of bed... a couple crackers, a drink of milk... something in their tummy before they stood up seemed to help. Good luck and congradulations!!!
I found that always keeping something in my stomach helped tremendously. I had a craving for potatoes, so I ate a lot of those, but always in small amounts - fries, baked, mashed (no butter or anything else, always plain). I also found lemonade, chicken and yogurt helped. I think if you have a craving for any food, eat it, but only a small amount - just to take the edge off the nausea. Too much and you'll be sick again and then that food will just be one more thing you can't eat!
Hopefull the nausea will pass quickly! Congrats on the new baby!
I took vitamin b6 I think. I was told that would help on its own and if it didnt, take it with Unisom. Something about the combo helps with nausea. Be sure to ask your doctor before trying it. If it gets too bad, there is a drug called Zofran that is AMAZING!
I echo the suggestions of Sea Bands. You can get them at Wal-Mart. They are a stretchy wrist band with a plastic knob on it that presses on a pressure point on the inside of your wrist. It is a wonderful thing! I had severe morning sickness that lasted for 7 months and these helped. It did NOT take it away but I was able to sit up and play with my then 3 year old.Red Raspberry leaf tea is also very good for morning sickness but I couldn't stand the sight of it:)
You have very good suggestions from all the others also!
Just a note about Zofran....it is not approved by the FDA for pregnant moms. It is a stomach ulcer med and can cause birth defects.
I hope this passes quickly for you. It is especially hard when you have other little ones to care for!
***edit!!!! It came to me in the shower, of all places, that I gave inaccurate info on Zofran. It is NOT an ulcer med! It is for chemo patients! Sorry! The rest of the info I posted on it is true. On a side note I would encourage everyone to buy a med manual- you can find them at Wal-mart. They are very handy dring preg/nursing so you can double check all the Doc. prescribes for you:)
My Dr. had me take a vitamin B6 and 1/2 of a Unisom before bed time and you don't wake up as sick. I pretty much had to eat a little something all day long, but still vomited a lot. I found Izzy drinks really helped, so did fruit snacks and cookies. They also have prego pops (suckers) at the maternity stores that help.
Melissa
I agree with Melissa, that is what the doctor put me on. Also propell water tasted very good too. Just be careful with all the added vitamins and nutrients, if you are currently taking prenatal vitamins. Good luck!
Melissa B has it right I was sick from beginning to end and it wasn't until my last one that my Dr suggested it.....wished someone would of told me with the 2 previous. Just use the red boxed unisom and if half doesn't help take a whole pill, it won't knock you out either.
Keep food in your tummy, to keep your blood sugar up. Try things high in protien, PB&J's are the best. Make one before you go to bed so you don't have to wait so long to make it in the morning.
I read all the responses and was pleasantly surprised that one doctor had recommended Dramamine (sea sick pills) 50 years ago I took them and they really helped.
Also, if you can stand the taste, raw ginger root will stop nausea in its track. It doesn't take too much, but you peal the skin off and cut into little pieces and eat them. Try it first thing in the morning before you get up and then during the day when you first start to feel yucky.
See below where I added more about the ginger root. It has to be the fresh kind not the dried type that comes in capsules.
One thing that can make it worse is being tired. Try to get more sleep. If possible, get the kids in bed by 7:30 and you go to bed too. If you can get 9 hours sleep, you will feel much better,
Marcia b
about ginger root:
Here is some info from the University of Maryland Medical Center: http://www.umm.edu/altmed/ConsHerbs/Gingerch.html#Precautions : Pregnancy Related Nausea and Vomiting
At least two studies have found that ginger is more effective than placebo in relieving nausea and vomiting associated with pregnancy. In a small study including 30 pregnant women with severe vomiting, those who ingested 1 gram of ginger every day for four days reported more relief from vomiting than those who received placebo. In a larger study including 70 pregnant women with nausea and vomiting, those who received a similar dosage of ginger felt less nauseous and experienced fewer vomiting episodes than those who received placebo. (Note: fresh ginger root is safe to use during pregnancy, but dried ginger root is not. See Precautions. The American Herbal Products Association (AHPA) gives fresh ginger root a class 1 safety rating, indicating that it is a safe herb with a wide dosage range. Side effects associated with ginger are rare, but if taken in excessive doses the herb may cause mild heartburn. The AHPA gives dried ginger root a class 2b rating, indicating that it should not be used during pregnancy. )
Are you drinking enough water or fluids? My doctor told me that sometimes the body can interpret thirst as hunger. If that's the case, I'm thinking maybe if your body thinks it's hungry and you aren't eating, that could be a source. My other suggestion is ginger chews; They are about the size of a tootsie roll but have the consistency of taffy. You can suck/chew on them straight up or dissolve them in hot water to drink like a tea. I got mine at Target. They worked really well for me.
I have been through three wretched pregnancies (love my babies, hate getting them here ;) and was basically sick through all three. I tried everything. Vitamin b6 and unisom seemed to take the edge off. I actually got so dehydrated with my second pregnancy from throwing up that I ended up in the ER twice to get fluids. If it is really severe there are a couple of prescriptions that your doctor can prescribe IF NECESSARY (please, nobody jump on me here for recommending pills. Sometimes they are important to keep you and the baby healthy.) I tried phenergan, but it gives me anxiety attacks. A new one called zofran is VERY expensive, but VERY effective. One time in the ER they gave me some in my IV and I was able to eat /and/ keep food down for a few hours. It was sadly exciting. Even though we were broke my husband took me out to get whatever I wanted to eat during that couple of hours just so I would enjoy eating.
If nothing else helps, I recommend being careful of what you eat. I know it sounds sick, but consider how something will treat you on the way back up. I read once that eating almonds first thing in the morning can help morning sickness. I tried it, threw them up, and had a sore throat for 3 days from throwing up the bits of scratchy nuts! Stick to softer foods that won't taste so bad the second time around. Also, if you know you're bound to throw up... try chewing a few Tums. They may not help keep things down, but they can help 'things' be less acidic and do less damage to your throat, mouth, teeth, etc.
When I was pregnant with my second child I had horrible nausea, vomiting, and I always got car sick before I even got to the end of my driveway. I couldn't get off the couch for months. My doc said it would go away at 18 weeks. It didn't. I threw up regularly until 2 days after my daughter was born. The nausea never really went away, and I started having severe back pain between my shoulder blades, around my ribs on the right side, and a burning below my sternum. My doctor diagnosed me with acid reflux and prescribed Nexium, which did nothing for the pain or nausea. Then I told a friend about my symptoms and she told me to get my gallbladder checked. Turned out I had gallstones the whole time that had grown very large since the problem went undiagnosed for so long. Since I was pregnant, my doc just thought it was normal pregnancy stuff. If you are feeling significantly sicker with this child than you did the first two, and your symptoms begin to mimic mine I would ask your doc about gallbladder problems. My surgeon said gallbladder problems are very common in pregnant women or women who have had multiple pregnancies, as the increase in hormone levels can lead to gallstones.
Regarding managing your nausea, I took a 'cocktail' of meds. I took a Unisom everynight before bed, (make sure you get the doxylamine succinate tablets, not the softgels). Your doc may prescribe Zofran, but it made me jittery so I took Reglan instead. Towards the end of my second tri-mester and clear through my third tri-mester I wore the Transderm scope patch, which helped also.
Well, I hope this helps. Keep your chin up, it will pass and you will feel human again someday! Just get plenty of rest and take care of yourself-the housework can wait. Congrats and good luck to you! :)
Angela, I was the same way. I found out that if I didn't eat enough times in the day I would get very sick feeling. I just had to munch on food all day long give it a try. Look for somewhat healthy foods so it doesn't make the weight gain worse. Good luck.
I found that gingersnap cookies worked best the taste pretty good.
I feel for you! I had nausea and vomiting with all 4 of my pregnancies. While I did have it thoughout much of the prenancy, I did find ways to improve it enough that I could function!
For me, the nausea seemed to be mostly associated with a drop in blood sugar. So I ate small, frequent meals, & never ate a carbohydrate without also eating a protein. I also had to avoid all high-sugar foods, as I felt sicker than ever after eating those. The best thing for me to do was go ahead & throw up each morning. Then I had about a 20 minute window without nausea. So I would eat a small breakfast during that time, then eat again every 1-2 hours thoughout the morning, & every 2-3 hours during the afternoon & evening. Whenever I started to feel the nausea coming on, I would quickly eat something, even if it was just a few nuts. Plus, I always ate a good snack before bed, like a turkey sandwich for example. You might be thinking that this sounds like way too much food, but I actually gained just 30 pounds with my third (which was gone in a week) & 25 pounds with my 4th (which was gone before I left the hospital). The key is only eating a small amount, but often, & not just saltines! They have very little protein in them. A better choice might be graham crackers with milk (more protein). I crave fruit when I'm pregnant, but they are quite sweet, so I'd eat a banana or apple with peanut butter on it. Or a piece of meat with an orange. Some old nurses that I worked with also said that 7-UP or Pepsi can settle a stomach, but I wouldn't drink much of these as again, they are too sugary. I hope that is of some help to you!
I would evaluate your pre-natal vitamins and diet closely. By the third child you may be depleted in some critical nutrients and may require more than previous pregnancies. I would particularly recommend consulting with a wellness professional that can make recommendations. (like a pediatric chiropractor-you can find one on www.icpa4kids.com.)
hello!
sorry you dont feel well, but when i was pregnant i realized that my prenatal vit. made me sick so i started taking them with dinner, and then i was fine! hope this helps.