Hi Everyone,
I am pregnant with my second child and this time around am having a really hard time with feeling nauseas all day long. The only thing that stays down is saltine crackers and ginger snaps. I have been sipping on ginger ale/coke also but I still seem to feel sick to my stomach. The other crazy thing is any smell makes me want to start dry heaving or throw up and even the picture of any foods, like looking at the ads yesterday I had to stop and if I am watching TV a food commercial makes me sick, even brushing my teeth, smell of the dishwasher, garbage, everything. Wondering if anyone else has had this as severe as I am and if you have any suggestions for me? It's hard because my son is 18 months old and of course I need to make him food but every time I do I start gagging. Any suggestions? I am going to try ensure today for nutrients for the baby and pray it stays down and agrees with me. Again this didn't happen with my other son. Any advice would be appreciated. Thanks Erica
Hi Erica,
Call your OB/GYN doctor Monday morning as soon as they open. They have heard it ALL before and will know what to do for you. Don't play around with trying different things. I hope you are able to keep your prenatal vitamins down and that this passes soon.
God Bless You & Your Baby.
Diana
Sorry Erica to hear about your sickness. I empathize. I have had 3 pregnancies and my second and third was much more severe progressively. I eventually had to go to my doctor after about 8 weeks because I had a 3 yr old and could not even sit up. I laid on the couch and every time I moved to sit up I had to run to the bathroom. Thankfully my sister was living with us my first 3 months and she helped with making lunches, etc. when my husband was at work. My doctor prescribed a motion sickness pill because we had to travel to Columbus, OH for a family baptism and I knew I wouldn't even make it out of the Detroit area. She said it would work within 3 days and it did. I had to take it once daily and eventually stopped probably around 4.5 months. Eating crushed ginger directly from the jar helped a little, wrist band for motion sickness did not! Being careful not to get to low on blood sugar by eating more often helped. Hope this helps. Josie
Preggy Pop Drops-- Motherhood Maternity store. They were a lifesaver for my second pregnancy.
I too had morning sickness all day, every day. Sometimes lemons help. A bowl of ice with cut up lemons can make a huge difference when smells bother you. I also used to carry around a container of ginger. When smells would get to me, I would take a little whiff. Silly, but it worked or me. =)
~Mindy
When I was pregnant with my Daughter (now 14)I found the only thing that helped with the nausea was to suck on lemon drops, someone told me this and it actually helps. But only when it is still in your mouth. Try it! I was still working and I would take the lemon drops into meetings so I could survive.
Hi Erica, I have 3 kids, and with my first, I experienced just a little bit of what you described, but not nearly as severe. You probably have discussed this with your doctor. I have an idea for you- unconventional- but very good. There is a technique called the Emotional Freedom Technique or EFT for short. It's based on the theory of acupuncture, but without needles. Basically, it invloves tapping on certain points of your body- the end points of the meridians where energy flows. These points include the top of the head, above the eyebrow, etc. You can visit the website www.emofree.com for more info. You can also google Carol Look's website for the exact tapping points. This has helped me with a variety of problems- and many people are amazed by it. Please check out the info. and let me know what you think. I would be surprised if it didn't help you! Take care and let me know what happens.
Elizabeth M.
Good Morning Erica,
I don't know if this will help but several of my friends that had morning sickness or all day sickness would drink Coke slurpees. It was the only thing that worked for my boss and best friend. Hope it works.
Cyndy
I wore Sea Bands on my wrists during my pregnancy - you can purchase these at Rite Aid, CVS etc.. they are for sea sickness - but were recommeded to me. Try the diet below if you can keep some of it down - maybe try broth first. I purchase the coconut oil, probiotics, and cod liver oil from www.appleadayandbeyond.com - this diet is also recommended for your 18 mos. old. My boys thrive on WAPF foods.
Check out www.westonaprice.org (WAPF) for information:
Diet for Pregnant and Nursing Mothers
Cod Liver Oil to supply 20,000 IU vitamin A and 2000 IU vitamin D per day
1 quart (or 32 ounces) whole milk daily, preferably raw and from pasture-fed cows (learn more about raw milk on our website, A Campaign for Real Milk, www.realmilk.com)
4 tablespoons butter daily, preferably from pasture-fed cows
2 or more eggs daily, preferably from pastured chickens
Additional egg yolks daily, added to smoothies, salad dressings, scrambled eggs, etc.
3-4 ounces fresh liver, once or twice per week (If you have been told to avoid liver for fear of getting "too much Vitamin A," be sure to read Vitamin A Saga)
Fresh seafood, 2-4 times per week, particularly wild salmon, shellfish and fish eggs
Fresh beef or lamb daily, always consumed with the fat
Oily fish or lard daily, for vitamin D
2 tablespoons coconut oil daily, used in cooking or smoothies, etc.
Lacto-fermented condiments and beverages
Bone broths used in soups, stews and sauces
Soaked whole grains
Fresh vegetables and fruits
AVOID:
Trans fatty acids (e.g., hydrogenated oils)
Junk foods
Commercial fried foods
Sugar
White flour
Soft drinks
Caffeine
Alcohol
Cigarettes
Drugs (even prescription drugs)
are you taking your vitamins in the morning?if you are try taking them at night before bed.i got sick from them so that's what i did.
Well, the good thing is it doesn't last forever! LOL! If you can keep them down, make sure to take a prenatal - that will help to get whatever nutrients the baby needs so you don't have to worry so much about eating things that make you feel sick. Sounds like you're already doing everything else I could tell you! Good luck and hang in there!
I found two things that helped. First, eat something before you even get out of the bed. (crackers) I understand that this sick feeling is to many hormones and they go to the stomach. I don't know if this is true. On this theory, the crackers absorb this abundance of hormones. Sounds weird, but easy to at least try it out.
Second, I found that never letting my stomach get empty really helped. Nibble all the time. I kept crackers in my purse so that on errands I had something with me. Probably again, keep something that absorbs.
Third, and again don't know why....but the red and white mint candy settled my stomach. (candy cane kind of mint) (Brachs, red and white mints)
You might have a condition called hyperemsis(sp) and will need a prescription for anti-nausia medication. Speak with your doctor about it.
Hi Erica
You didn't say how far along you are... but you should be starting to feel better by three months... and then you will probably be starving!! Try fennel tea... good for upset stomachs and safe for the baby. I had a super sense of smell when I was pregnant with both my kids... just try and not smell... I used to have to hold my breathe when people ame up to me in summer as I could smell their BO at twenty paces!The up side is your hormones are strong and the pregnancy is well established!
All the best and hang in there... this too will pass.
A friend of mine had some luck with acupuncture to help her with her morning sickness. And if you are scared of the needles, just remind yourself that teeny tiny acupuncture needles are NOTHING compared to labor! I've been myself and can assure you that the needles are nothing. There are also medications you can take, I think.
I had issues the whole 9 months of my pregnancy with my twins. Like you, I found it hard to prepare food for my older son and ended up throwing up whenever I had to wipe his bottom after he used the potty. Sometimes just the thought of wiping him made me sick. Even the smell of his security blanket between washings made me sick. It is not fun, is it?
Hi Erica,
I feel for you and remember my two pregnancies when I read your note. I too had bad morning sickness with both my girls...and it lasted into the fourth month for both of them. It was so bad the second time around that I dropped 14 pounds in two weeks and had to be hospitalized to have IV fluids. Just keep eating - ANYTHING that agrees with you to keep your strength up. Also, if you are able to take vitamins ( had to take those horrible chewable ones that looked like they were packaged in the '60s because I had trouble swallowing early on) do just that. I can also TOTALLY relate to the "smell" situation. AND I could not watch certain shows on TV because seeing sick people made me sick. Weird! Also, if you have family or friends to have on hand to help out it would be great for you so you aren't feeling like you are neglecting your little one. It can be hard, I know, to prepare meals, but hopefully it WILL be temporary for you. I had to have my mom come out to Michigan from California for about four weeks the second time around to help out with our 2 year old (after I was briefly hospitalized). Thankfully, the actual sickness wound down in about month 5 or so, but I still was sick once in the morning only...until the day I delivered. That happened with both girls. So stay well and ask for help! You won't regret it! You are NOT alone!
Ask your doctor about taking antihistamines, either adult or pediatric dosage. I was like you with my second baby and antihistamines lessened the nausea enough so I could function. They didn't get rid of it completely but it was a huge improvement. I think my doctor also recommended taking additional doses of a vitamin, but I can't remember which one. I think Claritin or Zyrtec is approved for pregnancy. Good luck!
My daughter in-law just went through the same thing. She is due in March. I know some people don't like medications but the is what she had to sort to because she was not gaining any wait etc. and has to work. The Doctor prescribed zofran and it was like a miracle drug.
She works at a grocery store so it was even harder for her she actually got sick at the register and threw up all over the customers groceries.
When you start to feel sick you just put one of the pills under your tongue and it starts to work instantly. Originally they tried her on compazine but after a couple of doses she had an allergic reaction and started spacing out. I had to take her to the emergency room because she couldn't speek or anything and was like in a total daze. But as I said the zofran worked great. I wish you all the luck as I know how you feel. My oldest is 30 and I was the same as you and they didn't have med's then that I could take.
Good luck!!
Oh my gosh, Erica. I was the same way with my second child. It was horrible because I was a full-time teacher, and then came home to my 1 year old, and the whole time I was so incredibly sick. I basically threw up until 5 months, but was pretty much nauseous the entire 9 months. Unfortunately, nothing seemed to work for me. The doctors even put me on nausea medicine that they give to cancer patients and that didn't even work. It was really strange. The only thing that did work was finally giving birth. The minute I had the baby, I was back to normal. Nevertheless, I gained weight through all of it and the baby was a very health 7 lbs. 15 oz. So don't worry about the baby, it is getting nutrition even if it doesn't seem like it. I know this doesn't necessarily help, but I just want to let you know that there are people out there who don't have wonderful, glowing pregnancies.
This sounds all too familiar to me as well. The smells, the food aversions, the motion sickness in the car. I made it through my first pregnancy with lots of saltines, home remedies, etc. I lost more then 10 pounds in my first trimester. My car was so full of cracker crumbs as I had to eat them while I drove. I couldn't travel to many family events as the car ride was just too much for me. It got better at week 17, but never went away completely, & got worse again in the 3rd trimester. It all went away the moment I delivered & I have never been so hungry in my life!
My second pregnancy it was worse. I felt like I had a terrible case of the flu. I couldn't drive, go to work, take care of my 2 year old...really couldn't do much of anything. My doctor gave me Zofran - she had used it during her pregancy & had done a study on it's use in pregnancy. She said there are other drugs, but the side effects can make it difficult to function. It was a miricle drug as far as I was concerned. It literally worked in about 15 minutes & lasted 12 hours. I took it almost every day for the duration of my pregancy. It is ridiculously expensive, but that's another story.
I agree you have to keep a bit of food in your stomach to keep your blood sugar in check, but you have to get to a point where you can keep food down so you can do that. I also had heartburn as the pregnancy progressed, but that was more managable. You should talk to your doctor/midwife & see what makes sense for you.
In the end, I had 2 (otherwise) good pregnancies & 2 beautiful, healthy babies. It's a long 9 months, but in the end it is so worth it! Good luck...we will all be thinking of you!!