This is my second pregnancy, and I'm 8 weeks along today. It seems like the moment I found out, I started getting sick. I was very ill throughout my last pregnancy, but i just don't remember feeling this down about it. I think it's because I have this sweet little girl who needs my attention and I've got my head in the toilet the second I get home from work. It's not just nausea and vomiting, but extreme dizziness, stomach cramps and diarhhea. My O.B.'s office just keeps givign me meds that my body violently rejects and ultimatly makes all of my symptoms worse. I think I'm really starting to get depressed about this. Does anyone have anything that worked for them? I'm desperate, and I'll try anything. I have tried the medications, but also "Morning Sickness Magic" tonic, preggie pops, crackers, soda, popsicles, ice cream...you name it. Nothing sounds good, nothing stays down...I just want to feel normal again! I want to be able to spend quality time with my daughter without running into the bathroom. I want to be able to get through a day of work without having to go home early or call in sick. But most importantly, I want to feel joy and excitement about being pregnant. Any suggestions would be very much appreciated.
Believe me, I know how you're feeling. This is my 2nd pregnancy, (11 weeks today) and I wasn't sick at all with my first, but this time it hit me hard over the last couple of weeks.
The best thing you can do is drink lots of water to stay hydrated and eat small meals frequently. Always keep something in your tummy, just not big meals. Like throughout the day I'll have yogurt, a banana, some toast, just little things like that. As soon as I'd let my tummy get empty the nausea would hit again. If you like hot tea, try adding a thin slice of ginger root to it, it also helps!
I had it with all 4 of my pregnancies...and i do not miss it! I am so sorry you are going thru this.
Have you tried "Sea Bands", they are wristbands with accupressure points in them, they helped me quite a bit, as I tried everything else. I also used imodium for the diahreaha and zantac, for my acid indegestion, that induced constant vomiting and it really seemed to help.
Good Luck and Keep Rested and Hydrated!
Are you taking prescription pregnancy vitamins? Don't know if you are, but I found out that those were what was making me so sick. My dr's nurse actually told me to just take over the counter pregnancy vitamins...they work just as well, are cheaper, and don't make you sick.
I'm sorry you're so sick!!! Hope you get better...lots of rest, don't forget to eat, lots of water...I also drank Ensure every morning to add some more vitamins but also get something in my stomach first thing.
Take care~
Amanda
I was sick my entire pregnancy. My OB suggested eating and drinking what I could tolerate (which wasn't much). The biggest thing was keeping hydrated so I drank a lot of half strength gatorade. I drank smoothies with fresh fruit, yogurt and tofu blended with lots of ice so it was really cold and used a straw. I found if I kept something in my stomach at almsot all times, I was less ill. I could NOT tolerate any prenatal vitamins. They all made me miserably sick. I remember living on Captain Crunch with Crunchberries cereal and York Peppermint Patties, both of which are my son's favorite foods! Go figure.
You might think of meeting with a dietician so you can also make sure you're getting adequate nutrition for both you and your developing baby.
My oldest daughter's birthday is July 18th. I too was very sick my second pregnancy, but was fortunate enough that my throwing up part didn't start until night when everyone was in bed. I would be dizzy and nauseaous all day though with horrible migraines. I found that ginger, and herbal supplement from any health food store, helped me alot. I would take two capsules any time I felt sick, and within 15 minutes, I was better, or at least functioning. My night sickness only lasted for the first 5 months of my pregnancy. The other things were the whole 9 months, but I was grateful for at least not haveing the throwing up part. I wish you lots of luck, and hopefully this works for you. I know its hard now, but it will all be worth it. Only 7 months to go. Also, my sister was sick due to the prenatal vitimins, and the doctor told her that the flinstone vitimins for kids is just as good. They seemed to help her, and her baby still got what he needed, as well as her. Of course ask your doctor first, but that is another idea.
Hi Mandy-
I completely understand how you feel. I have one child that is almost 2 and I did this my whole pregnancy. I have a huge fear of this happening again while trying to take care of a toddler if I choose to get pregnant again.
But, since I have had my son, I have become a Birth Doula and Childbirth Educator. Now I know there were things out there that I could have done, that my doctor did not suggest. Here are some things for you to try:
1) The magnetic wristbands are highly recommended. They have been proven to be very effective. I have heard that you can even use these when you have the flu to stop vomiting.
2) The second recommendation I have is to eat a small snack every two hours and avoid meals all together. Even at night if you can get up at least once to have a banana or toast.
3)The idea behind eating in the middle of the night is this. Your blood sugar levels could be a factor. When you go for long periods of times without eating ie.( 8 hours of sleeping) your blood sugar drops. Then you get up in the morning and eat, and then it shoots you blood sugar back up. If you eat throughout the 24 hour period of a day consistently this can curve that up and down fluxuation in blood sugar levels, so there isnt this sick feeling.
4) Something else you might want to try is changing your diet. Protien and carbohydrate snacks should be alternated with fruits and vegetables since protiens and carbohydrates offer more stability in the blood sugar levels than easily digested and utilized fruits and vegetables.
Here are a list of over the counter meds you can take safely during pregnancy for indigestion:
mylicon, mylanta, riopan, papaya, maalox, gaviscon, gelusil, tums, and rolaids.
If you have any other question please feel free. Good luck. Hope all gets well with you.
mylanta
What worked for me may not work for you. But, I'll give you my advice anyway. At this point I'm sure anything is worth a shot. Take your prenatal vitamins in the evening. It is common for vitamins to upset your tummy. Also, here is the big one for me. Do not mix warm and cold foods together and do not drink ANYTHING with your meal... ....Bananas are great!... ...Too much water at one time, also will upset your tummy... ...Drink your beverages at room temp. As one of the other mothers suggested eat small meals frequently. Basically if you graze on nutritious foods all day long it will help. And NEVER eat until you are full. You can almost guarantee seeing it again.
Good luck to you! And congratulations to you and your family!
I had 4 trips to the ER for IV fluids because my vomiting was so bad. The only medication that works is Zofran, used for chemo patients. It's really expensive - but not as much as a trip to the hospital every few weeks!
What worked during my first pregnancy didn't work with my second, but you might want to try it. For starters, before I even got out of bed (ie even before sitting up), I'd eat some try toast or saltines. The biggest thing that helped me the first time around was peppermints. They had to be the real thing, not the speariment or sugar-free. Anytime I started to feel nauseous, I'd suck on a peppermint. It's amazing how much it helped. Good luck to you!
Hi Mandy,
First, you need to start keeping saltines in your purse and warm 7up. If you are throwing up after you eat, don't eat anything heavy. Try a salad with the works and stay away from cold drinks until you feel better. Don't worry about the baby, you can't stay sick for nine months. Plus, I think it's going to be a boy. Let me know
There are these wrist bands that have little plastic beads and when you wear them they are positioned on there to hit certain pressure points that help with the nausea...you can get them at Walmart in the pharmacy section.....Sea Band I beleive is what they are called...worked for me but I wasn't as ill as you sound to be but hey you never know and they aren't expensive at all.
Hi, Mandy!
I scanned the responses and I don't think I saw ginger among the many helpful suggestions. Ginger root is proven to be effective for pregnancy related nausea. You might try it in tea form since ginger ale contains no actual ginger root. Hope you are feeling better soon!
Jocelyn
Try mixing carbs with protein. I would eat 20 whole grain pretzels and 1 hand full of peanuts. If you push the water it should help too. Be glad you are sick, it is a sign that your hormone levels are good and your baby is developing properly. It will get better before long. I experienced the same thing with all three pregnancies, and I smelled baby powdered. I had both symptoms from what seemed like the day I got pregnant. I thought I was sick everytime, I tested negative with the test and thought I had cancer once. Anyway, sorry I got off on my own memories, but it will get better. Watch what you are eating that is setting it off. Are you eating too late at night? Are you eating often enough? I used to get sick because my body was hungry.
My friend said if u take prenatal vitamins try taking them before bed so u don't get sick from them during the day. As for getting sick from the meds your doc is giving u. The next time u go let them know and maybe they can find something else for u.
Not to be contrary, but one CAN BE SICK for 9 months. I have done it and know others who have as well.
The ONLY thing that worked for me was to eat a peanutbutter and jelly sandwich. I HATE peanutbutter and Jelly. With a passion. BUT. An older mom reccommended it to me when I was preganant with baby #2...and it really worked.
I would gag down a quarter when I first got up in the morning...and then I would wait to be sure it would stay down. Then another quarter...until I could eat the entire thing.
Believe me when I say that I couldn't even stand the smell of it when I would make one, but the instant I ate the quarter, my body would stop punishing me.
And as for all the other 'normal foods' to help with nausea etc.... I think I just had too much acid in my stomach--more than most people. Even if I craved any of those--I would throw it up.
And water!? Forgettabout it. I was worse when I drank water or juice. ESPECIALLY, but not exclusively, in the mornings. I also tried to make sure I was full before drinking.
I sure hope you find something.
Hugs!
Hey Mandy, My girlfriend was in the same boat you are in. She got the motion sickness bands the you wear on your wrists. They have a little ball on the inside of them that you put on the pulse point on the under side of your wrist and the really helped her immediately!!!!!!!You might give this a try and PLEASE let us know if it helps.......God Bless you and your family.
Julie B.
Mandy... I totally understand how you feel. I am 11 weeks today, and my little boy is into everything (he is just 10 months). I was exhausted, sick, dizzy... you name it.
I say "was" because I began acupuncture treatments for my nausea. I was a bit skeptic at first, but truly... I am a believer now. I began treatments at 8 weeks. I immediately saw results, I had energy and even managed to keep down some food.
In fact, the treatments are better than massage... so relaxing!
I would recommend Jennie Bui, her number is 894-4428. Tell her that you saw her on Mamasource and you need relief. She will totally take care of you.
Feel better... I completely emphathize with you!
Pregnancy made my Irritable Bowel Syndrome worse and I was incredibly sick with my middle boys and the pregnancy afterward. It turned out to be my gallbladder. However I also develope lactose intolerance and an egg allergy while pregnant which makes the morning sickness worse.
To combat the symptoms I:
ate my meat first then my veggies and generally skipped the potatos, rice or pasta, I also did not drink while eating.
I have to avoid pop due to my IBS
Some of the chewable prenatal vitamins have artificail sweetners in them which can irritate the stomach and intestines inducing vomiting and the runs so I stuck to a special on that I had to pay for Pre Care or Pre Nate.
Stop eating Dairy for a week then add one dairy product a day until you find ones that don't make it worse and avoid the ones that do.
I stopped eating sweets too which is highly unusual for me.
That's all I can remember. I took my middle child to work with me so he had a lot of extra time with moody mommy. If you're worried about quality time I would just set a schedule of mommy time with her and push through it every day.
Congratulations, get plenty of rest and drink lots of water ( just not with meals)
Mandy M, That does not sound right at all. You should think about seriously thinking about seeing a different doctor and explain to them how you have been feeling lately. There has to be something other then "morning sickness" going on here. I was sick the whole nine months with my daughter but we discovered that it was mostly nerves due to where I was living at the time. My Doctor was Dr. Boyle at Women's health, she is awesome. My suggestion is to see a different doctor immediately.