Morning Sickness - Washington, MI

I just got over my morning sickness (2nd preg and much sicker than the 1st) I just got out of bed and threw up too. I then could usually choke down toast or something and go from there. There were a couple of weeks 8-10 that I was pretty much sick all day but thankfully it didn't last long. Saltines helped on those days.

I know exactly how you feel. I've been going through the same thing for the past 6 months. Here are some things that have really helped me. Try drinking carbonated water --I've been drinking La Croix for the past six months when I feel sickest. It's just like Sprite, but has no sugar, no sodium, and no calories. It takes away the nausea, gives me a boost so that I can do the things I need to. Also, eat melons like watermelon, cantaloupe, honeydew. Lemonade also helps. Try if possible, to get as much rest if you can. Naps help, if you can get them in. Laying on your left side when you sleep helps too. Warm baths may help. Protein foods like eggs and bacon can relieve nausea. See if you can get a friend or relative to watch your son while you get some time to relax. Also, take your prenatal vitamins as they do help with morning sickness.

Hang in there, it's temporary,

M.

I had "morning" (all day) sickness with each of my kids, too. The only thing that helped a little was to nibble on something all day, to never let my stomach get empty. Not sure how many low/no salt crackers I went through. :) While nothing helped for first thing in the morning (pretty nigh near impossible to nibble soda crackers while in a prone position with a toddler needing attention, as you well know) it did seem to help as the day went on.

LH, Congratulations on your pregnancy! I'll just add my 2 cents to all that's already been said. I'm pregnant with #5, and I get it every time, but it is a comfort to know that I'm not miscarrying! I've had 2 of those, and the nausea was nearly nonexistent, though they were pretty early when they happened. So, there is comfort in the "icky feeling"!

Now, handling it, I eat protein. Frequently. (I like whole wheat bread with peanut butter and milk or sunflower seeds and raisins, etc.) But, if I get to that nauseous stage, eating them is about the hardest thing to do. The trick is to eat before I get hungry, when there is any hint that I will be nauseous soon, or anything that might be the faintest signal that my blood needs more fuel for the baby. Remember that it is protein that builds muscles and tissues (ie. your baby), and that your body does not use your storage (fat) to build the baby. It uses what is flowing around in your blood. So, it helps to eat frequently, especially protein, so you have it constantly in your system for your body to use it for your baby. Anything left over gets stored for use after birth when you breastfeed.

When you've already gotten nauseous, try eating something small (like maybe a cup of milk? - something high in protein you might be able to stomach), very frequently (like every 15-30 minutes), until you can eat something a little more substantial and don't feel nauseous anymore, and then continue to eat fairly frequently (every hour or so) to keep the nauseousness at bay, and your baby well fed.

I continue to do this throughout the pregnancy, and whenever there is a hint of the really uncomfortable things (like heartburn later on), I re-evaluate how often I am eating, as well as how much. I usually need to eat more often, and then the yucky feeling goes away, and the baby seems happier, too.

Also, stay well hydrated -- drink lots of water.

Further, you might want to check out Dr. Brewer's website at www.blueribbonbaby.org That is where I first learned about all of this and why it's such a good idea, and a lot of the background of what good nutrition in pregnancy means and what it can do. I sure gain weight throughout the pregnancy, but I have also been able to lose the weight afterward (without too much difficulty), and the health of the baby and me have been worth it. I did it with #4, and am doing it again with #5, and #5 is so far doing as well as #4 did (which was, and is, really well!).

Good luck, and congratulations!

I just had to throw in two more cents of "support". I had morning sicknes----morning/noon/night----every single day of my first pregnancy and then through month 5 of my 2nd and 3rd. I swear I would honestly rather go through labor/delivery once a month for 9 months than that awful nausea. I had a lot of other issues too, but fortunately none of them put the baby at that much risk.

I know it feels so challenging taking care of your nearly-three year old, but be happy you have that little guy keeping you busy...my best advice is to stay as busy as you can handle, otherwise it is easy to REALLY FEEL how icky you feel. I found that the faster the days went, the better off I was.

Also, eat only what you can stomach and don't worry if it is not a "balanced" meal. I lived on pretzels and dum dum suckers for months along with stints of mashed potatoes for weeks....or arby's roast beef snadwhiches...or potato salad, etc. (ALL of which i will most likely never eat again!). I also stopped taking my prenatal vitamin (doctor's approval) as it was too hard on my stomach. The folic acid was most important pre-conception through first 8 weeks anyhow. And even with my crummy diet and lack of vitamins, I was blessed with three really healthy babies.

Hang in there and stay strong!!! Those of us who have been through it/are going through it know how tough it is.

Vitamin B6 and Unisom worked for me and everyone I know that has taken it. I asked the doctor about it and he said it was perfectly fine. But you should ask your own doc too. I took it til I was about 23 weeks. My cousin also took it til 24 weeks. If you bed share with your child it probably is not a good idea to take the Unisom though. Just stick to the B6. I took 5mg of B6 per day. And depending on how bad the nausea was I would take half a pill or a whole pill. It will take a few days to build up in your system and start working. Good luck and hang in there. I hope this helps you as it did for me :)

Everyone is different, so this may not work for you. I found that every morning I HAD to throw up. I could wait hours to eat/drink, and I would throw up. This lasted nearly 20 weeks each pregnancy. I would wake up, slam a cup of warm tea, and immediately, it would come back up. That helped somewhat because it was done and over. Then I ate small amounts, and while I would still vomit often, I could go back and eat more right after I did and that would stay down. Nothing else really worked for me. Good luck!

If I had to get thru a meeting at work while I had nausea I would suck on lemon drops, I don't know why but it works. I would actually suck on them throughout the whole day.

LH ~
How far along are you? Most often morning sickness ends around 12 weeks...although it can be different for every woman. It will probably last for you the same amount of time as the 1st pregnancy.
You can try those pregnancy suckers that they sell...alot of women get relief from them. I forget off hand exactly what ingredient it is that helps, probably ginger.
I understand why you want to limit the zofran, it's pretty expensive.
Peppermint is a good remedy, also...like peppermint candies.
good luck!
D. (OB nurse)

I had this same problem. Its terrible,isnt it. Then, by the time you finally feel good you are so pregnant you feel like a whale. Must say, I have definately been there. When I got pregnant with my 3rd, I started to get the same terrible morning sickness. I had tried everything I could think of. My mid wife suggested taking vitamin b6 right when I got up in the morning and then take it easy for a bit. For me, it worked. I dont know how or why but it worked.

eat every 2hours...something that has protien and carb (I like celery sticks with pb and raisins :-D ) Don't eat a lot at a time but eat OFTEN. Drops in blood sugar cause nausea so it's important to keep blood sugar even.

If you are not already taking extra B6 you take 50 mg once a day. That has helped me. Also you said you eat regularly. My doctor advised eating every 2.5 hours and it should be something with protein. You mentioned ginger which is good, but have you tried papaya? You can get it in a chewable vitamin that actually taste good from GNC. Probably other places too. Just a few more ideas to try! Good luck!

Benadryl or Dramamine (same main ingredient) worked miracles for me. My doctor approved it.

I had morning sickness from 8 weeks to 7 months, well it was really more like morning, noon and night sickness. It was awful, I tried everything, nothing would work, the only think that helped a little was drinking carnation instant breakfast in the morning, it worked best if I had someone make it for me and i drank it slowly before I actallu got up and out of bed. Or I would drink it anytime I felt hungry and sick. I was literally using more than a box a week. I did eat normal food to when I felt fine, but my dr. said it was ok to drink in mass quantities. I took Zofran for a little while to, but It didn't work for me, I wanted to let you know that I just recently heard something on TV about long term side effects of Zofran and many lawsuits that have come because if it, so I would google for more info. I remember thinking "oh thats nice, I took it while prego".

Hope this helps you!