Mom's... Morning Sickness Help... PLEASE!!!

[marcyinPA]

I was really sick with both of my boys. I don't know if this will make you feel better, but morning sickness is a good sign.

With both of my kids, ginger really helped. Ginger snaps, real ginger ale, and ginger candy.

I also needed to eat something, like crackers, before I got out of bed in the morning.

Brushing my teeth was the absolute worst. I had to wait to brush until my stomach settled down. It was ok if I wasn't leaving the house, but if I had to go somewhere, it was pure torture to brush my teeth. I threw up every time.

 

[Neelloc]

RAW GINGER!!!

I found that giger ale and ginger preggie pops didn't have enough ginger in them to counteract the queasiness.

I bought fresh ginger from the produce section of the store and steeped in hot water to make a tea. Just cut off a small chunk (maybe the size of your fingertip, crush, put into hot water, let steep.) I drank a lot of that. If I needed immediate relief, I would eat a tiny amount of the fresh ginger. The taste is very strong so only eat a tiny bit.

The MS from my girls wasn't bad at all, but it was bad with my son. It lasted most of my pregnancy, so the ginger was a Godsend!

Good luck and congratulations!

 

[NikitaZee]

The only thing that worked for me was sucking on peppermint candy. I tried everything I could think of, then a friend suggested peppermint to me and it worked like a charm. Good luck!

 

[Tiger926]

I send you my best wishes and a happy pregnancy!

My nausea lasted from moment of conception until 1 month after births of kids, for both of my pregnancies. Absolutely nothing worked - not even meds. I hardly ate anything, and lost weight, yet both of my babes were 8.5 and 9.5 pounds each! I am a petite gal, so this was a total surprise, but I mention it because babies are sturdy little creatures, so being super nauseated helped make healthy babes!

I send you healing hugs, Tiger

 

[ClarabelleCowFan]

Eh, I don't have much to offer other than you will find out which foods taste better than others coming back up . I found sucking on mints helped marginally, as well as avoiding an empty stomach by nibbling something almost all day.

Yep. You learn this really quick. I had hyperemesis gravidarum with 2 of mine that lasted every day until the day I gave birth. I would take regular old morning sickness ANY DAY over that. Grits and anything chunky is disgusting on the way back up.

Ask your doctor for Zofran. If he tries to give you 4mg then ask about taking 8mg. 4mg is a child's dose and 8mg is an adult dose but some OBs like to try the 4mg on their patients first for some reason. I was on 8mg 3 to 4 times a day (they make a form that dissolves on the tongue but that made me gag because it tended to foam up in my mouth) and phenergan (both forms) and still puked several times a day but not as much as without taking those.

As far as prenatal vitamins go, try Flintstones chewables instead - they tend to stay down better than the big fat prenatal vitamins and don't make you nauseated.

Eat whatever sounds good to you no matter how crazy it sounds. This is the only time in your life you are really allowed to do this so take advantage of it. Your body is telling you what it needs so LISTEN to your cravings and aversions!

Lemonade is sometimes easier to keep down than water when you are nauseated. Something about the sour of the lemon helps quell the nausea.

Another thing - as backwards as it sounds - you need to EAT to get rid of the nausea. An empty stomach is your enemy. Nibble on crackers, cookies, cheese, pretzels or whatever you can tolerate as much as you can stand it. The reason your sickness is so bad in the morning is because your stomach is completely empty.

Good luck and try to keep your eye on the prize. My OB always told me that morning sickness was a sign that my hormones were exactly where they were supposed to be and a sign of a healthy baby. You will forget about all the ugly parts of pregnancy soon enough - and it is all just beginning. When you are dealing with the pain of childbirth that pesky morning sickness will be a distant memory!

 

[kelleyrn2000]

I really feel for you.

I had hyperemesis like some of the previous posters.

If it sounds good, eat it. I lived off of cold cut sandwiches, coke, ice water, and saltines for many weeks/months.

Zofran worked for the first two pregnancies (not so much for nausea, but to control the vomiting).

With my third pg, the zofran wasn't enough, and I survived thanks to Solumedrol dose packs. Those kept me out of the hospital finally!! Prior to taking those, I was a freak show in the ER. I had lost so much weight that I must have looked freakish enough that the nurses were bringing other staff in to my room to "meet" me, in other words see how emaciated I was. The Solumedrol had me eating Thanksgiving dinner after three days of the dose pack...a miracle!

Try anything and everything you can, but l recommend that you check out a website for hyperemesis called Help Her org. It really has a ton of support for this!!

 

[Liberty Belle]

Haven't read any replies, but I'll give my two cents.

Yes, it could last 14 weeks, or, it could last your whole pregnancy. Or, you might be lucky and only have it a few weeks.

I'm sure people have already given you the tips about crackers and ginger and those seasickness bands. None of that helped me.

I was so incredibly sick with my first that I lost a ton of weight, rather than gaining. I was given Phenergan by my doctor and had to be re-hydrated at the hospital three times. Phenergan didn't really work.

Then, with my last pregnancy, I was given Zofran. Hallelujah! I was still a little sick to my stomach, but I wasn't throwing up 20 times a day. The only problem is, it can cause severe constipation, so you have to deal with that. It was worth it.

Oh, and make sure you drink plenty of fluids. You can wreak havoc on your esophagus if you don't, when you're throwing up that much.

 

[Liberty Belle]

Yes, I have the terminal car sickness. Blah. I haven't tried Ginger Ale yet... I might have to now. And those Ginger candies. I don't know if throwing up would be better LOL but this sucks!

No, not really. When I threw up, I'd feel better for about five to ten minutes and then it would start again. Make sure you've always got at least water in your tummy. Throwing up bile is the worst.

 

[C.Ann]

I honestly don't remember having morning sickness at all - for any of my kids - so if I did have it, it was very, very, short and not bad at all..

Now cravings? That's a whole 'nother story..

I hope some of the remedies offered here help.. It sounds terrible..

 

[AKL_Megs]

Thanks everyone for the kind words AND advice!

I plan on doing some shopping tomorrow!

Oh, and I ate an apple after dinner, and it made me feel better for about an hour. JUST ate another, as I was feeling awful, and now I feel better!

Crossing my fingers for apples!!!

 

[epcotprincess]

Hi Megs. I'm in your area and let's just say that I got acquainted with the side of Ford Road multiple times during my pregnancy-- all the way to 30 weeks. (Dx Hyperemesis Gravidarum) It kind of makes me dread getting pregnant again, I hope next time it's better.

Peanut butter on white bread was all I could eat, and that really stuck to my ribs. Some people really like the Preggie Pops or Preggie Pop Drops. I loved Belly Bars, those helped a lot too-- they're available at our local Buy Buy Baby. For me, it was so bad that I eventually had to take an Rx called Phenergan, and that stuff was completely magical. If it gets worse or continues past 14 weeks or so, ask your doctor about Rx options if you're comfortable with that. It's the only saving grace I had.

The bottom line is eat often, and eat what sounds good or what you think you can hold down, even if that's fries or cheesecake. It's better to eat something that isn't ideal than to wind up in the hospital due to dehydration. Also, if plain water isn't setting well, try drinking it freezing cold, or try club soda. I drank a lot of club soda with lemon to stay hydrated since regular water came right back up.

Congratulations on your pregnancy-- if it makes you feel better, recent studies show that the more a mom gets sick during pregnancy, the smarter her child may be!

 

[MizTink]

i also had hyperemesis for all 3 pregnancies. i was hospitalized for over 2 months with my 1st, then went home with a home health nurse managing iv's at home. phenergan helped some. with my 3rd pregnancy, i managed to not be admitted in the hospital with the help of phenergan and prednisone. no idea why prednisone helped, but it did!
i craved crushed ice, but it had to be SPECIFIC crushed ice! from the hospital. thank god my sister and dad both worked there and would keep my freezer full of it!!
oranges were my thing. i could eat them all day long and feel fine, try something else and i'd be horribly sick.....
GOOD LUCK!!!

 

[HomeSweetDisney]

I wish I had some good advice! But I was literally sick the entire 9 months of my pregnancy...I was miserable

One thing I noticed was that citrus-y type stuff seemed more tolerable than others...and also ginger tea helped!

Hope your morning sickness goes away soon! Good luck!

 

[disney1990]

I was sick from the time I got pregnant until the day that I delivered my daughter. I was in labor and I said to the nurse, I'm going to be sick -- she couldn't believe it.

The woman up the street from me had it worse. She was so sick constantly, that she was connected to an i.v. almost the entire time she was pregnant.

I recommend ginger and seabands -- both things I didn't know about when I was pregnant, but have successfully used while cruising.

 

[Nette]

I can't believe no one has mentioned B6. For whatever reason it seems to work for a lot of people. I wasn't really sick with my first, but with this guy I was really bad off, and the B6 killed the nausea every time.

 

[Momto2PrncChrmgs]

Congrats on the pregnancy. I'm sorry I didn't read the whole thread, but I was nauseous for the first 13-ish weeks with boths kids, all day. The smell of our new house, or the cats eating, BLAH! I'd always vomit first thing, but I"d still feel icky after that. The few things that helped a little were skittles and jolly ranchers, and esp RED tootsie roll pops. It took care of that dry, funky taste in my mouth which seemed to make things worse.

 

[Pixie Dust for Me!]

Ohhhh....if apples are good then try Musselman's chunky applesauce. We found it when my DS had a flu bug and the doc recommended the BRATT diet (bananas rice applesauce tea and toast). I picked it up by accident and it was good!

Good luck to you and congratulations!

 

[Mrs. Darcy]

I'm so sorry you are going through this. I had it bad with my DS. Someone suggested the "syrup" from peaches in heavy syrup and it tasted pretty good either cold or room temp though I preferred it very cold.

Yes, my mother said she drank peach nectar when she was feeling sick with me, and she says it helped. You can buy peach nectar in any supermarket.

I hope you feel better soon, but remember it's for a good cause!

 

[golfgal]

If you can keep a little something in your stomach all the time, that will help. I ate a lot of carrots and dill dip for the first month or so when I was pregnant with DS18. I was still working and it was hard to snack as needed but I found that if I did snack throughout the day I felt MUCH, MUCH better. Once I had something in my stomach and felt a little better I found I could eat more of a meal. It is almost like having the stomach flu, except eating makes you feel better, usually. If ANYTHING sounds good, even if it is ice cream or something not totally healthy, eat it.

 

[kellyg403]

I had terrible morning sickness with a few also. My first, it went away for months 5 and 6 and came back for months 7 and 8.

The best advice I ever got was to never ever let my stomach become empty if I could help it. Eat several small meals as opposed to large ones and snack in between. Peanut butter toast was a lifesaver for me in several ways.

Good Luck and congrats OP! It will all be worth it in the end!

Kelly