Uh Oh - Morning Sickness While on Trip

[lucyem]

We planned our WDW trip for the end of Jan. We are driving down, 22 hours. I just found out I am pregnant with second child. But I am worried. My last pregnancy I was sick 24/7 for weeks. I was unable to even ride in the car to the post office down the road. And morning sickness has begun. It is slowly getting worse. If my calculations are correct and I repeat last time I should be at the worst point during our trip
At least I will be cheap to feed.....
Emily

 

[Desnik]

Been there, done that!
I drove from NY during my first pregnancy to WDW in July!!! I was 3mo pregnant and had all day sickness!! I even trew up at the MK!!
It was terrible. But, I didn't take care of myself. It being my first pregnancy I was clueless! My second pregnancy I had morning sickness, but it was nothing compared to the first.
It really doesn't have to be a horrible time! Here's a few things I've learned and that have helped me. I kept crackers on the tight table. I made sure I ate at least 2 before getting out of bed!! I always carried water and snacks. It is so important to keep hydrated and to snack throughout the day. Lots of small meals as oppose to 3 meals a day. Nap if you need to and take breaks on the benches! And believe it or not what really helped me were lemons!! It helps with nausea, something to do with the acid in them. I had read it somewhere and it really helped me. I would keep a lemon cut in half in a ziplock baggie and take it with me where ever I went! When I felt nauseaus I just sucked on it and it worked! Of course now you can't get me to go near a lemon!
Good luck! For my first I had all day sickness till 5 months, then I had early contractions so I was on bed rest at 6 months on! My second the morning sickness ended at about 4 months so every pregnansy is different.
Wishing you the best!
And congrats on your pending arrival!!!!

 

[NotUrsula]

How do you feel about ginger? More importantly, does it work for you?

I found that nibbling a few ginger snap cookies before getting out of bed was very helpful, and I also drank ginger ale and carried around candied ginger chunks to suck on (candied ginger is rather like a hard candy.)

I never tended much to *morning* sickness; it always hit me worst at about 5 in the afternoon. Drinking a ginger ale before I left the office was about the only way I managed to drive home some days.

BTW: The best ginger snaps I've found are Stauffers brand; they come in a brown bag; much better than Nabisco, for about the same price. If your local supermarket doesn't carry them, here is the product info: http://www.stauffers.net/product.asp?product_id=44&dept_id=5

Also, since you're going to be cheap to feed, have you considered flying down while the rest of your family drives? I'd have gone insane trying to spend that much time in a moving car at that point. I suspect that if you get motion sick along w/ the morning sickness, the only thing that would be enough to combat it is something Rx strength, from your OB; the mostly likely thing that would be prescribed is Phenergan. In any case, 22 hours is likely to be too much for you; if driving is your only option, Priceline a hotel along the way and at least sleep in a real bed. (Also, be careful with trying to drive while others sleep; we all know how easy it is to drop off to dreamland in the first trimester.)

 

[bdcp]

I never really had "morning sickness". But, I did get nauseous a couple of times during my first pregnancy if I didnt' get enough sleep. My second pregnancy I was home full time with a 2 year old (he's now 21 and his brother is 18) and found that getting 8-9 hours at night, plus napping when my oldest son napped in the afternoon, made all the difference. Plus it kept my feet from swelling. Try not to do too much, and take a break from the parks after lunch and take a nap or at least lay down for an hour or so. You'll be tired anyway since that's part of the first trimester.

 

[mom23boyz]

Try sipping Coca-Cola...not diet and not another brand. That got me through 16 weeks of morning sickness in each of my 3 pregnancies. Also, after awhile, I noticed I actually felt worse on the weekends when DH was home to help and I could rest...I had more time to think about my misery. Keeping busy tends to help so a Disney trip might be OK?

 

[aec]

The only thing that helped me was eating an apple every couple of hours. I just figured it out by chance was it was very helpful to me. I've heard other people found this helpful too. The good thing is that they are healthy and portable. Hope this helps!

 

[aec]

DOUBLE POST

 

[drumflower]

I had morning sickness really bad 24/7 also! Nothing worked and I almost ended up in the hospital because I got an infection and could not keep the antibodics down. Well the 2nd time I was preganant, I was going to a different OBGYN, and he prescibed some kind of medicine. I don't know what it was called, but boy did it work. I wish I would have had that the 1st time around!

 

[mjmcca]

I think tigan is the anti emetic ususallly prescribed during pregnancy. AT least thats what my OB offered me during mt first pregnancy but i declined.

 

[lindaso]

I had it really bad with my 3rd child. My neighbor recommended Pringles potato chips. I thought she was out of her mind but they worked!!! It was the only thing I kept down for weeks. Good luck and congrats on the pregnancy!!!

 

[striker3636]

I suffered from all day sickness/vomiting with my first, and was hospitalized with much more severe symptoms with my second. So, I hear you and empathize!

Here are a few things that helped a bit when things were not at their worst...
Ginger tea/cookies/candies (mentioned before). I also found that spearmint worked as well, and I chewed gum a lot during my first. For some reason, beef broth helped me too (probably the salt content as I was so dehydrated). Bottom line, experiment a bit, even though you don't want to. Eating a few crackers I left on the night table the night before did help when things were mild.

My doctor prescribed Diclectin (sp?), although it did not help much for my second pregnancy. When I was hospitalized, I was on 50mg of Gravol every four hours, and this continued for several weeks. I was assured by several doctors/nurses and pharmacists (because I really wasn't sure about taking so much, I kept asking) that there is no harm to the fetus (I was first/second trimester). Definitely do not take Pepto-Bismal (the gross pink stuff) - it is not safe! Talk to your ob/caregiver for some ideas. This may help for the car trip at least.

Take it easy and don't over do it! There's a fine line when you are pregnant and even if you are having a good day, I found just a little too much can throw you off!
Enjoy and congratulations!

 

[ksc37]

Like so many others here, I have done Disney with Morning Sickness (and yes, the 24X7 kind of constant nausea). I was 4 months pregnant with my first (I thought I'd feel better by 4 months), and in WDW at the end of May. It was like 92 degrees. Hopefully since you're going at the end of January the weather will be cooler and WDW easier to take.

For me, sitting on a bench sipping lemonade worked best. We did very few rides. Thankfully, I didn't have any other kids. You don't have that luxury. I really hope that your morning sickness is easier the second time around (my was just as bad with #2).

I don't know what to tell you about the car ride. We fly, so I didn't have to endure 22 hours in a car. Mint tea and/or strong mint gum has helped me get through my short car rides here at home. Maybe that would help.

Good luck. I really feel for you. And a BIG CONGRATULATIONS, by the way!!

 

[Grand Canyon]

I her you on the 24/7 morning sickness.
Ginger is great if it agrees with you. The problem is it either helps - or makes it worse. It made me worse but I didn't find out until this pregnancy that it was normal and to not use it anymore.
My doctor also recommended Granny Smith apples and B6 vitamins 4-6 times a day. If you have trouble sleeping because of being sick, like I did, try 1/2 a Unisom tab at night. (Again, recommended by my doctor).
I found that if I overdid it physically or was overly tired from other lack of sleep the all-day-sickness was worse. Sleep as much as you can on trip!
One of the best things I learned (after the first miserable pregnancy) was to eat a little protein every couple hours. A cheese stick, crackers with peanut butter, taquito.
My doctor also recommended potato chips.
I agree, too, that lemonade was a great drink. But try to stay away from sucking on a fresh lemon - it's horrible for your teeth. If you feel like you can't keep liquids down try Otter Pops (you know, the frozen treats for kids) - it was one of the few things I could keep down.
I also get extremely bad gas along with the nausea. The only thing that's helped is Gas X (again, doctor approved). The pharmacists will tell you to stay away from anything with magnisium. I tried Tums but it just made everything worse - it hit my stomach and turned to foam. UGH
Also, the health food store has a tea (actually called Pregnancy Tea) that was wonderful! It has mint in it and a few other things - it helped me tremendously.
I recommend, tho, you take any of our recommendations and ask your doctor if you have doubts.
I wish you the best of luck on your vacation - take your time and enjoy it!
Michele

 

[HappyLawyer]

We planned our WDW trip for the end of Jan. We are driving down, 22 hours. I just found out I am pregnant with second child. But I am worried. My last pregnancy I was sick 24/7 for weeks. I was unable to even ride in the car to the post office down the road. And morning sickness has begun. It is slowly getting worse. If my calculations are correct and I repeat last time I should be at the worst point during our trip
At least I will be cheap to feed.....
Emily

well now we know who will not be riding and holding the bags, it is such a difference going to disney as a kid then going as a parent, packing food, water, snacks etc, holding the bag,

 

[jackskellingtonsgirl]

I was violently sick for 8 solid weeks with DS. Good thing we planned for him to be an only child! I can relate to your agony!

Sour things helped me - limeade, sour berry LifeSavers.

I bought Sea Bands but they were worthless. I took Phenergan but usually threw them back up. They gave me suppositories, but those didn't help much either. I understand that there are some new drugs (DS is almost 9, so my info is getting outdated!) that they use with cancer patients to curb nausea. Ask your doctor!

I had to fly to a conference in Scottdale and we had to pull over on the way to the airport. Once I got on the plane my colleagues announced that I was pregnant and sick. All the businessmen around me immediately passed their airsick bags to my seat. Luckily I didn't get sick on the plane, but when the flight attendant plopped a chicken Ceasar salad in front of me it was a tense moment!

Know what things make you feel worse - motion, smells, heat, etc. and come up with a plan to combat the ill effects of each factor. Try to take it easy as much as possible. Good luck!!

 

[crazymomof4]

First, let me say that how your body reacts to each pregancy is unique. I learned this by being pregnant 4 times. Maybe, just maybe, the morning sickness will go away earlier this time!!! For one of my pregnancies (third, I think) the nausea went away after only 7-8 weeks. Also, it is a fact that stress causes nausea. So, if you stress over the possiblility of being sick on your trip it can add to any morning sickness you have.
I had a bunch of tips to give you but most have already been posted. The one about the lemons...I hardily second that. I found that the little round "lemon drops" helped when I was the most sick (with my girl!) I used them for a few weeks and THEN I read about lemons and nausea...HA HA. I think they will work for you and be a good alternate to using fresh lemons. (The acid in fresh lemons, if used over an extended period, can be corrosive to tooth enamel.)
I've also read a lot about ginger and nausea. I use both ginger and lemon drops for my kids when they have nausea unrelated to a virus.
I found some relief, too, by using the motion sickness bands (Sea Bands) They are terry wrist bands that use accupressure to inhibit nausea. They are not a cure but I remember they "took the edge off" of the nausea.
Best wishes!
crazymom.

 

[lovethattink]

What worked for me for MS for each pregnancy was different for me as well. My 1st pregnancy, nothing worked for the nausea except Phenergan (promethazine) a prescription. For my last pregnancy I found that as long as I didn't let my stomach get empty the nausea/vomiting was not as bad. Instead of eating 3 meals a day, I ate very small meals 9 times a day. I also wore seabands frequently. When we went on a Disney cruise, ds had sea sickness really bad. Our waiter suggested he eat a bite of apple each time he felt nauseated. I did this too with ms and it helped. I drank either gingerale or coke when I started to feel queasy.

 

[MinnieGi]

Lemonade!
Last year first week in Feb. I was 11 weeks pregnant and nausous 24/7 driving to WDW. I had the type of sickness that if I ate the nausousness got stronger. So obviously I didn't eat much. I lost weight my first tri. Anyway I tried many of the suggestions already given and they all still made me sick. A friend told me lemonade had worked for her and it was the first drink that did not make me feel violently sick and it even eased the nausousness a little. I felt my best with a totally empty stomach so for this one WDW trip I did not partake in lots of wonderful restaurant meals. We had a villa so I usually just carried my lemondade and a few crackers. The good thing is that being at WDW actually lessend my morning sickness. I think there was just too many great distractions for me to think about it b/c once home again I felt awfully sick for another week or two until it was done.
Good luck!

 

[lucyem]

THANKS SO MUCH!!!! for all the words of encouragement. My 24/7 morning sickness is starting back in full swing. I am still at the stage if I eat I feel fine. I am eating all day at the moment I have a few other new pregnancy symptoms I did not have before so I have hopes the M/S will stay limited. Last time I was so sick I would dream I was sick. There was no escape. While I am happy about the baby I am still bummed about the vacation. At least I am not big on fast rides. My husband is all excited the babysitter who is going will ride all the fast stuff with him

 

[sskem96]

Phenergan worked wonders for me. I was 15 wks. preg. at WDW. I started out taking the suppositories, but switched to the pills once the nausea was under control. A lot of doctors now give zofran, but it's very expensive. Everybody reacts differently to different meds, so talk to your dr. and see what works for you. I would definitely get a prescription before you go even if you aren't taking any meds at home. You don't want to get down there and be worse, or get worse on the drive. Since you're taking a babysitter along, don't be afraid to stay in the room and get some extra rest while the rest of the group goes out. Take care of yourself! If all else fails, I hear Celebration, FL has a very nice hospital (first hand experience of one of my fellow OB nurses). A bag of IV fluids sometimes works wonders. Hopefully it won't come to that, but if you get really dehydrated and can't hold anything down, do what you need to do for your body and your baby's sake.