Help for Morning Sickness
Zan asked:
"What did you do for your morning sickness. I've tried everything but maybe you have some pointers?"
Just to give a little background to anyone else reading this, as I know Zan already knows this: I had morning-noon-and-night sickness almost incessantly with my pregnancy with Kathrynne. Everyone said it would get better after the 12-week-point. Mine didn't. In fact, it got worse. It was a very difficult time, but thanks to all of my husband's help and help from family members and friends, we made it through. I started feeling better when I was about 20 weeks along and now that Kathrynne is born, I don't even hardly remember that time! She was worth every bit of it, even though at the time it seemed like I would NEVER be able to eat or drink again.
Zan, I was so desperate for help I tried just about everything I heard from anyone who offered any suggestions. I researched on the internet (something I could still do while lying in bed!) everything I could find on this subject. Honestly, nothing really seemed to work, although a few things did seem to help. I'm sure you've tried most everything, but since you asked, here's what helped a little for me:
-Eat a little bit of something every hour or so. At first, I just really didn't eat hardly anything and I soon was so weak I couldn't even stand up long enough to take a shower. Being faint made me more sick to my stomach. I found that eating a little bit of anything very often helped me to feel better in the long run.
- If I was ever hungry for anything (which was usually a pretty rare occurance!), I would eat whatever that was as soon as I could. Yes, Jesse made many trips to Subway and Panera (my two favorite restaurants!), and even more trips to the grocery store to appease my latest flyby craving.
-Eat protein, if possible and stay away from fruits and sugars.
-Drink peppermint tea.
- Saltines and 7up really did work for me sometimes. Many days, they were the only thing I existed on.
- If you are not opposed to using drugs, I've heard that there are some out there which are pretty effective in curbing the nausea. You could ask your doctor.
That's my short little list of a few things that helped me a little bit. Could other women share what worked for them or any suggestions you've heard? We want to help Zan out!
Hang in there, Zan, and just try and focus on what the end result will be!
"What did you do for your morning sickness. I've tried everything but maybe you have some pointers?"
Just to give a little background to anyone else reading this, as I know Zan already knows this: I had morning-noon-and-night sickness almost incessantly with my pregnancy with Kathrynne. Everyone said it would get better after the 12-week-point. Mine didn't. In fact, it got worse. It was a very difficult time, but thanks to all of my husband's help and help from family members and friends, we made it through. I started feeling better when I was about 20 weeks along and now that Kathrynne is born, I don't even hardly remember that time! She was worth every bit of it, even though at the time it seemed like I would NEVER be able to eat or drink again.
Zan, I was so desperate for help I tried just about everything I heard from anyone who offered any suggestions. I researched on the internet (something I could still do while lying in bed!) everything I could find on this subject. Honestly, nothing really seemed to work, although a few things did seem to help. I'm sure you've tried most everything, but since you asked, here's what helped a little for me:
-Eat a little bit of something every hour or so. At first, I just really didn't eat hardly anything and I soon was so weak I couldn't even stand up long enough to take a shower. Being faint made me more sick to my stomach. I found that eating a little bit of anything very often helped me to feel better in the long run.
- If I was ever hungry for anything (which was usually a pretty rare occurance!), I would eat whatever that was as soon as I could. Yes, Jesse made many trips to Subway and Panera (my two favorite restaurants!), and even more trips to the grocery store to appease my latest flyby craving.
-Eat protein, if possible and stay away from fruits and sugars.
-Drink peppermint tea.
- Saltines and 7up really did work for me sometimes. Many days, they were the only thing I existed on.
- If you are not opposed to using drugs, I've heard that there are some out there which are pretty effective in curbing the nausea. You could ask your doctor.
That's my short little list of a few things that helped me a little bit. Could other women share what worked for them or any suggestions you've heard? We want to help Zan out!
Hang in there, Zan, and just try and focus on what the end result will be!
posted by Crystal Paine at 6:02 PM
11 Comments:
Things that have helped me through my 2 pregnancies:
1. Eat whatever sounds appetizing. If it sounds icky - don't even try to eat it!
2. Avoid strong odors.
3. Cinnamon Altoids
4. Peppermints
5. Eating proteins whenever possible - chicken, fish, turkey, etc.
6. Get as much sleep as possible. When I got overtired, it got worse.
7. Reduce stress. I found it got worse with stressful situations/people.
8. I have a friend who took a medication called Zofran when she had hyperemesis gravidarum; she said it was a life saver!
I will be praying for you!
This is what my midwife and other places I have researched said to take for "morning" sickness: A multi-complex B vitamin. Make sure it is a good quality vitamin too.
You could also try to make a nutritional smoothie. Personally, when I am feeling sick, I like really cold (actually frozen) stuff. You could put in frozen banana, some frozen strawberries, a yogurt (if you think you could tolerate it). Blend it up with some kind of liquid (water, juice, milk) and then sip it slowly. Try also sucking on a popsicle....this is good so you don't get dehydrated. You can make your own (better for you) out of the smoothies above or just plain old juice.
I hope you feel better Zan. I can relate! :-)
B-6 helped me out quite a bit, although I never got completely over it with Sarah, my last one. With my first one I had a horrble time and was yucky the whole 9 months. BUT, as soon as she was born, it was gone. It was gone so fast that it shocked me how normal I felt. No wonder I felt so good afterwards!!!
One caution on the B-6. If you take too much you will feel worse, you need the balance of approx. 40 mil a day. Check it out and ask a doctor or midwife.
I personally wasn't sick during my pregnancy but 2 friends were extremely sick for the first trimester at least. I did a bit of research and came up with "Preggie Pops". http://www.threelollies.com/ They are all natural lollipops flavoured with ginger, assorted mints, and sour fruit. Both friends said they helped and fortunately for them the morning, noon, and night sickness finally went away at about 4 months or so.
Hey, these are all great tips. As an RN I faced some similar scenarios at work this week with at least two separate patients both being pregnant 13-20 wks. One is receiving TPN (total parenteral nutrition) through an IV.
From what I can recall in nursing school, it's best to eat a little something before you even get out of bed in the morning. Have your hubby bring you breakfast in bed:) Protein is supposed to be especially good and it gives your body some much needed strength. Avoid anything and everything that has strong, pungent odors. Even the smell can make you very sick from things such as coffee, frying foods, cleaners, perfumes, lotions, soaps etc. In my experience as an RN, Phenergan works the best for nausea. Sometimes nothing else seems to work for a patient with nausea until we try the Phenergan. It comes in oral, rectal and IV preparations but a prescription is required. It can also cause drowsiness or dizziness. I just looked it up on my PDA drug program and found that riboflavin is a dietary consideration to try for nausea. The B-complex vitamins couldn't hurt. Phenergan is classified as Pregnancy Category C but is considered safe to use in pregnancy in occasional small dosages. These are about all I can offer from a nursing standpoint since I've never experienced a pregnancy myself.
From personal experience I can say that if I have a sudden strong urge to vomit, taking a few slow, deep breaths helps me to hold things in until the urge passes. I think doing some relaxing activity might help such as reading or listening to soothing music. Hope you start feeling better soon! Think to yourself, "I can do all things (keep from throwing up) through Christ which strengthens me."
Ginger - the root - cut a small sliver and chew it slowly. Ginger is known to have properties that combat nausea. It's why gingerale used to be given to kiddos with upset tummies - but there is almost no ginger in gingerale today.
I know someone has already recommended it but according to a book I have called, Fertility, Cycles & Nutrition they really recommend taking extra B6 as it seems to be very good for combatting both morning sickness and pre-eclampsia.
B-6 with Unisom (an over the counter sleep aid) worked wonders for me. I'd ask you doctor. I hate taking meds but when you can't keep anything down and you have 3 other children to care for, it can be a lifesaver for all involved!
Just a note, you need to be careful with ginger as I do not remember which kind it is, but it can cause miscarriages. If you look in Shonda Parker's Naturally healthy pregnancy she speaks on this a bit, I think!
I think sticking to bland foods really helps, I ate alot of tea and toast this last pregnancy. I also tended to not eat. The biggest thing that helped was avoiding all sugar. It really made me sick.
Also, going somewhere out of your house and having a plate of food that you did not smell, did not prepare sometimes helps you to be able to eat something.
If I cooked it , I could not eat it!
I could not drink water, but being dehydrated makes it worse. So I drank alot of club soda with lemon in it. I could sip on very cold glasses of this. This has no sugar or flavor in it. Make sure no artificial flavors or sweeteners either.
Thankyou all for all of your suggestions. I have been feeling better recently. My first preg was so bed that I had to take Zofran which stopped the vomiting but not the nausea. It is definately harder when you have a little one and you are trying to take care of him and yourself (husband is on his own during this time, poor guy). My son laughs at me everytime I throw up. Atleast I'm not scaring him. I did have a wicked bad migraine headache on Sunday. I couldn't stop vomiting. It was really scary. The doctor wanted me to go to the ER but being the good nurse I am I refused (I hate the hospital). It went away after about 8 hrs. I think I scared my mom to death. I may sound very sarcastic here but you have to have a sense of humor to help you get through this. Once again thanks for your suggestions. I actually have tried just about everyone I read here. I did the ginger with my first preg and now I hate all forms of ginger. Especially gingerale!
-Zan
Don't get pregnant. Then you will feel fine. lol
Post a Comment
<< Home