I’ve tried it all: ginger ale, natural Gravol lozenges, sour candies, saltines. Nothing has helped ease the morning all-freaking-day-long sickness that has been hitting me for the past month. I was lucky with my first two pregnancies to not experience a single bout of nausea, and while I’m thankful, I think I am also about 117% more whiney about it this time around since I have two wild children to chase after as I try to refrain from losing my lunch.
I am just past the ten-week mark and am hoping that the nausea will subside as my first trimester ends. If it doesn’t, however, I am totally on board with taking Diclectin. It’s just been so hard to be a decent wife and mother when all I feel like doing is laying on the couch, quietly heaving, and wishing the weeks away until I feel better.
Morning sickness makes so little sense to me. Isn’t this when our babies are growing and forming all of their most important parts? Shouldn’t our bodies be trying to hold onto every nutrient they can get and have us craving carrots and lentils? Instead, the thought of food makes me gag, and when I do get desperate enough to eat, all I can choke down is crackers and noodles. Last time I checked, an all-carb diet wasn’t doing anyone any favours.
The one (and only) nice thing about the constant sickness is the reassurance that all is hopefully well with my baby and that my body is doing what it needs to do. I will be going for an early ultrasound in the next week or so and am hoping to see that little baby, the one who’s making me feel so crummy, and be reminded that it’s all worth it.
If you have any morning sickness coping techniques, I’m open to trying just about anything, so bring them on!
Join me in a toast, with ginger ale in champagne flutes, to the promise of a more enjoyable second trimester!
My sister-in-law was sick for months (lost 8 pounds in the first trimester). She found that perogies were her new best friend…
My son is 15 now and I still have not forgotten the all day sickness (never mind the morning sickness). It lasted until I was 8 months pregnant. Guess the only benefit was that I only gained 15 pounds even though I was 2 weeks overdue and my son was a very healthy 8.9 pounds. Too funny as the doctor predicted that I would have a little baby.
Just wish I was into naturopathy then as much as I am now. Would have known about ginger, for example. I am sure it would have helped.
The only thing that worked for me were All-Bran Bites (I liked the Cin/Brown Sugar ones) they had lots of fibre and were small so I could eat one here and there all day just to keep the MS at bay. They were a life saver at night cause every time I went to the bathroom (which was like 15+ times!!) I would have one.
My sister lived off of smoothies! She kept the blender in the freezer so she just had to add some liquid and blend. She would have about 1/2 cup every 30-45 mins. It worked for her.
Good luck!
I had bad all-day nausea with my first, nothing with my second. The first time around the Diclectin really helped, I was on it from about 10 weeks to 18 weeks or so. Then the nausea came back around 34 weeks or so, ugh… I found the only things that helped (other than the drugs!) were keeping my stomach full and drinking tons of ice water with a lemon slice in it. It’s miserable, I hope you get some relief soon!
Miss Vickies Salt & Vinegar chips were the only thing that worked for my 6.5 months of all day sickness. I don’t even really like them but my sister stumbled on them during her morning sickness and recommended them to me. Weird I guess but I was desperate for anything and these helped.
Hey Amanda. I totally feel for you. When I was on my fourth pregnancy (twins), I was BRUTALLY ill for the first trimester (and my third baby was only 3 months old). And as Laura above mentions, it’s true that the sickness is MUCH worse with twins. This may be stating the obvious but I honestly didn’t know this until well into the fourth pregnancy…..make sure you take your pre-natal vitamin right after you eat something. I always took it first thing in the morning on an empty stomach until someone told me otherwise and it helped with the nausea tremendously! I hope this helps! Let us know what the sex is if you are going to find out!
You poor thing. I can totally relate. I had all day nausea every day for each of my four pregnancies. I actually lost weight for the first 6 or 7 months with each of them. The only thing that helped was 7-11 Slurpees, usually the coke ones.
Something about the sugar and the coldness helped. Hope you feel better soon!
I had severe ms with my baby from weeks 6-20 (sorry!). I used Bonine to take the edge off. You can find it at any pharmacy by the motion sickness meds. Totally safe for baby, too! I now have a happy, healthy 3 month old daughter. 🙂 Best wishes to you!
Hey Amanda I lived on All Bran Bites (the cin/brown sugar ones) I would keep them by my bed to have one or two every time I woke up at night and again before I got out of bed in the morning. Yes they have sugar in them but they are also high in fibre which is good right!! Hope something helps soon.
Chocolate milk!! Worked wonders for me!! Good luck girlie, hopefully you’ll be past all the sickies soon. Take care,
Amanda Z
The only thing that got me through those horrible weeks were plain bagels. By the dozen!
I’ve tried peppermint & ginger essential oils (just one drop each) in a cup of hot water. It is very strong smelling, but fresh tasting and helps for oh… 10 mins or so! That seems to be the thing with all the “remedies”, they only help for a very short time, then I’m looking for my next fix! I’ve been chewing lots of gum and eating breath mints too. I have dry mouth this time and it definitely contributes to the nausea. Yick. I tend to avoid house work and lay on the couch groaning, that helps for about 10 mins too. Good luck to you, here’s to the promise of trimester #2, it better not be a scam!!!
I was lucky enough to experience hyperemesis with my 3 pregnancies, which meant NOTHING (food or water) would stay down from weeks 8-20. I ended up hospitalized and had IVs for weeks an lost 30 lbs. So I know a bit about where you’re coming from!
Diclectin didn’t work for me, but a good tip is to make sure you take your first one right before you fall asleep, and then wake up just before the 8hr mark and take a 2nd one, then another 8 hours later. It takes awhile to work, and often pregnant moms puke it up before the effects kick in. It’s basically vitamin B6 and a sleeping agent, so be careful as it may make you quite drowsy.
After 20 weeks when I was still nauseous but functional, I found Coke helped the nausea a bit. Stay away from most veggies, as they can be a major contributor.
The reason we have morning sickness? Many foods are actually teratogins, meaning they are toxic to a fetus. Vegetables (esp. potatos and other root veggies) are the worst. Morning sickness is actually our way of protecting our fetus, by not eating toxic foods. It’s no wonder that the foods most pregnant woman have little trouble with (fruits, grains and some dairy) have the least amount of toxins in them!
The good news is that it’s a sign of a very healthy pregnancy. I ended my last pregnancy -15 lbs from my starting weight (yes, I lost 30 and then only gained back 15 of that) yet I had a 10lb 4oz baby with one of the biggest placentas the midwives had ever seen.
If you weren’t this sick with the previous two…have you had an ultrasound yet? Hate to tell you, but exagerated morning sickness when you haven’t had it in past pregnancies can be an indication of twins. Heaven forbid! LOL
Hope you’re feeling better soon! (after typing this I am re-thinking having 2 more children with my 2nd husband. Ugh…I’m already committed…I promised him!! maybe a different dad will mean no pregnancy sickness for me? Keeping my fingers crossed!)
I really feel for you!! It must be really hard to be pregnant with your third and have two young girls to look after. Unfortunately I don’t have any great tips or advice. The only thing that worked for me was to constantly eat. But somehow I don’t think that your doctor would approve.
Yag! All day nausea – remember it well. So awful and so reassuring at the same time. The pregnancy paradox. Take Diclectin and try lemon juice in water if you have’nt already. All the best for next trimester…
While most morning sickness remedies were about as helpful as a bandaid for a broken arm, I did find mint tea and regular Pepsi to be marginally useful. But mostly I just opted to sleep when I could because that was the only time I wasn’t feeling actively pukey…not sure how much that will work or you since you have your hands full! 9-10 weeks is supposed to be the peak for feeling sick during pregnancy. Hopefully it starts to decrease very soon?
Dude. You know I felt that way with all three and nothing worked. I’m hoping it eases up for you.
I’ve been there, and am right where you are again. With my first(a girl), nothing helped, not even Diclectin. With my son, the Diclectin helped, but I was on it the whole pregnancy. And the little bit of residual sickness that the Diclectin didn’t help with was easily calmed by Hawkins Cheesies(the crunchie kind). Now, this time around, the Diclectin helps, sometimes. My sister, with both her kids, did not puke once. She did not get a drop of morning sickness. How fair is that?! But, she had 2 very colicky babies. So far, mine both slept through the night by 10 weeks, and are the easiest kids I have ever seen. I choose to believe that its the trade off. My kids put me through hell while I’m pregnant. They get it out of their systems REALLY early! I wish I had a morning sickness remedy for you though! I know how much it sucks. I’ll be 11 weeks tomorrow so hopefully we both only have a couple weeks left!
I recently heard on “The Brains of Babes”, a reliable source I think (from Ideas on CBC), that’s it’s moms lifetime nutrition that affects her babies long term health, not her pregnancy nutrition. That would explain it, I think.
I hope you are feeling better soon. Try to let others pick up the slack for while, if you can.
I was so sick with my pregnancy. People who don’t experience all day sickness don’t know how awful it is! I was throwing up a minimum of three times a day for the first 5 months, and then it subsided to once a day for the rest of the pregnancy.
I could only keep down plain pasta, sometimes crackers, and (like Jen) chocolate milkshakes.
If I do it again, I will not HESITATE to take Diclectin- I am kicking myself for not taking it during my pregnancy with the Boy!
So, ya, no helpful advice- just a been there, know how you’re feeling, and you’ll totally get through it. Oh the joys!
Been there with both of mine, Amanda, and it ain’t fun. I was feeling much better by 14-16 weeks but those first few months were rough. I would sleep with crackers and a banana next to my bed because I felt even more sick with an empty stomach. I found chocolate milkshakes when I wasn’t seriously nauseous helped a bit but really the only thing is rest (ha!) and time.
I guess the good news is that only you suffer by your compromised diet as baby will take whatever is in your reserve to make up for your lack of well-balanced nutrition. Believe me, I made up for it in the last 6 months of both pregnancies!
Here’s to the sisterhood of motherhood and all its ugly truths. Cheers!