I'm not going to call this a "How to.." because who the hell knows if this would be useful to anyone else! Different things work for different people, and at different times for the same person. Just when I thought I knew exactly what to do, I would get sick again, and throw out (up) my theory. Over the 8 or so week I was vomiting here are the things that seemed to bring me some relief.
1. Eat right before bed. My first pregnancy I feel like I did this every night for the whole pregnancy and it was mostly Wheat Thins and cheese. I used this strategy this time too, sometimes to include yogurt, fruit, bread and peanut butter, whatever sounded appealing at the time. The idea is to give yourself a better chance of not waking up feeling like crap. I also kept some snacks by my bed for when I woke up in the morning or sometimes in the middle of the night. Sometimes right after opening my eyes I knew I was screwed. Morning sickness is by and large the combo of heighten insane hormones and stomach acid being very pissed at the mommy to be. Even though I did this, I still felt/got sick nearly all of the 8 weeks from about week 5-13, but I'm sure I would have been a lot worse off with out it.
2. Find what appeals to you. For me it was a lot of packaged goods and lemonade, I couldn't even drink straight water without gagging.
Pictured are some of the things that got me through, some others include cottage cheese (for some reason), Orbit sweet mint gum throughout the day, dried apricots, bagels (of course!), cheese, and I'm not sure what else! Likewise learn what triggers, for me it was bananas, every time! I was able to consume them if I made a smoothie which wasn't a bad thing since I wasn't otherwise getting any fruit!
During the day I couldn't think about meal planning, or packing my lunch without getting nauseous. I finally started carrying around a slew of snack foods and simply picking up something during the day which was more often than not a salad, but was sometimes a pack of potato chips. I ate whatever seemed appealing because I figured at that point, it's more important that I eat and it stays down. I knew/PRAYED this time would eventually pass and I could get back to my normal healthier habits. At night the meals were much more simple than usual, macaroni and cheese, cereal, pizza, whatever I could handle preparing.
3. Have trash cans and paper towels near by. I put a small trash can next to the couch and my bed, as things usually came up without much warning Hudson was used to this that he just played on. I wanted him to not be alarmed or panic, I simply said, "Everyone gets sick sometimes" and this was an acceptable explanation. I was careful to never associate it with baby.
4. Use Caution when brushing your teeth! Both last pregnancy and this one, brushing my teeth makes me gag almost every single time. I still do it, I just use the shorter setting on my electric toothbrush and stop when need be. I think it's having the toothpaste hanging out in my mouth that triggers the gag reflex. This is fairly common in pregnant women, and some use non-foaming toothpaste or kids toothpaste. Fortunately I'm always by the sink if the gagging turns into more. Just this week I learned I still can not brush my teeth on an empty stomach or I will still get sick (week 19!) Good times!
5. Alert the family. I often need to walk out of the bathroom when my son is using it, and I've had to tell Ted too many times to light a match in the bathroom that he now does it automatically, almost all the time. Even though most of the nausea has lifted, I still will quickly loose it when I smell an especially stinky stink. Ted understands and is accommodating when I all but order him to take out the trash RIGHT NOW.
In addition to the above, I also learned about pressure points, and went to acupuncture to help. Sometimes I think it's just going to happen though, and it seemed easier to just get it out, and move on than fight it.
I was much more sick this time around. Some think that means I'm carrying a girl this time, it could be we're not going to find out til delivery day. I think my morning sickness has more to do with not being able to rest as much this time. When I was pregnant with Hudson, my first trimester was over the summer when I was not working, and my only task was packing up the townhouse to move. While that was a lot of work, I could move at my own pace, take breaks when I needed, and didn't need to face anyone! This time the thought of being in my car, and people's houses throughout the day was totally debilitating. For about 6 weeks, my first appointment wasn't until 10 rather than my usual 8:30. Thank goodness for accommodating families and my understanding supervisor! Fortunately (so far!) I haven't had any near disasters in the car or in families' homes. Although I do now chew gum during the session if I need to, or take sips of water both of which I didn't used to do.
I have learned that every pregnancy is different--people will try to give you advice and it may or may not work. It doesn't seem fair that some people are miserable and some don't get morning sickness AT ALL, but then again, life is not fair and we all need to deal with the challenges we are dealt! Part of these 8 weeks showed me to let go, I'm not always in control, and another reminder that somethings are easier for some than others, kinda like my whole pregnancy adventure.
What about you? What worked when you were going through morning sickness?
1. Eat right before bed. My first pregnancy I feel like I did this every night for the whole pregnancy and it was mostly Wheat Thins and cheese. I used this strategy this time too, sometimes to include yogurt, fruit, bread and peanut butter, whatever sounded appealing at the time. The idea is to give yourself a better chance of not waking up feeling like crap. I also kept some snacks by my bed for when I woke up in the morning or sometimes in the middle of the night. Sometimes right after opening my eyes I knew I was screwed. Morning sickness is by and large the combo of heighten insane hormones and stomach acid being very pissed at the mommy to be. Even though I did this, I still felt/got sick nearly all of the 8 weeks from about week 5-13, but I'm sure I would have been a lot worse off with out it.
2. Find what appeals to you. For me it was a lot of packaged goods and lemonade, I couldn't even drink straight water without gagging.
Pictured are some of the things that got me through, some others include cottage cheese (for some reason), Orbit sweet mint gum throughout the day, dried apricots, bagels (of course!), cheese, and I'm not sure what else! Likewise learn what triggers, for me it was bananas, every time! I was able to consume them if I made a smoothie which wasn't a bad thing since I wasn't otherwise getting any fruit!
During the day I couldn't think about meal planning, or packing my lunch without getting nauseous. I finally started carrying around a slew of snack foods and simply picking up something during the day which was more often than not a salad, but was sometimes a pack of potato chips. I ate whatever seemed appealing because I figured at that point, it's more important that I eat and it stays down. I knew/PRAYED this time would eventually pass and I could get back to my normal healthier habits. At night the meals were much more simple than usual, macaroni and cheese, cereal, pizza, whatever I could handle preparing.
3. Have trash cans and paper towels near by. I put a small trash can next to the couch and my bed, as things usually came up without much warning Hudson was used to this that he just played on. I wanted him to not be alarmed or panic, I simply said, "Everyone gets sick sometimes" and this was an acceptable explanation. I was careful to never associate it with baby.
4. Use Caution when brushing your teeth! Both last pregnancy and this one, brushing my teeth makes me gag almost every single time. I still do it, I just use the shorter setting on my electric toothbrush and stop when need be. I think it's having the toothpaste hanging out in my mouth that triggers the gag reflex. This is fairly common in pregnant women, and some use non-foaming toothpaste or kids toothpaste. Fortunately I'm always by the sink if the gagging turns into more. Just this week I learned I still can not brush my teeth on an empty stomach or I will still get sick (week 19!) Good times!
5. Alert the family. I often need to walk out of the bathroom when my son is using it, and I've had to tell Ted too many times to light a match in the bathroom that he now does it automatically, almost all the time. Even though most of the nausea has lifted, I still will quickly loose it when I smell an especially stinky stink. Ted understands and is accommodating when I all but order him to take out the trash RIGHT NOW.
In addition to the above, I also learned about pressure points, and went to acupuncture to help. Sometimes I think it's just going to happen though, and it seemed easier to just get it out, and move on than fight it.
I was much more sick this time around. Some think that means I'm carrying a girl this time, it could be we're not going to find out til delivery day. I think my morning sickness has more to do with not being able to rest as much this time. When I was pregnant with Hudson, my first trimester was over the summer when I was not working, and my only task was packing up the townhouse to move. While that was a lot of work, I could move at my own pace, take breaks when I needed, and didn't need to face anyone! This time the thought of being in my car, and people's houses throughout the day was totally debilitating. For about 6 weeks, my first appointment wasn't until 10 rather than my usual 8:30. Thank goodness for accommodating families and my understanding supervisor! Fortunately (so far!) I haven't had any near disasters in the car or in families' homes. Although I do now chew gum during the session if I need to, or take sips of water both of which I didn't used to do.
I have learned that every pregnancy is different--people will try to give you advice and it may or may not work. It doesn't seem fair that some people are miserable and some don't get morning sickness AT ALL, but then again, life is not fair and we all need to deal with the challenges we are dealt! Part of these 8 weeks showed me to let go, I'm not always in control, and another reminder that somethings are easier for some than others, kinda like my whole pregnancy adventure.
What about you? What worked when you were going through morning sickness?
Comments
Post a Comment