How do you 'mentally' get over morning sickness?

[marzipanned]

I'm 13 weeks and have had terrible morning sickness, including being hospitalised once at around 9 weeks. I think I'm starting to feel better now (still on cyclizine) but I'm still really struggling to get up and do things.

I'm sure I'd feel better if I got out, left the house, etc, but I just want to stay curled up in bed all day because that feels, I suppose, safer. I've never been this ill for this long in my life before but normally after an illness of a few days I'm absolutely raring to go. Now I just want to hide away til my due date.

I was just wondering if anyone had any tips on how to get through this stage, or should I just go with it and wait for the promised rush of second trimester energy?!

[LadyMedea]

It sounds like you might be a little depressed. Easy to happen when you've been that ill.

I'd recommend setting yourself a goal for each day - walk to shops, got to cafe - and try to get back into a bit of a routine getting out of bed and dressed at the same time. It takes giving yourself a bit of a mental pep talk but its the only way I cope with my long term illness.

[toffeem]

I know exactly how you feel - the amount of times I lay on the landing floor sobbing my eyes out at how sick I had been!

I think I just ended up getting used to it all and then just getting on with it, but I wouldn't beat yourself up about wanting to curl up and hide.

It should get easier as the weeks go by and you will start to get more energy. Just take it easy and do whatever you feel like doing would be my advice!

[Loobylou123]

I feel the pain - I am 37 weeks now and have been sick every single day since week 4! It was worse from weeks 6 - 16 and spent many an hour lying n bed, on the landing, on the bathroom floor etc etc etc sobbing at how awful I felt.
Eventually I did similar to LadyMedea's suggestion. I decided to get a 'real' shower and straighten my hair or paint my nails or walk to the shop across the way for some fresh air. It didn't cure the sickness but just being back in the land of the living helped me to feel better. Even though I am still sick now, it's just a blip (or 2 or 3) in a relatively normal day - it gets better - honest

[marzipanned]

Thanks both. It's really reassuring to know I'm not alone.

I think I'm going to take a dual pronged approach - not feel guilty about sleeping in til whenever, but when I am awake, get showered, get dressed and go out and do something - even if it's just posting a letter, today's task!

[marzipanned]

Loobylou and and anything else - my goodness, I can't believe you've been sick the whole way through. You poor thing. I hope the birth is amazingly painless in comparison!

[RNJ3007]

I've not had a vomit free day since 28/12/12... I try to do something every day, but can't always (lost 18% of body weight, now have SPD too). I try to make it down stairs every day, and on a 'good' day out into the garden.

Today I am feeling brave and planning to go to the shops with DH and DD after DH finishes work at 2.

It is hard, but it does eventually end. Took til birth with DD and looking this way with DC2 too.

[valiumredhead]

Tbh I'm not sure you can,that's like saying how can you mentally get over the flu. I was sick my entire pregnancy, sorry I know that's not helpful but people don't warn you how grim you might feel!

Only way I got through it was with ginger and lemon tea and ginger biscuits

And it IS worth it for the lovely baby you get after it all

[marzipanned]

RNJ how do you cope with sickness and a child? This is number one for us and I'm already scared of future pregnancy!!

[EmBeEmBe]

I think there is something to be said for getting over morning sickness mentally. During my first pregnancy I was also desperately sick, and also spent large amounts of time lying on the floor wanting to die. However, it disappeared at 13wks which coincided with th new school term starting and my needing to get back to a routine and to work etc. I felt bloody terrible at the end of the school day, but I could usually make it through a day without being sick (I had an awesome TA who made my life so much easier though, and couldn't have managed without her!).

This time around, I'm still being sick every day at 18 weeks, not working - as I stay home with my 18 month old. I'm busy, but its not the same intensity and I can still do a bit of lying on the sofa. Some days I have terrible mornings and so we don't go anywhere, but other days I remember to push myself and we go for a walk or whatever and the sickness really subsides. The best days are when we have a play date or something else with other people.

Can you set yourself a weekly timetable of places to go to (the local shop, the park, see a friend/family member) and hopefully that will help you get back to normal as you enter the second trimester.

Good luck and i hope you feel better soon! And everyone else too. Oh, and it is definitely worth it. Promise!

[chocolatemartini]

I think you still need the rest. I had truly awful sickness with my first pg, I have never been so ill or suffered so much. This time (I'm 12 weeks) it's been MUCH better, I am still nauseous a lot but haven't thrown up and just need to lie down nearly all the time. I agree it's totally worth it in the end. Hope you feel better soon

[marzipanned]

EmBe yes that's what I've been wondering - I'm not having to go to work at the moment (meant to be writing my MA dissertation, but that's another story :) ) and part of me thinks that if I did have to I would just get on with it IYSWIM and things would be better.

DH says I should sleep as much as possible now to store it up for when the baby arrives, not sure it works that way though!!

Sorry to all those who are feeling sick and hopefully everyone feels better soon, or at least time passes quickly til birth... (Suffolk that's another thing, I think I can't imagine not feeling sick, good to know that it does all disappear immediately at the birth if not sooner!)

[EmBeEmBe]

It's just a thought I've been having recently - I don't think it would work for all levels of morning sickness (especially those poor people suffering from HG) but may be worth a try. OP, don't forget to eat if you do manage to get out the house, you'll use more energy and I find if I'm not eating really regularly (small amounts every hour or so) then I get nauseous and the whole cycle starts again. Sleep I think is a major factor (for me anyway), if I don't get enough then I usually have a dreadful day following. So I nap with my toddler and go to bed stupidly early. And if we've got out of the house in the morning I always make sure we have a more sedate afternoon. So don't ditch your rest time. You need it. Good luck with the dissertation!

[RNJ3007]

Nursery when I was still trying to work...

Now, sticker books, painting books, drawing, massive tubs of craft stuff, trampoline in garden, swing and slide in garden... My house looks like it has been trashed. But she's happy, and I'm not dead yet.

That and choosing key less nauseous moment to put together her lunch into a box so it's like a picnic every day. And having meals bulk cooked in freezer so DH can nuke her something healthy for dinner.

This is my second HG pregnancy. Been hideous, but with ondansetron and cyclizine, I've survived. After my daughter was born, I practically inhaled 4 slices of whole meal toast with jam and two bottles of juice and then sent my DP (now DH) out to get me a sausage sandwich and a punnet of tomatoes!!! I was sick until 45 mins before I delivered. Once she was out, within 4 hours, I was hungry and not feeling awful anymore. It was great!

[LittleMachine]

I know what you mean OP. After my first HG pregnancy, I was more shell shocked from the pregnancy than the birth. It took me a while to get over it mentally. I still kept my seabands in my bag (they didn't even work, it was just a comfort thing). I swore off pregnancy 'for 7 years'. 19 months later and here I am again guzzling cyclizine and clutching my seabands!

It's horrible and it's miserable. Don't set expectations for yourself. Just do what you can.

[Dollybird86]

I feel for you I really didn't cope well with it but as my sickness eased at about 16weeks life got alot more bare able. It has made me man up about the rest of my pregnancy because nothing is as bad as feeling like that day in day out! Stay in bed and watch a boxset! Feel better

[lola1980]

I had awful sickness from 2 days after I conceived! There was literally no wondering if I was pregnant and this went on until 18wks. I couldn't go to work and felt incredibly guilty that OH had to bring all the money in. I felt like I was absolutely hopeless, I was so desperately tired and just couldn't function. Also spent a lot of time feeling anxious and emotional and didn't want to leave the house.
Things really did improve and by the time I had my 20wk scan I felt ok again. I think if you can hold onto the thought that this is such a small amount of time in your life to feel so shit, you can get through it, and you get a baby at the end! At least I think you do, I've been in slow labour for 5 days I'm beginning to think it's never going to happen