Severe nausea

[Chocoholic26]

Hi there

I am six weeks pregnant with my second child and the nausea has well and truly kicked in! I'm off work today (I am a teacher) as I physically could not stand up and teach in front of a class. Struggled the past two days and just can't do it anymore. Feeling so guilty as haven't actually been sick yet but the nausea is just so draining. Just looking for anyone else going through the same. With my last pregnancy I was off for 10 weeks until it finally started to ease. I was sick a handful of times a week but it was the nausea that really got me down. Sorry this is more of a rant than actually looking for advice as I think I know I have worse to come. I guess I feel a bit of a failure. Everyone at work is also going to guess. Really wanted to keep it a secret for a while longer xx

[Smile150]

I'm feeling exactly the same I'm nine weeks and have been like this since week 5.. I have no energy and really tired and drained and don't want to do anything. I'm really hoping it's going to pass soon as it's getting me down.

[Rh1annon]

Ginger nut biscuit helped me

[whiteychappers]

Sleep was the only thing that got me through this yucky stage. I'm at 20 weeks now and finally starting to feel better. Still get the odd day mostly when I've not slept enough. You will find your own way to cope with it, ginger did nothing for me x

[igglepiggleisanarsehole]

I've just got back from the hospital with hyperemesis, flat lemonade really helps when I can keep it down.

[ItsLikeRainOnYourWeddingDay]

Nausea can be absolutely bloody horrendous. I had hyperemesis but more of the severe all day unrelenting nausea type rather than vomiting 20 times a day type.

Go to GP and get medication. There are a number that are fantastic for nausea such as cyclizine or Promethazine.

[mandymelv]

Hi I was the same with my 2 children. I tried everything the only thing that helped was lime cordial - sounds awful but it helped massively. Hope it helps.

[Chocoholic26]

Thanks ladies. Glad I'm not alone. I was on cyclizine with my first but it just made me so spaced out. I'm reluctant to take medication if it's going to do that again as I have my ds to look after. I think I'll phone doctors tomorrow and see what they suggest. My work were a bit annoyed last time as I was signed off a week at a time. If it's going to tbe as bad this time i want to be signed of for a longer period so it's fairer for my work. Can j ask for this or will they just continue a week at a time?

[Twinklelittlestar1]

Many sympathies.

I am (hopefully) at the tail end of my nausea and sickness days now (12 weeks tomorrow) but it's been very difficult. I'm a teacher too and this is my fifth week off work. Yes, they all basically know why I'm off sick, it's unfortunate and not the way I wanted to break the news but people were a lot less worried and more sympathetic when they knew.

In the early weeks it is definitely worth getting sick notes for a fortnight at a time as the sickness is worst.

Things that have helped me:

• acupuncture (I had a pregnancy specialist and she's worked wonders)
  

-finding a sympathetic doctor (my first doctor was totally unsympathetic. I now have a fantastic doctor who has helped me find the right medication)

• not worrying about what I am and am not eating and just going with what I can manage. Having small amounts frequently.
  
• pink lucozade
  
• tackling indegestion that makes me feel sick ( sleeping on raised pillows, use of ranitidine)
  
• sleep, rest and more sleep
  
• distracting myself (Netflix, pregnancy diary, mumsnet, baths, music, magazines, game apps on my phone)
  
• writing down my triggers
  

It's difficult but it DOES get better, take care

[HRHinthroughtheoutdoor]

I had terrible nausea with DS1 and was a teacher.

There was no where to go! You can't leave if you feel ill and I didn't have a stockroom to sit in occasionally.

I was signed off for a month, and had bed rest. I think it's rubbish because others are reliant on you, but look after yourself

[Chocoholic26]

Thank you. You've made me feel more reassured. I've phoned in sick again tomorrow and I'm off on a Friday anyway so will reassess over the weekend. I know what you mean twinkle. It's annoying but if they are going to guess they might aswell just know! I'm going to tell my parents tonight. I know it's silly and even though this is my 2nd I still feel embarrassed to tell them haha! Spend my teens avoiding pregnancy and worry what they would think and now embarrassed to tell them now I'm a grown (nearly 30) woman!! Thanks for your advice xx

[Macblondey]

Hello!

Can totally sympathise with you! I'm a teacher too, and had severe nausea and vomiting from week 5 to week 17 (I'm now 21 weeks). I couldn't even talk to my class at the start, and I felt dreadful. The dr signed me off for a few weeks. It's just not a job you can do if you feel rotten. The Dr prescribed me with cyclizine, which helped to take the edge off the nausea, but didn't do much to help the vomiting. I'm still being sick, but it's calmed down a bit. It has allowed me to get to work though, and I can usually make it through to home time without being sick. I was desperate to keep it a secret from my colleagues until week 12, but I had to confide in a few at the start, and then when I did tell everyone else, they had already guessed! Anyway, I'd really recommend visiting your GP! The countdown to the summer holidays is on! Xx

[SouthDownsSunshine]

I feel your pain. Currently lying in bed trying not to be sick. I made the mistake of eating a bit of pork pie at lunchtime.

[mangocoveredlamb]

It's fucking awful, so debilitating and relentless.
Lots of good advice from some of the others.
I would reiterate telling your school as once they know you are protected from things like disciplinary action (if you're off sick for a while) and they need to record your absence as pregnancy related, which means they won't pass it on to another school if and when you want to move on.
(Having had 8 weeks off in my last pregnancy I didn't want that being passed on to a future school/employer!)

[Nuttypops]

It's a horrendous feeling, I feel for you. I second asking your GP for other options if cyclizine made you spaced out last time. I was on that with my first pregnancy and it was enough to take the edge off, but I did end up taking time off work as well (also a teacher). It's not nice having to tell work so early but I would so your absence is recovered as pregnancy related.

I am now 11 weeks with DC1, and the all day nausea is by far the worst part although I have been told I have HG this time round and am being sick much more often than last time. Cyclizine helps for me as it knocks me out, and sleep is the best thing possible, but it isn't great as I have toddler DD at home all day with me and it doesn't reduce the nausea much. Ondansetron is working much better combined with cyclizine now. Go and ask your GP about options and get as much rest as possible.

[Chocoholic26]

Thanks ladies, just knowing I am not alone really helps. Hope you are all doing ok too. So I was off the rest of last week and have decided to tell my boss on Monday. Going to message him tomorrow to say I'm still unwell and that I will phone him after I've spoken to the doctors on Monday. I'm sure he will already be speculating anyway. I was going to break the news over email, really unprofessional, I know, but have been so nervous as I'm literally just back from a year's mat leave with my little boy. But I will phone. I feel starving and sick at the same time it's such a horrible feeling! So then I eat and then feel horrendous for doing so. Right now I cannot cope with any strong smells! I'm just about being sick when I'm changing my little boy's nappy and our dog smells like she hasn't had a bath in years....no one else can smell her! I know it's horrible but in a strange way I am glad I feel ill as I'm hopeful it means my hormones are high enough and the pregnancy is progressing normally xx

[mangocoveredlamb]

I so know what you mean about the dog... She doesn't even smell like dog, just funkiness.

[Babymamaroon]

Me too! Honestly if I didn't know I was pregnant I'd think I was dying. I have non-stop, 24hr nausea. It's just so hard it's depressing and bringing me down despite this being a much wanted baby. Just ranting really...

[Chocoholic26]

Haha mango glad I'm not alone! She stinks! Oh no babymama it really is horrible isn't it. It's starting to get me down too. Keep missing things and letting my friends down, they must think I'm being such a rubbish friend. I'm feeling really sad for my little boy too as just have no energy to do anything fun with him. I felt terrible for about 10 weeks with my first so keep thinking, 1 week down, 9 to go (hopefully less). Hang on in there xx

[Babymamaroon]

I'm def off the social scene as I don't want to do anything but lie down. I want a fast forward button to 20 weeks, which is when I just about turned the corner in my last pregnancy. It's hard for people to understand how desperately unwell you feel. I remember my delightful MIL telling me in shrill tones that pregnancy wasn't an illness! I almost wanted to throw up all over the dinner table and not even apologise or acknowledge the sick as after all, it couldn't really exist could it?

[mangocoveredlamb]

The pregnancy isn't an illness thing makes me crazy.
Pregnancy isn't an illness, but MY pregnancy has caused me to become ill with an actual illness, diagnosed by a doctor and medicated.

[Chocoholic26]

Oh this really annoys me too! My own mum actually said to me today that I shouldn't lie down to the nausea and should just get on with it and get back to work, and my husband (who bless him, is normally very supportive) asked if my legs were broken today when I asked him nicely to get me a drink! Urgh!! I think you're right though babymama if people haven't experienced it then they just have no idea at all. When I was pregnant with my first there was another girl who was also pregnant at my work. She sailed through pregnancy with no problems at all and she often used to comment on how pregnancy isn't an illness etc and that she wasn't disabled!! I don't think she was directing the comments at me but did make me feel quite upset, it would have been a different story if it had been her.

[Macblondey]

I got the pregnancy isn't an illness too from my MIL, and it made me so cross! I think a lot of people just don't understand how debilitating it is. When it stops you living your life normally and even doing the simplest things for such a long period of time, you are unwell! I also kind of want to punch anyone who has had a breeze of a pregnancy- it's not fair for those of us who have it rough! Anyway, time seemed to pass so slowly at the start for me, but now it's going a bit quicker. Weird how you get a bit more used to feeling so rubbish. Makes me worried to think that I'll have to go through this all over again for number 2!

[Chocoholic26]

macblondey I was the same. Really worried about having number two and the thought of feeling like this. Once I felt better I clearly forgot how rubbish the nausea was. I always thought I'd like three kids but think we might stop at 2. Couldn't cope with feeling like this and having two more to look after. I'm lucky that my little boy has just turned 1 so he's oblivious to what's going on. He's just started giving me kisses though so that's cute and keeps me going - even if they do make me want to be sick (full of dribble and snot) he hasn't learned to close his mouth yet hehe. Dreading telling my boss in the morning about my pregnancy. Eeeek.

[Macblondey]

Chocoholic26 good luck! I hope it won't be as bad as you're imagining, and that your boss is supportive.