Morning sickness and booked holiday

[TTCSoManyQuestions88]

I'm pregnant, around 8 weeks. The nausea is hitting me really hard, I'm not actually throwing up but nauseous 24/7 (it is worse in the morning and evening, I'm better-ish around lunch time). We have a long weekend away booked. 3.5 hour flight, plus a 1 hour car ride there. Lots of restaurants booked and a show. Would you cancel? We can recover most of our costs.

I've been reeeeeallly looking forward to this trip. We had a depressing Christmas, just hard times all around the last few months. Haven't been anywhere since last summer. I'd be so so gutted not to go.

AIBU to think I can enjoy it? I am currently barely able to work....but a holiday is different, my own pace, more distractions, can stop for a lie down when I need to etc.

I had really had morning sickness, including vomiting.

We went to Malta when I was about 20 weeks and it was lovely. Warm weather.

Still felt ill but much nicer surroundings.

I think only you will know if you’re well enough. If your workplace is making allowances for you/ you’re taking time off, then just don’t plaster the trip all over social media.

Go on the holiday! I was the same, I had crazy morning sickness and went away for a week at 9 weeks pregnant. Something about being busy and on holiday meant that I wasn't sick at all - very nauseous, but I'm so glad I did, as when I got back, it hit hard! Take anti-sickness bands with you and bags to vomit in, but if your experience is like mine, my first trimester was so so so so bad, and this one week so bliss!

Mine hit while on holiday and I didn’t enjoy much after that. I wouldn’t willingly put myself through that travel when really I just wanted to curl up, no matter how nice the designation. I couldn’t go out to eat either as there were so few things I could eat. Hopefully your sickness will ease (mine finally did at 6 months) and you can enjoy a break then? The novelty of enjoying food, eating out and having energy again was so liberating.

When are you going? I had horrendous, off work, prescription anti sickness medication etc at around 10 weeks, but much better by about 14 weeks and would have been able to go. If it's not for a few weeks there's a good chance that you might feel better.

I had a similar situation. We had to cancel as I was far too sick to travel anywhere. Turned out I had hyperemesis (severe pregnancy vomiting where I couldn't even hold down water) and I ended up on a drip in hospital. It was pretty grim and it didn't really let up until around 20 weeks, and even then I was still horribly nauseous most days. But that was an extreme of course. Chances are you won't be as bad as that!

Forgot to say, the trip is this coming weekend so unlikely that the nausea will improve by then. And it's the only opportunity to go away, if we don't go now, then I'm stuck until May 😭but all I want to do is sit on the sofa and eat toast.

Can you not see your gp and get some anti sickness tablets for your trip?

@Sprinkles211 I saw my GP already, they can't help the nausea, they can only prescribe medication to help with severe vomiting (which I do not suffer from, thankfully).

I'm never actually sick, but constantly feel like I'm about to. Imagine really bad car sickness 24/7.

It's one of those where only you know how bad you feel! The way I was I would not have enjoyed it so would have cancelled if I could recover costs. You say you are stuck until May, does that mean you could go somewhere then? You'd be about 6 months pregnant then? I felt WAY better at that point than in the first trimester...

I don't know if this would suit you but I found gum helped settle my nausea when I was working.

I’d go. I had horrendous sickness (‘morning’, haha, more like 24/7) and had a similar trip booked. The difference in surroundings and the mentality of ‘having to get on with it’ actually helped as it was such a distraction.

I had exactly the same and went on a 2 week road trip with camping! Some days were horrendous but we adjusted our activities based on how terrible I felt. I also ate my body weight in mints, which seemed to help the nausea, and always had pasta and pesto close to hand (that was what I craved in the first trimester).

I loved and hated it depending on how bad I felt but overall it was a good distraction!

This is wrong. I am a GP and prescribe anti sickness medication for nausea without vomiting. I would bet that your GP was either male or was fortunate enough to never have suffered from pregnancy related nausea and vomiting. Nausea alone is definitely a reason to take medication, it can be crippling even if you don't vomit once. Suffered myself in my first pregnancy so I also speak from personal experience! I took cyclizine from 7 weeks as I felt so sick I just couldn't concentrate on anything like work or eat.
Please please ask for another appointment with a different GP, it only needs a phone call not a face to face. Don't be fobbed off.
The right medication can make a huge difference and then you can enjoy your holiday.

I reckon if you feel like you wanna go, go for it! I did similar travel with hyperemesis and it was tough at week 7 but I felt like I didn’t want to go. I did enjoy when I was there at times but the travel bit was awful. I would recommend sick box/ bag for the car/ wet wipes/ lucozade/ boiled sweets just in case!

Depends how willing you are to throw up in unfamiliar surroundings

I had severe vomiting all the way through and was on medication and ended up on a drip for a few weeks…. However, I went to Mauritius for a week and it was the only time I wasn’t sick once! I was dreading it as sometimes I was sick 50+ times a day! Hope you start to feel better.

There is medication available for nausea in pregnancy - your GP is incorrect.

OP, as the PP GP has said (sorry I'm rubbish at quoting!) please please go back and get some medication.

I had a long weekend away booked at 10 weeks (booked before we fell pregnant). It was only 2 hours away in the car thankfully, but the medication I was given (cyclizine or something to that effect) took the edge off enough for me to go, even if we didn't do as much as planned. It was nice to get away as I just relaxed and slept.

I'd had nausea and vomiting for over a week before I spoke to the GP, I wasn't aware of the help available.

Admittedly, I still had nausea but no vomiting once the medication kicked in, although I was quite sleepy. However it was much more manageable.

If you can recover the money and book something else closer that might be an option, but only you know how you feel.

Please go back and see another GP, they can absolutely help. Again everyone's experience is different, my morning sickness stayed until about week 17, you can't go that length of time without some help.

It's the worst part but it does go!

And congratulations on your pregnancy!!

I had HG with my first pregnancy the whole time, but the vomiting only started at around 11 weeks, prior to that I just had the awful nausea, horrible cause you can't do anything about it!

I went on holiday to Greece for a week at 8 weeks (so no vomiting yet) and honestly, I was miserable! There was no way I could have done activities or booked meals, I just wanted to lay in bed in the air con. I felt really guilty for my husband too (silly I know!)

Personally, in hindsight I wish id cancelled. However, it's worth saying it was June when we went and over 30 degrees each day so the heat definitely was a factor!

Thanks everyone, you've given me a lot to think about. And thank you for the tip on the anti-nausea meds. We have until Wednesday evening to decide (that's the time limit for the free cancellation) so I will assess over the next 24 hours.

I am leaning into going and taking it easy, as I need an escape! We've had funerals, a redundancy, endless house issues, and I need to escape my environment for a few days! 2023 was shite! Bring on 2024!

As an update, in case it helps anyone googling the same topic, I did go on the holiday and I did not regret it. We adjusted our plans, took it easy, slept in, had a snack in my pocket at all times etc I was still nauseous and bloated but all the new activities, walking around a new place etc really distracted me and I had a nice time.