Horrendous sickness and tiredness in twin pregnancy

[Annie105]

Hi all

I'm 7.5 weeks pregnant with twins (TERRIFIED and STILL SHOCKED!) but what I am really battling with rather than give myself a heart attack about a twin pregnancy and coping with a toddler and twins is this horrendous 24/7 nausea and the bone aching exhaustion. I didn't even feel this bad when after getting home from hospital with a new born post c section with my first it is extreme.

Can anyone offer some good advice or tips to get me through? I've just started a new job (timing is awful!) and this is my 4th day calling in sick in 2 weeks. I'm at my wits end. The GP said as I'm not vomiting there is nothing she can do for me.

Help!!!!!!!!

You need to rest. You may need to tell work early to protect yourself - they process sick leave differently if you’re pregnant and you have more protection against dismissal

I’ve only got one on board but suffering from HG and the all day nausea and exhaustion is just crap.

There are over the counter safe antihistamines like meclozine you can use but it’s best to check with your GP first.

The hyperemesis board is a wonderful source of support as well.

I feel your pain. I struggled on until week 18 when I was admitted with hyperemisis. Keep your iron up, 2 spa tone daily. Hot chocolate was sippable and jacket potato. The emptier my stomach felt the more I vomited. I took nothing as I worried about side effects.

I too had a toddler and recommend getting them baby ready! We potty trained, put in a bed, I stopped bf. Got him used to me sitting a lot - books, jigsaws, drawing etc.

We got him a present from the twins - that went well.

I found sucking on boiled sweets helped.

I also tried acupuncture, travel sickness bands and the dr did prescribe me an anti sickness tablet (sorry can’t remember which one) although I wasn’t actually being sick I just felt sooo dreadful, so I feel for you! I don’t know if any of this helped but it did slowly get better as the pregnancy progressed. Good luck!

Oh it’s just awful. I told work early. There is hope though. My morning sickness switched off at 13 weeks. Not had anything since (now at 34 weeks have acid reflux, hip pain and upset tummy from iron tablets but that’s waaaaay easier to deal with)

What helped?
-rest
-keep hydrated with cold water
-tea was a big no no. Hot drinks made it worse
-eat big before I got up and sometimes at night
-not cooking (couldn’t stand smell of cooking food)
-are a lot of salad and craved fresh stuff mainly because they didn’t stink
-never ever let yourself get hungry (snack away)
-polo mints
-do t worry about weight gain/loss. I lost in those sicky weeks but now I’m nearly 3 stone up

I was never sick but just felt like I was on the edge of puking at all times. It’s grim and I hope it passes soon

I wasn't working but food every 1,5 hours helped me through the early days of my triplet pregnancy. even just a cracker. not medical advice obviously, but it did help me.

and congratulations!

I'm 11 weeks with twins and have been exhausted too, thank goodness for the snow last week as I feel so much better after a few quiet days at home! I had my first appointment with my obstetrician today and he was looking at me like I was stupid for not starting iron yet (I'm a doctor) So might be worth a try to help with the fatigue. And congrats!

Wow thanks for all the helpful and insightful replies! Some decent advice there. Never thought about iron feeling in the dark and 43 ( I should have as I was anaemic with a single!) so good reminder.

And yes rest Anatidae I'm trying so hard to rest at weekend I literally lay horizontal while husband did everything with our toddler and around the house. I've just started my new job and terrified if I say I'm pregnant I won't survive my probabtion period. Plus there is no HR! I'm reading up on HG like you suggested I actually think I may be borderline. Poor you it must be bloody horrific.

43 good suggestions on the toddler. He is on the go all the time we have a combi nanny and nursery scenario so I'm going to have the nanny days take it down a notch on the activities as I'll have to manage without extra childcare during mat leave as his nursery is only PT mornings and she is off in September. just the new scenario of getting a toddler to nursery and collecting while I have twins (agh!!) our life right now (Pre this pregnancy suddenly seems so easy!)

I'm taking on board all your food suggestions. I've found myself avoiding eating as makes me feel sick but actually sounds like I should force it regularly to help the nausea. Totally with you on hot foods and tea and salads lime. I had to prepare my sons food today and was feeling so ill heating it up and the smells! Got my husband to pick some boiled sweets up from the local corner shop and have eaten about half the packet they have really helped tonight thisone!

Borridge wow triplets that's unreal! thanks for he congrats as well as the cracker tip. I've got a snappy bag of Jacobs in my bedside cabinet and handbag now 😂

God this has made me realise how much I eased through my 1st pregnancy without symptoms! Apart from bit of tiredness at start and bit of heartburn at the end. This time it's like I've been hit by a ton of everything.

Thanks again ladies and hope those of you will suffering can see light at end of tunnel!!!

God Annie you sound just like me last June. No sickness at all with DD and never actually vomited with ththe twins, just felt horrendous. Luckily it switched off three days after my 12 week scan. Can only echo what others have said but to add... get used to taking whatever help is offered early on, if you have any family or friends close by. Wasn’t how I envisaged it, but I told my mum at 6 weeks while hanging over a toilet bowl, DD(2.5 at the time) running riot around me. Obv didn’t know it was twins then.

I told work at 7 weeks the day after we found out it was twins. I hadn’t made it into work before midday for a week and didn’t for the next three weeks. For the 2 weeks after that i found sitting with my head in my hands in my cool air con corner of th office slightly easier than sweating in bed at home and my boss was so understanding (surprising as he’s a boorish 55 year old male)

After it eased I had a great 2nd trimester, up to 28 weeks when started to get tired, swollen, etc. They arrived at 37 weeks naturally and by fuck was I relieved. I didn’t even notice the sleep deprivation foI the first few weeks I was jus so happy not to be pregnant anymore!
Good luck and huge congratulations!

Moggle that made me laugh ! Sorry it's the way you put it!! A laugh was much required this morning as I lay crying as my 18 month old has had me up since 3am as he is now sick! No work again for me today. They must be thinking why the hell did we hire her 😭 You are so lucky you had a good boss in the end that's priceless.

We haven't got family nearby who can help regularly but when they do they are great. My mum hasn't offered to fly over and my MIL too but they both still need to work to support themselves financially so don't want to put pressure on them! Thankfully though we have got a good childcare regime at moment which is helping.

I honestly am feeling like I just don't want to be pregnant today and I cried at 3am to my husband saying I want to miscarrry a twin as I can't cope with this sickness. I now feel like an evil bitch for saying that especially as I then woke up again to a bleed so calling my GP at 8.30am to see if he will suggest a scan.

Ps so rude I also meant to say congrats on the birth of the twins and funny you say it's better than being pregnant

Crying and saying you wish you weren't pregnant is totally normal when you feel so shitty OP.

I'm 10+5 with ivf twins. It's taken me three years and all my savings to get here and there are many days I've wished I wasn't. I'm now off sick for third week running. Anything except constant rest makes me vomit (even on two types of anti nausea meds) I've also developed insomnia and I'm totally exhausted,

No practical advice really as nothing is really working for me. I've lived off coco pops for a week now because I can't stomach anything else. These babies will probably be born diabetic

I feel your pain though. You are not alone in your struggles

Is this mummy congratulations and commiserations on the side effects! Bless you that sounds really bad, it's just awful. And you don't want to sound ungrateful. This (as well as our 1st) is a result of IVF but the double embryo transfer was given less than 5 per cent chance of working for one embryo and when one was "very poor quality so it won't take" was a shock! We have to be grateful as took us a while and all our savings to get here too. So trying to remover the fortune amongst the nausea!!! Thankfully my GP gave me a different doctor today who was an absolute legend who got me some anti nausea medication and a scan tomorrow due to more bleeding. I felt too ill today to face a scan so hopefully the medication will kick in. Us poor women we all go through the ringer don't we!!

What I meant was we don't want to sound ungrateful complaining as was hard to get here but you can't help it when you feel this bad eh!

It’s torally Ok to feel like that. I certainly have when I’ve been vomiting constantly. Pregnancy is a hard nine months for some women - you’re allowed to have a bloody good moan, a cry and a feel sorry for yourself now and again!

I felt horribly ill for the first 16 weeks and lost weight. But Obs said that DC were parasites that would strip whatever they needed from my body so not to worry about eating or weight loss. To give hope after 20 weeks I felt pretty good for the rest of the pregnancy, although rather waddley but the end.
Good luck.

I'm still getting over the shock too, am 21 weeks on Friday! I felt pretty rubbish for the first 13 weeks and then much better after that. Still knackered though but am not expecting that to improve for years now! I have a toddler too so know it's hard to get a break.

Pleased to report the anti nausea medication has stopped the worst of the sickness but I'm still only able to face bland foods (toast crackers salt and vinegar crisps and chips! ) my husband keeps trying to get me to eat vegetables. Terrible! I figure these few weeks I just need to get through and will do better with my diet when I feel human again! My work keep saying you look unwell still you must have had flu...I literally have no more excuses for days off!!!! I've had food poisoning/ a bug/ migraine in last few weeks 🤦‍♀️

Anyway moan over !! The positive is I'm feeling a bit better! Still utterly useless but less like I'm going to vomit every second.

Lakeshore and danerys hope I end up like you both and feel better as I progress!

Now I'm allowing myself to google what sort of pram set up I would have for twins and an about to turn 2 years old?!

annie be grateful that DH is only trying to make you eat veg, I still remember 10 years later the lamb dish my DH cooked and pressured me into eating! The importance of iron etc. Arrgggh.

😂 I've never forgiven mine for the spinach and broccoli salad he forced me to eat last time. Ha ha! Lamb sounds worse though!!

Donkey with a buggy board if the older one will manage? Donkey with the babies in the carrycot together and toddler in the other seat until toddler manages buggy board?

Interesting never thought about putting them together in the carrycot for the first while. Interesting point! I've spotted a v good condition donkey on ebay nearby. I naturally bought my first pram not thinking about a second let alone a third and it's not suitable!! My DS was tiny in his carrycot so two would easily fit safely. And let's face it I can't imagine I'll be doing much trekking about with all 3! My first mat leave was all long coffee mornings and lunches and lovely walks with antenatal friends. This time. An extremely dangerous deferent scenario!!!!!!

One of my friends had twins after me and did this, I rather wished I had thought of it.

I know what you mean - we're planning a big house renovation and my plan for maternity leave was to be finalising plans, choosing kitchens, etc. Now the work on the house is all on hold and I suspect I won't have any time for anything like that during this mat leave

Iron iron iron. Anaemia has ruined this pregnancy for me.