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Pregnancy

Talk about every stage of pregnancy, from early symptoms to preparing for birth.

When it's more than just morning sickness

35 replies

Heartbeep · 20/02/2012 22:41

A plea for help, although I know there won't be any.

This is my second pregnancy, I'm only at 7+2. First time with DD I was physically sick twice a day from 6-18 weeks and nauseous for the rest of the day, it was horrible but manageable.

This time is so much worse, sickness started at @3.5 weeks, I'm being sick 4-5 times a day, keeping very little if anything down, including fluids. I've been sick 3 times since 6 pm tonight & I'm now in bed with stomach cramps (& in tears) as my stomach is totally empty. I did eat a little dinner but it came back up. I still feel like I'll throw up if I get out of bed.

I'm miserable & having terrible thoughts.

I feel dehydrated, I'm losing weight & now my stomach is cramping, I'm worried.

Can anyone suggest anything I can do. I've tried travel bands, they give me a migraine. Ginger everything & all the usual stuff. Nothing is helping.

I just have to ride it out don't I?

I haven't told work yet but another day like today & I'm going to have to, as I think I need time off to deal with this. I don't do sick days, that's how bad I feel...

I have a supportive DH & parents.

OP posts:
Are your children’s vaccines up to date?
Gumby · 20/02/2012 22:43

GP for anti sickness drugs?

Heartbeep · 20/02/2012 22:45

Do they work & are there side effects?
Saw my pregnant GP last week who didn't take me seriously, she said she had nausea til 24 weeks. I'm not nauseous, well I am, all the time but I'm really really sick...

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heksie · 20/02/2012 22:46

Oh no that sounds awful. Have you tried to eat just bland carbs and keep away from anything with the faintest smell? Just ace little sips of water regularly, try and relax and deffo see your gp. All the best!

heksie · 20/02/2012 22:46

I meant just 'take' little sips!

Heartbeep · 20/02/2012 22:50

heskie thanks but I've tried that. Doesn't work, I'm still sick :(

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HeteronormativeBuckethead · 20/02/2012 23:14

Heartbeep I had similar with my DD, and exactly the same with my second pregnancy with DS. I really feel for you.

The only help I got was the doctor giving me travel sickness tablets. Which didn't work. I spent all my waking hours retching bile for three months.

I am so sorry that you are going through this - the fact that you are even managing to have terrible thoughts is some consolation!

After a few weeks I managed to eat a dry weetabix once a day. (Yeah then sicked that up too). Sadly I was in an abusive relationship which I couldn't leave because couldn't make it to the car to drive myself and DD away.

Keep taking little sips of water even if they come back up. Don't forget that this is a temporary situation and your body will hopefully change again soon.
Hang on in there, it will get better and at least childbirth seems like a doddle after this!

BikeRunSki · 20/02/2012 23:26

Hi Heartbeep

You do not have to ride it out.

You have Hyperemisis Gravidarum (aka HG or just Hyperemisis). I've had it twice, in both pg. I feel your pain, it is absolutely awful.

Firstly, ring in sick. You can self certify (and say something innocuous like "stomach bug") for a week. It may help if you tell your line manager that you are pg, but tell them to be discrete. Mine knew before anyone, but was sworn to secrecy to everyone except HR.

Get as much help as you can with your older child. My mother in law came up to look after DS (then 2.5) when I was ill in second pg, last year. When it became obvious HG wasn't going away any time soon, we used our savings to put him in nursery full time (he was there 3 days a week anyway). I got signed off work and just lay, pathetically, in bed.

Go and see your GP too, explain everything you have said in your OP and ask about the possibility of 1 - anti sickness meds and 2 - being signed off work. There are a few antisickness meds (anti emetics), and none of them is a dream ticket to normality, but with trial and error you may find one that helps you. Beware, some GPs are not sympathetic to HG and some may not prescribe anti emetics (our practice has a GP old enough to remember Thalidomide). There is also a consultant in a hospital near me who believes that HG is all in the mind. If you haven't done so, now is the time to send off for your NHS maternity exemption cert.

If you get very dehydrated (dark wee), then you really need to go to hospital to be rehydrated by drip. They'll deal with the dehydration, and try and stabilise you with anti emetics. I always found the IV ones in hospital far more effective than the tablets from the GP. You can go straight to A&E, who will admit you if necessary. I have done this, and also been referred by my GP.

My hospital (Barnsley) also gave me an early scan both times to see if I was having twins (more hormones, more likely to make you sick).

The good news - your baby is not at risk, especially if you get on top of the hydration. Could you try melting ice cubes in your mouth? (I did this a bit). At one point my wee was the colour of well stewed tea, and DD is fine.

The bad news - it could go on for weeks. With me, it cleared up at 14 weeks in both pg, but there are other ladies out there still suffering at 40 weeks.

Have a look here too, the website has really matured since I was last pg last year. May be worth genning up on the "Heathcare Professionals" bit, in case you need to "educate" your GP.

There is also a lovely HG support thread on here, to moan, rant and share coping tips.

HG is the main reason why I will not be having any more DC (I have 2, DD is 4 months old; DS is 3.5). The things that I tried included:

Toast and Marmite - helped a little in early days
Mini Cheddars - ditto
Melting ice cubes in mouth - prolonged one of my many trips to hospital by a day or so
Accupuncture - Waste of time and money
Sleep - OK, I only once ever woke up to be sick.
Ginger biscuits, travel bands and all that jazz - Absolutely pointless
Drugs - Cyclizine OK, Ondanestron/Zofran - Good, IV Cyclizine in hospital - brillant, but with mega trippy side effects , metaclopromide worked in first pg, but not second; Avomine (also sold as "Joy Rides" for travel sickness) made me worse. Phenergan kept my friend out of hospital for her whole 2nd pg.

I hope you see this post soon, and I hope you can get some time off work and rest, see your GP. I was really scared of going to hospital, but once I'd surrendered to the reality of how ill I was, it was a relief to be there, amongst people who would look after me. I also took great pleasure in throwing up on the (apparently) 12 year old male doc who told me I really needed to pull myself together.

I am thinking of you Heartbeep, you have all my unMNy hugs. It is a horrible, horrible illness, but the end result is lovely!

HeteronormativeBuckethead · 20/02/2012 23:36

Well BikeRunSki a veritable goldmine of info there, hope the OP can make some of it work for her.

heksie · 20/02/2012 23:53

Hear hear BikeRunSki what fabulous advice!

GhastlyBespoke · 20/02/2012 23:56

Bloody hell! No need to post. I wish I'd had all that advice with DS Bikerunski. Excellent.
Hope you pick up soon OP. or at least that something works.

oikopolis · 21/02/2012 00:35

OP I agree with RunBikeSki, HG can become very serious, you need to start demanding referral if your GP is still obstructive when you ask for help again. She needs to educate herself.

I know a lady with HG who was hospitalized for her entire pg with a PICC for intravenous feeding. It really is no joke at all and don't allow any doctor to dismiss your concerns. If you're being sick as much as you describe, and are actually losing weight, they need to take you seriously.

AlwaysWild · 21/02/2012 08:05

I was reading Naomi wolf's misconceptions the other day, and she talked about herbalists having massive detail of all the different types of nausea/sickness and the associated remedies. She says her sickness of six months then went in two days. So if you like a bit of woo that could be an option. I'm seeing my herbalist later, and have lots of nausea (not in your league) so I can let you know how I get on if it is something that interests you? I don't want a woo/meds fight though...

BikeRunSki · 21/02/2012 08:12

heartbeep if your GP is unsympathetic, you can go straight to A& E. A dehydrated pg woman is definitely an E , especially now you are loosing weight. As for sick days, I don't really do them either, but had 8 weeks off in each pg. By law, sick leave related to pg can not count against you.

Heartbeep · 21/02/2012 08:16

Thanks everyone for the support & advice. runbikeski lots of great information thanks.

Things took a turn for the worse last night & I've been vomiting & had diarrhoea all night, I cannot keep even a sip of water down. I'm wondering whether I now have a bug on top of pregnancy sickness. I'm going to call GP at 8.30 for some advice as I know I'm dehydrated. I'm so thirsty but one sip & it's all up again. I'm so bloody miserable. Staying off work today & tomorrow as I feel desperate.

Thanks again for the support, it really does help!

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Sittinginthesun · 21/02/2012 08:17

Agree with the others - my friend has just had a baby, and she suffered with this. She spent time in hospital in a drip in several occasions.

Hope it does pass, but please don't feel bad about taking time off. X

GhastlyBespoke · 21/02/2012 08:21

Please get to your GP. Not a medical person and could be wrong but you sound like a candidate for a drip and some monitoring. Don't leave it any longer.

HeteronormativeBuckethead · 21/02/2012 08:39

Really good advice

Heartbeep · 21/02/2012 09:04

Just waiting on GP calling back, i do hope they take me seriously Sad

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BikeRunSki · 21/02/2012 09:10

So do I, if not please go to A& e.
How old is Dd? Do you have any help with her? Where in them country are you? (not stalking, but if in sw yorkshire, Barnsley hospital brilliant, huddersfield not).

GhastlyBespoke · 21/02/2012 09:11

Whatever you do DON'T play it down.
I know it's easy to do when you feel like a moaner or that because you're pregnant you should cope and suck it up.
Tell the GP everything. Be as specific as possible. It needs sorting out.

Heartbeep · 21/02/2012 09:18

Thanks. I've to go & see the GP at 11.00. They want to check me over before deciding what to do..ill let you know how I go.

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Heartbeep · 21/02/2012 09:22

DD is 2.5 my parents are here today to keep her busy. She's a great little girl, quite happy to go play with nana & papa all day, checking in to give me a cuddle every now & then. I'm in Scotland, so a bit away! Thanks for the hand holding its nice to hear other people say it is real & it is a problem.

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KindleAddict · 21/02/2012 09:24

I suffered with Hyperemesis with my older 2 children and remember how awful it was well. I can clearly remember sitting in the bath when about 10 weeks pregnant with dc2 and contemplating having an abortion as I just felt I couldn't take it anymore. I was sick after every bite and even without eating. It was the worst time of my life.

They need to check your urine as your likely to have ketones ++++ which is a sign of how dehydrated you are. I ended up in hospital on a drip a number of times during the first trimester but thankfully it stopped at 13 weeks. The only time I wasn't being sick and felt better was when I was in hospital. I think it was due to there not being any real smells which would set me off. I remember trying to go food shopping in tesco and getting half way up the first aisle before I had to leggit from the store to be sick. Grim days but you will get through it and its all so worth it at the end.

I was fully expecting to suffer badly again with dc3 but had no sickness at all which I was immensely thankful for.

Hope you start to feel better soon.

Nearly forgot to say one thing that helped me slightly was charcoal tablets (from health food shops). Sounds gross but did help slightly when I was around 12 weeks with dc2. Might be worth a shot but think its very important you are admitted to hospital and put on a drip. If need be go to A&E.

Heartbeep · 21/02/2012 10:02

kindle when I said I was having terrible thoughts last night, that's what I was thinking I cried this morning for having such selfish irrational thoughts. This baby is very much wanted but I have never felt so awful. I only felt happy when we got the BFP, sickness started the very next day & has gradually got worse Sad it does make me sad that I'm not having any happy thoughts about the pregnancy right now.

Funny you should say that about tesco same thing happened on Saturday, I had to do a mad dash to the door & left poor DH & DD in the shop with a trolley half full of food.

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KindleAddict · 21/02/2012 11:25

That was probably one of the lowest days just sitting in the bath crying and contemplating ending my pregnancy as I couldn't take the constant sickness anymore. I didn't matter whether I ate or not as I was still sick even sipping water. I just wanted it all to stop.

Try and remember that the sickness isn't going to be forever which I know is hard at the time and the baby at the end is worth all the sickness although it can be hard at times to think like that I know. I did feel a lot better once I hit 13 weeks so hope that is the case for you or sooner.

Try and avoid doing food shopping til you are feeling better or order online. I found smells made it all so much worse. Fingers crossed you'll feel better soon and that your sickness stops by 12 weeks. I found the anti-sickness jab did help a bit so don't worry about having it. I remember feeling a bit drowsy after them though but there was no ill effects to my children.

My 2 eldest are fine now and were 10lb 7 and 9lb 7 at birth so the sickness never affected their growth. They say the baby takes all the nutrients from you and its the mother that suffers instead.

Hope you start to feel better soon. I would say you definitely should be admitted to hospital and hopefully once you've rehydrated you might start to feel a little better. Sending lots of hugs your way.

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