Please don't say 'ginger biscuits', because I may scream!

[Swifey]

I am just over 7 weeks with my 2nd child, and last time had horrendous nausea until about 36 weeks! It looks like the same this time, and is getting worse as I progress! Please help!! I usually have a very healthy diet; I cook everything from scratch, and have a large veggie garden too, but can't seem to stomach much at the moment! Any tips??? I have tried sickness bands, but they don't seem to have helped either!! ??

Crisps, crackers, Ritz biscuits, toast and Marmite. Keeping eating little and often. Hope you don't suffer too much.

I used to drink about 4 litres of chocolate milkshake a day ?? it was the only thing that helped my sickness and heartburn in one!

Shortbread biscuits

I am a doctor and I was asked by a consultant of all people, while lying in a hospital bed, vomiting, on a drip at 20 weeks, having lost quite a lot of weight, "Have you tried ginger biscuits?"

I wanted to answer (but was too busy vomiting), "No, despite getting myself into a state where I can't work or do anything other than vomit for the last 4 months, no, ginger biscuits just didn't occur to me."

Anyway, tips for me (and I'm currently vomiting with DC4 so it hasn't put me off!) are

• avoid constipation
• eat breakfast in bed as soon as you wake (get DH to make it), accept you are going to throw it up, and then eat second breakfast which you might keep down
• Gaviscon really helps my nausea, even when I don't realise that I've got indigestion
• little and often, keep eating constantly

Urgh. Had morning sickness for 18 weeks with DC1 and hyperemesis for 24 weeks with Dc2. Ginger biscuits (in fact, ginger full stop) made me heave and 'dry biscuits/dry crackers/dry toast' made me gag.

My diet went to pot. Woth hyperemesis I survived on ready salted hula hoops and ice cold full fat coke, graduating on to mash potato, very plain roast chicken and a little bit of steamed veg later on. I couldnt eat any other meat, fish, bread, dairy. Even water made me sick.

Feel your pain. If there is anything you feel like/crave/can manage, just eat it/drink it and dont worry! Both my babies were good weights and healthy.

Small amounts of what you fancy, little and often.

Not rushing about-especially on an empty stomach- I found I had to get up and eat a peace of bread, sit for 15 mins, then walk to work. whilst puking in the street and being looked at funny like I was on the razz on the night before

Salt and vinegar crisps

Rice crispies and very cold whole milk

Those thin gingery spicey biscuits from ikea are pretty good.

Jelly tots

I really feel for you it is so horrible and so many people only suffer for a few weeks and do find that the odd gingerbiscuit/dry cracker helps for them that when you say you have morning sickness, they have no idea what it's really like.

I'm sorry.

I had hyperemesis and ended up medicated.

You've been here before. You'll work out what are the things you can stomach best - the really strong flavours that help, the bland stuff that can be kept down, whatever. Try and find something small and hopefully not too calorific in these categories that can be kept with you at all times - mints, crisps, oatcakes? - whatever works - I found that when I was actually eating was the only time the sickness wasn't uppermost. Threw it all up immediately afterwards mind but it was a mental respite!

But more than anything, start mentally preparing. Start thinking that at worst it is x number of days that you may feel like this. Every day is a day crossed off the list. You will plod on and be ok.

Go to the docs if it's getting serious, sooner rather than later, and ask for meds.

You poor thing. Rich tea fingers for me. Try to think of when you have felt really nauseous due to illness, you may be able to tolerate the same foods you could then.

Rich tea biscuits, ritz crackers, skinny white bread.
Little and often is the way even at 2 in the morning!!!

I've done it a few times an cracked it with te last pregnancy. You need to keep hydrated and keep good inside you, whatever you can handle and keep eating even though you really don't eat to. Don't go more than an hour without eating something.

Hope you don't mind me mentioning other ginger based products but I found ginger chews to be really helpful. The type you can buy in health food shops like Holland and Barrets. Also ginger beer.

Ice lollies. And like a previous poster mentioned you may have to work through a fair few options before you find the foods that you can stomach.

I set my alarm with baby number two and got up in the middle of the night for porridge. I think never letting myself get anywhere near being hungry or tired helped.

I was the same on DD1 nausea almost the way through this time I was fine by 16 weeks. Now 29 weeks and only get the odd bad day

I found fruit helped mostly passion fruits, oranges, grapefruit. I also liked sweets as in jellies which I'd never eat but they helped. It must be something to do with blood sugar. Toast with avocado with a bit of fresh lime juice, salt & pepper and making sure I ate at least every 2 hours. nothing fixed it but these things did help a little.

good luck

Funnily enough ginger is actually medically proven to reduce nausea, though it doesn't work for everyone. The dairy in the biscuits set me off so I recommend ginger tea.

Really acidic stuff worked for me. Pickled onions,

After sickness, cheddar cheese helps neutralise the acid. My dentist/husband told me.

Eating made me feel worse. The only thing that helped was medication. Tried ginger and peppermint tea, just chucked them straight back up again and haven't been able to face them since.

Pregnancy sickness advice

Eating little and often. Never getting hungry. I also tried eating food with vitamin b in. So brown rice, eggs and Marmite (not together).

My strict diet, to get me through the sickness part which was hell was:

1. as soon as I woke up I had a dry cracker. Literally while in bed.
2. eggs for breakfast but only a small portion
3. an apple on the way to work
4. another small portion of eggs (I had to get an egg mcmuffin from McDonalds or eggs from the canteen!)
5. early small lunch with mainly protein eg chicken sandwich
6. eat second half of lunch two hours later
7. mid afternoon snack eg a banana or cheese and nuts
8. apple on the way home
9. dinner with brown rice and minimal protein. This kept me going overnight. If I had not enough carbs for dinner I would feel awful in the morning. In fact brown rice for dinner was the only thing which kept me feeling within the realms of normal! Shame that it tastes like cardboard.

I didn't want anything sweet just savoury. I think carrying snacks around with me and never ever letting myself get hungry plus small meals was key for me. I used to have an emergency stash of bananas, apples (which settled my tummy) and nuts and cheese really saved me. I didn't put much weight on - only pregnancy weight and was back in my normal jeans quickly so eating little and often can't be that bad for you.

I did read something which indicated that for some women vit b deficiency can be the root cause of the sickness. Not proven but topping up ob that sort of food helped me. Good luck op!

vit b6 pregnancy

Vit B6 - higher dose than in pregnancy vitamins. Just got me through weeks of otherwise horrendous nausea. I hesitate to say miracle cure, but hugely takes the edge off.

I take 50mg in the morning, and 25mg at night. Buy it at holland and Barrett.

It's not recommended as a treatment in the UK but common in US. My midwife was happy about it though. I don't know why UK doctors don't suggest it more often as there is no evidence of it causing harm.

I'm not sure I could have coped this pregnancy without it!

Thank you so much for all the info guys, it has really helped! I am lying in bed having just eaten a fruit scone and a cup of real tea, my only one of the day, and don't feel too bad! Ds is sat next to me watching 'in the night garden' on my iPad and stroking my tummy, so is making me smile!! I am going shopping today, so will stock up on your suggestions and try and see what works! Xx