Sickness in early pregnancy - Any tips/advice/anyone want to commiserate?

[toastfiend]

I only got a BFP yesterday, so I'm only about 4 weeks, but my God, the nausea is beyond anything I imagined already. It's just going to get worse, isn't it?

I'm sitting at work trying not to retch and being totally unproductive because I can't focus on anything. I'm emetophobic, which doesn't help, as I'm on the brink of a panic attack with feeling like I'm going to throw up. Office is set up in such a way that if I have to make a dash for the loo absolutely everyone will know and we're a tiny office. Don't know whether to just tell my colleagues now, as that will take some of the stress out of it, as at least if I am ill they'll know why. But it's such early days it seems foolish to do so.

Anyone got any tips/advice/even just someone who wants to commiserate? I'm overjoyed to be pregnant, know I've got a very long way to go and it could still all go wrong, God forbid, but I just can't get my head around this nausea, dizziness and headache. I just want to go to bed!!

Many commiserations! I am also puketastic, but only just past 4 weeks, so I don't have a lot of experience to impart although I've found that continually sipping iced water helps me; so does eating a little bit here and there when I feel able (have strung out my breakfast toast for about 2 hours now); generally trying to stay cool and in the shade. I can't say if it'll definitely get worse either for you or me; it might just maintain. Fingers crossed...

I think in terms of the office, only you can judge what's the right approach. In theory there are loads of advantages to being upfront about it: they'll be more sympathetic to your potentially peculiar behaviour; you might be able to negotiate working from home some days, or shifting your hours a bit. But only you know whether you feel comfortable letting your colleagues in on this (it's such a weird, mad thing to get your own head around), and - worst case scenario - if you would be OK with them knowing if you lost the pregnancy? I don't know if there's any possibility you could just tell your boss about it and keep it quiet beyond that? Would having a doctor's note confirming pregnancy/nausea/tiredness be a possible first step?

I'm feeling v fortunate right now that I am freelance and work from home a lot of of the time. Dreading two big work events coming up though: one involves going on a boat in the North Sea; the other a champagne party in an oyster bar. You couldn't make it up.

@ladycarlotta hello, congratulations and commiserations all in one!

I know what you mean about stringing out breakfast. I couldn't face anything this morning before work, but it's taken me the best part of 3 hours to eat 2 rich tea biscuits (all that was available!) My colleagues are definitely going to suspect something is up at this rate, I normally have the world's hugest appetite!

Oh, you poor thing, don't think I can imagine going on a boat right now, or an oyster bar for that matter, much as it sounds very glamorous! Hope you're feeling a bit better by then. I'm going to keep quiet for as long as I can, but will tell them if it gets really bad. I'll speak to my boss next week, I think, depending how I'm feeling. It seems to ease a little around midday and then return in the late afternoon until I go to bed. At least it's some let up though, for which I'm very grateful!

Hope all goes well for you and your sickness eases off as your pregnancy progresses. I'm pinning my hopes on this just being a first trimester thing!

Blame the hot weather on your lack of appetite!

I had to eat all day to keep my nausea at bay. Salty things like crisps and popcorn worked best.

Try not to eat large evening meals either. Your digestion has slowed right down and they'll just sit in your tummy making you feel worse.

Congratulations on the BFP, hopefully you'll get away with just nausea and no sickness :)

Ice poles are my saviour right now.

fellow emetophobe here! my nausea was pretty vile, particularly around 5-9 weeks, and I have to admit I had some pretty low points. I'm 12+4 today and things have got lots easier, I'm eating pretty normally again now. Things that helped me were:

medication- don't be afraid to ask for it/use it. I wasn't even being sick but my nausea- and the extreme anxiety it caused- were making me completely miserable. So I took prochlorperazine to get through the worst of it

ready salted crisps and iced water

sickness bands (although think these may be more of a placebo)

going to bed very early

distraction- apps and games like candy crush and sandbox for when it got too bad

Thanks all, I'm off to seek out ice poles and ready salted crisps this evening I think and have ordered travel sickness bands. Placebo or not, I'll take it! It's frustrating because I'm exhausted but waking up at 4am, which I think probably isn't helping. That and the caffeine withdrawal headache.

@FireandRain45 - similarly, I'm not being sick (yet), but feel constantly on the brink and it's making me really stressed and panicky. I feel like a child, I should be able to cope by now, logically I know it's normal, but that doesn't help. If it gets worse I will speak to the GP about medication. Thank you

not sure if to be smug, grateful or just naieve.... 6 weeks here and no sickness yet?

just very achey and my boobs kill.... my mum didnt ever get morning sickness...but fingers crossed??

having said that i feel the odd bout of nausea...not actual sickness though :)

People with serious morning sickness get understandably cross when people recommended ginger so I’m treading carefully here! Disclaimer: I did not have what could be callled severe morning sickness and would never presume to make recommendations to those who do suffer but I did have almost constant nausea from 6 weeks to about 16 weeks and I found the ginger chewy sweets you can get in Holland and Barrett an absolute godsend. They literally stopped me chucking up several times, I think they are amazing! They’re called gin gins. You can also get them on amazon but they’re a lot cheaper in h&b. Once I went in and bought 6 packs in one go, got some funny looks!!

@Marriageoftrueminds I love those gin gin sweets anyway. Thank you, I'll try them.

I ended up taking crackers to bed with me last night and eating a couple before I got up this morning. Not feeling brilliant but it has helped a bit. I've noticed if I get thirsty is when it gets really bad too, so I've got hundreds of sports bottles of iced water everywhere now so I'm never without!

I had very similar symptoms quite early on (15 weeks now and sickness has gone as far as I can tell...). A packet of mint imperials really helped in my desk drawer, just to have every now and then. I found it quite soothing, and relatively subtle. Also, not getting too hungry, so lots of breakfast bars and snacks to get me through to lunch time.

I hope it passes for you soon. I know it is awful. Sickness bands did help me a little bit too, but they might be quite obvious at work, and left an imprint on my arm I was worried people might notice.
I hoe you're all dealing well with the heat.