Nausea/sickness

[hopeful4us]

Currently 5+5 today and battling nausea. When I first tested positive I had no symptoms but the past couple of days I have had waves of nausea and this morning I threw up properly for the first time. I feel absolutely wiped 2 hours on. I’m a teacher so currently on holiday but already dreading the return to work if I still feel like this!!

I’m drinking lots of water, eating small snack meals but would love to hear the things which have helped others and advice about how to handle the return to work.

It's tough, there's no way around it.
I found out while I was away on holiday and off work and it's been hard going back in as I'm just over 7 weeks now and still being sick, feeling exhausted etc.
I'm just hiding it as best I can.

No real tips aside from what you're already doing - staying hydrated, eating little and often, mainly things like salted crackers and bits of fruit. Trying to rest when I can which isn't easy with a 4 year old.

Granny Smith apples helped settle my stomach. I'd be nibbling on one all day.

Raisins in small quantities when I couldn't stomach anything else. I'd literally be forcing them down one at a time just to give myself a little sugar boost (which would then make me feel better).

Salt and vinegar crisps are good if you're getting that horrible taste in your mouth.

Water started tasting horrible so I'd have lime calypos, or alternatively fill a large glass with ice cubes, top up with orange juice and drink it once it's ice cold.

And cyclizine.

Carbs - small amounts of food little and often and making sure to have breakfast early all helped me.

It's awful isn't it! I'll throw a packet of ginger nuts at the next person who suggests them to me cos they don't work for me! 😂

I find not letting myself get hungry helps, I'm eating every hour or so but just snacking. I find fruit doesn't make me feel sick. Obviously avoid foods that make you gag - for me it's eggs, some meats and creamy things 😩

Keep sipping that water too!

Jacob’s crackers as soon as I woke up helped ease it for me

Up early with the need to wee (joys of early pregnancy!) so having a small snack now in the hope that today might be a better day.

@sel2223 I’ll be 9 weeks when I go back to work. Even if symptoms haven’t eased in just hoping I have better coping mechanisms as I’m feeling rather sorry for myself at the moment

Hey, I'm also a teacher! And have also really struggled with nausea and sickness. 13 weeks currently and trying not to jinx it but the last few days I've been able to eat slightly more interesting food, felt sick last night but no vomiting.

I would recommend:

• keep crackers / similar in your desk and eat between classes. Don't go more than 2 hours without a small plain snack as I found leaving longer between eating made the nausea worse
• anti nausea tablets (got my ginger ones from Amazon)
• anti nausea wristbands for travel sickness etc. I've literally only had mine the last few days and they do seem to be doing something! My midwife recommended them
• sparkling water helped my nausea, as did some 7up/Coke later on when the vomiting hit

If it starts getting worse, go to the GP and insist on medication and/or get signed off. I was about 7 weeks at the end of summer term but there's no way I would have been able to go in with what I've dealt with over the summer holiday. I know how much pressure we're under to go in, but remember your health and baby's health has to come first.

In the same vein, I avoided medication because I had family and my midwife saying only take it if I "really need it" and I thought well I don't have hyperemesis like some women, what if there's an effect on the baby, I need to tough it out. And having spoken to more women on here and told family/friends about my pregnancy, I've realised there's lots of women who don't get nausea at all! It's not something we should have to suffer with if it means feeling so ill we can't go to work even if there's not actual vomiting every day.

Lastly I'm going to ask for reasonable adjustments when I go back including ability to access a toilet when I need to, in between classes or during if it's an emergency. And not to do playground duties and to avoid long periods of standing (there's pressure on us to always be circulating). There's some useful template letters on the union website.

It's awful. I found pretty much constant snacking on crackers/breadsticks/biscuits helped.
You could try ginger tea instead of water but not convinced it did much good.
Also I felt a bit better in the middle of the day so ate my main meal then which settled my stomach for the afternoon then I started feeling sick again all evening and could only manage plain things like toast or mash for dinner.
I did get better around 12 weeks both times, although still has some nausea until 16 weeks first time and 28 weeks second time!!

Thanks for sharing all your experiences 😊 I find it’s worse in the morning, peaking around midday and then eases in the evening when I feel up for a proper meal. Eating little and often seems to be helping today - I still feel nauseous but haven’t been sick!

@ridl14 I’m going to get myself some of those wristbands, remember having them as a child for car sickness and it helped

@ridl14 just thought I’d come back to say my sickness bands arrived and already it seems much more manageable! I haven’t thrown up today, just got a consistent ache in my stomach and mild waves of nausea. Thank you!!

The only thing that helped me was Ice Poles.

Op, I just came on to say that after two pregnancies with pretty bad sickness I learned that what works one week doesn't necessarily the next, so don't panic like I did if something that was helping suddenly doesn't seem to be, you will find something else, roll with it.

Tiredness and empty stomach both make it worse so be prepared to get yourself some time off work if it's not manageable and do not feel bad about it.

There's a good support group on here which has helpful tips and advice, as well as helping you not to feel alone with it.

If you need to, see your GP. There are medications that help if things become more difficult.

Best wishes for your pregnancy, I hope the nausea and sickness pass quickly for you

I had HG with all my pregnancies.
Holland and Barrett sold ginger chew things that helped me, honestly nothing else worked.

Plain biscuits, diluting apple juice (but really strong) and fizzy sweets were my go to snacks but they only really helped in the moment. I always had a little pack of biscuits in my pocket and my bedside table. Many a night DH would wake up to me munching away. I ended up getting anti-sickness medication from the doctor. I felt seasick from before my positive test until 14 weeks.

Oh OP I really feel you!

Just came on here to sob about the sickness. Why is it so horrible? Vomited twice at work today, and again several times this evening. I try and count my blessings but it’s tough when you just want to curl under a blanket and wake up in three months. I’ve been taking Xonvea since week 5 which has helped take the edge off compared to previous pregnancies - but I think I’ve hit the stage where nothing will work.

Woe is me, basically. Sorry for venting!

Ah I'm so glad, that's great news!! I definitely wish I got mine earlier as well, I've felt so much better since I started wearing them at the start of the week!

Aww @Gggghhhhh it genuinely is horrendous!! I felt so cheated when we started telling close family and friends and I realised quite a few of those who'd been pregnant never had any nausea!

And quite a lot were going "aw yeah it will pass though", feels so minimising when you're in the trenches! If we're lucky enough to have another pregnancy in future and the first trimester doesn't coincide with my time off, I will 100% get signed off, use these anti nausea wristbands and get medicated if I need to. It is unbelievably intense and I can't believe we're generally expected to just put up with it and keep going to work, carrying on with caring responsibilities etc

I know! I don’t think people understand if they haven’t experienced it. And “morning sickness” sounds so trivial. The medications definitely help though - I have realised I just need to take them regularly and stop trying to power (limp!) through.

@Gggghhhhh it does make it sound trivial! Also such a lie as well, I actually found the mornings easiest, as long as I ate something straight away.

Pre-pregnancy I guess I'd pictured morning sickness being throwing up 1-3 times at 4/5 weeks when you first find out 😂 I had no idea about the relentlessly nausea + vomiting + food aversions and how those intersect!

@Gggghhhhh the need to vent is strong this morning! I really thought morning sickness would mean throwing up and getting on with the day (bit like if you’re hungover). I can’t get my head around the constant nausea, gnawing feeling in my stomach and my complete apathy towards any task/activity.