Severe morning sickness..need advice please

[abbierhodes]

I've posted on this before a few weeks ago, but the situation is getting worse and I'd like some advice.

This is my third pregnancy, and I was lucky to have only mild nausea and a little bit of sickness with the other two.

This one is completely different. I'm struggling to keep anything down, I'm being sick 3 times a day or so, and feeling queasy all the time. Last night I went to bed hungry because I knew if I ate, I'd bring the nausea back. Even if I manage not to actually vomit, the nausea itself is becoming unbearable.

I've lost a little weight (about half a stone). I'm now nearly 14 weeks pregnant and things are getting worse, not better. I've been in tears most of the day because I just feel like I can't stand it anymore.

If I go to my midwife will she just tell me this is normal? I'm keeping liquid down, and probably about 1 meal a day. I know people whio have been hospitalised due to severe pregnancy sickness, and I don't think I'm as bad as them.

I just feel wretched. Am I being pathetic?

No one?

what kind of food are you trying to eat?

i find slowly eating thick soups and cerials stops me feeling sick. getting hungry makes the sickness worse IME, so does stodgy food.

have you tried sucking boiled sweets and then attepting to eat? the sugaryness seems to settle my stomach.

Vitamin B6. You can buy it in Boots, it comes in 10mg tablets, take 3 a day. It won't stop you being sick but it really helps the nausea and lessens the feelings of I-need-to-eat-right-NOW-or-I'll-be-sick. I discovered it on pg #3 and really wish I'd known about it the previous 2 times. I've had very bad sickness/nausea each time but this time was far less and I lost way less weight (6lb rather than 12lb).

Oh, and you're not being pathetic. It's grim.

Thanks for the replies. I'm eating quite plain things mostly. Crisps are going down quite well. I seem to be craving fizzy drinks, but they don't help the actual sickness...they seem to be making it worse. Not heard of vitamin B6...I'll give it a go, thanks moosy

Me too - very similar experience. 16wks and sickness seems to be getting worse. 2nd pg. Only mild nausea last time. Lost 10lb so far. It is grim, but could be worse. It will be worth it when dc arrives.

I will try B6 too - thanks for the tip Moosy.

hi my dd has got that shes 14 weeks pg been to hospital twice ,now shes got some "cyclizine"or something else thease have worked for my dd ,shes not been sick for 4 days now and can keep everthing down ,before she had then she was sick after every mouthfull of food and water hope you get well soon xx

also she has been on a drip at the hospital

Have you tried the travel sickness bands? I was really suffering and just couldn't eat and so I thought they were worth a try and they have made an enormous difference. Boots sell them, but you may have to ask for them as I couldn't find them on display. They just work with acupressure and of course can't guarantee they'll help you but they certainly worked for me. I still get odd moments of nausea and I can't eat the same things I used to before I was pregnant, but I can eat meals and keep them down and don't have that constant hangover feeling any more.

I have tried the sickness bands emsy, but they didn't seem to do much good for me unfortunately.

ilove, I don't think I'm as bad as your DD, I am keeping some stuff down. It's the feeling of nausea that's getting me down the most, which is why I feel so pathetic. 'Feeling sick' doesn't seem like a good excuse to lock myself away and ignore the world.

I'm back at work Monday after half term, and I'm dreading it. No idea how I'm going to get through the day.

Feeling sick to the point of not being able to eat is pretty bad - no harm in chatting it through with your midwife. At your stage I was on cyclizine (for the vomiting/nausea), thiamine (B6) and ranitidine (antacid which relieves nausea). Now nearly 25 wks and down to 1 cyclizine and 2 ranitidine per day. Made me able to function (after a fashion).

Go to see GP. You need to keep fluids down and if you are not holding much down you might be dehydrated. Even if you are keeping fluids down, you may still be dehydrated.

I suffered from hyperemesis this pregnancy and it was horrible. I put it down to 'morning sickness' til about 10 weeks or so, and felt so so bad I went to gp to get a couple of days off work to try to recover, was told I was severely dehydrated and should be in hospital. I managed to avoid it by promising him i would try a few more things and go back the next day. Luckily i improved enough to avoid hospital but only just, and had to be medicated at 14 weeks as I was holding nothing down.

There is a good website www.hyperemesis.org/here with some advice and suggestions on how to manage sickness and nausea.

I found, myself, the following helped:

Apples - contain anti-emetic properties. cut into peices and eat little bits at a time.
Sharp/Sweet drinks - grapefruit juice (if it does not give you heartburn)
Fizzy water, rather than sweet fizz, and through a straw
hula hoops
smoothies
Plain fish - cod/haddock with no seasoning
plain mash potato/boiled potatoes
plain pasta - nothing on it, not even olive oil.
On occasions, sucking on a lollipop helped with the nausea.
Keeping calm, getting plenty of rest.
Ice cream - to start with, quickly went off it!

Things that made it worse for me:
ginger (i got very annoyed at anyone who suggested ginger biscuits!)
garlic - the smell alone did, and still does, make me vomit.
Spice
Flavour of any kind
sweet drinks like cordial
sweet food/chocolate.
lucozade, although this actually helps some people
Stress, emotional upset, tiredness

I am now 37.5 weeks. I am only sick a couple of times a week, and usually tiredness related now, but have food aversions still and cannot wait to be able to eat normally again.

Don't ignore it, or think you are being silly in any way, it can be so horrid, either being sick, or feeling sick, and I hope it goes away quickly for you (usually by 17wks if not before, not often goes passed that point, honestly).

Hugs to you and take it very easy.

abbierhodes I really feel for you. It is so hard to bear feeling so sick all the time. I was exactly the same with DS (2nd pregnancy). Felt sick ALL the time. I went to the Drs on the advice of the MW and broke down in tears. He was really supportive and said that feeling sick all the time is really hard to cope with and I was not being a wuss, which helped me a lot as I too felt that I should be able to cope. He prescribed cyclizine which just took away the 'gaggy'-ness (sorry, not a real word!!) and after a few weeks I felt much better. I know that lots of women don't like the idea of medication in pregnancy, but I was so thin and dehydrated that I was worried for my baby (went down to bmi of 13 with DD which I was told was v dangerous and didn't want that to happen again).

Go and see your MW or GP, they will be able to discuss options that might make you feel better. They will not tell you you are being pathetic - or I should flippin' well hope not!!

Hope that it passes soon.

Hello, I just wanted to sympathise because I feel exactly the same! I am 17 weeks and feel like I have tried absolutely everything, not Vit B6 though so will have to give that a shot!

Two things that I have found to help the nausea although not necessarily the sickness are sipping very very cold sparkling water or lemonade throughout the day and also Twinnings make a Lemon and Ginger tea. It is quite spicy, not like other herbal teas which I often find quite bland. I try to drink a mug as soon as I get up in the morning because the taste cuts through the general nausea.

Thanks so much for all the advice..I'm going to try and see my GP on Monday. So glad no one think's I'm being pathetic. I will try some of your suggestions! I'm going out now but keep them coming if you can, will check back later.

One more thing. Talk to MW asap about acupuncture. You can get this free on NHS in most areas for pregnancy related issues such as sickness and it works really well. There is usually a looong waiting list, so get on it quickly, however, if it becomes really bad, you can ask to be prioritised/fasttracked (I did not know that at the time and had to wait 3 months). You get, i think about 6 sessions (i did not have it, as DH cancelled in on my behalf when they called to book, thinking it was a private co, told them I did not need it any more but I did pay for 2 private sessions (pricey) and they helped each time for about 4 days.

they have offerd my dd acupuncture too dd dont like needles [shock ]but the tabs shes on are very good stopped her from being sick

Hi there

I feel so sad reading your last line-am i being pathetic?

I am exactly the same and this is my 2nd pregnancy like this! I am only 6 weeks and feeling horrendous. I was so so ill with ds that I lost a stone and a half in 2 weeks! Suffered through til 16 weeks when it passed but was mentally and physically wacked.

This time i went to gp as soon as i got a positive result and she gave me cyclizine which im taking 3x daily. I am not actually being sick but feel so sick at times I want to end pregnancy.

You are NOT pathetic - was talking with a friend earlier saying the exact same thing and she has had severe sickness and said the thing is its not just physical it is pyschological-it is so wearing and lonely and no-one who has not been there can possibly understand.

It gets you down and makes you feel like hiding in bed-the thing is its with you constantly so it is mentally exhausting.

Try taking some meds. It has definitely taken the edge off at times for me. I manage to have a few periods in the day where i can do something like hoover a room or hang up some washing rather than being bed bound, curled in a ball.

Good luck and hope it passes soon.

Rest as much as possible-it's the only way. x

Best wishes from me too. I had severe morning sickness and did not take anything for it the first pregnancy, as my GP said it was normal . Ended up in hospital on a drip for a whole week.

Second time round I was only in for 3 days, and was given cyclazine which helped. If you can keep fluids down then PLEASE try to drink water as much as possible, dehydration will make you feel much worse.

I found that Jamaican Ginger Cake really helped - nibbled it as much as I could, as did Fox's mints and McD's chips (for breakfast ).

But please don't feel you are being pathetic, or think that it is not that bad. If you can't eat and you are losing weight because of it you must get some help. I hope it passes soon.

I also bought this morning sickness CD - weirdy dolphin sounds and waves crashing etc.

I was really dubious about it as I am as un-hippy as you can get, but it did help me.