Early pregnancy symptoms -Is it "normally" this terrible? - Page 2

[forest~mama]

Originally Posted by graciegal

I found out I was pregnant 6 days before my next period. About 6 days later I was hit very hard by M/S (all day sickness).

I am now 33 weeks and I can say that I describe the first 16 weeks of my pregnancy as a time when I "Questioned my own existence." As a -very- active working woman and also full-time PhD candidate, I couldn't do -anything.- I felt worthless and SO sick.

I'm still not too over it yet that I could say I would have another without thinking about how hard it was....

ITA with all you said. We would not have waited 4.5 years to get pregnant with our 2nd had I felt better during my first pregnancy. I too "questioned my own existence" as you put it

[mrsbrunette]

i really feel for you. i know how it feels when people dismiss how you are REALLY feeling. if they knew it felt like a 24/7 stomach bug, i think they would have more compassion. it's rough and like someone said, the one's that are dealing with the severity of it arent out and about. i have yet to find someone i can share the misery with. everyone seems to either not get the symptoms or just get a mild form. mine was just as bad as yours and now at 13 weeks, it is still hard but i am definitely past the peak where it was extremely difficult. just mentioning that to let you know it does get easier.

sea-bands have actually helped with my nausea. when i wear them, i feel like i notice a 25% improvement in how i feel. oh and beans! if i eat those throughout the day, i wont throw up as much. someone posted a link on here as to why that is.. something to do with how the beans react to the liver i think.

[rightkindofme]

I knew I was pregnant 8 days past conception because I was so horribly sick. With my first pregnancy I had to quit my job at 4 months pregnant because I was vomiting so much and I was so tired I could not stay awake at work. Uhm, I was a high school teacher falling asleep in class. It was bad. I lost 18 lbs in the first 5 months because I could not eat. Even the thought of food made me cry. It was terrible. ugh.

Uhm, if it is any consolation this pregnancy has been MUCH easier. No sickness. I'm way more tired than average, but with no sickness that's a walk in the park! I don't think I would cope with a job well though. I'm really glad I'm a SAHM.

Some people (like me) just have difficult pregnancies. It's hard.

[arihillfarm]

Originally Posted by mrs.pennyapple

The first postive test was on Tuesday the 29th, first thing in the morning. By Thursday the 01st, it was showing up at all times of the day, and on Saturday morning, the 03rd, it was positive at the doctors office.

It's sounding like it's not normal to have symptoms that early? My mom just told me I shouldn't be sick this early, but never said when would be normal! I thought it was a bit odd too, but the date of everything, except ovulation I'm 100% on.

Well, for me it's been completely normal, with four pregnancies now. Every time I get pregnant, I get super sore breasts the day after ovulation. My sense of smell really gets going too at the same time. This time (LMP of June 7th, so pretty close to you), I told my husband I was pretty sure I was pregnant two days after ovulation and then went through two negative tests (the early kind that you can use 6 days before your period) the week before AF was due and finally got the positive test on the day after I should have gotten AF that confirmed what I had known for two weeks, LOL! I also started with feeling nauseous if I didn't eat about a week before AF was due, so still well before implantation. It's completely normal to get symptoms so early, especially if you are really in tune with your body. I'm sorry to hear you are feeling so sick, but don't worry about the timing of it; every woman is different. Besides, some people say that early strong symptoms mean either a really sticky, strong baby or a boy.

-Astrid

[lillymonster]

Originally Posted by arihillfarm

Besides, some people say that early strong symptoms mean either a really sticky, strong baby or a boy.

-Astrid

I don't know about the boy part, I got sick right away the first time and had a girl. This time I was 5 weeks, and doc said a boy - but the jury is still out on that because he told me at 12 weeks.

A lot of people ask why I waited so long to have kids - I guess over 3 years and they assume you have difficulty or something. But I waited because I was so sick, I needed a somewhat independent child if I was going to go through morning sickness again.

I hope you are feeling better about everything. You aren't the only one!

[FarrenSquare]

I remember being shocked at how sick and horrible I really felt. I ended up calling my doctor after reading that you should talk to them if you are getting sick more than five times a day, and I was up to around 8-10 times a day, counting the 4am "get up to puke bile" sessions. I literally made so many blog posts about how women had been either formidable liars or incredible secret spies during their own pregnancies, but really I think some women do have it worse.

The best advice I received from my Russian MIL, who knew I am a stress-case most of the time: Even though your body is feeling heavy effects, don't treat it like an illness. Your body is doing what it is normal to do, your job is to do the best you can with what you've got. Eat well, avoid triggers (taking out garbage, being around smoke, cooking meat or the meat department entirely, and the biggest one for me, when my stomach was empty), ask for help from people who have been there. Most people who haven't been there don't seem to understand. My doctor also prescribed me Diclectin which is only available in Canada I think. I used it sparingly before bed so that I wouldn't be up sick in the middle of the night, but I think you could acheive the same effects with B6 vitamin.

[lunarlady]

Early pregnancy is awful. I was puking sick with this little one from about week 5 until week 22 or so. (Just in time to start the heartburn/backache section of this lovely journey.) I went to work, but wasn't very good at my job. I actually had people comment to me that I looked terrible/green/queezy/ill/tired...lovely. Not only do I feel like s%$#, I look like it too? I would say I lost my cookies maybe 6-7 times a day. I had to stop on the drive to work several times to puke by the side of the road. Once a cop slowed down to take a good long look at me. I think he figured I had tied one on the night before. I wanted him to ask me if I had been drinking just so I could yell at somebody about how horrid I felt, but he kept driving. Hangovers have nothing on early pregnancy.

I was so tired too, but with a toddler in the house, I'm pretty used to running on a partial tank. With #1, I fell asleep at my desk many times, and had to stop and nap at rest stops during my 40 minute commute so that I didn't fall asleep at the wheel.

As for the boobs, let's just say that they are a no touch zone for about 8 weeks. I was amazed at how sore they were, and how they seemed to grow bigger overnight. Too bad that amazing rack doesn't distract from how green and ill I look, eh?

If you are really very sick, you may want to know that pregnancy is covered under the ADA (disability) so if you are too sick to work, you can collect disablity checks. Not a wonderful alternative, but maybe good to know. Some work/leave policies will also credit days taken during pregnancy as part of your paid maternity leave privilage, which can be a mixed blessing, but maybe something you want to explore.

I would reccomend getting under the care of a midwife or OB ASAP, as there are some things that can help moderate (but not totally remove) your symptoms.

FWIW, we are stopping after this one, not because I think two kids is perfect, but because I really don't think I can physically handle another pregnancy without losing my mind. I feel lousy the entire 9 months, and I think DH feels lousy too having to live with me and my attitude during this "blessed time".

[greenmulberry]

I wish people would be more open about how awful early pregnancy can be.

I think it doesn't get talked about much because a lot of people don't tell so early.

This is my first pregnancy, from my 4 to 9 weeks, I was so ill I was getting depressed. I was horrified at the thought that it would be this bad the whole time. I didn't have vomiting (I never puke even when I have a bug), but constant nausea, extreme fatigue, abdominal pain, and I was an emotional wreck. I was sleeping from 6:30 pm until I had to get up at 6:30 in the morning and go to work. I felt like a failure. I felt so bad that my husband mentioned more than once, "You know we don't have to go through with this. . . "

I mentioned to several women who have had babies how terrible I was feeling and was assured it would go away, I wish I had known that earlier.

I am just posting this to give sympathy and encouragement that it should get better!!! I am now 10 and a half weeks and it is getting better. I am still tired, most of the nausea is gone for me, I managed to walk to work today for the first time since pregnancy and I am so happy!!!!!. I know the terrible time lasts longer for some women, but really it should get better.

[Squrrl]

I felt like I had the flu for four months, then had one "recovery" month and one good month, then I got hit with piles of "practice" cramps and severe shortness of breath and so on and so forth for the rest of it. It was awful awful awful. Played a major part--perhaps THE major part--in how long we've waited to have another. It's been nearly three years, and now I'm only on here because we had a little, errr, indiscretion and I have a horrible sinking feeling that the decision's been taken out of our hands. As for early symptoms, I had symptoms literally the day after conception with my first two pregnancies (one ended early), and if I'm right this time, then I've had symptoms for nearly a week and it's only 11 days since The Incident.

So yeah. Bollocks to that business about no symptoms 'til after implantation--maybe those of us who have such awful symptoms--overreact, if you will--are all the more likely to notice something early on. And nuts to everyone being able to function normally, too. I didn't have a job when I was pregnant, and I REALLY don't see how I could have. Some days it was a huge effort just to hold up my head enough to read.

So maybe your symptoms are "normal", in that they're all normal variations and probably not pathological (except maybe the hyperemesis, which thankfully I did not have), but I definitely know that most, if not all, of my mommy friends have/had easier pregnancies than mine, even though mine was technically healthy whereas some of them had gestational diabetes and other challenging health problems.

But you'll survive. Which, frankly, is about as much cheer as I can offer right now.