Severe Morning Sickness

[mkmoro311]

I am approaching week 3 of severe morning sickness.  I can't shake it, i feel like I'm on bed rest, can't function and I have a 3 yr old to look after.  So far i've tried, Vit B, motion sickness bands, ginger ale, apple cider vinegar in warm water, saltines.  I can eat but very minimal, I've lost 9 lbs in weeks and I am soooo constipated, HELLLLLLLPPPPPPP!!!!

[HappyMamaBeth]

Talk to your provider.  You're likely dehydrated, and that can make the nausea/vomiting even WORSE.  How do you feel about taking a medication like Zofran?  It worked/works wonders for me.  Unfortunately it can CAUSE constipation, so you would definitely want to do something to counteract that--lots of fiber, fruit, etc.  But I found that since I was taking the Zofran I was able to actually EAT those things and stay regular.  (I don't have severe morning sickness or "hyperemesis gravidarum"... so I didn't have to take Zofran around the clock or anything.)

Good luck!  Morning sickness is the worst. :(

[mumofmak]

I have Hyperemesis Gravidarum and it sounds like you might too. I'd talk to your care provider about trying some medication. I hate to take medication but I did for a little while and I really think it helped to turn things around for me so that I could at least eat a drink a bit. I'm 20 weeks now and I still throw up once a day but I do feel so much better and feel like I'm starting to get my life back after months of feeling like I was on bed rest too. It started to get better for me about 3 weeks ago - I'm finally back at work after nearly 3 months off.

I hope you feel better soon - it's just terrible to feel that way. 

[mumofmak]

http://www.helpher.org/  have a read of this and see if you think this sounds like what's going on.....

[scottishmommy]

With my first pregnancy I threw up 6-10 times a day. It was awful. This time I'm taking unisom and b6 and it has helped tremendously. Please look into the unisom! It is a life saver. Bless you! I hope you find relief soon!

[mkmoro311]

I'm not vomiting so I'm not sure if its that extreme to start taking meds.  Plus I drink a lot through out the day so I don't think I'm dehydrated either.  I just started the Bean Diet so hopefully that will help.  I also switched my pre-natals to a liquid so I can get them down now, hoping the extra vit will help as well!

[scottishmommy]

Honestly, if your morning sickness is making it difficult to function you might as well try some meds. Vomiting or not, it's still bad enough to make you miserable. Just my $.02!

[HappyMamaBeth]

Originally Posted by scottishmommy 

Honestly, if your morning sickness is making it difficult to function you might as well try some meds. Vomiting or not, it's still bad enough to make you miserable. Just my $.02!

I 100% agree.  I have only vomited/dry-heaved a COUPLE times, but I took Zofran when I needed it.  Like I said, I didn't have to take it as much as someone who has HEG takes it, but even the little bit I took was literally LIFE-CHANGING for me.  I was so nauseous I couldn't function.  I seriously felt like I couldn't MOVE, let alone drive and take care of my kids!  Of course you have to decide what is right/best for you, but I know I'm not the only person who can have debilitating nausea without vomiting. :)  Hugs!

[1love4ever]

I would look at your prenatal vitamin first.  Are you taking one with lots of extra ingredients like One-A-Day prenatal?  All of the artificial colorings, antifreeze, etc made me puke my guts out for 3 months, and I could hardly move I was so exhausted.  There are plenty of options for more natural vitamins with no extras, like New Chapter, Rainbow Light, and Garden of Life Vitamin Code , and Super Nutrition.  This is really what did it for me. 

[Bird Girl]

I suffered through 7 months of nausea with my second baby; this time around, I got a prescription for phenergan. It's an anti-histamine, has been in use for decades, and has a good safety record. It made a huge difference in my ability to sustain the pregnancy, and I highly recommend that women who are experiencing more than a little morning sickness look into medication. Why suffer needlessly?

[Smokering]

Seconding the PP who said prenatals can make MS a lot worse. Sad but true! I was going to mention the bean diet as well - I planned to try it this pregnancy, but my nausea never really got bad enough for me to bother. How's it working for you?

[mkmoro311]

I was taking the Whole Foods brand Pre-natals w/o a problem until I stated vomitting.  I am now taking the Buried Treasure Brand Pre-natal plus liquid to avoid the choking on a pill situation.  I am feeling slightly better but still very weak.  I have lost a total of 10 lbs in 3 weeks which isn't that bad when I was 160 to start with so I could stand to loose the weight.  I lost 7lbs in teh 1st trimester with Baby #1. 

[Mrshawwk]

You might do some research on milk thistle and dandelion root. It helped me quite a bit with nausea (not with HG, however..), but it did help with every day morning sickness. It is all natural.  There is a big thread around here somewhere that talks a lot about it.

For uncontrolled vomiting, unisom and B6 worked really well for me.

[mad4mady]

I just wanted to send a hug I have suffered with Hyperemesis with this pregnancy and the early weeks were the most horrific thing I have ever experience in my life. I am glad you can keep down water, the most important thing is to stay hydrated. You are probably feeling so weak from the sudden weight loss. I lost 17lbs and could not hardly walk to the bathroom. Once I started feeling better (around 20 weeks) and started to stabilize my weight, that is when my energy slowly returned.

Sorry,I don't have any advice to give. I took Zofran because I would non stop throw up if I didn't however, I noticed that it also made me have such horrible digestive issues that sometime it felt like it made me feel worse.

Hang in there and I hope it doesn't last long.

[mad4mady]

Oh wait, I do have one suggestion. Wear a hazlewood necklace. I bought one as it is supposed to help with digestive issues, morning sickness and acid in the body. I started wearing it around week 17 and I don't know if it is what help me start feeling better but, I haven't taken it off and I feel great now....worth a shot IMO.

[mamaofprincesses]

I've had three pregnancies with HG, and one with just bad morning sickness (but not officially HG).

The best thing for me, ever, was acupuncture. I threw up 2-4 times a day while on the max dose of Zofran; without it, I threw up 8-18 times a day.

With acupuncture? Once a week. Usually the day before my next appt. I'd feel great the first day, so-so the second, and then gradually decline until my next appt. . .probably didn't help that I'd go to work right after and work an 8-hour shift, I think it undid some of the good the acupuncture did.

It's worth a try if you are still miserable!

[mkmoro311]

So I started taking Zofran 4 days ago.  Its not the miracle drug everyone makes it out to be. Still nausous, just not dizzy.

[Mistymum]

Thank you for sharing your personal experiences, I too faced a similar situation and yes, sometimes anti-emetics do help a lot.

I'd recommend, speak to your care provider ASAP.

Hope you feel better soon 

[txtarheel]

Have you tried Floradix for B vitamins?  I don't take a prenatal, I try very hard to get my supplements in their least processed form and take a lot of things individually.  Floradix not only is rich in Bs but has non-constipating iron which is always great in pregnancy.

FWIW, I had terrible, incapacitating, all-day sickness for all but about 6 weeks of my first pregnancy.  After DS's milk allergy was discovered and I cut milk out of my diet for him, my health *dramatically* improved.  I had no hint of morning sickness with #2 and I'm 6 weeks into #3 with no hint of queasy yet.  I've talked to others who have found that food intolerances led to their MS.  I know it's out-there and not well-accepted, but if there is something you suspect might have ever bothered you, it might be worth staying away from.  Heck, if this wasn't MDC, I wouldn't even bring it up!

Good luck and feel better soon!