What to take for constant nausea but no vomiting

[ljsarah]

I'm eight weeks into my third pregnancy and am starting to think about taking something other than herbs. I am generally fine first thing in the morning but within half an hour of breakfast the nausea hits and it's a downward spiral for the rest of the day and night.  It tends to be at its worst in the evening.  I am able to keep food down and rarely vomit, but I feel horrible.  I have a four and almost two year old at home and am feeling like a hopeless mom.  I can't even think about cooking so that has been passed to DH.  I had all day nausea with my other two from weeks 6-12 but it was nothing like this.  

I've tried mint, ginger and lemonbalm tea, and sea bands, to no avail.  I'm doing my best to eat lots of small meals and keep hydrated.  Has anyone had anything work for them for nausea only?  From reading past threads it seems like a lot of the drugs work for vomiting, but not necessarily nausea.  

Thank you!

[Nicole730]

For my first pregnancy I took extra vitamin B6 for nausea with no vomiting. I don't remember the exact pills I used to have, but I believe it was a 100mg one. I split them in half and took half in the morning and half in the evening. If I only took one in the morning or evening, I would be able to feel it wear off. I started this around 10 weeks pregnant, after feeling nauseous since 5 weeks. The nausea lasted until14 weeks, but the B6 definitely took the edge off.

For my second pregnancy I "loaded up" on B's before getting pregnant and then during the whole nauseous stage. I only felt icky from weeks 8-10...so not sure if the B vitamins made a difference or if it was something else.

I'm now about to TTC #3 and I've been taking extra B's for awhile now. I just bought some B6 to take extra once I get pregnant. I really hope it works! I have a 3 year old and a 1 year old and being nauseous all the time would not be fun!

[1love4ever]

Be sure that you are taking a whole foods based prenatal vitamin and not a synthetic one.  I recommend Garden of Life prenatal, here is a link this is the cheapest I've seen it  http://www.amazon.com/Garden-Life-Raw-Prenatal-capsules/dp/B002JOVOVY/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1317271274&sr=8-1

Something like One-A-Day Prenatal is the worst and it made me so sick and even if I wasnt throwing up I was nauseous Constantly.  I am so thankful that I switched vitamins it helped right away.

[sweetpea_119]

Protein! Protein! Protein! :)

80-100 grams daily...I've been focusing on it this time around & haven't felt this good before. This is my fifth...it takes me awhile to wise up! LOL!

I've stocked up on whey protein shakes that pack 30g per shake & hummus for snacking. Eggs in the morning to get me going & then with my regular diet & the shakes & hummus to fill in between, I've been doing well. I can tell when I need more protein because I start to feel like I'm going to throw up & don't feel like eating. So I eat & feel better...isn't that crazy? LOL!

Good luck!

~Dianna

[1love4ever]

My midwife recommends peppermint tea.  Actually she recommends equal parts peppermint, alfalfa(or nettles) and red raspberry leaf tea.  The peppermint being for nausea.  I was over my nausea by the time I started seeing her and she recommended the tea to me so I dont know if it works or not.

[emmaegbert]

a friend who was studying traditional chinese medicine gave me some "perilla leaf" for tea. Its the same as "shiso" in japanese cuisine but I don't remember the chinese name (you can look it up). I got more for myself in a chinese herb shop when I got pregnant again. its very mild and worked wonderfully for me, I drank it throughout the day (I also made sure to eat lots of protein, and take high quality prenatal vit). My nausea w/ #3 was also worst in the evenings and I ate the bulk of my food in the mornings for that reason. It was not as severe as what you are describing. 

[ljsarah]

The multivitamin I am taking is by Sisu and claims to be all natural and vegetarian, with trace minerals in their chelate or citrate form. I take two a day and got them at my health food store.  I have to admit I never even considered that my multivitamin might be a problem.  I cannot find any information on the website as to whether it is whole foods based, only that it's natural (can I assume that that's the same thing?).

I'm heading to the grocery store to stock up on protein in a few minutes.  Meat has not been appealing at all so most of my protein has been coming from nuts, nut butters and yogurt.  I don't know if I can stomach hummus, but I'll whip some up and try.  

I started taking more B6 last night, so we'll see (I took it for a few days a couple of weeks ago and didn't notice a change so I stopped, as choking pills down is difficult).

I've got a big raspberry patch in my garden and the leaves are still on the plants.  Can I use the leaves fresh for tea or do they need to be dried (or is it some specific raspberry variety that I need?)?  I also have some dried nettles and peppermint so I'll give that a shot.  

We don't have a Chinese medicine shop here but my dad's going to a bigger city with a Chinatown this weekend so I'll send him on a hunt for perilla leaf.

Thank you so much for the replies.  You are all a wealth of information, and anything I can try to feel better and avoid pharmaceuticals is a step in the right direction.  

[Mosaic]

This probably isn't the answer you want, but it helped me. I had terrible nausea last time, and honestly what helped me most was to just stop fighting it. When I realized how much energy I was spending on NOT vomiting, I realized that giving in, as awful as that was, brought much more relief than fighting it and feeling miserable all day. I know, it sounds terrible! But once I just accepted that I was going to be sick several times a day, I had more "productive" time in between where I could actually sit upright, walk, get small tasks done, etc. And the emotional toll of feeling so sick and useless was unbearable, so that was a big relief as well.

The nausea is the worst.

[Kyamo]

B6 caused a huge improvement for me, though it did take a few days to kick in.

[Autumnshades]

I carried a baggie of almonds with me because they are high in protein.  Protein definitely is the key for me, I had nausea without throwing up for the first 16 weeks of my pregnancy.  It returns now and then when I don't eat early enough in the morning after I get up (I am almost at 34 weeks now).  Good luck ...

[amberskyfire]

I had constant nausea in both pregnancies with no vomiting. The nausea was worst in the evenings and I noticed that my belly would be much bigger then. I'm sure it's gas that causes it for me, even if I don't feel that bloated.

Avoid: onion, garlic, peppers, spicy foods, chocolate (if it makes it worse), broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts, ALL apple products!, beans if they give you gas, pineapple, bok choy, mustard greens, arugala

Milk also makes me feel really horrible. Apples are the absolute worst.

These things were all that helped me feel better:

Iced water, iced and unsweetened cranberry juice - diluted, iced red raspberry leaf tea, lemon wedges (I carried one in my purse to lick), almonds, and chocolate. I carried a chocolate bar in my purse and would just nibble one square when I felt sick. You don't need to chomp down on a chocolate bar until it's gone. A tiny bit worked for me.

The way I sit also has an effect. When I sit in a chair that makes me have good posture, like a straight-backed wooden chair, I would tend to feel better throughout the day. Office chairs, tall stools, car seats, futon couches, and sitting on the floor all encourage slouching and would make me feel worse.

[cameragirl]

Taking digestive enzymes when you eat may help. Try to eat small, frequent meals with protein and not a lot of grease. Some women say that probiotics help as well.

[1love4ever]

Originally Posted by ljsarah 

The multivitamin I am taking is by Sisu and claims to be all natural and vegetarian, with trace minerals in their chelate or citrate form. I take two a day and got them at my health food store.  I have to admit I never even considered that my multivitamin might be a problem.  I cannot find any information on the website as to whether it is whole foods based, only that it's natural (can I assume that that's the same thing?).

I'm heading to the grocery store to stock up on protein in a few minutes.  Meat has not been appealing at all so most of my protein has been coming from nuts, nut butters and yogurt.  I don't know if I can stomach hummus, but I'll whip some up and try.  

I started taking more B6 last night, so we'll see (I took it for a few days a couple of weeks ago and didn't notice a change so I stopped, as choking pills down is difficult).

I've got a big raspberry patch in my garden and the leaves are still on the plants.  Can I use the leaves fresh for tea or do they need to be dried (or is it some specific raspberry variety that I need?)?  I also have some dried nettles and peppermint so I'll give that a shot.  

We don't have a Chinese medicine shop here but my dad's going to a bigger city with a Chinatown this weekend so I'll send him on a hunt for perilla leaf.

Thank you so much for the replies.  You are all a wealth of information, and anything I can try to feel better and avoid pharmaceuticals is a step in the right direction.  

I looked at the multi you are taking and it is not whole foods based, you can tell by the ingredients.  You should also know that when a vitamin is not whole foods based it is not as bioavailable for your body, so is not easily absorbed.  You will absorb a great deal more nutrients from a whole foods based vitamin.  The vitamin that I mentioned earlier also has some ginger in it already which is supposed to help with nausea.  It also has some probiotics, I wish it had more tho!  The only thing that I would be aware of is that it does not contain enough calcium(the one you are taking contains even less), or magnesium(neither does the Sisu).  I eat raw sunflower seeds and drink raw milk(preferably goats milk but my source wont have any more til March) to make up for the vitamin not having enough of these things, along with of course a healthy diet which will fill in these gaps.

You will notice if you read the ingredient list of the vitamin I mentioned, then the Sisu, the difference in ingredients.  There are no fake chemicals or fillers(stearate is in yours), only real raw fruits and veggies, etc.  Like I said it really has made a difference for me:)

[cameragirl]

Originally Posted by 1love4ever 

Be sure that you are taking a whole foods based prenatal vitamin and not a synthetic one.  I recommend Garden of Life prenatal, here is a link this is the cheapest I've seen it  http://www.amazon.com/Garden-Life-Raw-Prenatal-capsules/dp/B002JOVOVY/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1317271274&sr=8-1

Something like One-A-Day Prenatal is the worst and it made me so sick and even if I wasnt throwing up I was nauseous Constantly.  I am so thankful that I switched vitamins it helped right away.

I had hyperemesis with DD, and I have noticed a huge improvement just from switching to a whole food vitamin. I don't get nauseated, and I can take it any time of day. Before, I could barely manage a children's chewable. I also am absorbing much more of the vitamins, and I feel better for it.

[ljsarah]

Originally Posted by amberskyfire 

I had constant nausea in both pregnancies with no vomiting. The nausea was worst in the evenings and I noticed that my belly would be much bigger then. I'm sure it's gas that causes it for me, even if I don't feel that bloated.

I'm definitely noticing that I'm gassy and bloated, as well as having acid indigestion.  I've been avoiding all of the foods you mentioned simply because they don't appeal to me, but I did have some apple the other day and it made me feel particularly bad and full of air.  Mild constipation is an issue as well, even though I'm eating several prunes a day.

I've been trying to up my protein by adding protein powder to my smoothies...so far they haven't been sitting too well, but that might be b/c of all of the acidic fruit added to them.  I just can't stomach the protein powder with water alone.

Thank you so much 1love4ever for looking into my multivitamin for me. I called our health food store and they have a couple of whole foods multis that are very similar to the one that you recommended.