Can we please share morning sickness tips?

[CityGirl]

Pleeeeeeese? :sick

I am a doula, and it seems like all the tips I give to my moms suddenly sound totally undoable or unappetizing. Acupuncture? I know I should do it, but I feel too damn nauseous to get there. Ginger tea? Yuck. Protein? Get away. Rest? Ha ha ha.

Someone recommended royal jelly. Just the name is enough to make me gag, but does anyone have any experience with it?

The only thing that helps me at all is peppermint tea.

[luvmy3boyz]

Hmm...when I first read the subject I didn't see the 'tips' part and thought..SURE!! I'd share some of my ms.

The only thing that ever worked for me was peppermint...tea, mints, gum. Burts bees lip balm under the nose works well to keep the nauseous smells at bay. Other than that I just pretty much make myself eat something sick or not, it's much easier to throw up something than heave with nothing.

Sorry I couldn't be more help.

[simplehome]

A friend of mine who recently entered her second trimester (with the announcement to the rest of the family, "The kitchen is open for business!" because she could finally stomach the thought of cooked food again...) swore by ginger. She would suck on chunks of crystallized ginger and it soothed her stomach and helped her get through each day at work. I've also heard that ginger altoids can help as well.

[sarae]

I bought some wristbands for motion sickness and they TOTALLY did the trick. I couldn't believe it. Maybe my response was psychological- I don't care! They hurt a bit (yeah, right...one size fits all?), but the pain was worth it! I do start feeling nauseous pretty soon after taking them off, but I make sure not to remove them until bedtime. :thumb

[ladyelmo1]

I don't know why this worked, but fresh lemon wedges squeezed in a glass of ice water. Maybe because there is no smell involved, as it's diluted in water.

Oh, and my sil suggests fresh pineapple. Though I tried that this am and it made it worse! Oh, well. Different things for different people.

My midwife's office recommended nuts, like raw almonds. Put them in the back of your mouth and chew solely with your back teeth and you won't really taste them.

Hope that helps!

-Melissa

[Patchfire]

Mine's not been too horrible yet, but so far the things that have helped have been protein, milk (straight up, not just dairy), and those darn preggie pops. Some of the preggie pop flavours are disgusting, mind, but they do the trick. (Disgusting enough that I don't want to buy anymore 'variety packs' locally, and am willing to pay the shipping to get JUST the ginger and mint flavours, but I digress).

I rarely actually :Puke ... just feel :gross constantly!

[AutumnBreeze]

I am taking 100mg of vit. B-6, I take it at night, because it makes me crazy hungry when I take it in the morning. SO before bed, around 7 pm I take the b-6, then have a snack, usually cookies and milk, because the milk is high in....other than calcium....oh I forget, and my blood sugar stays up all night, so if I have to get up with ds then I'm slow to rise, but not as nauseated.

Oh...and when I was pg with him, I had to eat Honey Nut cheerios all day, just a few at a time, drink room temp H2O with a straw, and sleep for as long as I could. Otherwise I'd throw up.

Sorry I'm not muchhelp, do try the seasickness bands, I've heard they work on just about everyone.

[kimisaur]

Ugh, the protein thing. Has anyone else thrown up bacon up their nose????? Never again.
:eek

What brand of wrist bands are people having success with????

-Kimberly

[luvmy3boyz]

Haven't tried that....sounds about as appetizing as throwing up curdled milk. Blech!!!!

[AutumnBreeze]

ya, I'm afraid of throwing up one of these days after having milk. But hey, I gotta stick with what's working.

The wrist bands are Motion or Sea Sickness bands, just pressure points on the wrist that help control that reflex. YOu can pick them up at the drug store.

[Quindin]

Nibble dry foods in the morning, don't drink liquids too fast, don't let yourself get hungry (eat often). If I do feel I am about to puke I try to concentrate and not puke - I feel that if I start vomiting, it is hard to stop. I have managed not to puke this time around even though I have had A LOT of nausea.

[TRIBE]

You can get protein from sources other than meat ;) Nuts like cashews and pistachios are an excellent source of protein as is cheese and yogurt and milk. Pnut smeared on apples is a yummy protein filled treat.

As for taking care of my m/s I take 200mg of B6, 100 just does not control it at all for me. I drink morning wellness tea by earthmamaangelbaby.com It tastes pretty good with a bit of honey added to it.

There are also preggie pops you can sck on. They don't really help me if I am truly nauseous but if I am just slightly quesy they do well.

The big thing really is keeping up your blood sugar with protein snacks. Eat a handful of almonds before you go to bed and nibble on something dry like toast or saltines before you crawl out of bed in the morning. I have also found keeping my fluid intake up helps a lot. if I skip on fluids I am more sick the next day.

[kimisaur]

The big thing really is keeping up your blood sugar with protein snacks. Eat a handful of almonds before you go to bed and nibble on something dry like toast or saltines before you crawl out of bed in the morning. I have also found keeping my fluid intake up helps a lot. if I skip on fluids I am more sick the next day.

I know, I know. It's just so hard.... I feel like all I do is eat, or try to think of something to eat. Ugh. Normally I'm the type that forgets to eat, skips meals, etc. Now, I really do have to eat something at least every 90 minutes or so. I remember last pregnancy swearing I was going on a hunger strike as soon as I had the baby, I was so tired of eating. I have to fight for every pound anyway, but the main concern is keeping the nausea at bay. I swear, it's a full time job. That's it.... I need a personal chef!!

Thanks for the snacking suggestions!

-Kimberly

[EllieB]

The only thing I ever found that works for me is distraction. If I get up in the morning and feel horrible, I do an exericise video. This actually works, while I'm doing the video I don't feel sick. Then when I stop and sit down I feel terrible so I get up and make breakfast. When I'm on the computer if I feel queasy and tired I force myself to go outside and run around with the kids. Distraction all day long. Going out rather than staying home, whatever I need to do to keep my mind off how I feel. At the end of the day I feel the worst so I go to bed early!

[TRIBE]

Kimberly you sound just like me. Up until about 2-3 days ago I was eating like a pig! I couldn't find enough food to keep me satisfied. But now fatigue has set in and I can barely get out of bed so my appetite has dwindled meaning my m/s has increased *sigh*

[welldone]

Red raspberry leaf, in capsule form, has worked for many. The tea is good, but I think one can get more down with capsules.

I'm continually nauseaus, but it must not be as bad as I think--I haven't tried many remedies yet. Too lazy!

[jocmtl]

Great topic!

I've actually not been sick, but up until yesterday, I've had nausea and heartburn and really bad food aversion. I get hungry but everything sounds revolting. But now I feel better, tho I still get major food aversion around dinner time.

Here are some of my tips:

My naturopath recommended two supplements: one called LB digest, which has things like green clay and magnesium. I take it around 4:30 in the morning when I get up to pee. She swore this would work wonders with nausea. The other is called Quinton Hypertonic. It's marine solution containing minerals and trace elements. That one's kind of gross sometimes, because it's salty water in an ampule you have to sip.

She also sold me some homeopathic tablets that I take sublingually any time I feel any nausea at all. Two or three every 15 minutes does the trick.

I've also used ginger (tea & fresh), and those wrist bands (interesting looks you get when you have those on :scratch ). And raw carrots. I always can handle those.

I think the combination of all of these aids has really worked for me. Now if I could just lose the food aversion, I'd be laughing!

Hope you find something that works for you!

[kimisaur]

Good find today....I was at Jimbos (natural foods) today getting some veggies to grill, and I walked by their display of fresh, home-made soups. :love I can almost always tolerate soup, and it makes me feel better too. The whole can thing sort of nauseates me though, so I'm really happy with the whole fresh thing. And I don't have to cook it. :)

-Kimberly

[CityGirl]

I had an acupuncture treatment this weekend, which seemed to work wonders, although today it is so bad again that I am literally in tears. Literally. I am sitting here sobbing. I can't stand this nausea. It will not go away for A MINUTE.

I also found these pills from Rainbow Light called "Good Mornings," which are all anti-nausea remedies--vitamin B-6, papaya enzyme, some other enzymes... I'm too nauseous to get up and look. :eyesroll I have no idea if it's helping or not.

[Quindin]

Update on my nausea: ABSOLUTELY HORRIBLE!!!
Since the end of last week, I have been vomiting every single morning. The nausea begins around 6am when I am still in bed, and I lay there sick and dreading getting up I get up, get breakfast to the kids and change my baby's diaper and for about 45 minutes I struggle not to vommit - doesn't help. If I try to eat before 11 - 12pm, it will come back again :( :(
And I was feeling so lucky on my earlier post...
The only time I felt this miserable was when I expecting DD. Who knows?? Maybe it is a girl again?
I just want the first trimester to end soon!!!!!!!!

[muse]

well at least i'm not alone. i'm having awful m/s, wya worse than with Ds which was bad enough. i've been totally bedridden some days. i throw up almost every day, sometimes more than once and feel perpetually nauseus and exhausted. All that helps me is constant (I mean CONSTANT) snacks, lots of protein, lots of water. i'm trying those motion sickness bands too. It's incredibly hard to enjoy being pregnant right now.

I must say though, Dh is being wonderful, he is doing all the cooking, shopping and cleaning which I can't face, and gets up at 3am to cook me scrambled eggs! this is a time to practice asking for help, mamas.

[CityGirl]

Boy did you say it. I'm asking for help big time lately. My dh is also being wonderful, which is really sweet because I am a hormonal monster, snappy and weepy. He's been taking dd out for hours at a time, just so I can lay there, watch TV, cry and dry heave. :irked:

[muse]

Glad you're getting help, citygirl. I've just had the worst day ever, threw up 4 times so far :angry . My dad came to visit and has taken Ds to the park and I was in tears it was such a relief. now Dh and I are here alone thinking, how many times have we been alone the last 2.5 yrs? And here I am feeling like s*** while he cooks. :eyesroll

[CityGirl]

Four times! Ugh, you poor thing. Although I will say that I have so WISHED I could vomit several times. I even tried to force myself to, fingers down the throat and the whole bit. I can't throw up, and the nausea is so overpowering sometimes....

Feel better soon, everyone!

[crayon]

My MW told me about a sucker called preggo pops- I have yet to try but she swears by them and said you can only get them online. I heard of another mama that used them and it was the only thing that worked. MS sucks! I find that vomiting works wonders! But you feel kinda bad sticking your finger in your mouth- but you feel so much better- such a chatch 22! I have also found that cold fruit and grapes are great, and if you drink lots of water it makes vomiting a lot easier!

[crayon]

Also have you tried ginger peach tea?? It is soooo good, I loved it when I was preggo with DD1- I am looking for it again now! But I dont think I could just do ginger tea- nasty, but with peach flavor, to die for!

[muse]

Careful with the vomiting, mamas. The thing is once your body gets into that habit it can be really hard to stop, at least for me. Yesterday I could hardly keep anything down, including fluids, and I never felt relief after throwing up, just awful stomach pain/cramps. Some women end up in hospital because they get so dehydrated. Hoping for a better day for all of us today.

[Patchfire]

Whatever you do, if you're looking for the Preggie Pops online, make sure you type in PreggIE pops, not PreggO pops into Google. Even with 'moderate safesearch' or whatever, you get links to explicit sites.

Some stores sell them, if you're in a large metropolitan area. Check the website to make sure.

[TRIBE]

:LOL Kash I was oging to post the same thing about PreggO pops. Boy was that a shocker whan I googled that.

I have been trying to use mine but they are just too sweet and I can't handle anything sweet :(

A good shop online to get them is www.cottonbabies.com

[TOmomma]

Apples saved my life the first time around. I think that's about all I ate for three months. I used to go outside and the fresh air would make me gag. Great. I spent a lot of time heaving in the parking lot at work. :eyesroll This time, touch wood, it seems much better. Brushing my teeth makes me gag (and hurl if I'm not careful) but otherwise I just feel yucky for about half the day. Apples still help, but they have to be hard and crunchy.

Sweet stuff is not cutting it for me, although I have a chocolate bar sitting on my desk calling my name...

[sprinkle pocket]

hi all, i haven't posted here before, but i'm due march or april, depending on when the babe wants to come out...i get the feeling she/he'll want to stay longer than 40 weeks, so i'm thinking it could go into april. but who really knows, since there seems to be a 9 week window of when normal deliveries take place!

anyway, for nausea, i'm craving mostly raw foods, especially almonds, apples, carrots. but also toasted sprouted bagels, and last night i was able to eat a whole bowl of pintos with cheese and chips! oh, and wild oats has these pure juice popsicles in long, skinny, clear, plastic sleeves like those nasty ones with the sugar and dye in them! yum! i just try to eat really simple foods, and drink lots of water and tea (rrl, red clover, nettles and mint).

the thing i do to avoid the nausea that's the best may sound pretty odd to some of you. it's one of the aryuvedic (e. indian) methods of body cleansing that i did before pg. upon rising (important that stomach is totally empty), i drink 32 oz of pure water. then i use two fingers and rub the back of my tongue and allow the gag reflex to bring the water back up. it helps the diaphragm relax, cleanses the lining of the stomach, improves digestion, cleanses the nasal cavities, cleanses the eyes, improves concentration. in addition to making sure to eat and drink enough quantity/quality food, i've heard it said that ms is caused by diaphragm tightness, which this addresses. but i've also heard it said that ms is caused by too much of the hormones released into the stomach which this would also deal with. i don't know the cause, i just know i have yet to throw up food, so it works for me! :) i know, it sounds weird to try to throw up on purpose, but it's totally different than it coming up when you don't want it to, or to have it include food. be forewarned, all you intrepid women that will be trying this in the morning :LOL , the diaphragm tends to hold emotions and these can be accessed by this, so don't worry if all of a sudden you have a flashback to some emotion you'd forgotten about, or some programming that throwing up is bad, it's just releasing and going away--good riddance!

i've also taken carbo veg 30c a couple times with good success, as well as making sure to take prenatals when i think i should instead of saying, oh, i'll remember to get to that later--maybe it's the vit b some of you mentioned?

also, the distraction thing works, like the pleasant surprise of a phone call from a girlfriend.

ultimately, i'm finding that really tuning into my body and finding what i'm really needing to eat is what's helped the most. i was laughing at myself yesterday b/c as i was trying to get myself to eat sprouts, which i'd loved eating in the past couple of days, my body clearly no longer wanted them: i was holding them in front of my mouth and it made me think of holding a bunch of worms and trying to convince myself to eat worms! it was just as gross! who needs 'fear factor' when there's 'pregnancy factor'! :rotflmao