Let's prevent/treat morning sickness!

[Mrshawwk]

I have had 3 pregnancies with absolutely horrid morning sickness, and would love to avoid it this time...or at least control it. I have been doing some searches here on MDC and thought I would post these threads for you guys to read in your spare time... :) I have collected these links and sites from MDC and other places.

I got the milk thistle and dandelion root and B6 talked about here. We'll see in a couple weeks how it works! Several mothers have had great success with it.
http://www.mothering.com/discussions/showthread.php?t=618836&highlight=dandelion

More stories and dandelion root.
http://www.mothering.com/discussions/showthread.php?t=738798

Treating morning sickness before it starts...
http://www.mothering.com/discussions/showthread.php?t=785064&highlight=dandelion

Some more tips and links for extra help.
http://www.mothering.com/discussions/showthread.php?t=785064&highlight=dandelion

Website about Hyperemesis Gravidarum (which is a severe form of morning sickness..btdt! no fun)
http://www.mothering.com/discussions/showthread.php?t=785064&highlight=dandelion

Link to Midwifery Today forum thread about morning sickness and natural foods to help. I have been drinking kombucha for almost 2 years and am really hoping this will help me also. I also drink the raw milk mentioned. I've only drank it through one pregnancy but that baby has the straightest and whitest teeth (my 2nd child). Okay, off that soapbox..haha.
http://www.midwiferytoday.com/forums/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=7971&whichpage=1&SearchTerms=morning%2Csickness%2Ckombucha

Link to a site about why morning sickness is actually good for you (might help you feel better in between trips to the toilet) :)
http://www.greenjournal.org/cgi/content/abstract/95/5/779

Some triggers and tips.
http://www.mothering.com/discussions/showthread.php?t=785064&highlight=dandelion

I think that's all for now. If anyone has anything to add, feel free! Also, if you're trying any of these things, let us know how it goes. Like I said, a lot of mothers here have had their morning sickness disappear and/or lesson to where they can actually function. YAY. I actually have hope that I might not just disappear for the next 4 months. :)

-Beth

[ibusymomto5]

Thanks for posting these! I read through some of it, and it looks great. I'm going to try the lemon water and maybe the ginger if I need to. So far my nausea is slight and manageable, but I know that typically it's the worst for me at more like 8wks which is still a little ways away. My last pregnancy I was able to keep the nausea mild and never threw up. I really, really believe it was from getting regular exercise(walking/jogging) and eating smaller, more frequent meals that were balanced with a healthy protein and a healthy carb. This time I'm doing that same thing only my exercise is walking and light weight lifting. I always feel SO much better after exercising, though I never want to do it before hand. I'm NOT an exercise buff and always have to make myself do it, but the end result of feeling good afterwards is SO worth it. Plus, I'm really hoping not to gain my typical 40-50lbs this pregnancy, because I have an awful time taking it off afterwards. I'm vowing right now to do my best to avoid as much sugar as possible as well.

A friend of mine suggested keeping trail mix at the bedside to nibble on in the middle of the night, like if you get up to go to the bathroom or at least to nibble on right when you wake up. She said for her even 1 or 2 almonds and 1 piece of dried fruit was enough to help. I'm planning on giving that a try. I think it'd also be something good to keep in my purse in a ziplock.

Thanks again for posting this thread!

[Baby_Cakes]

Ok ladies, I need your help, seriously. I went through some of those links and now I'm even more confused and the nausea isn't helping matters.

Lets say I want to run to the health food store today, this afternoon. From what I've read I'm looking for wild yam root? Are they pills? I can do pills. And milk thistle? Is that good enough? If I take the two things?

Is there a tea I can drink instead? I am so lost and so miserable and I just want relief! Help! :(

[veganmama719]

A combination of Vitamin b6 and Unisom (it has to be the doxylamine succinate tablets, NOT the other ones) worked for me with both my previous PGs.
I took a couple of 50 mcg vitamin 6s, one at night and one mid-morning and 1/2 tablet of the Uniosm at bed time.
It didn't make it totally go away but I could function.
And it is totally safe.
But it HAS to be the Unisom that is doxylamine succinate.

[Baby_Cakes]

A combination of Vitamin b6 and Unisom (it has to be the doxylamine succinate tablets, NOT the other ones) worked for me with both my previous PGs.
I took a couple of 50 mcg vitamin 6s, one at night and one mid-morning and 1/2 tablet of the Uniosm at bed time.
It didn't make it totally go away but I could function.
And it is totally safe.
But it HAS to be the Unisom that is doxylamine succinate.

THANK YOU for the reply!!!

I'm scared to take Unisom of any type b/c I get knocked out so easily with anything intended to make you drowsy. I'm afraid if I take it at night I'll want to sleep all the next day, and I'd be afraid to drive a car/come to work. Totally sucks. Maybe I could try it on a Friday night just to see how I react to it.

I'm really thinking about getting the b6 to take a few times a day. As it is, I take my prenatal at night and I worry about the absorption of things. I might get extra folic acid as well.

Right now sipping peppermint tea is helping a teensy bit, but it's all I have on hand at work till I run out for lunch.

Anybody else care to post what they took/are taking and if it worked??

Thanks again!!!

[birthdancedoula]

I had bad MS with my first 2 DS's that lasted til about 16 weeks, HG with my 3rd DS that became milder at 20 weeks, and mild MS with my DD that didn't get me down too much. I was more pro-active with my last pg, partly because I was in nursing school and really needed to finish. I sucked on those little morning sickness candies all day, stayed hydrated with Morning Sickness Magic and RRL tea, upped my protein, and snacked throughout the day. When I had to be up for clinicals in the wee hours of the morning I would take Emetrol (not the most natural approach but it helped) and that seemed to stave off any queasiness. I definately saw an improvement in the way I felt by doing those things in comparison to my 3rd pg where absolutely nothing seemed to help. I eventually was started on Zofran just to keep water down.

It totally sucks and I have so btdt with my 4 pregnancies. The only consolation I had during the time things were really hard was that MS was a good sign that my body was doing what it needed to do hormonally to protect the baby.

[ainh]

I've read (but don't have the link now) that nursing a babe can actually combat morning sickness. Weird, eh? And not an option for everybody...but for some people here.... I'd be curious to hear if anybody has noticed that it helps?

[veganmama719]

Maybe! I was still nursing DD (12 months old) when DS was conceived. She weaned herself at 15 months so I was about 12 weeks PG then. And my MS was MUCH better with DS than DD. I had attributed it to the different genders (the old wives tales being that girls make you sicker).

But I am still nursing DS (he'll be 4 in March) and I feel incredibly un-pregnant at this point. I am still really early (only 4w6d) but maybe the nursing is helping, who knows?

The 1/2 tablet of UNisom taken at bedtime did not knock me out the next day. But trying it on a Friday night is a great idea.