[Geofizz]

Ok, I think I got through the first 6 weeks of puking (pg week 6 through 12) by telling myself that it only lasts for the first trimester. I was mentally prepared to feel totally crappy until May 22, at which point I was going to feel better.

Here I am, sitting at the 15 week mark debating if a squishy white bagel with cream cheese is going to stay down better than a bowl of cherrios. I'm certainly feeling better more days than I was in say, week 8, but I'm no where near that "second trimester relief."

So, for those that still puke past 12 weeks, how do you cope with the uncertainty of not knowing when it will end? Am I signed up for this until I'm done with transition? Will I ever get to eat my regular diet again?

 

[indie]

During my first pregnancy I was sick the entire time. I really have no idea why. I just had to learn coping mechanisms. Like barfing on purpose allowed me to eat afterward and was much more pleasant than eating and then barfing. It did really suck and I seriously considered not having any more children because it was really nine months of hell. My friends think I'm crazy for not having the epidural but that was cake after being sick for nine months.

When I got pregnant again I was prepared to be sick the entire pregnancy again. My morning sickness was actually worse in the beginning and I was really wondering how I was going to cope with it. When I hit 22 weeks this time I started feeling better and have really been feeling quite good. It is wonderful. So even if the morning sickness is bad now it is not necessarily indicative of what will happen next time.

By the way, I find bagels impossible to eat when I have morning sickness. They are so dense that they choke me on the way up.

 

[indie]

Whoops. I just notice that this is in your due date club. Oh well.

 

[girrllie]

Yep - thinking this would end (or hoping) at 12 weeks got me through weeks 9-12. Now i'm 14 weeks on Tuesday and hoping it will be gone by 15-17 weeks. With my DD, it started decreasing at 15 weeks and was gone at 17 weeks. So that thought is getting me through it. It sucks, sucks, sucks. I have a friend who was sick her entire two pregnancies (like Indie). I have no idea how she got pregnant again facing that! This is IT for me. I seriously cannot take this again. I hate being nauseas all day. Hate it, hate it, hate it.

In general, I really don't like being pregnant at all. When I'm not pg, then I think of it as such a special time of growth and beauty, but I never forget the parts that suck also. But personally, I don't like it at all, even when the nausea is gone. And it took me a long time to admit that considering how "pro-beautiful-pregnancy" I was before I ever got pg. But there it is.

One thing that's helping me is looking at my DD and how unbelievably funny and adorable and beautiful she is

. And I think, "o.k., I'll make it through this pregnancy to have another child with their own funniness, adorableness and beautifulness." I also try to remind myself of all the people in the world that want babies so bad and can't have them. And when the nausea gets really bad, I know I can go to sleep in xxx hours.

 

[Geofizz]

Girrllie, I don't particularly enjoy pregnancy either. I'm glad I'm not the only one. Yes, my daughter was totally worth it, but with her, I just felt kinda queasy for the first 10 weeks (so a total of ~4 weeks of queasiness) and then I felt pretty good by 12 weeks. I *know* every pregnancy is different, but it's so hard when the second one is definitely worse than the first. I've often said that my labor with DD was when I became a puker, and that has definitely continued. I started puking as soon as contractions started with DD, and I'll now puke at the slightest thing: pregnant or not.

Indie, thanks for your perspective. Please don't apologize for posting on the december board -- I posted it here largely because I wanted it more clear what stage I was in. The bagels are grocery store bagels. Think wonder bread in the shape of a doughnut.

 

[marisa]

Yep, I had a week off (week 13) and then starting last night - I was puking all over the place. Then today I had diarrhea all day long with nausea.
I've never felt sick past 12 weeks.

The only thing that gets me through is thinking, well maybe then this is a girl.

 

[Spark]

First off,

I'm so sorry you're still sick. It's really no fun at all.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Geofizz So, for those that still puke past 12 weeks, how do you cope with the uncertainty of not knowing when it will end?

This is just a random list of things I do:
- Tell myself that I'll be a little bit better tomorrow.
- Accept help when offered, ask for help when needed.
- Try to rest as much as possible, there is that exhaustion/nausea connection.
- Remember, that I will be fully healed and be my normal self at some point.
- On pukier days, go back to just making sure you're getting enough hydration. Sometimes that day of no food, but just juice, broth, snow cones (I like them plain), etc are really healing. But, let your body be the guide.
- When you find a food that works well for you, stick to it as long as you want. In other words if SweetTarts or grapefruit makes you feel better, eat them at every meal.
- Listen to your odd food urges. Usually you can keep those down.
- Make an end goal. I have a pack with one of my friends that when I'm totally well, she and I are going to go to the Gandy Dancer (big fancy yummy restaurant in an old train station) for their Sunday Brunch.

We made this agreement when I was in the hospital for those first few days. It seemed so insane at the time, but it's becoming more of a someday possibility now. When she calls me she'll usually leave a message about the Gandy Dancer on the phone. "I heard they take reservations a month in advance, shall I go make them???"
- Ask people not to mention or type to you about food specifics. I'm ok with the name of a restaurant, because I remember that I once liked the place. (I should mention, that my friend with the Gandy Dancer date, she KNOWS not to ever mention the food that is there, only the name of the place. Sometimes just hearing or reading some food will make me have to run to the bathroom... that said, I'm scared to read the other posts here on your thread, every other nausea thread seems to casually mention all kinds of food that make me sick. So, please excuse my ignoring of the PPs.)

Quote:

Originally Posted by Geofizz Am I signed up for this until I'm done with transition?

Hopefully not. Usually around 16 weeks the placenta starts taking over more work. Some women see a let up around then. Others are much better around 20-22 weeks when the placenta is in full working order. After that, unfortunately, it's still common to experience some vomiting. Like random sick days here or there until delivery. And, then, yes, there are people who vomit daily throughout pregnancy. Typically it shouldn't affect the health of the baby unless, you're treading into dehydration or not getting enough food.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Geofizz Will I ever get to eat my regular diet again?

YES! Personally, when I am feeling well enough to day dream, I dream of the day that I will want to go out to dinner with my DH and eat at our favorite restaurant!

That day will come again. Make a plan to go to a good restaurant when you can reliably eat food again.

 

[kir]

I have just recently started getting evening sickness. How did this happen? I"m almost 14 weeks!! Last saturday, having never had ANY nausea problems so far, DH and i went for Chinese food, and after eating a little of everything, I just ran to the bathroom. It was DISGUSTING, and i'm most grateful i had been to the restaurant before b/c otherwise i would not have made it to the bathroom.

: Then i've had several nights where i felt too sick to stand up and cook in the evening, so i'd just lie down and whine about it. I don't know what's going on. There seems to be a connection to not drinking enough water, not eating for a few hours (which happens when i take an afternoon nap), or being tired (which i never should be b/c i sleep constantly).

Anyway, I've not been sick constantly like a lot of you guys, but i totally sympathise with the terrible uncertainty. This came out of nowhere, and it's driving me nuts (not to mention DH). saturday night, we were both like, "no more kids!!" ....something we've never agreed on so much.

K

 

[Geofizz]

Ick, kir. I really hope that is truely pregnancy sickness and not anything like food poisening. I agree, it would be tough to deal with it starting up after you'd thought you'd gotten through it scott-free!

Claire,

Gandy Dancer. At this point I'd settle for a yummy trip to Afternoon Delight. You've got a great friend watching out for your mental state. At the moment, that's my biggest hurdle. I tend to need to set my sights on an end date for things like this, though. 16 weeks will be another 6 days from now. I can do that. What if it doesn't stop then? 20 weeks is 5 weeks. Ug. That's a lot of hot weather to puke through. I'm confused, though, I thought that the placenta starts functioning at 9 weeks, and more or less takes over at 12 weeks? Hmmm, maybe just one particular function? Geez, I wish I knew more about the physiology of it all. Maybe that's a question for the m/ws tomorrow.

Beware Claire: Food talk ahead.

I'm also really starting to worry about my nutrition. I do give into my food urges, and I've also figured out that pickels help a lot with that awful taste in my mouth. Mostly, I'm eating toasted white bread with cream cheese, pickels, cheerios (with just enough milk to get it wet), and plums. I occasionally eat other stuff like carrots, but that came back up this morning. My morning sickness book suggests thinking of food desires in terms of their characteristics -- salty, sweet, soft, crunchy, cold, etc. My mom suggested 3 bean salad as a more healthy alternative to pickels, and yesterday's and today's trials have so far been good. It deals with that taste in my mouth, and I actually ate something green and something with protein.

Ok, so, can people come up with healthier substitutes for the toasted white bread and cream cheese? What about the cheerios? What else can I try besides tart plums?

 

[kofduke]

Oh, I'm so right with you. I hit 16 weeks yesterday, and was still in the bathroom this morning. I am having more good days when I'm so hungry I could eat a house, and crave a lot of ethnic foods on those days, but then it's right back where I started from. I was not sick for a minute with DS, which is making this so much more puzzling for me.

I am also having some very specific food aversions. Like, last night, my MIL made (Spark, look away) steak on the grill and baked potatoes, and I thought I'd die just looking at it. Luckily she also had some tossed salad, which was all right. I made myself a slice of pizza when I got home. I'd like to be eating more protein, but nothing either meat-wise or meat-alternative-wise really sits right with me.

As for the bread/cheerios, what about trying the same thing in a whole grain (like whole grain cheerios, whole wheat english muffins or bread?) Maybe that's too obvious, though...

 

[Geofizz]

Thanks for the suggestion. I shoulda mentioned that whole grains are definitely out.

 

[kindacrunchy]

Can you choke down p-nut butter or an egg? I found that sometimes I just needed some protein. I was eating A LOT of bread. I'm so sick of it now! What about a Balance bar, Cliff bar, Power bar?
On better days, when I made myself eat, I tried really hard to eat a good balance of things. One day, i had eaten all day but I was feeling crappy and realized I hadn't eaten much fruit or veggies. I had an apple or canned pears and I felt better.
I also would eat a piece of bread and drink a glass of milk before bed. It seemed to help me in the morning.
I'm so sorry you are still feeling so icky!

 

[spiralmg]

Earlier on I had all day morning sickness, like seasickness, that I "cured" with a homeopathic remedy. So, now I've been feeling much better but have been experiencing more "traditional" morning sickness, i.e. not sea sick, just nauseuous and can't eat anything, smells make me sick etc. And the homeopathics weren't having much of an impact.

Well, the past two days I actually felt great! What did I do differently? I took my vitamins + extra vitamin B/B6 supplement. Maybe this is a no-brainer, but I hadn't been taking vitamins because they were hard to keep down...my midwives suggested taking 50 mg B6 3 times a day. Today I went and bought the 50 mg B6 so we will see.

This morning I felt pretty iffy again - but I didn't take any vitamins yesterday. So, we shall see if this is the solution...for me at least.

 

[abi1212]

I have successfully used No to morning sickness tea that has lemon in it and alleviated my nausea and had no issues.