Nausea, Morning Sickness, Vomiting

Nausea is that terrible feeling in your stomach when you're pregnant letting you know that everything is ok with your little bean.

Morning Sickness is a misnomer since it's more like All-Day Sickness or After-and-Between-Every-Meal Sickness, a friendly reminder that your body is changing into an incubator.

And vomiting, well that's baby's way of letting you know that he/she doesn't want you eating that. Or the other thing.  Or whatever else you're thinking about putting in your craw.

I have been battling these three symptoms for what feels like two months.  I've lost 10 lbs and gone through almost every natural remedy and here are my reviews of commonly suggested natural nausea cures.

Preggie Pop Lollipops and Drops. I opted for the Preggie Pop Drops because walking around with a lollipop sticking out of my mouth just wasn't going to communicate the level of professionalism needed in my workplace. The Preggie Pop Drops worked more often than not but I quickly got bored with the flavors.  It tastes a lot like an extra sour apple jolly rancher which is not very pleasant in your mouth for over a few hours a day.

I've read that people ate other sour candies like War Heads, Jolly Ranchers, Sour Jelly Bellies, etc.  I tried all of these and stand by the fact that Preggie Pops are superior for 2 reasons. One, the sour and sweet combination stay constant in the Preggie Pops which is actually what staves away the nausea when they work.  Warheads are only sour up front (and the extreme level of acid in the beginning does more harm than good.)  Jolly Ranchers simply aren't sour enough.  The same with Sour Jelly Bellies. Two, Preggie Pop Drops melt in your mouth much slower than any other candy out there which reduces the amount of sugar intake while attempting to keep nausea at bay.

I bought one of the organic boxes ($7.99 for 12 drops at my local Babies R Us) and then just bought 2 packages of the non organic ($7.99 for 21 drops).  When they ran out, I didn't buy more.

Lemonade. This seemed to be the only beverage that took the edge of the nausea while I was eating.  It didn't work all the time but when it did, I was grateful.  I hosted a Cricut Party during my first trimester and made a couple of gallons of Country Time Lemonade from a mix and added fresh lemons.  It kept my nausea at bay for hours.  My only issue is that a large intake of lemonade everyday is not great for tooth enamel. And I would cross a fine line where the acid from the lemons just became too much.

Lemonade is not pleasant to throw up.

Ginger Tea. Instead of using ginger tea bags, DH would just slice fresh ginger and steep in hot water for me.  This worked a total of two times and had to be at the perfect temperature.  Too hot and I couldn't drink it fast enough to make a difference.  Too cold and it upset my stomach more than helped.

Sea-Band. I'm not sure how these work at all for other women but all they did for me is irritate my wrists. I understand the concept is pressure points but they just didn't work for me and I'm a big believer in acupuncture and acupressure.


Vitamin B-6. I've read over and over again the Vitamin B6 or the combination of Vitamin B6 and Unisom can beat morning sickness.  Well, I'm not about to start taking Unisom (trying to stay all natural) so I opted to try just the Vitamin B6.  It is somewhat effective taking the edge off the nausea but not getting rid of it entirely.  I am continuing to use the B6, however, because it's supposed to work better over time.

Ice Chips. This has been my savior.  I read about it on my friend's blog and had DH immediately break me off some ice chips.  I ate 3 bowls of them keeping me both hydrated and virtually nausea free.  The combination of constantly having something in my mouth, a slow drip of water into my system and not adding any unwanted flavors or calories to my body seems to do the trick. A must try.

Ginger Mints. These work a lot like Preggie Pops for me except depending on the day the flavor may or may not be pleasant.  They are much cheaper than Preggie Pops and less of a tip off that you're expecting.  I prefer Trader Joe's brand in the tin but couldn't find the picture so you can see Newman's Own in the picture.

What worked for your nausea and morning sickness?
 

The Bright Side of Symptoms

During my first pregnancy, I was constantly tired with breast soreness and very little nausea.  When I miscarried, in my furious research for an answer, one of the common themes with women who miscarry is a lack of morning sickness.

This pregnancy, every little discomfort, soreness, pain or nausea (of which there has been plenty) has been reassuring as though the worse I feel, the stronger the baby must be.  For instance, the mere thought of seafood (one of my most favorite kinds of food) now makes me physically gag.  I wonder if I'll ever be able to look at a piece of salmon an not throw up a little in my mouth.

And I've tried everything.  Eating a small breakfast, eating a big breakfast, having a breakfast smoothie, snacking through out the day, eating 3 normal meals a day, no dice.  Everything either makes me nauseous, before, after, or while eating it.

And my chest is going through some serious soreness.  Sometimes it hurts just from the light movement of walking or from an accidental brush up against something.  Other times, usually when I've had plenty of rest (read 10+ hours because that's how much I've been sleeping) there is no pain and then the paranoia sets in.

In fact, at any given moment if I have the coincidence of feeling no nausea, no breast pain, no tiredness and no headache I then have paranoia that there's something wrong. I remember distinctly that before I started spotting as a sign of my miscarriage, my symptoms had disappeared almost overnight. No more sore breasts, a renewed energy, no big craving to lay on the couch and do nothing.  Naturally, any sign of feeling like my normal pre-pregnancy self is now met with insane paranoia.

And I'm glad to feel crummy if that means this baby is going to make it.  And I don't think I'm ever going to stop worrying.  Ever as long I live.

Is that the true essence of motherhood?

Is morning sickness and all the pains of the first trimester a lesson in the pain and selflessness that is supposed to come naturally with being a mom?  The paranoia and worry over things that are no longer completely in our control? In fact, are all of these symptoms and the range of emotions just getting us mentally trained for the reality that lies ahead?

I'm going to think about that while I lay here curled in a ball hoping trying to ease my nauseous stomach.

Note:  These posts have been delayed because we have waited to announce our pregnancy until after the first trimester.