Nausea. There is a formal definition of the word, but the only two words that I need to define it are awfully annoying. For me, it is comparable to someone sitting next to me chomping their food with an open mouth. It makes me want to yell out, "just stop it!" That might not resonate with you, but I am sure that you can think of something that does.
The most awful thing about the nausea is that, for the most part, you can't do anything about it. It shows up when it wants to, and leaves when it wants to, even after your best efforts to kick it out by your own power. I found out I was pregnant at week 4, and in the middle of week 6, the nausea hit full force. By the end of week 7, I was throwing up a few times a day, and the few people that knew I was pregnant kept saying "ohhhh, you are almost to the end of the nausea stage!" Well, by week 12, I was throwing up almost every hour, all day long. As you can imagine, I tried anything and everything to bring myself relief. Hopefully some of them can help you too!Night Cap & Morning Munchies
The first trick that helped me was to never let my stomach get super empty. During the day it wasn't hard because I just made sure I had a nice healthy snack between meals. It was as I was lying down to go to bed and first thing in the morning that really got me. When I woke up feeling nauseous, I felt like I was trying to play catch up all day, so I started night capping and morning munching!
My nightstand became my own personal snack bar. I kept a couple plain types of crackers, trail mix, and flavored water there always. I always ate a small handful of something right before I brushed my teeth for the night, and then it seemed like I always woke up around 1 or 2 a.m. feeling crummy. Without even lifting my head off the pillow, I would eat something from my stash. Then, first thing after waking up in the morning, I would eat a handful of snacks, and slowly drink at least 8 ounces of flavored water.
Crackers and trail mix were my choice because the salty taste worked for me. Flavored water was never something that I drank before pregnancy, but I just couldn't stomach plain water for some reason so out came the fruit water enhancers! Other foods might work better for you so test the field before you consider it a lost cause.
Cold, Cold Baby
Yeah, I know the song is "ice, ice baby" but were just rolling with it okay? Being cold helped me. I don't know if being freezing cold just made me think less about feeling sick, or if it actually took the edge off? BUT, either way, I am calling it a win! Because I wanted to spend my money on baby things, and not a tripled electric bill, I resorted to things other than dropping the temp on the thermostat.
Ice packs or cold damp rags: I used these at bedtime or during naps. I used them on my forehead, my neck, my feet, or I literally just cuddled an ice pack like it was a blanket.
Car AC: I was pregnant through the summer and into the winter, and you better believe that I used my AC the whole time! In the summer I used it to relieve myself from the sweltering heat outside, obviously. In the winter, I used it to calm the inferno that was caused by the oversized comfy-looking sweater that I had thrown on to cover my large and in-charge belly. Did I use my AC more than my heater, even in the winter? Why yes, yes I did.
Bands or Preggie Pops
I didn't personally use these, but I've heard they can be a great help. If you're hoping to avoid medications, try the bands or Preggie Pops first. I mean, what can it hurt?The Meds
Remember how I said that at week 12 I was puking more than I was in the middle of the first trimester? Yeah. Well, I was determined to just suck it up and deal with it. My thinking was that hundreds and thousands of pregnant women get sick while pregnant and deal with it, so why shouldn't I? Then, one night as I sat crying on the floor of the bathroom, my sweet husband said, "Hey babe, I just really think that you need to get some medicine or something. Especially since we are driving to California in three days." We live in Utah County so driving to California is not a short drive.
The next morning I was on the phone with my doctor's office to see what my options were. They gave me three options: Unisom and B12, Zofran, and Diclegis. I tried the Unisom and B12 concoction first, and it did nothing beneficial; it just made me need to sleep all day long. So, then I moved on to Diclegis. My doctor suggested that if I felt sleepy from the unisom, that I take the Diclegis at night. So I did, and I definitely recommend it!
There were days that I still felt the nausea through the Diclegis, but it kept me from throwing up, and that was such a blessing. I took it until the day I delivered because every time I tried to quit, I spent the day throwing up. So, if that is you, there is no shame in getting help!
So, what do you think? I am not going to tell you that these will magically cure your nausea, but they helped me enough to share them with you! If nothing else, know that there are many other women in the world feeling as blah as you. Some days we soldier on, and some days we lie on the couch doing everything we can to survive and keep the toddler fed. Whichever it is, if you're doing your best, you better be patting yourself on the back for a job well done!
Written by: Alyssa Liston