A Tale of Extreme Morning Sickness
Both of my pregnancies were plagued by morning, noon and night sickness. With Shnook, I couldn’t take a single prenatal vitamin for twenty weeks, or walk into a supermarket without gagging. I survived on white food, with the only exceptions being green grapes, iceberg lettuce and Jarlsberg cheese. I puked two to three times a week. With Fuzz, I puked less often, but still felt horribly nauseated for five months. Both times I bitched and moaned and cursed my female-ness.
I tried ginger, wearing those sea bands, acupuncture, and eventually took a combination of Unisom and Vitamin B6 suggested by my doctor. That took the edge off, although it didn’t completely cure it. As sick as I was, I still didn’t have hyperemesis gravidarum, the extreme debilitating nausea throughout pregnancy. Many women who are diagnosed with hyperemesis spend a chunk of their pregnancies in the hospital with an IV drip full of anti-nausea drugs used for chemotherapy patients. I couldn’t imagine that kind of hell, considering I already felt so horrible. According to the CDC, hyperemesis affects 0.5 to 2% of pregnant women. Writer Hayley Krischer recently shared a powerful essay on her experience with this affliction and how it made her feel like ending her pregnancy.
As I’ve said before, if it weren’t for being pregnant, I might have more babies. However, the thing about pregnancy that saves the world’s population is this: Pregnancy is temporary. Nine months feels like a heinously long time when you’re hanging over the toilet as your toddler is climbing on you, asking for cheddar bunnies. It would feel even longer if you had to spend it attached to an IV so that you don’t dehydrate. But, it does end. Easy to say that when it’s over and you have a healthy beautiful miracle in your arms, right?
How did you cope with morning sickness or hyperemesis?
I threw-up in every toilet, and on every tree, of my law school campus. I threw up everyday, sometimes twice a day, but was not naucious all the time. Just for the hour or two a day I spent throwing up. It was hard to predict when it would happen.
Oh boy, Steel, that sounds awful!!
Uhg, I started around 2 or 3 month and was still throwing up while in labor ;( it was horrible, i was nauseous all the time and would throw up at least twice a day. It was the worst I’ve felt in my life.
I was nauseous all the time from about week 7 through my 6th month (sans meds). At about 3 months, when I got to the point where I couldn’t tolerate even water and ensure I was put on Zofran, and that made it possible for me to function. Not a fun pregnancy, but so worth it in the long run.
I had hyperemesis from weeks 5 to 24.. Unmedicated, I would be sick between 15 – 20 times a day. I lost 14 lbs, and had my share of fun ER time. Zofran was literally the only thing that kept me out of the hospital. At 31 weeks, I’ve still only gained 6 lbs, but my baby is actually measuring about 2 weeks bigger than his gestational age. It was scary sometimes, and frustrating too have to plan meals around my medication schedule, but it has gotten better now. Of course, my stomach shrunk down after that, and gaining weight is still a struggle, but as long as the baby is healthy, it will be fine
I had a very bad 1st pregnancy experience. It was quite traumatic actually. I threw up every single day and more than 10 times per day. Couldn’t take water either. I even used water to help me throw up some of the noodles that got stuck in my throat after another session of throwing up after a meal. It was horrible.. I was put on a drip too but luckily only once. The morning sickness lasted for 5 months. Thank God it stopped cos’ I heard some ppl had it throughout their pregnancy. But in the end all the waking up at night for eating (otherwise I’ll have heartburn) and throwing it out again and eating again makes a good practice for waking up at night for breastfeeding. The morning sickness that I had was actually a good training to keep me going during breastfeeding.. So.. Before you curse your morning sickness.. Think of it as God’s way of preparing you for what’s coming up ahead.. That’s all from me.. Thanks for letting me share my experience =)
I feel your pain & then some! I was hospitalized on my very first OB visit for dehydration & hyperemisis. And twice more after that. I had the same issues as Mrs. Santo. I was sick, literally throwing up all day every day, whether I had anything in me or not. I would throw up at LEAST 10x a day and I only wish I was exaggerating!! I couldn’t get off the couch, I literally spent my whole first 4 months on the couch and in the bathroom. I lost 30lbs during the first trimester. My daughter is almost 4 months old and I still haven’t gotten back up to my pre-pregnancy weight. I ended up having to be put on a zofran pump 24 hours a day for about 2 months just so that I could feed her a little. My stomach had shrank so much from not being able to eat that when I got the pump and could stomach a few certain things (poptarts, pudding cups, jello) all i could eat was half a pudding cup or one poptart all day long. My doctor prescribed me Ensure (so that I could get it on my WIC – that stuffs not cheap lol) just so I could get my nutrients and protein to the baby. I could only drink half a bottle a day of it for the longest time. Pregnancy was the worst 39 weeks of my life, but I would do it all over again to have my sweet Ansleigh Rose
Nothing worth having comes easy and my Ansleigh is living proof lol. The highlight of my pregnancy was my induction! LOL!