Conference moira::parenting_v3

    Kate,
    
    You have my sympathy....I, too, was nauseated constantly.  I used
    to wish I could throw up just for some relief!  I did what you 
    are doing--always try to keep something handy to munch on.  I got
    SICK of saltines, but they usually helped.  Also, dry whole wheat
    toast.  And, even tho I was paranoid about Nutrasweet, I did have
    a few sips of diet 7-Up when I got desperate.  If I let myself
    get hungry, that was the worst.  Another thing I did was cut the
    elastic waistband of my pantyhose so they didn't bind my waist.
    That tight feeling really made me queezy.  Hey, anything that
    works!!
    
    Congratulations on your good news!  At least it is sickness with
    a purpose!!!
    
    Linette 8*)
    (proud Mama of Alex....almost 3 months old, already!!!)
    

    My heart goes out to you...the first trimester is rough.  I don't
    remember which was worse, the nausea or the exhaustion!  Believe it
    or not, I couldn't stomach saltines, but used graham crackers, which
    helped a lot.  I also couldn't let myself get hungry and had to eat
    every two hours. 
    
    I'm now at 18 weeks and feeling MUCH better.  I'm told that this 
    is only temporary, however and that the third trimester has it's
    own set of problems.
    
    Congratulations and hang in there...it WILL get better!
    
    Jen
    

    Kate:
    
    	I found that sucking on ice cubes helped me.  At least it relieved
    my thirst without making me feel sick.
    
    	I can remember going through the potato cravings also.  I guess
    they were bland yet filling.
    
    	Hang in there -
    
    - Terry

    Congratuations, Kate.
    
    I did live on dry toast, saltines and Diet Sprite until my doctor told
    me to stop being such a martyr and take some extra strength Maalox. It
    made me feel MUCH better.
    
    regards,
    Kate
    
    P.S. Oh ya, Regarding being pregnant; Better you than me!8^)

    Congratulations Kate!!!!
    
    Lots of sympathy from me too!! I threw up every day, almost all day for
    the first 4 1/2 months. Food was just totally offensive to me. I would
    go to the cafeteria and catch a smell the wrong way and watch out. I
    learned to avoid it on Friday's when they were cooking fish. 
    
    Things that might help...keep different types of crackers in your
    desk. Everyone always says saltines but I loved the wheat crackers like
    wheat thins and many others.
     
    I also brought fruit with me every day. Lots of it so I
    had a variety available at the moment I felt like I could eat. Grapes
    were wonderful because they quenched my thirst but I didn't have to
    take a mouthful. I could eat 2 and stop if I couldn't take any more.
    I loved bananas (when the thought of them didn't gross me out). Some
    days it was just the thought of a refreshing fruit salad that appealed
    to me. 
    
    Keep sandwiches simple. I could really only eat plain roast beef on
    white bread - no lettuce, no tomatoes and little mayonaise. Eat what
    you feel like. 
    
    Pretzles were also a god-send. The salt helped settle my
    stomach and they are a little fun as well. (My grandmother got me
    hooked on them because that is what she eats to settle her stomach when
    her ulcer is acting up).  
    
    I would also take a walk when I started feeling really icky. It seemed
    to get my mind off of it and I don't know if moving about helped. I
    would sometimes go from water cooler to water cooler and get just a sip
    of water. 
    
    The main thing is to eat what and when you can. It does get a little
    tricky with being at work because you may have to rely on the schedule
    of the cafeteria. Maybe talk to some of the staff there and explain
    your situation - I'm sure they would not be adverse to help you out or
    at least let you wander in when you finally can eat. 
    
    It is very important because you need to keep your "strength up" and
    you have to be careful of dehydration. At me 4 month check up I was
    still losing weight and my doctor told me by my next visit that if I
    didn't gain weight, I could expect to be hospitalized. Well, the threat
    worked because at 4.5 months I woke up one morning and could eat, no
    throwing up and my energy level went through the roof. My body played
    "catch-up" the 6th month and I gained 8 pounds and then was told to not
    have another record month like that because the baby was suddenly "very
    big" (if fact they thought it might be twins from such a sudden spurt).
    
    Don't be afraid to eat what you can tolerate. At times Coke was the only
    thing I could think of putting in my body at 7:00am. At first I felt
    guilty but realized I had the choice of nothing or what my body was
    telling me to have. Maybe I needed the caffine, maybe it was the sugar,
    maybe it was the feeling of bubbles, maybe my body likes Coke to settle
    my stomach. I eventually got over the guilt of  eating/drinking what
    was on the taboo list and went with what my body was saying. I couldn't
    drink it every morning but at times it was the only thing I could
    tolerate.
    
    Hope it all clears up soon - it could only be 9 months maximum!!!!
    
    Andrea
                                                   

    Kate, you definitely have my sympathies . . . with my first, I was
    violently sick for 7 months.  I went on Bendectin (now banned) and
    was able to control it enough to manage to gain weight, but not
    enough to feel well.  But the nausea only lasted about three
    months with the next two babies.
    
    One thing I found that helped was to get out of anything with a
    tight waist.  For me this meant going into maternity pants at only
    a few weeks along, but it really did help a *lot* and it was worth
    the extra dreariness of having the same old pants looking at me
    every morning for almost 9 months.
    
    Another thing I found helped the all-day queasiness was to wake
    up, have some coffee or something I knew would upset me, and go
    ahead and toss my cookies.  Usually lasted for several hours after
    that.
    
    I found that whole-grain breads or crackers worked better than
    saltines -- it was wheat thins for me, too.  And bland cooked
    cereals, specifically Cream of Wheat.
    
    Bananas were something I could always get to stay down. 
    
    Check with your doctor for sure, but an antacid can help a lot.  I
    used the Titrilac formulation that is just calcium carbonate --
    chalk, essentially -- in a glycerin base.  Check the labels
    because the same brand has antacids that use other active
    ingredients.  
    
    --bonnie

    I used to suck on potato chips first thing in the morning! Must have
    been the salt that settled my stomach, then the potato part put
    something IN my stomach to soak up the acid. I also used to get up, put
    an english muffin in the toaster, eat it dry, then lay down for 20
    minutes.  Most of my problem stemmed from an EMPTY stomach.  If it had
    something in it, I felt better. Not great, but better.
    

    re: .7  "first thing in the morning"....yup, me too.   And I mean
    really FIRST THING....i.e the crackers were on the bedside table
    and I ate them before I got up!
    
    cj/

    This note is bringing back bad memories (but .0, it really doesn't
    last forever...) I remember once going out to eat and being repulsed
    by everything I saw around me except the cold glass of beer in front of
    my brother. I threw caution to the winds and grabbed the beer - boy, 
    did that ever taste good.
    
    I didn't make a habit of beer, but cold fizzy stuff nearly always went
    down o.k. You can use tonic water or club soda or carbonated spring
    water if you want to avoid caffeine, sugar substitutes, coloring
    agents, etc.
    
    Good luck!
    
    Lucy
    

I'm at 17 weeks of my second pregnancy and just coming out of this... and
it has been MUCH worse than the first time.

My ob gave me this suggestion--take a 50mg capsule of vitamin B6 at night.
And if you *really, really* are having a bad day, take a Unisom capsule
with this.  She stressed that the Unisom should be only rarely, though.
It's sold as an over the counter sleeping pill, but for some reason really
helps nausea when combined with B6.  (Frankly, I was surprised to hear this
recommended at all, but I was getting very sick all day, and I consider
this doc to be very trustworthy.)

As for saltines... you can have 'em.  Unless, of course, there is nothing
else around when you get hungry.  Personally, I hope never to eat one
again--ever!


Marty

    You have my (b) sympathy, though my (a) comment must of necessity be
    somewhat more vicarious than the others here.  I don't remember much
    difference in nausea across different pregnancies, but my spouse was
    far more exhausted with the second one.  And it wasn't the extra burden
    of looking after the 1st boy.  She roughly managed to keep up at work,
    but life at home was virtually a 9 month nap.  I did almost all of the
    childcare, cooking, etc., so she actually got more rest than the first
    time.  I haven't concluded that 2nd pregnancies are harder, but they
    clearly can be different.  Any first-hand confirmation of this?
    
    		- Bruce

    
    I think my body read the pregnancy textbook. On the day I was 5
    weeks I woke up nauseous (sp?) and continued on that way every day
    morning, noon, and night. Well, I'll be 13 weeks/3 months this weekend
    and within the past week !BINGO! I'm hardly every feeling sick anymore.
    It's amazing!! The saltines helped, but I just ate what I felt like
    and stayed away from anything that revolted me. Many a time I would
    be looking forward to our planned supper and when my husband would
    put the plate in front of me I would just pick at it and then go
    get something else. 
    
    You do have my sympathy and I hope is doesn't last past your first
    trimester.
    
    Patty

    Kate - congratulations!  Believe me, you'll soon be feeling great.
    People were always telling me to eat bland food, that it would stay
    down better, but boy were they wrong!  I got nauseated by just looking
    at the stuff, but for some reason Mexican food stayed down just fine!
    Cheese and crackers, macaroni and cheese, and coke were a god-send too.
    I always kept some crackers or something next to the bed so when the
    midnight munchies struck I wouldn't have to go all the way downstairs
    to get something to eat.  My doctor said that the reason we feel
    nauseous (sp??) is because our stomachs are empty, so always try to 
    munch a few crackers - or whatever tastes good at the time.  
    
    Keep us posted!  And remember, this too shall pass...

    I ended up spending a fortune at the grocery store during my first
    trimester because I would just walk up and down the aisles and look at
    everything.  If it didn't turn my stomach to read the name of the food
    on the package, I bought it.  Then, when I got home, it suddenly didn't
    appeal to me anymore.  I still have an unopened package of swiss
    cheese from August.  For some reason, I can't bring myself to go back
    to this.
    
    By the way, my doctor told me to relax because the baby only needs
    about 50 calories this point.
    
    Anyways, I'm at 18 weeks now and eating absolutely everthing in site. 
    Meat no longer tastes like metal and spinach no longer tastes like sour
    cardboard. Here's a list of the things that I was usually able to eat
    during the rough times:
    
    By the way, I suggest you avoid chewy things. If the food hangs out in
    your mouth too long, you tend to want to spit it back up.
    
    Swiss Miss chocolate pudding (it was cool and creamy)
    Granny Smith Apples (sour)
    Pretzel rods
    Quaker instant oatmeal
    Raisins
    Clear soups (nothing creamy)
    Plain macaroni (such as baby pastina, wagon wheels)
    White bread
    
    Good luck.  By the way, TUMS is a good source of calcium and my doctor
    said go ahead and have em.  They don't contain aluminum like the other
    antacids.
    
    Nancy
    

    
    I sucked on Hersey kisses, of all things, on my way to work in the
    morning, during my first 13 weeks.  Also craved lots of tomato soup,
    and turkey.  Supposedly protein at night before sleeping, such as
    turkey, can help the nausea in the morning.
    
    I was surprised to see the comment about B6 capsules before bed.
    
    Ginger tea can also stem nausea, as can ginger snaps.
    

    Talk about bad memories.....
    
    I am 29 weeks pregnant with my second child and for the first four
    months was extremely sick. I was diagnosed as having hyperemesis (a
    fancy name translated meaning excessive vomiting). This condition hits
    a small percent of pregnant women and is characterized by so much
    nausea and/or vomiting that you can not keep fluids down and therefore
    become dehydrated and your electrolytes become dangerously imbalanced.
    In my case, I was hospitalized three times for a total of 12 days.They
    would place me on an IV with potassium until I stabilzed, then I had to
    prove to them I could keep down fluids on my own, then they'd let me go
    home (so I could end up back there in a week or two!!)
    
    I just have to say that I was sick with my first pregnancy, but it was
    NOTHING like this. I ended up losing 17 lbs. (vs. no loss with my first
    son) which I have been slowly regaining since I "recovered" at 4 months. 
    It was a horrendous time for me. I actually felt like an anorexic because 
    in my case, the problem was not so much vomiting as the inability to eat 
    or drink anything because the thought was so repulsive. ( I had thrown up 
    just about every food or drink item there is and could just look at a food
    and remember in detail what it felt like coming back up.)  For some
    reasons, I had the most difficulty getting down and keeping down fluids so
    it made my condition that much worse.    
    
    I don't enter this note to scare the base noter but to just  make
    people aware of this condition. Surprisingly, the condition is not that
    harmful for the baby. It's the mother who is at risk. (Except if the
    dehyration is not treated appropriately--the baby can feed off your
    fat, but DOES need fluids to keep going.) The nurses in the hospital
    told me about one woman who had lost 50 of her 140 lbs during her
    pregnancy because of hyperemesis and had a perfectly healthy baby (tho'
    she was hospitalized for most of it!!)
    
    If anyone wants more info or to just talk for sympathy, please feel
    free to contact me.
    
    Sandy

	A friend of my mother's is currently suffering for hyperemesis.  She 
is now 7 months pregnant and has only now gained any weight (2lbs).  Like the 
previous noter, she has been hospitalized several times to get rehydrated.  
Unlike, the previous noter, her condition did not end after the first trimester.
But she is doing better now.  They have put a drug pumup in her thigh (similar
to the new insulin pumps) that keeps an anti-nausea drug in her system. 

	She recently had an ultrasound.  The baby is right on track for size 
and weight, but Zenobia is skin and bones.  (Although that should get better 
now that she has some help.)

	This by the way is a first pregnancy.

Tracey 

    
    
    Well, I want to know, when does this nausea business end?  I am now
    15 weeks and I am still sick to my stomach.  Strangely enough, with
    both my pregnancies, I get sick late in the afternoon and stay sick all
    evening.  The thought of Chinese food makes me want to retch.  There is
    no justice in the world, eh?
    
    But really--I only remember being this sick for about 12 or 13 weeks
    with Hannah.  I don't feel this subsiding either.  Someone told me that
    chewing vitamin B12 gum works--anyone tried it.
    
    Also, I'm so tired--I literally have spent every weekend in bed since
    week 6.  My husband deserves the Congretional Medal of Honor.  
    
    I hate being pregnant--but love the outcome!  Whenever I meet someone
    who says "oh, I just loved being pregnant," I want to knock her teeth
    out.  How can anyone LOVE being pregnant?
    
    Being pregnant sucks, plain and simple.
    
    Bonnie
    
    
    

    .18 - I had to laugh! That's how I felt at the same point you're
    at (15 weeks). In my case, I felt MUCH better by 18 weeks. Most of
    the middle trimester was fine, and I don't think I ever felt nauseous
    again (but got some great cases of heartburn - it's always
    something...)

    re: .18
    
    I agree with you . . . there's gotta be an easier way.
    
    I was very tired all through my last pregnancy.  
    
    Getting a little gentle exercize during the day (walking,
    swimming) did help me get through the evenings.  But basically all
    you can do is sleep and wait for the end. 
    
    You might want to discuss it with your doctor -- cutting back your
    working hours might help.  Or it might not -- I tried it for a
    week or two and it didn't make much difference.
    
    --bonnie

I'm at 16 weeks and if I didn't hear the hearbeat at my monthly appointments, I
wouldn't know I was pregnant.

The only symptom I've had so far is the fatigue, which is going away.

I know, you all probably hate me, but I just wanted to add this note so others
know it isn't always misery.

I've actually had people look disappointed when they ask me how I feel and I
say, "Fine."  "You're not sick?" "No."

I just wish I could have one of those electronic stethascopes at home for when
I'm not feeling very pregnant.

We'll just see if I can make it to my due date and still be so lucky!

:)

Ln

    
    Ellen,
    May the heartburn of 1,000 camels visit you shortly.  I hate you.
    
    Regards (and Congratulations)
    
    Bonnie
    
    

    Kate,
    
    First, congratulations!!
    
    Second, I am very sympathetic.  I was nauseous, to some degree,
    throughout both of my pregnancies (though fortunately never to the 
    point of requiring hospitalization like Sandy and others!).  I found
    ginger ald and saltless saltines (oxymoron alert!) most helpful, but
    no miracle cure by any means.
    
    The one thing that did help me was to get plenty of sleep.  The more
    tired I was, the sicker I felt.  So make sure you take care of
    yourself!
    
    -Tracy
    

    I also needed to be hospitalized for Hyperemesis but unfortunately I
    still get sick and my baby (#1 and maybe the last!) is due January 11. 
    I am starting week 30 today and I tell you that the past 7 months have
    made for the longest days of my life.  I was out of work on disability
    for 3 1/2 months and recently returned because staying home was driving
    me crazy.  When I say morning sickness I mean throwing up at least 25
    times a day, not being able to hold down even ice chips or ginger ale. 
    I have tried everything under the sun and nothing helps.  One thing I
    found frustrating is that while I was vomiting for 4 days straight,
    every 20 to 25 minutes, I had a hard time convincing my doctor that I
    was dehydrating and needed to be carried by my husband to the bathroom
    because the lack of potassium was causing severe leg cramps every time
    I tried to stand up!  My husband finally got Pissed at the doctor at
    4:30 one morning and said "Meet us at the Emergency Room because that
    is where I am taking my wife".  I was hooked up to an IV for a week and
    when I came out of the hospital I was just as bad.  The one thing I
    learned is if you drink a glass of water and then throw up, at least
    1/4 of the glass will stay down, this will preventing you from
    dehydrating.  Once my doctor saw how bad I really was he of course
    appologized (a little too late if you ask me) and admitted that he let
    me go too long.  His feeling is that so many women call to say they
    have "bad" morning sickness and seem to not be able to handle throwing
    up a few times.  I tell you that I cannot wait for this baby to be born
    so that I will feel like a human being again!!

    .24
    
    Wow, I feel for you...I have a friend who had a similar pregnancy --
    she did decide having an only child was a fine idea...her son is happy
    and healthy and she is too, now that it's all over. I wish you an
    easy delivery and a happy baby.
    
    Lucy 
    

    .25
    
    Thank you for the well wishes!  This morning was just awful, I was just
    ready to walk out the door to come to work when "the waves" started in
    again (for the 4th time this morning alone) and of course up comes
    breakfast.  The most annoying part of this is that my mascara ran all
    over my face and I had to start all over from square one.  I go to the
    doctor again tonight and am not looking forward to "the scale".
    
    Ellen

                    "I'M PREGNANT AND I CAN'T GET UP"
    
    .26 --> Thank you for giving me a good chuckle!!!

    Ellen,
    
    This may be off-the-wall, but I wonder if you have considered trying
    acupuncture? Supposedly it can help. We can talk off-line if you
    want (send mail). 
    
    Lucy             

    Re: .27
    
    Hubby thought of "I'm Pregnant and I Can't Get Up".  I was sitting on
    the floor one day cleaning the doors on my entertainment center and my
    back starting hurting real bad, I asked for a little help to get up and
    that is what he came up with - now he won't stop saying it!!
    
    Re: 28
    
    Does acupuncture hurt?  Did it work for you?
    
    Ellen
    

    I haven't had acupuncture myself yet, but my husband and a good friend
    have both done it. Generally it does not hurt (may tingle). It's based
    on concepts totally different from western-style medicine. It worked
    for their problems, but you'd need to talk to a practitioner to see if
    it makes sense for you. Let me know if you need names of people in your
    area.
    
    Lucy
    

    
    Not to go down a rathole but concerning Acupuncture..  I was being
    treated with Acupuncture for my asthma and some female problems..
    I told him, I wanted to get pregnant..  He said that when I get
    REALLY serious about it, to stop the treatment..  What it does is
    put your body in touch with itself..  And what a baby does is mess
    up the signals..  Cause it's sort of an invasion to your body..
    Now, don't beat on me..  it's just info I'm passing on..  I stopped
    oh about 2 years ago, and got pregnant just fine and rather easily
    which surprised me after having 3 miscarriages..  But Andrew is
    now part of us and things are fine.  I have restarted - that's a
    whole other story..
    
    So I would check with the Acupunturist and go from there..  and
    if you want a recommendation, I can give you one..  Just send me
    mail off line..  
    
    
    Take care
    		/Penny

    Here's what worked for me, and also what my OB recommended.  For my
    nausea, which seemed worse at night, and I also had the "empty stomach"
    nausea, I bought a bottle of EMETROL, it's over the counter primarily
    for relieving nausea in children, and I recall it's primary ingredient
    is some derivitive of sugar.  
    
    I always started the day with a bowl of regular cooked (in the
    microwave) oatmeal.  (that's 1 part oatmeal to 2 parts water, cooked in
    the micro for about 3 minutes), that just about held me till I got to
    work, where I had a blueberry (had to be blueberry) muffin and
    cranapple juice, with just a tiny bit of soda water added.  Probably as
    others have said, it;s the fizz.
    
    If I was having a bad day at lunch it was lettuce, tomatoe and american
    cheese on white with a coke.
    
    I also ate antacid like it was going out of style, Tempo brand, the
    soft chewy ones were the only ones that didn't leave a metalic taste in
    my mouth.
    
    Don't get discouraged, at 3 months and a day it all went away...like
    clockwork!!
    
    Thinking of you!
    Lyn
    

    I know how you feel, I was so sick my first 4 months.  I am now 21
    weeks and can actually eat regular food.  I was out of work for 1 week
    in my second month, I wouldn't get off the couch or talk to anyone.  I
    was also very depressed, I didn't know what was happening to my body.
    My husband was ready to pack his bags and live at home again!  I really
    made his life miserable.  Now, I am so happy about this pregnancy being
    my first one and all.  I have only gained 8lbs because I lost weight in
    my first few months.  I still don't feel 100 percent better, the only
    real complaint I have is being tired!!!  I can't make it past 9:00.
    I am glad to know that I wasn't the only one who felt this way.
    
    
    Kim-the-new-parent
    
    

    Congratulations Kate!  I, too, am due in July and feel sick morning,
    noon, and night.  The worst is when I'm due for breakfast lunch or
    dinner!  Often I think that if I could just throw up I'd feel better,
    but so far nothing closer than dry heaves.
    
    One thing I do find queer is that most food smells and tastes BETTER
    than it ever did before.  It's great until about an hour later, when I
    start feeling sick again.  And snacking at night???  Forget it! 
    NOTHING tempts me at all!
    
    I'm hoping we're both in the category of women who snap out of it the
    the 2nd trimester.  Good luck!
    
    Dale

    
    
    For some of you Moms-to-be and Moms:
    
    	Approximately how soon after conception did the nausea start?
    
    	Was it accompanied by any dizziness?
    
    
    
    					Darlene

    With #1, I was nauseated practically from conception, right through
    delivery (litterally vomited during delivery).  With AJ I had only mild
    nausea but it too started almost at conception.  Heartburn was my first
    and biggest clue, I ate Tempo antacids by the carload!
    
    This too will pass!
    Lyn
    

    No "morning" (or anytime) sickness here, but I did barf many many times
    during labor.  I'm quite sure that was my response to pain, though (not
    hormonal queasiness)... my reasoning is that it's not unusual to
    vomit during (severely painful) menstrual cramps.
    
    L.W.

    
    I woke up the morning my period was 1 week late nauseous as all get
    out. Only later in the pregnancy (I'm now 23 weeks) did I realize that
    when I was 4 days late I had morning sickness not sea sickness while
    out sailing. The "morning" sickness continued for the next 8 weeks
    morning, noon, and night though I never physically got sick. 
    
    Patty
    

    For me, the nausea started each time within two weeks of conception.
    
    -Tracy
    

    Has anyone tried or heard of using acupressure for morning sickness??
    
    I bought some sea bands for motion sickness while boating.  These bands
    are given to the Royal Navy for sea sickness.  They worked well for
    me when on those rare occasions when I felt sea sick.
    
    When I was pregnant, I had only a couple of instances of morning 
    sickness.  I used my sea bands and felt better within the hour. The ads
    for these bands are now also promoting their use for morning sickness.
    They cost about 15.00 for a pair, most boating magazines have ads
    for them.  
    
    I don't know the complete theory behind acupressure, but it worked for
    me.  

    I've tried Sea Bands for pregnancy nausea and they didn't work,
    although I wanted them to, desperately :-).
    
    Acupressure works to interrupt the signal from the nerve center to the
    source - there are various acupressure points throughout the body 
    which correspond to different organs and pain points.  The difficulty
    controlling pregnancy nausea with Sea Bands may be that the source of
    the nausea is different than seasickness - it tends to be hormone
    induced rather than motion/upset stomach induced.  The Sea Bands only
    stimulate the pressure point, I assume, that induces motion sickness.
    Believe me, though, I've tried everything this pregnancy, and nothing
    has worked!