I’m pregnant! Yay! But what in God’s name is this? About 5 weeks into my first trimester I started feeling really awful. I thought I was coming down with some sort of stomach bug it was so bad. Here comes morning sickness! This is not what everyone said it would be. I expected to maybe feel like this in the morning and better as the day wore on. Apparently that was not the case for me. I felt worse and worse as the day wore on. Calling it morning sickness really is not accurate. It can hit you at any time and last as long as it feels like.

I Feel Awful

Morning sickness stinks! Well it did for me anyway. It was the absolute worst part of pregnancy. I was miserable pretty much from start to finish and I hated it. There is nothing worse than throwing up every single time you move. Nothing would stay down, not water and certainly not food. Well ok I lied….ice cream stayed down, sometimes.

What Causes Morning Sickness?

The American Pregnancy Association says that “Morning sickness refers to the nauseous feeling you may have during the first trimester of pregnancy, which is a result of the increased hormone levels (hCG) in your body. Morning sickness can be accompanied with vomiting. Many doctors think morning sickness is a good sign because it means the placenta is developing well.” That’s great and all but I wanted to know more on why on earth I felt like I was going to die.

After doing a bunch of research, I still could not find any real answers or solutions. What I did find though, was that the biggest culprit was the increase in hormone levels due to pregnancy. Other reasons were low blood sugar, excessive fatigue, too much stress, traveling and/or having more than one baby. I can’t imagine how awful I would have felt if I was having twins.

Treating Morning Sickness

While I did not find a tried and true cure for morning sickness, I did find some tips to help:

• Since your sense of taste and smell increases, take note of what triggers it and try to avoid those things.
• Eat smaller more frequent meals
• Some foods help more than others, starchy foods like bread, chips, ginger etc.
• Peppermint is a natural remedy for nausea and candy canes were a quick fix to help in the moment along with Ginger and Vitamin B6.
• STAY HYDRATED. If water won’t stay down (it did not for me) try herbal tea, milk (lowfat or non-fat only) and/or watermelon.
• Taking prenatal vitamins is so important so try and take them with a meal

The most important thing though is to listen to your body. Everyone is different. All pregnancies are different. Studies show that 80% of women suffer from some form of morning sickness. Make sure you speak with your OB to find the best treatment for you. There are other options too if the above isn’t working. There are products out there like SeaBands that apply pressure to a point in your wrist to alleviate nausea and prescription medication from your doctor or midwife if necessary.

Hyperemesis Gravidarum

This is an entirely separate beast and something I don’t wish on anyone. I never realized there was a word for how I felt and probably should have discussed how much I suffered with my OB. I was never officially diagnosed with this but after reading more about this it became clear to me that this was my problem. Hyperemesis Gravidarum is no joke. The American Pregnancy Association says this “is a condition characterized by severe nausea, vomiting, weight loss and electrolyte disturbance.” But honestly it was awful. I could not move without throwing up and lost 20 pounds in my first trimester with my first two pregnancies during the first trimester. UGH

Symptoms of HG

• Severe nausea and vomiting that does not subside and goes beyond your first trimester
• Weight loss of 5% or more
• Migraines/headaches
• Dehydration
• Excessive tiredness/fatigue
• Fainting and dizziness
• And so much more….

Sometimes it can be hard to tell morning sickness from HG. With morning sickness there is occasional vomiting that will subside and end with your first trimester where HG is more severe and usually does not subside throughout your pregnancy. HG causes severe vomiting which can bring on severe dehydration which is harmful to you and your growing baby. HG does not allow you to keep anything down at all.

Chat with Your Doctor

Regardless of whether you have morning sickness or Hyperemesis Gravidarum you should always discuss these things with your OB or Midwife. Do not start any treatment plans or medication without your doctor’s knowledge or consent. I went through a lot when I was pregnant but I am not a doctor. I needed medication just to keep food and water down but was still so sick throughout. Dairy helped soothe my tummy at times along with my SeaBands. Thankfully the end result was more than worth it and it did end once the kids were born. If you suffer from any of this, know you are not alone. <3

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Stephanie Rubyor Photography

 

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