Pregnancy & HG

Pregnancy & Morning Sickness

The joys of being pregnant, or the torture? I am sorry to say that I do not miss being pregnant at all. The most joyous moments of pregnancy for me are: finding out that I am pregnant, feeling the baby move, seeing the baby for the first time and the moment of labor and birthing. Other than that I do not miss it.  

The reality is that with both my pregnancies I was really sick most of the time: throwing up, dehydrated, uncomfortable, maybe even a bit depressed. I had hyperemesis gravidarum. which is severe nausea and vomiting throughout the pregnancy and I was not able to keep down much food or water.

I could hardly keep anything down the first trimester, the second trimester had its ups and downs and then the third trimester back to throwing up to the point that I had an esophageal tear and the scare of throwing up blood due to the gastric juices irritating my esophagus. 

So no, I do not miss being pregnant one bit. I remember how thankful I was just to be able to eat a meal after the birth of both of my daughters. And I love to eat! For some reason I could not smell coffee or rice while pregnant, just a hint would make me throw up. I wondered if I would ever be able to have either, and right after I birthed both of my daughters, neither smell bothered me, and now I am able to enjoy them once again. 

The miracle of pregnancy is amazing, for me it is a bit torturous, but I am still in awe of how incredible the human body is and the coming together of a new being and soul.

I hope this information helps to alleviate the symptoms of morning sickness or 24/7 nausea that affects expecting women and that it will help them have a break from throwing up.

Take it easy, some things might work some days and not others. Try not to stress and take one day at a time. If you are feeling down, please talk to someone and express your feelings, get as much help as possible. It's not easy, but it definitely is worth it in the end!

TIPS FOR MANAGING MORNING SICKNESS

Advice from suffering from Hyperemesis Gravidarum

This is not medical advice, just some things that have helped me get through the symptoms at times and I share this in the hope of helping other women who are also going through it.

Acupuncture: visit a professional acupuncturist to receive a treatment, it really does work wonders!

Acupressure: get acupressure bands to place on your wrists for nausea relief, get a couple that way you can switch them out (for example one for home, one for work, or to have one on while the other is being washed). Sold at any pharmacy.

Ginger gum, ginger candy, sips of ginger tea (use in moderation since ginger is believed to bring on contractions).

sips of Anis tea, Yogi Woman's Mother to Be herbal tea, Lemonade, Vitamin Water, Sweet Leaf Organic Mint & Honey Green Tea (you can make your own mint tea or mint & green tea with honey at home too). Mint is believed to bring on contractions too, so just drink a little or none at all if you are concerned about this. These drinks were really helpful for me since I was not able to drink plain water during my pregnancy. Towards the end I was able to drink Perrier and San Pellegrino mineral waters.

Try to have a small meal or snack every two to three hours to avoid nausea, a combination of protein and carbohydrates is great. Try to at least eat some crackers and peanut butter, I noticed that when my stomach was empty I would get more nausea, it could have been a combination of low blood sugar, stress, or the digestive juices turning.

Protein shakes like Boost or Ensure if unable to eat much.

Kefir yogurt was one of the few things I was able to keep down without any problem.

Vitamin B6, there are even vitamin B6 lollipops.

Fresh air: make sure to take deep breaths of fresh air during the day. Open your bedroom window in the morning, go out for nature walks, try to relax as much as possible.

Take time to rest, sleep in, take naps, as much as possible.

Manage Stress: think about what is making you have nausea, what is stressing you out in life, what are you worried about, there is definitely an emotional and psychological link to it. Everything is connected, our mind, body and soul, so it really helps to have some kind of balance.

Meditation, Yoga, Guided Imagery, anything that helps you be calm and focused.

if you need Medical Intervention:

Prescribed Anti-Nausea Medication: Zofran & Phenergan. Try one or both, see what works for you. Zofran was really helpful for me, Phenergan did not do much. A friend of mine told me that when she alternated doses of Zofran and Phenergan it really helped her. Every body is different as every pregnancy is different, so do what works for you.

IV fluids

TPN (Total Parenteral Nutrition): receiving a nutrition formula via IV. A close friend of mine also suffers from hyperemesis gravidarum when she is pregnant and this has helped her a lot. My healthcare providers did not give this to me as a choice and I wish I would have known that this was something that could help.

Dehydration is a serious complication from Hyperemesis Gravidarum. Please see your Healthcare provider as soon as you have any signs or symptoms of dehydration. Signs and symptoms are: thirst, dry mucous membranes, headache, constipation, sunken eyes, lethargy, orthostatic hypertension (decreased blood pressure and dizzyness or fainting when standing up), increased heart rate and respiration.

Things I learned recently: Hyperemesis Gravidarum could be due to gluten sensitivity, also a diet low in Magnesium before pregnancy could be another factor. A friend of mine that also had it is really into essential oils lately and she has recommended using DigestZen from doTerra.