Morning Sickness

Vitamin B6. if she can't keep it down orally her doc can prescribe it for intramuscular injection at home. this helped for me! acupuncture also helped me a ton. i would feel good for about 24 hours after a treatment. My acupuncturist works with lots of pregnant moms, her name is Dr. Meaghan Woodruff at Bloom Natural Healthcare on Killingsworth in NE PDX. hope she is feeling better soon.

Morning sickness is often due to the mom's blood sugar being off when she wakes. A high protein snack at bed time and a snack when she wakes up at night often does it.

Also be careful about these drugs, in the past some have caused birth defects.

For more information go to www.blueribbonbaby.org

With my first I had 24 hours a day, 7 days per week nausea through the entire pregnancy. It was awful and I tried everything. I had even moved the dog's bed into the bathroom so I would have a place to curl up in between heaving. My abdominal muscles were SO sore. I remember one night I just collapsed into my husband's lap and cried because I felt so terrible.

The "typical" morning sickness medication didn't do a thing for me. (I'm trying to remember the name of it, but I think it starts with an "R" - I guess it helps you digest your food more quickly.)

Phenergan was the only medication that helped me at all. The bad thing was that it made me drowsy (and I was in my last semester of law school . . . so I needed to be able to focus a little bit), so I cut them into quarters and took as little as possible. I took Phenergan throughout the entire pregnancy. I was still very queasy, but it really helped control the constant vomitting. My baby was born perfectly healthy - no problems at all. And my OB assured me Phenergan was safe . . . and was definitely safer than being incapable of keeping anything down!

My second pregnancy started out the same way, but I wasn't as violently ill with that pregnancy. I had the Phenergan for the first part of the pregnancy, but the sour Preggie Pop Drops (from Motherhood Maternity) really helped me get through the rest of the pregnancy.

Eating crackers or bread helped me; not letting myself get hungry also helped. If I got hungry and nauseated, eating crackers or bread fixed it right away (even as hard as it can be to eat when nauseated). Sometimes I had to gag it down, but it would do the trick as soon as it got to my stomach. Bananas didn't seem to help. I've read to have crackers at the bedside and to eat some before even getting out of bed. It can be a vicious cycle, to feel sick, so not want to eat, and get sicker...

clear bubbly soda, like sprite or 7 up and soda crackers, saltines, ritz,ect. and block cheese, just a few bites. All these helped me at any needed moment. Oh, and ofcourse, small meals, avoid the greasy, heavy foods. A good whole food prenatal from the local health food store went down much better and I felt a huge difference in my over all function. Good luck and God bless. :)

My sister inlaw was told to take half a unisom before bed. I dont know how or why, but it helped tremendously with mornig sickness. Her sister also did this and it worked.

The only thing that worked for me was Preggo Pops! They saved my life! You can buy them online and at some maternity shops.
Motherhood Maternity has them in there stores I also think I got them off babycenter.com one time but I could be wrong.
They are a hard candy that is made of all nautral stuff, they have them on a stick or like a cough drop.
I wouldn't have ever left the bathroom without finding them. Only wish I had found them with the first two where coming along.

i had all levels of morning sickness with my three kids and the sea sick bands they sell at the store helped and i also used the prescription with one and the other two i used vitamin b6 50mg and half a unisom. i also used papaya pills to settle my stomach and help with acid reflex. you can get these at a vitamin store and make sure they are the peach ones(they taste good), the white ones are chalky and gross. saltines or cheese before you get our of bed in the am or a glass of milk.

Eating....helps. That's what my doctor told me, I was lucky I was just nauseas...not really throwing up. It was also during the day not when I first got up. Bananas, peppermint, saltine crackers all work. It just depends on each person as well. To my understanding the reason why we don't feel good is because we are producing more bile and stomach acid and our bodies are just plain out of whack. Eating is the best remedy. Something in the stomach is better than nothing and that gross stuff. Good luck. I feel for your daughter.

S.,

I am a mother of three; my last child was born when I was 42. During each of my pregnancies, I was sick from 6 weeks all the way to the end. Typically, I felt better when I did NOT eat. Each time meal time came, it tasted great going down, but a few minutes later, I began to feel poorly again. I tell you this only because I was not the "norm," so my advice may not work for your daughter.

What I found that worked for me sounds a bit crazy to do during pregnancy, but I checked my ob/gyn and he said I could continue as long as I did not overdo it. So what did I do? I carried around with me a small container of salt. Occasionally, I would wet the end of my finger and dip it into the salt and put it on the end of my tongue -- yes I ate little bits of salt throught the day! It worked like a miracle for me. Of course, I could only stand it until my heartburn got too bad -- but that's another story :).

I know that many are gasping when I say that I ate salt, but it did not really amount to very much, as I only put a bit on the end of my finguer. Do, though, check with your doc if this does work for you and you want to give it a try.

Good luck; I feel your pain,
L.

The thing that helped me the most was not letting myself get hungry (which meant eating in the middle of the night). I kept granola bars and bananas by my bed so that when I woke up to go to the bathroom I could eat a banana or a granola bar. Sometimes I'd make a bowl of cereal instead. This really helped since I wouldn't wake up having gone all night without eating. Even she does feel nauseous it's better to eat crackers or something than let herself get even hungrier. That's part of the problem, you feel nauseous so you don't eat, which just make the nausea worse.

Strong ginger tea, if she likes ginger. It works wonders for chemo nausea. I found the sweeter the better when Im not feeling well (not from chemo, just when Im sick.) It needs to be fresh, micro planed ginger root, to taste, but as strong as possible, hot water and honey or sugar to taste. Drink it hot as possible.

Have her take her vitamin with milk and some crackers. Stay away from strong food smells and get outside to breath some fresh air.

Try a snack high in protein (any kind of nuts work great). As soon as she gets up in the morning and through out the day, she should eat a handful of nuts. Also, a vitamin B supplement (in adition to her prenatal vitamin) will help.

I was horribly sick with my first pregnancy, not just morning, but morning, noon, and night, until the day we went to the hospital to induce. Anyway, I always kept saltines by my bed. I also used a product called, "Preggie Pops" and "Preggie Drops", which can be found at most maternity stores. Pops are suckers and drops are like cough drops. They come in both fruity flavors and natural flavors (lavendar, ginger, etc) and they helped quite a bit. I kept them on my nightstand and sucked on one until gone before I got out of bed. I carried them in my purse too, because I was one who had to eat within 15 minutes of feeling hungry or I'd be sick. They would tie over that nausaus/hungry feeling until I could get somewhere to eat. Good luck to your daughter.

Hi S.,
my daughter also has lots of morning sickness, but a nutritional powder really helped. She has used it for a prenatal for 3 babies- all very healthy and she had plenty of milk too! I am very busy so don't have time for lengthy emails, but would be happy to answer an questions you have by phone. ###-###-#### A. Swift
My husband and I live on a ranch just outside of The Dalles, Oregon.

With the advice of my doctor, I took Unisom. I would take 1/4 to 1/2 tablet at night....and tried to only do take it 3-4 times per week. It has the ingredient doxylamine in it, which is known to help w/ morning sickness. (see: http://www.medgen.com/shop/articles/article/84 ) It did not cure my morning sickness completely, but it improved it so that I could at least eat something & function. (I had horrible "all day" sickness for about 14 weeks with each of my 3 pregnancies. I took Unisom with the last 2 and had excellent results.)

Of course I would not take ANYTHING without first consulting your doctor......

Another idea if you can eat something is to eat fresh pineapple. The juice/acid in a pineapple is actually neutralizing to the usual problems of morning sickness. It was one of the only things I could stomach during my first pregnancy & it did help some.

****I just read some of the other responses & see others took Unisom too! :) I did take B6 as well - forgot about that....I didn't have as great of results w/ it. Also, remember - it's more important to eat something than nothing at all. At 4 months pregnant w/ my first, I was still a negative 8 pounds from my starting weight. She told me just to EAT - even if it was an ice cream & pickles & saltines :). I did eat so many saltines & pineapple during those times I can hardly stomach them to this day! :) HA HA

Good luck!

Morning Wellness Tea, and small constant snacking of green grapes and plain crackers (like saltines or some whole wheat equivalent). Feel better soon!

I am past having babies but alot of my younger friend have been taking a B complex and it is totally eliminating their morning sickness. Have her ask her doctor about it. All my friends are totally convinced.

I had morning sickness really bad with my third child and they tired meds on me but I would just fall alsleep wasn't good because I had a 4 yr old and a 3 year old and so I did acupunture. It really works. or sea bands. You can by then at carrs. They helped too.

I had a girlfriend who swore by coffee & dry toast for breakfast. I said, "I thought we were supposed to avoid coffee". She said "It doesn't matter, it's not staying down. And, it's the only thing that tastes the same coming up as going down."

A. v

I had horrible morning sickness and the dr. gave me meds that did not help. i then tried ginger altoids and they worked wonders. I still felt a little sick but could get something down so then I would feel better. Good Luck!!!

i'd also endorse the sea-bands. they sell them at rite aid & other drug stores, just around $12 or so. i was constantly nauseated in the first 3 months, and lived on gatorade (just the lemon flavor - if you buy it in powder form & add water, it's really cheap) and ginger beer (don't worry - no alcohol - just really strong ginger). i was only able to eat certain things at a time... for a while it was thai food - ginger stir fry, then pad thai, then rice with egg & froz veggies & a little soy sauce & sesame oil. i'd get on kicks of what felt ok. very frustrating. sometimes potato chips would settle my stomach. salty things felt good. i slept whenever i wasn't working, and was lucky to have a work schedule of working in later afternoon - evening, as the nausea wasn't quite as bad late in the day.

I can totally sympathize with her. I lost 19 lbs my first pregnancy and 22 lbs my second. I've always thought it was the best diet I've ever been on. ;) Anyways, I used saltine crackers and lots of water. As long as she's able to hold down liquids they won't be too concerned. Whenever I was craving foods I'd have strawberries and grapes. They are the easiest to throw up (they taste the same both ways). I ended up having to use suppositories but I still was sick constantly for 2.5 months or so. I'm sure you're getting much better advice but I wanted to say congratulations and good luck. Oh, I also kept werthers (?) candy by the bed. In the morning I'd pop one in and it seemed to really help.

Hello S.,

I used crystallized ginger, ginger tea and also those wristbands for motion sickness. These worked best. There is a little ball that presses on an acupressure point just above the wrist in the middle of the inside of the fore-arm. I think you can find those in drugstores and travel stores.

Good luck to your daughter. This is a terrible time, it gets better after 3-4 months.

Peace,
K.

Both peppermint and black licorice are used for settling the stomach/nausea....
However if you eat them in candy form the sugar will make the problem worse! :) Try a health food store or get the purest form of them you can find - I used Altoids.
Also, if it's really bad in the mornings, try keeping something to nibble on the nightstand and eat just a little before trying to get up and move around on an empty stomach.
And if her pre-natal vitamins make it worse, try taking them at bed time so she can sleep through it.

I had all day long "morning sickness" during my last pregnancy. Finally my OB said I could try 1/2 a unisom and some B6 vitamins. This combination nearly eliminated my morning sickness.

Also, I've found that if I get dehydrated at all during pregnancy the morning sickness is much more extreme. It seems to be a spiral. If you can't keep it down, it's hard to keep hydrated. The more dehydrated, the more you can't keep it down. I found that I could keep Pedialyte down a bit better than just ordinarly water or Gatorade.

orange juice worked for me!

She can try "Sea Bands". Thay are things you wear on both wrists that hold an accupressure spot. You can purchase them at most large pharmacies (walgreens etc.)These saved me during my second pregnancy! Hope they help her too!

I was sick with my second child my entire pregnancy. I took something called Digest-Ease. It was the only thing that worked for me. It is natural & I have had many of my friends take it. It also helps with the swelling & water retention that happens for most women. I'd be hapy to help her get some of this. It's $30.95 for a bottle of 60. I am an independent rep of it & I do have a bottle on hand if she would like to give it a try. I also offer free samples to try before she buys.

Hi,
Everyone is different, so you have to experiment until you find something that works. I didn't throw up, but always felt sick until I learned to eat something every two hours all day long. I used granola bars, applesauce, milkshakes, whatever sounded good. It was all about the constant eating and then not eating too much each time. I have a friend who found sour things helpful and she ate Sweethearts the entire pregnancy. You can tell her too that being sick is a very good sign for a healthy baby!

I was sick 24 hours a day for the first 4 months of my first pregnancy. It was indeed terrible. I probably ate 500 calories a day. My saving grace with my second pregnancy was ginger syrup (brand: New Chapter... found in natural food stores) in bubbly water. It didn't take the nausea away completely, but was very refreshing and didn't give me as much sugar as a ginger soda.

I used a Ginger B6 supplement, which you can pick up at Super Supplements. It did wonders!

Also, if you're really nauseated for any reason, try cologne or perfume under the nose. It really works (temporarily).

I was nauseous during my entire pregnancy. I tried all the regular stuff - crackers, ginger, Unisom and B6, regular anti-nausea medicines... The only medication that worked for me was Zofran. See if she can get that prescription from her doctor. I also used a multivitamin that was more gentle on the stomach than others. It was New Chapter's Ogranics. Cheapest if you get it online. It made a big difference as well. Hopefully hers will subside after the first trimester. The biggest thing is to make sure that she stays hydrated. I had to go to the hospital for an IV quite a few times because of dehydration. Staying hydrated is the most important thing at this point.

I used to throw every bit of meal and water during my early weeks but no to morning sickness tea did great help and eased me from this freaky sickness.

I found that taking prenatal vitamins made my morning sickness worse. At maternity stores and Babys R Us they sell pregnancy pops that are supposed to help morning sickness, and then there is always good old toast and saltines... My morning sickness lasted for 5 months with all 3 of my pregnancy. Sorry I can't be of more help. Sometimes you just don't feel good. It will pass.

Had it my whole pregnancies with my boys, hardly at all with my girls. I got so violently sick with my youngest son (and last child) that I had a diet of saltine crackers and a medication from the doctor called metoclopromide. The medication was like a miracle pill the majority of the time. Good luck!

I had morning sickness really bad with all three of my kids. I found that just to be able to feel somewhat better,if I just went ahead and got sick then I would feel better for awhile. But I had it all through the pregancy. I would even weake up to get sick. And nothing worked for me either. Just do it get it over with and keep crackers on hand...
H.

Hi, been there done that for 4 1/2 months with my oldest son. Eat a high protein snack at bedtime like yogurt or cheese and crackers. And do not hit the floor running. Keep some saltines at your bedside table and eat 4-5 before even thinking of getting up, then sit on the edge of the bed for about 5min, then stand for about 5min before starting to go for the day. It's the hitting the floor running that triggers the throwing up thus the getting up in stages. And once you can eat do so in small meals all day instead of 3 lg meals. This way you do not get an empty tummy that could also make you nauseous. If this doesn't work they had me take Ematrol (sp?) it's a motion sickness med to break the cycle. Check with your Dr before using the Ematrol though maybe things have changed since 1985...My son's girlfriend is expecting and they gave her some kind of med that was the same thing his best friend is getting for nausea from chemo. Best of luck and remember this too shall pass. Oh, one other thing that helped me was Cinnamon Hard Candy lol don't ask me why but it still helps settle a queezy tummy for me. Blessings, W.

I have had morning sickness my entire third pregnancy. If it is the prenatal vitamins making her sick than have her switch to a children's chewable (just make sure that the vitamin equivalents are the same, especially the folic acid and iron). It usually takes 3-4 tablets to amount to a prenatal but if you spread them out throughout the day it can help with the nausea until she can take them again. Drink plenty of water!! Dehydration is usually the biggest cause of morning sickness. I found that lemon drops worked well to combat a sour stomach (sounds crazy I know but when you are so tired of being sick you will try anything). Good Luck! Hopefully it will pass soon!

I had very bad "morning" sickness for the first 16 weeks of my pregnancy. The advice to eat a little did nothing because I threw up everything I ate about two minutes after I ate it. I ended up having B6 injections once or twice a week--which definately helped. I also stopped taking all vitamins during that period. They made me almost violently sick and when I stopped I wasn't as sick. I also had some medicine from my midwife, but it made me so sleepy when I took it so I tried to take one, wait for it to kick in, eat, then go to bed. If it wasn't for those pills I don't think I would have eaten the first 4 months. There is a book called "when morning sickness lasts all day" that my midwife had which talked about different foods for morning sickness--that some people need sour food (lemons, citrus, etc), some feel better with vinegar type foods (like pickles), some feel better with salty, startchy foods. I tried the seaband wrist things and they didn't really work too well for me. What did help more than anything was fresh outside air and eventually pickles...I ended up getting IVs from dehydration...tell her to hang in there...it's an aweful feeling to be so sick...

Make sure she's drinking enough water throughout the day in addition to the small meals, etc. Dehydration can totally compound morning sickness. Although it should be called anytime sickness!

Hi there!

I have two suggestions that might work- one is to keep crackers by her bed and eat a few about an half hour before she plans to get up and out of bed. This seems to be enough time to keep you from getting sick while you are getting up/showering, etc.
Another thing to try is something you can find at the health food stores..I think it's called Ginger Wonder. It's a liquid and ginger is supposed to help calm the stomach.

Hope this helps!!

Cola syrup helps with any kind of nausea. You can find it at the drug store. I don't remember how you take it but it probably says on the bottle.

I see there are a lot of different suggestions for morning sickness! What worked the best for me was peppermint tea. I didn't necessarily have to drink it, but sometimes just inhaling the peppermint vapor helped.

I have had four babies and experienced Extreme! morning sickness with all four. Each pregnancy was progressively shorter periods of morning sickness so at least it has only gotten better. The only thing that really took the edge off the nausea for me was taking half of a unisom (I used store brand) tablet before bed. My midwife said that it was safe for me and baby, and that the Doxilamine Succinate (Sp?) would ease the nausea. You may want to just ask your doctor about it and see what he/she thinks.

If the phenegrin isn't working then she will need to get Zofran. It is much better, though much more expensive (though they do have a generic now). Also it will help if she goes in to get hydrated (by iv) if she hasn't been able to keep anything down in a while. She'll feel so much better afterwards that often it gives the medicines a chance to work.

What always worked for me and has worked for my daughters during their pregnancies was as simple as a pack of lifesavers! I carried them with me everywhere and at the first sign of nausea I would pop one in my mouth. She can pick her favorite flavor if she is sensitive to some of the flavors, but the fruity ones always worked well for me.

I hope it works! Congratulations on your upcoming grandchild! Grandparenting is SO MUCH FUN!!!
M.

Like many of the mom's below, I was hit with "morning-sickness" 24 hrs a day for the first 4 months. And, I was traveling for work, so this made those airplane rides and hotel stays ever more pleasant! I tried many things. What worked for me was carrying around a box of graham crackers and avoiding acidy foods/drinks, like OJ, etc. The graham crackers were something I enjoyed eating/liked the taste and I would eat two first thing in the am, before even fully sitting up in bed. That helped A LOT. I could then get up without hitting the china-goddess and get ready for my day. Then I would go straight to breakfast and fill up on oatmeal or pancakes or other "binding" type foods. The key for me was finding something for which I had at least a bit of an appetite and keeping something in my stomach. I would be eating graham crackers in business meetings, etc. Hope something in here helps! The good thing is that it WILL pass!

Sea-Bands!

http://www.sea-band.com/seaband.htm

Hi S.,
Yes all moms pretty much go through that stage some have been very lucky as to have no problem at all it happened to me on my third child and was it welcomed, One way I can truly say is have your daughter stay in bed sitting up slowly eating saltine crackers and drinking water or a flavored sports drink people like after a long run, because they put the salt back into the body that your body flushes out with just normal sleep or a work out,carrying a baby is a big work out from start to finish after a 15 mins to a half hour she may feel totally different it will balance her body system again.
do not worry the saltine crackers and drinks will not add or hurt her baby or her in anyway do not do low sodium she needs the salt not much in them anyway. happy munching, God bless her and baby & you Grandma to be. S.,

MINT!!! Any kind - however Altoids are the strongest! I still use them whenever I feel queezy!

Yes, better medication! I've been really sick and they often prescribe something that doesn't work. There is a pill that does, but insurance often balks at it - it cost my insurance $3500!

Also, I know this sounds weird, but cut a lemon in half and suck on it. It won't help if you're already in the throws of vomiting, but if you're queasy it's a great cure.

I used fresh ginger and ginger tea. That really helped!! Also try Gatorade if you like the taste! Hope it helps - depends on if the morning sickness is a medical condition (look online for advice) or just simply a reaction to pregnancy hormones. Good luck!!

Dear S.,
There are wrist bands sold at drug stores that use acupressure and they work! I used them the first time for sea sickness and went from unbearable nausea to feeling well in a few minutes. I was not sick for the rest of the cruise and saw many people walking around with the little grey wristbands.
Another sure way is to chew ginger root. Peel it, chop it into bits and chew it. Spit it out when the flavor is gone or the nausea is gone.
Light and Love,
C.

I've heard good things about pressure point bands for the wrist. There is a company that has just started making some geared toward pregnant women. They are a little spendy, but if they work it would be well worth it.

http://www.firstimpressionsbaby.com/shop/index.php?main_p...

I too had a terrible time. what worked for me wasODT(oral disinagrating) ZOFRAN. I had some problems with constipation,but I'd rather that. Also the RELIEF BAND was a huge help its not like the motion sickness bands. It sends a small electronic pulse to your wrist which help disconnect the brain gut connection. People with cancer use it alot. Its expensive but definately worth it. If she is close I might be able to let her try mine out before she spends alot on it.
(http://www.drugstore.com/qxp182550_334918_sespider/relief...

I love it and still use when I get nauseated. Lots of liquids definately help. I lived in New Mexico so it was very hard to stay hydrated. I struggled with this big time. I developed kidney stones and couldn;t get rid of them. I ended up with an IV every weekend.

Best of luck
A.

great for sickness ...anise drops , I'm from mexico and we can get it easy ready to drink , but here I just found organic anise flavor from frontier natural take between 10 or 20 drops every morning you'll see works great and it wont hurt your grantchild
you can find them at www.frontiercoop.com

ginger in tea,food or capsules.

S.,

Try ginger teas, or ginger ale, ginger candies, etc. It really helps calm the unsettled tummy. Traditional Medicine Teas make a great Organic Ginger Tea and it is not caffeinated. Also, make sure she is eating a little something all throughout the day, even if it is just nibbling on crackers or nuts. And, making sure she is getting good rest (including extra naps) during the day is VERY important. I noticed my nausea went completely away when I was getting lots of rest and naps and making sure to snack throughout the day. Hope this helps!

I had morning sickness too and after awile someone told me about lemon. She can suck on a lemon candy or put lemon in hot water to drink. I don't know why this isn't more widely known (maybe because it doesn't work for everybody I don't know)as I try to spread the word to everyone I know who has morning sickness. At Babies R Us or Motherhood Maternity stores they have these loly pops that say help morning sickness. They come in many flavors (lemon, ginger and others). I told my neighbor about these and they really helped her. I didn't like a lot of the flavors so I stuck with hot lemon water. Hope this helps! Good luck :)

Stay away from sweets and snack on proteins.

j

there are so many things to try: ginger (sometimes ginger snaps or ginger soda are best), motion sickness bands for the wrist, and accupuncture.

My OB had me take a B6 and 2 Unisom and I NEVER had morning sickness. It could have been B 12? But have her ask her OB. I am sure people have talked about Ginger, Saltines etc. . But peppermint is also good for nausea if that wasn't mentioned. Good Luck!
S.

This may sound strange and simple, but it worked wonders for me. Suggest to your daughter that she carry with her hard candies. When she starts to feel sick, she can pop one into her mouth and suck on it. I don't know how or why it works, but it does. My sister told me about it, and I've told other pregnant women to do the same thing. It seems to be more than a fluke, 'cos it worked for them, also. Good luck to you and to your daughter!