Ok So Is It Just Me or Can Anyone Else Share Rough Pregnancy stories..PLEASE!!!!

Oh I hated being pregnant!!! I felt terrible. I gained so much weight the first 3 months, I felt sick all the time, then I became so anemic I could not walk across the room without getting out of breath, I was tired all the time with headaches. Then I developed gestational diabetes which was a drag. The baby's foot was constantly pushing on my gallbladder causing constant gallbladder pain. On top of that I had sciatica. I felt terrible, I had insomnia the last 2 months and became so overtired that the doctor decided to induce labor because my lack of sleep was causing even more problems. But, the precious, beautiful daughter that I now have made it all worth it!!!

My pregnancy started off with a m/c. I then got pregnant again right away. I'm 7 months and so far I had the morning nausea, 3 UTI's, kidney stones and now I am battling cramps and stabbing pains in my back. O I also had a cyst the size of a racketball :( on my ovary. This pregnancy has not been that easy for me either. I keep telling my husband that we are going to have another one right away so I can just get the 9 months out of the way and have my awesome kids. I know how you feel and it is very draining on me emotionally, mentally and physically. When I do get a free moment all's I want to do is sleep.

If you want some moral support please feel free to drop me an e-mail as I know your frustration.

Keep up the good work the end goal almost there!!!

Misery loves company anyone? :) My best friend is 8 months pregnant. This her 4th and it is NOT aggreeing with her. She has itchy red bumps similar to hives all over her body and has had them since she was 5 weeks along. She also has something going on where her kidney isn't draining properly and it fills up and then when the baby moves it feels like she is passing a kidney stone. Hydronephrosis is what her OB called it. Maybe that is what you are experiencing as well. She also wakes up nightly with cold sweats and has been sleeping sitting up for the past 2 months because her heartburn is so bad.

So no, you are not alone!!!! Lisha says what keeps her spirits up is knowing that soon she will have that sweet baby in her arms and all the discomfort will be a distant memory. Easier said than done I'm sure. Just know that you can do it, and be thankful that you can.

With my first 3 I didn't have any major issues.. Just the usual itchy legs, stretching ligament pains, tiredness, etc... BUT the 4th one... WOW!

I was exhausted for the whole pregnancy... Started having pain attacks in Dec... One minute I would be fine,...the next flat out on the floor. Thought it was some kind of gas... After putting up with it for 8 weeks (about 1 or 2 attacks a week) seeing the dr and all about it... I had a weekend long attack. Went to the hospital and was diagnosed with pancreatitus... 4 days later I was released... Had a really bad cough and ended up with an inhailer... 2weeks go by... Another attack... this time Gall stones (which wern't there in December) Another 2 days in the hospital... Of course noone would touch me because I was preggers... Only could do Pain management... 2 weeks later... :-) My left calf (only the left side of it) ankle, and top of foot went numb... I had no control over my ankle and would fall over if it was even on slightly uneven ground... Started going to chiropractor... Helped, but still is slightly numb.... I could FEEL her head in my pelvis and would get shooting pains if I moved wrong... I also felt what really felt like bone grating on bone... IN MY PELVIS... ouch. My Grandpa died in April... 600 miles away. So there I was 14 days till due date driving from MI to PA with 3 kids under the age of 9... ALONE. (hubby couldn't miss work so he flew down and back) Thankfully she did not come early and on the side of the highway... lol
After all that she was induced 9 days OVER DUE... And a healthy happy girlie was born on May 7th... (yes, she's ALMOST 3 weeks old)... last tuesday i had another pain attack... So now I get to talk to drs about having the gallbladder taken out...

Here is what I have been taught thru this pregnancy... Momma needs to relax and listen to her body... Don't worry about the house stuff... Do what NEEDS to be done and do it slowly... Rest! Your body is going thru lots of stuff and If you zap yourself it takes a LONG time to recover... After getting out of the hospital the first time it took a good 3 or 4 weeks before I had energy to do laundry... I felt like I had been run over... I was physically SORE from the tension of the pain...but didn't know it till the issue was resolved.

Don't worry about the baby... Our bodies are made that the baby is getting what it needs from you. YOU need to take care of YOU...
Good luck, lay down and catch up on your movies...

LOL... here's mine:

- Gained 185 lbs (weird medical thing, I was eating 2100 calories per day, and working with a nutritionist because of other medical stuff, but my metabolism just went wacky... I gained 20-30 lbs a month during 2nd & 3rd trimesters)

- Had 5 rounds of LEEP for pregnancy triggered cervical cancer

- Was on "quasi-bed rest" ... because my placenta (like all the others) was ripping away from the wall of my uterus. This one started ripping away in the center of it, which was the only reason I didn't have a miscarriage from the placental abruption. (At birth my placenta weighed well over 20 lbs, when placentas usually weigh between 3-7lbs)

- A hormonal thing runs in my family where most of the women (including me) from month 2 onward experience something known as "the suicide hour" ... where you're literally sitting on a chair hanging onto it to try and keep from killing yourself. Bad. Very, very, very BAD. And every single day. For months.

- Lost my job (illegally, because I wouldn't have a 3some with my boss and her husband who had a thing for pregnant chicks... ew ew ew ew ew, just all around eeeeeeew), and therefore my insurance (fortunately my state hadn't cut the pregnancy-medical yet.

- Am adhd and let me tell yah, add adhd emotional swings and stir liberally with pregnancy hormones and wheeeeee.

- Our housemate hadn't bathed his dog in 3 years. I couldn't be in my own home without wanting to vomit. I was fine as long as I WASN'T in our home, but man oh man, UGH.

- The hottest summer in record (90 degrees in may, when our area is usually in the 50's in may. Add 185 lbs, and no air conditioning -because the area isn't normally hot... and you have one HOT, sweaty, unhappy mama.)

- Normal pregnancy woes (not being able to cross legs, joint pain, mood swings, etc.)

The happy bit:

Healthy, happy, 10lb 23" baby boy born in July almost 8 years ago who is the light of my life.

I feel for you dear!
None of my pregnancies were pleasant! With my middle son. I very easily could have not made it. But I had 3 healthy babies! Beautiful ones too, I might add! You will get through this! Please remember to take care of yourself and your unborn baby.

God Bless you, and I hope it gets better for you soon!

Being pregnant sucks!! All my friends who have kids or are pregnant also feel the same way. I haven't met anyone(but heard that there are women out there) who love being pregnant. Whatever drugs they are on, I want for my next pregnancy! While I was pregnant, I kept saying how I NEVER, EVER want to go through this again. But I would never leave my child to be an only child so I unfortunately will be doing it again (God willing of course). The only thing I could tell you is that it is ALL WORTH IT!!! Just think of your precious little bundle and it will get you through it. I know it's the longest 9 months of your life but you are more than half way there! Best of luck!

I've had relatively healthy pregnancies (28 weeks with #2 now), but I just wanted to note that you don't have to feel all happy and shiny about being pregnant.
It's HARD on the body, natural or not. And the stuff that we have to put up with is frustrating, and tends to go largely ignored by others that just brush it off. In other words, no sympathy!
I HATE HATE HATE being pregnant. Not to confuse that with anything else, my child(ren) are my world and I love them to pieces. But the act of getting them here is horrid to me. We're done after this kiddo, simply because I'm NOT WILLING to be pregnant anymore. I would take other children happily, if there were another way.

So, just hang in there. Everyday is a day closer to the end! You're definitely not alone!

Dear K.,
I'm so sorry you're having a rough time.
It can really make 40 weeks seem like an eternity.
I'll spare you my pregnancy story. I want to show you some sympathy, not scare the pants off you.
My sister HATED being pregnant. She hated it so much that she swore, before her son was even born, that she was never going to put herself through that ever again, and she didn't.
She absolutely adores her son and she's a great mom, but she was not cut out for the pregnancy thing at all.

Take care of yourself, get plenty of rest, try to remain calm, which is easier said than done, have a good support system around you and just know that everything you're going through will be so worth it when your baby arrives.
Hang in there! It's not always easy carrying a baby.

Very best wishes!

Ahh, what a fun question! I will add to the gory horror stories by telling you that while I did not have any morning sickness at all, I developed an itchy rash at 7 weeks. It started IN my crotch and behind, and spread ALL over my body!! There is nothing they will really give me for it, so I used to lay on my bed or sit in my chair at work and dream of scratching between my cheeks with a hairbrush! :) It was horrible! I had to go to the bathroom a zillion times a day when the crotch itch got so bad I couldn't handle it!
The rash spread and spread and spread. My face, my hands, the bottoms of my feet (!), belly, insides of my thighs, boobs,etc. It was the worst experience of my life! When I was in labor, they actually gave me a cortisone shot in an IV because I was in such itchy agony. AND, it lasted until my son was 8 months old and I weaned him! My OB told me it very well may happen every pregnancy since it appeared to be hormone related (not PUPPS, as the derm I saw thought).
Although I know many will disagree, I would MUCH rather have thrown up every day (but not with hyperemesis!) than to have dealt with that. I would not wish something like that on my worst enemy! Itchy crotches and butt cracks and whole bodies and 24/7 puking ain't for p*ssies! :) Only moms have the balls for stuff like that! :) It will get better, and soon you will have a beautiful baby to make all the suffering worth it. Good luck, God bless, and take care of yourself!

It never occurred to me that pregnancy would be smooth or pleasant. I always figured that I would have some discomfort, after all there is another person growing inside. I always concentrated on that little life and how incredibly close they are to you during that time. I will tell you this, be ever so thankful for each and every time you feel that baby move. Concentrate on that and enjoy that. Know that your baby is closer to you than he or she will ever be again. I am a mother of two children who were stillborn. I also have four children that are living. I loved being pregnant with every single one. It's only nine month. Put your feet up have a bowl of ice-cream and enjoy the ride and thank God for even the discomforts. Soon you will have this unbelievably beautiful baby.

I was nauseous through out my whole pregnancy, half the days it would last ALL day and the other half of the days it was only in the morning and evening. I spent two weeks going in every day to get an IV to keep me hydrated and get me some nutrition because I could keep almost nothing down. Thankful I did not have to sit in the hospital for those two weeks and was "well" enough to just come in every day for an hour or so. I was also board line diabetic and had very low iron so had to watch everything I did eat/kept down would help me stay balanced.

Pregnancy is rough on the body, some woman's bodies handle it better then others. I just kept reminding myself of the wonderful blessing that would be in my arms soon. I also reminded myself that there are women who can not get pregnant or it is very difficult for them and they would love going through any pregnancy (good or bad) just to have the joy of having a baby of their own. This really helped put things into perspective for me.

YES I CAN!!!!....my 3rd pregnancy was awful , nausea started at week 6 , by week 9 I had all day every day nausea and vomiting until week 16 , I then plodded along okish until week 30 when I started having niggles and discomfort which I put down to 3rd pregnancy pains and running around after 2 other kids. Week 34 taken into hospital with severe abdominal pain and vomiting , admitted and like that for 4 days with US after US and pain meds , my OB insisting it was kidney stones (I had these in my first pregnancy and knew it was not) , finally given an MRI to find my appendix had ruptured , so then had to have emergency surgery to remove baby and appendix (bare in mind this is week 34) , didn't see my daughter for 2 days and I felt like I'd been ran over by a bus several times , then to add to it I then had a collapsed lung from being led in bed for so long!!!!

I was back to normal by mid August (this was mid June) and my little one will be 2 in a few short weeks and it all seems like a lifetime ago , all have as a reminder is the ugliest scar EVER and even if I had a bikini body I would not be able to wear one..lol!!!

Good luck this will all end and it will be worth it.

being preggo is the worst thing, but I keep on cause I want a family and love my kiddos! I am about 15 weeks along with baby #3, which may be our last...maybe not :)
Anyway, I hit the 3 month mark not long ago and feel like a whole different person now, my "morning sickness" lasted mostly all day, which put my house almost three months behind on a good cleaning, uggghhhh!
With my first I had extreme carpel tunnel syndrome in my wrists and I would wake up at night in intense pain, that went away and my hips started giving me massive pain and my knees and on and on.
It seems my body is 20 years older when i am preggo.
Some people say they feel beautiful preggo, but I wanna hide in a hole.
I am ready to take a break from any more babies after this one is born and enjoy the ones i have. I am almost 30 years old and want my children to get to enjoy me as if I were a real young mommy.
If I could have adopted the precious little ones I have, I would have completely skipped the things like constipation, hemorrhoids, 0 energy level,
and on and on.
Just think of yourself as being only 3 months away from seeing your baby...you have come 6 months!

For some people, pregnancy is not fun. Make sure you get out every
day and take a walk. Walking is the best, it energizes you. Make sure
when you get up, you get dressed put makeup on. Set goals for
every day and before you know it your baby will be here.

Hello,
My rough pregnancy story is this, i got pg while on birth control. I was so sick that they tried 3 different meds for me before they settled for a sadation pill, basically putting me on bed rest since it sadated me. then they took me off it to see if i was still going to be puking. and i went into pre labor at 4 mths pg. then they did put me on best rest for the rest of my pregnancy. then when i went into labor it came on hard in the middle of the night waking me up. i waited 3 hours before waking up my then fiancee. we went to hospital. i was in labor what seemed like forever and then pushed for 3 almost 4 hours before they decided to give me an emergency c section. To top it all off i was pg through the whole summer and was pg with my second child in the summer again. I was in labor for my daughter mildly for days then my water broke and i progressed quickly. only issue was is that she was suppose to be a planned c section. still ended up with one but a painful one because they wouldnt give me pain meds for an hour an a half after i came in because they had to wait for the crew to do my csection. it sucked and now my tubes are tied and i have a beautiful girl and an awesome almost 4year old son. my girl is 9mths. its all worth it girl. hang in there.

I had a miserable pregnancy, hated it. I was sick all day every day until about six months when the heartburn kicked in. I had horrible insomnia all the way through. By far the worst was that the pregnancy hormones really messed with my brain chemistry (I'm bipolar) and I was quite literally suicidal throughout my entire pregnancy and had to be hospitalized several times after giving birth.

I saw this and wanted to post at least a little of my story although vague becasue of time but I suffered from day one with my last pregnancy which I just delivered on the 4th. I had hyperemensis (severe morning sickness) had to recieve over 50 IV's the first 4 months of pregnancy to keep hydrated and alive. Morning sickness went away about 25 weeks to show up again at 31 weeks. I suffered 3 back spasms and severe headaches where I could here my pulse throbbing day and night. Went in three times for preterm labor finally at 38 weeks my midwife decided I needed to be done and we induced. This is the cure for hyperemesis (at least how bad I had it) only to have delivered feeling great for 10 days to land up in the hospital with secondary hypertension BP in the 200/100 and higher. Spend the last 14 days in ICU getting it under control. I missed 2 of the three weeks in which my new daughter has been born. Still very sick but back at home. I feel very bad that you are dealing with this as have a good idea on how you feel. I hope you feel better soon and don't have to suffer even more after delivering. Try to remember that it is worth every hard step that you have to take to have a beautiful new addition to the family

During my first pregnancy with my daughter everything was perfect .. except I got bells palsy at about 7 months... no biggie it resolved.. Then I got pregnant with my son. At first I was miserable due to morning sickness and couldn't sleep then all I could do was sleep. Around about 7 weeks I got a subchorionic hematoma and was put on bedrest with an almost 2 year old at home .. (impossible) and just got totally depressed I started reading about it online and was terrified. I was on bedrest from Feb '09 until April '09 when my father-in-law passed away. I decided to take myself off of bedrest to drive back and forth to New Jersey from Boston with my husband due to the death in the family. I started getting out and being around other people and not worrying so much..... and boom all of the sudden my hematoma started shrinking the baby was measuring great on ultrasound and I was cleared from the high risk doctors... I'm not saying if there is a problem not to follow Dr.'s orders all I am saying is that if you put yourself around people you love and care about and just try to be happy and enjoy being prego hopefully you will be able to embrace this time and love it. Find fun things to do while pregnant. (eat lots of yummy food, go for walks, lay your big belly in the sun at the beach :) who care's ??? just remember this is a wonderful time of your life and you should enjoy no matter what little bumps come along the pregnant road :) I wish that with my last pregnancy I tried to enjoy it more and embrace the good times then be so worried and uncomfortable. One day very soon when you're baby is born you will realize it was ALL worth it and everything will be fine!!! congrats on your new little one coming soon :)

trust me, you are not. i found pregancy to be very stressfull. my first pregnancy i had a placental abruption and was in and out of the doctors office/ maternity ward and delivered early and the second pregnacy was twins and one of the twins cords failed so i had to have an emergency c-section. try to relax and take every day 1 day at a time. also ask for help if you need it from your husband or friends and family. good luck!

I had such inner thigh, pubic, back, posterior pubic pain that I could barely walk, I couldn't lift my legs to put my pants on and I couldn't lift my hips to roll over - and that started pretty early on. I still feel it now sometimes. My lower back/butt would go numb if I sat to long - which was TERRIBLE during labor having to sit in the bed - I swear that was worse than the contractions. I'm not even sure I can emphasize how much my inner core from my upper thight to my lower back HURT like PURE ____@____.com I felt like all my muscles were shredded. I'm not even sure what the correct terms were for all this and my doctores only said - yeah, you're right. I felt stretched to the max on the inside. The inner groin pain was like the worst pulled muscle and it was CONSTANT. It hurt just to lift my legs to walk and I had tears getting in and out of the car. I was almost two weeks late with my child. My water broke slightly on a thursday (i didn't know it, thought it did), went into the hospital friday afternoon, started pitosin and other drugs, suffered in pain (with a sore/numb arse froms itting in the bed for so long) to finally be told at 5 am SATURDAY morning that I was going to have a c-section. Spent almost a week in the hospital because of the way the timing went. Was told that my baby cried more than ANY OTHER baby in the history of the hospital by a pleasant nurse on the 1st day and that I had to do something with him b/c they couldn't do it anymore. He proceeded to cry like that for 6 weeks. HAd another nurse YELL at me to just give my baby a bottle then b/c he was starving when I told her that I couldn't nurse on my side b/c I felt like my c-section incision was going to burst and I was getting frustrated. Went into post partum depression just about that time and remember walking my baby to the nursery the last night at the hospital and cried. It got better around week 6 or 8, just in time to go back to work at week 10 FULL TIME. But I never considered myself to have had a hard pregnancy, I considered the birth to be a little rough and I thought my screaming purple baby was normal and that I just had no clue until a year later I saw what EVERYONE elses babies did as newborns - LOL! 3 yrs later I think I am over the shock and am actually trying for a 2nd. LORD HELP ME - literally! but all the good and all the bad is SOOOOOOOOOOOOO WORTH IT and everyone has a different experience. I learned around the 2nd year to just STOP comparing and even had to distance myself some from anyone who seemed to perfect! LOL! honestly I love hearing other womens war stories and am proud that I think I can tell mine like the best of them - instead of saying it was all just soooo perfect and wonderful and I'd do it a million times if I could - HAAA! Oh please!

Awww, I'm sorry you're miserable.

With all three pregnancies, I had horrible morning sickness, but I was in the ER on an IV with the middle one. They put me on anti-nausea meds because I couldn't even keep down water until I was in my 3rd trimester.

With my 3rd pregnancy, I had horrible sciatica. The pain would just shoot down my left leg and there was absolutely nothing I could do about it. It was the way the baby was laying. I limped and walked gingerly from about week 22 until the birth. I was also hospitalized for dehydration with the 3rd - it was only for a day - thankfully the contractions stopped!

You are not alone and I hope your issues resolve soon so you can enjoy your pregnancy.

Aww.....I feel for you! Although I was lucky enough to have healthy babies, with my first, I vomited so much that I lost 15 lbs through the first two trimesters. The dr told me one morning, "If you don't gain at least a 1/2lb by next week, I'm putting you in the hospital." Fortunately, I did gain a 1/2 lb.

I distinctly remember one day, for about 15 minutes, I was not nauseous, and I freaked, thinking that something had happened to the baby! I actually called the dr! But the "helpful" guys at work brought in some sausage biscuits (because they knew smells made me sick), and I was back to throwing up.

If you really want to hear some of the more lovely symptoms so you'll know you're not alone.......I had gallstones that gave me incredible abdominal pain, but was told there was nothing they could do 'til after baby was born. I'd always struggled with depression, but refused to take meds while pregnant, so that was a factor, too, but the PIH and swollen legs/feet bothered me more.

You said, "I feel like no matter what i do or how much i try to be strong and have a pleasant pregnancy something always comes up and i feel so sick and distraught."
I'm so sorry you feel so bad, but it's not your fault, and has nothing to do with "being strong"! I remember having to leave a function at work to go and throw up, and my boss said, "You know, it's people who don't really want their babies that get sick while pregnant." She was serious. I cried, because never was a child wanted more. I had tried for years, used Clomid, blah blah blah......... but all of those hormones that make us so emotional and miserable while pregnant actually had me giving credence to the witch of a boss.

Please, don't let someone or something like that old wives' tale get to you! Just get through as best you can, be kind to yourself, get others to wait on you (While you can! lol), and know that your distraught feelings are not uncommon. If it helps, I remember telling myself that while the babe was inside of me, my body was having to do all the hard work. Once she or he was born, I knew I'd no longer have an excuse to rest.

Hang in there, congrats on your pregnancy, and may it go more smoothly for you. Hugs.

My first pregnancy was miserable. What I really remember of the first half was being beyond exhausted, lying on the bathroom floor, and ak-mak crackers. It did get better near the end. I'm not sure if this is your first pregnancy, but I found it very hard to focus on "holding that beautiful baby" or whatever because that was also so anxiety producing. I'm also one of those women who don't feel an immediate connection to the baby when pregnant (yes, we're out there) so I spent a huge part of the pregnancy terrified that I wouldn't love my daughter.

The upside is that the second she was born and I held her I felt this rush of love that is unlike anything else in the world, and I knew at that moment I would happily step in front of a truck for her. So in retrospect the whole miserable pregnancy was worth it. The other good news is that I was far less sick when pregnant with my son, and even though I had horrible chronic insomnia that time around, I was more "at peace" with that lousy feeling.

Honestly, I would just embrace the fact that you're not having a marvelous pregnancy and ride it out. It makes absolutely no impact on how much you love your kid once s/he's here. Feel better soon!

You poor thing!! I had an unpleasant pregnancy and had anxiety and heart palpitations as well. And I wanted to say that you should really monitor yourself closely for post partum depression or anxiety. I had it and it kicked my butt for some time. I did go on meds and sought out therapy which worked wonders. Especially the therapy. Try lining up help for the new baby as soon as you can. This way, you will be able to rest a lot when you get back from the hospital.

Good luck - it's not forever - just a few months more. Try to enjoy the time you have with your husband while you are child-free. You'll look back on it as a wonderful time in your lives.

Hi! I really feel for you. When I was pregnant with my daughter in '07, it was like an obstacle course. First, my bloodwork came back all off which called for an amnio. After lots of crying, I refused it at the very last second. The fear of not knowing the rest of the time sucked! THEN, I get into a car accident, and break my left hand (I'm a hairstylist btw, go figure!) The baby was fine, but a week later, I ended up with urinary retraction, where I had to be admitted into the hospital and catheterized. I couldn't pee in my own. Something happened inside that blocked my urethra. When they finally catheterized me, a liter of urine came out of me. They kept me in overnight in case I had toxemia. Unreal! Them, it happened a week later again! Thankfully the rest of pregnancy was not as eventful but when I did give birth, I went in too late and went ALL natural, no meds. It was primal and visceral and crazy painful! The final shock to a crazy pregnancy. But in retrospect, it was all worth it. You will feel the same thing. I promise. Good luck!!

I hated the nine months but in trade had easy deliveries. So maybe that will be your case. You can hope anyway.

With my first pregnancy I vomited and was nauseous for the first 12 weeks. I also failed my 1 hour gluclose test to have to take the dreaded 3 hour one, which I passed. Oh and I also had itchy red hives all over my stomach for at least 4 of the nine months!

With my second pregnancy I wasn't sick, but I ended up with 6, yes 6, yeast infections right after each other. I think I suffered for at least 6 months of the 9 months. I had never had yeast infections in my entire life nor have had one since. It was awful.

For delivery/labor, I went into the hospital at 12:30am with my first daughter and had her at 5:26am. With my second I went in at around 1:30am and had her at 6:09am. So I feel blessed that at least my labor/deliveries were relatively easy. I always tell people I'll take the delivery/labor if they take the nine months. I know people who say the opposite. Good luck to you!!

Girl, like I've heard before, if men had to be pregnant and give birth, we would have died out a long time ago! Only a woman can handle this!

So besides the constant puking in the morning with the first (all day with the second) I couldn't eat meat. I couldn't smell it cooking, I couldn't even see it at the supermarket unless I felt like throwing up in the middle of aisle 5.

Also in my first pregnancy I developped PUPPS. Basically my body decided it no longer liked the pregnancy hormones running rampant through my body and I began having an allergic reaction to myself! I had a raised, bright red, bumpy rash from my ankles to the middle of my ribs (tummy included). It was like I had rolled in poison ivy every day for the last 6 weeks. Oh and this was summer time so I was oh so comfortable to begin with. I was told something like 5% of women get this, oh gee lucky me!

Both times I was so big it was comical. Really, I tell people that I was stupid pregnant, I was so huge! In fact they kept checking to see if I was hiding another child somewhere.

Oh and with pregnancy #2, I kept fainting. Did it at work twice, once at Disney World, once or twice at home...

Hang in there. I'm not going to say it's going to be pretty cause after this you're going to give birth to a beautiful child, that may not let you sleep, will take over your house and your body will forever be changed (unless you are super model then God gave you a free pass). But here's the cliche, they're so worth it.

Congrats on the pregnancy!
Kristal

I'm sorry you're having such a hard time. It's crummy.
At 6 weeks I started throwing up. For the first few days I thought it wasn't too bad then it just kept going. I was subbing in elementary schools so some days I didn't have a job and I'd just lie on the bed all day. At 7.5 weeks I started spotting. Scary. It stopped by that evening. By this time I was throwing up at least 7 times a day...if that was all then I was having a good day. I had just turned 9 weeks and was subbing in a kindergarten class, took them down for lunch then ate and went to the bathroom...I was bleeding again. More than the last time. I went down to the office and asked the secretary if the building sub could take the class because I needed to leave. She was really bratty and said why are you sick or something? I said I'm 9 weeks pregnant and just started bleeding. A mom was in there and said she'd get my purse for me because I needed to get home right away. The secretary didn't say anything. The actual teacher was in the school (just had meetings) and came down and hugged me and said she was praying for me and asked if I was sure I could get home...which was only 15 min. away. My husband pulled in about 2 minutes after me...I'm surprised he didn't get a speeding ticket! I was trying to stay hydrated but since I was puking so much it was difficult. By the next day my husband had bought Ensure drinks and started blending frozen strawberries into it and making me drink one in the am and one in the evening. EWWWW! I was able to keep some buttered noodles down for a little while though. About a week later I probably should have been in the hospital because I was so weak I couldn't get off the bathroom floor. I begged not to have to go. I was able to keep an ensure down and kinda got stronger so he didn't take me in. I went to the doc at 12 weeks adn was told I'd probably start feeling better around 16 or 18 weeks! Depressing! I was so jealous of my friend who had one morning of being queasy but then ate breakfast and was fine! I could barely keep down buttered noodles or mashed potatos. I had lost 12 lbs. I started feeling better right before my ultrasound at 22 weeks. Then I failed the glucose tests...all of them. We went to a class to learn how to eat with gestational diabetes adn I got my glucometer. I had to check my blood 4x a day then eat. If it was high 2x in a week I would have been on insulin but it never got to that point. I was able to control it with diet but I was vigilant with measuring everything!
I then tested positive for Group B strep virus. For some reason the md, not my midwife, called in an RX for eurithromycin. I took it for 2 days and was puking. I went in for my appt. and told my midwife and she said she had no idea why he'd prescribe that...it wasn't the best thing. So i got a different rx. Finished it but still tested positive! She cultured something and I had the strain that was resistant! So had to get another rx. i was ok then. I went into labor 10 days early. Yay. Had to have IV antibiotics because i had been positve for the strep but that was ok. Pushed for 3 hours but it wasn't too bad.
The second pg went better...I only lost about 7 lbs. And only was puking about 6-8 times a day! Awesome! I passed my 3 hours glucose because I had already started on the diabetic 'menu'. I would still have an occasional ice cream or 1 cookie but not very often. No group B strep either! I got to the hospital around 4 am and by 9:30 am said I could push...3 pushes and it was done! WOW!!!
Hang in there. As i'm sure you've heard 100x...it'll be worth it in the end:)
You're more than half way done now!

Hi K.,

I can completely relate!!! My first pregnancy was like that. I was so sick that I lost 20 pounds the first trimester. Every time we took a car ride I would get sick. I couldn't drive because the motion made me dizzy, but as a passenger, I felt so much worse. I would break down in tears almost every time we had to go somewhere. We had to keep a 'puke cup' in the car - we lived near Dallas at the time and there was no pulling over on those crazy roads.

I got to the point where I was cursing every mom out theer - "How could they keep this from me?" I felt like the problems of pregnancy were kept a huge secret. My male doctor would simply say, "It's normal", which didn't help one bit. I was so miserable, I didn't want any more kids EVER!!!

Then, as I gave birth, and held my baby for the first time, all was good with the world!! AND I went on to have a second daughter.

Hang in there! My one piece of advice would be - Stay Active!!! No matter how bad you feel, get up, get ready for the day, and keep moving. Laying around and resting usually makes you feel worse. Sleep 12 hours a night, or more if needed so you can get through the day without napping.

Good luck, and just remember, you are so NOT ALONE, and the payoff is more than worth it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Take care,
L.