Severe Sickness in Second pregnancy...help!

Updated on November 29, 2016
M.M. asks from Springfield, IL
35 answers

This is my second pregnancy, and I'm 8 weeks along today. It seems like the moment I found out, I started getting sick. I was very ill throughout my last pregnancy, but i just don't remember feeling this down about it. I think it's because I have this sweet little girl who needs my attention and I've got my head in the toilet the second I get home from work. It's not just nausea and vomiting, but extreme dizziness, stomach cramps and diarhhea. My O.B.'s office just keeps givign me meds that my body violently rejects and ultimatly makes all of my symptoms worse. I think I'm really starting to get depressed about this. Does anyone have anything that worked for them? I'm desperate, and I'll try anything. I have tried the medications, but also "Morning Sickness Magic" tonic, preggie pops, crackers, soda, popsicles, ice cream...you name it. Nothing sounds good, nothing stays down...I just want to feel normal again! I want to be able to spend quality time with my daughter without running into the bathroom. I want to be able to get through a day of work without having to go home early or call in sick. But most importantly, I want to feel joy and excitement about being pregnant. Any suggestions would be very much appreciated.

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C.S.

answers from Tulsa on

My doctor actually put me on a diet of hard candy....it worked! You might try it, she said the hard candy had enough water to be helping me hydrate....that was with my 3rd child. Let me know if it works for you, it did for me. Within a couple of days I was able to eat mashed potatoes, and able to keep them down. Good luck.

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J.M.

answers from Kansas City on

I too was sick, but only for the first 20 weeks. The drug that worked for me was Zofran. You probably have heard of it. It's miserable I know!! Good luck!

J. M.

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A.W.

answers from St. Joseph on

The thing that helped me was Bonine. They are motion sickness pills similar to Dramine but safe to take while you are pregnant. They worked wonders for me. You can get them at any pharmacy.

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J.F.

answers from Tulsa on

I feel for you! I am still dealing with Morning/All Day Sickness and I am seventeen weeks. Though it seems to be a bit less intense, it is still there. I tried everything (homeopathic, herbs, pressure points, prescriptions) to "cure" it, but nothing worked. The only thing that helped was Zofran. Someone else already spoke of it and though it didn't get rid of the nausea, it helped with the vomiting.

Hang in there. It will hopefully get better.

PS Sleep and water seemed to help the most. I think sleeping through the nausea really helped me.

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B.S.

answers from Columbia on

Try mixing carbs with protein. I would eat 20 whole grain pretzels and 1 hand full of peanuts. If you push the water it should help too. Be glad you are sick, it is a sign that your hormone levels are good and your baby is developing properly. It will get better before long. I experienced the same thing with all three pregnancies, and I smelled baby powdered. I had both symptoms from what seemed like the day I got pregnant. I thought I was sick everytime, I tested negative with the test and thought I had cancer once. Anyway, sorry I got off on my own memories, but it will get better. Watch what you are eating that is setting it off. Are you eating too late at night? Are you eating often enough? I used to get sick because my body was hungry.

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A.H.

answers from Springfield on

I had really bad nausea with my daughter, to the point I could barely keep anything down. I tried everything and eventually talked to my OB about it. He prescribed a tea called No to morning sickness tea, which helped a lot.

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J.B.

answers from Oklahoma City on

Hey M., My girlfriend was in the same boat you are in. She got the motion sickness bands the you wear on your wrists. They have a little ball on the inside of them that you put on the pulse point on the under side of your wrist and the really helped her immediately!!!!!!!You might give this a try and PLEASE let us know if it helps.......God Bless you and your family.

J. B.

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B.D.

answers from Springfield on

i was extremely sick too when i was pregnant. the dr. tried everything because i was losing so much weight. Finally she put me on a drug called Zofran, the actually give it to chemo patients. and it worked really good, but gave me really bad headaches. But at least i could get my head out of the toilet! maybe you could ask your dr. about it.

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E.T.

answers from St. Louis on

M.,

Congratulations first of all on your pregnancy but I am sure that is not exactly what you are thinking about at this time. It's funny, I am due with my fourth child July 18th too! I have definately been nauseous and I feel like I have the flu all the time but not to your severity and I really empathize with what you are going through. It's amazing what happens to your body from all the hormones. I know my sister wore one of those c band bracelets that are supposed to help with motion sickness and I believe that helped her during pregnancy. Maybe this is worth a shot? You will definately be in my prayers that this will pass quickly, hopefully in just a few more weeks.
Good luck,
E. T.

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T.S.

answers from Kansas City on

M.... I totally understand how you feel. I am 11 weeks today, and my little boy is into everything (he is just 10 months). I was exhausted, sick, dizzy... you name it.

I say "was" because I began acupuncture treatments for my nausea. I was a bit skeptic at first, but truly... I am a believer now. I began treatments at 8 weeks. I immediately saw results, I had energy and even managed to keep down some food.

In fact, the treatments are better than massage... so relaxing!

I would recommend Jennie Bui, her number is ###-###-####. Tell her that you saw her on Mamasource and you need relief. She will totally take care of you.

Feel better... I completely emphathize with you!

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J.S.

answers from Springfield on

My second pg was horrible; I was sick the first 5 months, then got huge and was totally uncomfortable the last 3 months.
First, my prescription prenatals made me very sick. OTC ones are cheaper and have everything you need. I also kept saltines with me at all times. I ate them before I set foot out of bed in the morning, nibbled on them all day, right up to bedtime. Room-temp 7-Up (not Sprite) also works on upset tummies. I also lived on Tums and Rolaids for awhile. And fresh ginger is great for tummies, too.
As for meds, have you tried Promethazine? (I think that's the generic name.) I took that recently, when I had the most horrible stomach flu, and it really knocked out the nausea. When I filled the script, I was also buying 7-Up, and the pharmasist asked me if I was suffering morning sickness. :P Nope, nothing as fun as that!
Hang in there, and grow, baby, grow! Good luck!!

J.

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R.U.

answers from Oklahoma City on

I had 4 trips to the ER for IV fluids because my vomiting was so bad. The only medication that works is Zofran, used for chemo patients. It's really expensive - but not as much as a trip to the hospital every few weeks!

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B.B.

answers from St. Louis on

I never had diarrhea but with my 2nd pregnancy I was severely ill too. My physician also gave me something for it, but not only did it not work, I wasn't sure if I should really be taking it after reading up on it on the manufacturers website. I ended up seeing a chiropractor that does acupuncture and has knowledge of chinese herbs. She hit some acupuncture points and some herbs to try. I only wish I had tried it sooner. I was already 16 weeks pregnant at the time and had vomitted frequently every single day. I had to call my mother-in-law over to help me feed my oldest child who was still a baby himself and eating baby food. I would gag and have to run to the bathroom to vomit every time I smelled food...especially baby food or anything with onions. I felt better leaving the chiropractors office, and the vomitting was less immediately. By the next day I had mild nausia occasionally thru the day for about the next week with no vomitting at all, that later turned to only slight nausia on occasion thru the rest of the pregnancy upon smelling onions. Other than that no real illness to speak of at all. It REALLY made a difference.

The herb was made by Life Rising and it is called XCH. It is known as the morning sickness herb. Only took it for about a month before stopping because I thought I was past it all, and I was. I did keep a bottle handy just in case though. It is also good for nausia with flu.

Hope you feel better! I remember when I was pregnant with my 3rd child and started feeling strongly nausiated to the point of vomitting a little and gagging a lot. I started crying thinking I can't do this again...vomitting every 5 min. I went to my chiropractor and had the same treatment after 2 weeks and only suffered slight nausia for a couple of days after that, and then it all disappeared.

I've heard red rasberry leaf tea helps as does peppermint tea and ginger tea. There may even be a morning sickness tea out there that has all 3 in it. I personally think I would have gagged just smelling it given how easily that was my response to everything...lol.

Good luck and happy gestating.

B. :)

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D.T.

answers from Tulsa on

Pregnancy made my Irritable Bowel Syndrome worse and I was incredibly sick with my middle boys and the pregnancy afterward. It turned out to be my gallbladder. However I also develope lactose intolerance and an egg allergy while pregnant which makes the morning sickness worse.

To combat the symptoms I:

ate my meat first then my veggies and generally skipped the potatos, rice or pasta, I also did not drink while eating.

I have to avoid pop due to my IBS

Some of the chewable prenatal vitamins have artificail sweetners in them which can irritate the stomach and intestines inducing vomiting and the runs so I stuck to a special on that I had to pay for Pre Care or Pre Nate.

Stop eating Dairy for a week then add one dairy product a day until you find ones that don't make it worse and avoid the ones that do.

I stopped eating sweets too which is highly unusual for me.

That's all I can remember. I took my middle child to work with me so he had a lot of extra time with moody mommy. If you're worried about quality time I would just set a schedule of mommy time with her and push through it every day.

Congratulations, get plenty of rest and drink lots of water ( just not with meals)

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L.P.

answers from Kansas City on

Not to be contrary, but one CAN BE SICK for 9 months. I have done it and know others who have as well.
The ONLY thing that worked for me was to eat a peanutbutter and jelly sandwich. I HATE peanutbutter and Jelly. With a passion. BUT. An older mom reccommended it to me when I was preganant with baby #2...and it really worked.
I would gag down a quarter when I first got up in the morning...and then I would wait to be sure it would stay down. Then another quarter...until I could eat the entire thing.
Believe me when I say that I couldn't even stand the smell of it when I would make one, but the instant I ate the quarter, my body would stop punishing me.
And as for all the other 'normal foods' to help with nausea etc.... I think I just had too much acid in my stomach--more than most people. Even if I craved any of those--I would throw it up.
And water!? Forgettabout it. I was worse when I drank water or juice. ESPECIALLY, but not exclusively, in the mornings. I also tried to make sure I was full before drinking.
I sure hope you find something.
Hugs!

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M.B.

answers from St. Joseph on

M. M, That does not sound right at all. You should think about seriously thinking about seeing a different doctor and explain to them how you have been feeling lately. There has to be something other then "morning sickness" going on here. I was sick the whole nine months with my daughter but we discovered that it was mostly nerves due to where I was living at the time. My Doctor was Dr. Boyle at Women's health, she is awesome. My suggestion is to see a different doctor immediately.

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R.C.

answers from Kansas City on

I too have had major morning sickness with my now 2nd pregnancy. My 1st was a breeze in the beginning, but I had complications towards the end.

The only thing that has seemed to work for me is to drink ice cold water with some lemon juice in it. I've even gotten relief from just sucking on a lemon wedge. Also it's gotten better with time. I'm 15 weeks now and I only get nauseated in the afternoon and evenings instead of all day. I'm eating bland foods, which seems to help too. Also, my prenatal has vitamin B6 which has seemed to help. They're called Natelle Prefer (my OB prescribed them).

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M.S.

answers from Springfield on

I was extremely sick with my last pregnancy... I finally got Zophran which is the only thing that worked for me... Talk to your doc, tell him/her your feelings on it... Many times they dont know how we really feel until we unload on them lol... Just hang in there hun... I hope all works out for you... Many times it will subside after the first trimester... I would definitely talk to your doc though...

M.

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L.D.

answers from Kansas City on

I was sick my entire pregnancy. My OB suggested eating and drinking what I could tolerate (which wasn't much). The biggest thing was keeping hydrated so I drank a lot of half strength gatorade. I drank smoothies with fresh fruit, yogurt and tofu blended with lots of ice so it was really cold and used a straw. I found if I kept something in my stomach at almsot all times, I was less ill. I could NOT tolerate any prenatal vitamins. They all made me miserably sick. I remember living on Captain Crunch with Crunchberries cereal and York Peppermint Patties, both of which are my son's favorite foods! Go figure.

You might think of meeting with a dietician so you can also make sure you're getting adequate nutrition for both you and your developing baby.

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M.H.

answers from Springfield on

I had it with all 4 of my pregnancies...and i do not miss it! I am so sorry you are going thru this.

Have you tried "Sea Bands", they are wristbands with accupressure points in them, they helped me quite a bit, as I tried everything else. I also used imodium for the diahreaha and zantac, for my acid indegestion, that induced constant vomiting and it really seemed to help.

Good Luck and Keep Rested and Hydrated!

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S.H.

answers from Oklahoma City on

my sister 100% completely swears by gaviscon to cure nasea vomiting diarhhea and heartburn. now while it did not work for me while i was pregnant (my body just doesnt do anything when i take any kind of meds) we have recommended them to just about anyone else we know that are pregnant and it works like a charm.

my second peice of advice is, if you haven't already, stop taking all the different anti-this and anti-that medications your doctor is giving you. beczuse ultimately they are just gonna make everything worse. one med causes this side effect so ou have to take this other med which causes this other side effect so you have to take another med for that one. its a vicious and terrible cycle that never ends.

you can also try putting a little bit of ginger one your crackers for the nausea. not to much ground ginger is VERY strong but that might help too. its an old indian trick.

also try not to drink water on an empty stomach. when i was pregnant with my 2nd anytime i tried to drink water on an emty stomach i would feel really nauseated. but mmy best advice is just stop taking the prescriptions and try for herbal remedies. talk to your doc before starting them though cuz some can be dangerous for baby.

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J.R.

answers from Kansas City on

Hi, I am sick in all of my pregnancys. I get soo sick I don't want to have anymore kids because of it. I would rather go through labor than morning sickness. It will subside soon, hopefully. My doctor told me to get a wrist band made for sea sickness. I never got one, however it might work. I ate small snacks all day long like just keep eating peanuts, sunflower seeds, crackers,never let your protein levels drop. Ginger also helps with sickness, you can get it at the healthfood store. put it in capsules and swallow. Or put it in oatmeal. Remember it will be over soon!! Keep eating is key! Never eat big meals! I only gained 25 pounds like this. Good luck!

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P.B.

answers from Peoria on

Hi M.,
First, you need to start keeping saltines in your purse and warm 7up. If you are throwing up after you eat, don't eat anything heavy. Try a salad with the works and stay away from cold drinks until you feel better. Don't worry about the baby, you can't stay sick for nine months. Plus, I think it's going to be a boy. Let me know

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E.T.

answers from Columbia on

Well, with my first there was like no sickness. With my second and third I thought I'd die with my head in the toilet. The best things that helped me were fresh lemons cut up. Just the smell helped cause I couldn't even hold down water sometimes. Also ginger snaps or if you like it ginger ale. Just depends on what makes you sick. Cigarrette smoke and car fumes were the worst for me. I'd always carry around a sandwich bag full of fresh cut lemons and some ginger snaps. And maybe you could ask your doc about a prescription for THC. No side effects cause it's natural. Tons of pregnant woman I know swear it helps better than anything else. Hope you feel better soon. ~Liz

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J.B.

answers from Kansas City on

Hi, M.!
I scanned the responses and I don't think I saw ginger among the many helpful suggestions. Ginger root is proven to be effective for pregnancy related nausea. You might try it in tea form since ginger ale contains no actual ginger root. Hope you are feeling better soon!
J.

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E.Y.

answers from St. Louis on

My oldest daughter's birthday is July 18th. I too was very sick my second pregnancy, but was fortunate enough that my throwing up part didn't start until night when everyone was in bed. I would be dizzy and nauseaous all day though with horrible migraines. I found that ginger, and herbal supplement from any health food store, helped me alot. I would take two capsules any time I felt sick, and within 15 minutes, I was better, or at least functioning. My night sickness only lasted for the first 5 months of my pregnancy. The other things were the whole 9 months, but I was grateful for at least not haveing the throwing up part. I wish you lots of luck, and hopefully this works for you. I know its hard now, but it will all be worth it. Only 7 months to go. Also, my sister was sick due to the prenatal vitimins, and the doctor told her that the flinstone vitimins for kids is just as good. They seemed to help her, and her baby still got what he needed, as well as her. Of course ask your doctor first, but that is another idea.

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A.B.

answers from Lawrence on

Are you taking prescription pregnancy vitamins? Don't know if you are, but I found out that those were what was making me so sick. My dr's nurse actually told me to just take over the counter pregnancy vitamins...they work just as well, are cheaper, and don't make you sick.
I'm sorry you're so sick!!! Hope you get better...lots of rest, don't forget to eat, lots of water...I also drank Ensure every morning to add some more vitamins but also get something in my stomach first thing.
Take care~
A.

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A.H.

answers from Kansas City on

There are these wrist bands that have little plastic beads and when you wear them they are positioned on there to hit certain pressure points that help with the nausea...you can get them at Walmart in the pharmacy section.....Sea Band I beleive is what they are called...worked for me but I wasn't as ill as you sound to be but hey you never know and they aren't expensive at all.

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M.D.

answers from Kansas City on

Hi M.-
I completely understand how you feel. I have one child that is almost 2 and I did this my whole pregnancy. I have a huge fear of this happening again while trying to take care of a toddler if I choose to get pregnant again.
But, since I have had my son, I have become a Birth Doula and Childbirth Educator. Now I know there were things out there that I could have done, that my doctor did not suggest. Here are some things for you to try:

1) The magnetic wristbands are highly recommended. They have been proven to be very effective. I have heard that you can even use these when you have the flu to stop vomiting.

2) The second recommendation I have is to eat a small snack every two hours and avoid meals all together. Even at night if you can get up at least once to have a banana or toast.

3)The idea behind eating in the middle of the night is this. Your blood sugar levels could be a factor. When you go for long periods of times without eating ie.( 8 hours of sleeping) your blood sugar drops. Then you get up in the morning and eat, and then it shoots you blood sugar back up. If you eat throughout the 24 hour period of a day consistently this can curve that up and down fluxuation in blood sugar levels, so there isnt this sick feeling.

4) Something else you might want to try is changing your diet. Protien and carbohydrate snacks should be alternated with fruits and vegetables since protiens and carbohydrates offer more stability in the blood sugar levels than easily digested and utilized fruits and vegetables.

Here are a list of over the counter meds you can take safely during pregnancy for indigestion:

mylicon, mylanta, riopan, papaya, maalox, gaviscon, gelusil, tums, and rolaids.

If you have any other question please feel free. Good luck. Hope all gets well with you.
mylanta

M.G.

answers from Dallas on

What worked for me may not work for you. But, I'll give you my advice anyway. At this point I'm sure anything is worth a shot. Take your prenatal vitamins in the evening. It is common for vitamins to upset your tummy. Also, here is the big one for me. Do not mix warm and cold foods together and do not drink ANYTHING with your meal... ....Bananas are great!... ...Too much water at one time, also will upset your tummy... ...Drink your beverages at room temp. As one of the other mothers suggested eat small meals frequently. Basically if you graze on nutritious foods all day long it will help. And NEVER eat until you are full. You can almost guarantee seeing it again.
Good luck to you! And congratulations to you and your family!

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M.H.

answers from Tulsa on

I understand!! Sick as a dog twice!! First was hospitalized...dehydrated and had lost 18 pounds by week 12! Nothing helped so I quit the meds the doc gave me....check them out, not all that great for baby--they didn't touch the sickness anyway! It lasted the entire pregnancy...puked day and night...no such thing as mornign sickness....ALL DAY SICKNESS!! I would pass out (laid out in the floor of babies-r-us is quite embarrasing)

BUT, when I got pregnant a second time my doctor told me to eat 8 small meals a day and stay REALLY HYDRATED. It really helped. Believe me the last thing you want to do is eat...but if it's just a banana or piece of toast, whatever it is keep a small amount of food on your stomach to prevent your levels from dropping and stay really hydrated. I'm sorry to say if you have it really bad like I did there is really nothing to make it go away...just try and cope and make it less severe!! Hang in there I know it sucks SO BAD!!!!

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M.M.

answers from Enid on

M., you might try ginger capsules or activated charcoal capsules for the "morning" sickness. If that doesn't help, try tapping on the inside of your eyebrow or on the collarbone point (where the collar bone meets the sternum) and repeat the phrase "this nausea", "this vomiting", "this extreme dizziness", "these stomach cramps", "this diarrhea". If you notice some improvement, but the problem doesn't go away completely try repeating the procedure and phrases but say "this remaining nausea", "this remaining vomiting", etc.

If you would like to know the whole tapping procedure, which would possibly be more effective, visit http://www.emofree.com or my website at http://www.sudsywudsysoap.com/eft where you will find a flyer that shows all the tapping points. Just click on the picture for a larger version then print it out for easy reference.

It also appears you may have emotional issues from the first pregnancy which also can be addressed with EFT.

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C.D.

answers from Springfield on

Believe me, I know how you're feeling. This is my 2nd pregnancy, (11 weeks today) and I wasn't sick at all with my first, but this time it hit me hard over the last couple of weeks.

The best thing you can do is drink lots of water to stay hydrated and eat small meals frequently. Always keep something in your tummy, just not big meals. Like throughout the day I'll have yogurt, a banana, some toast, just little things like that. As soon as I'd let my tummy get empty the nausea would hit again. If you like hot tea, try adding a thin slice of ginger root to it, it also helps!

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M.R.

answers from Charlottesville on

What worked during my first pregnancy didn't work with my second, but you might want to try it. For starters, before I even got out of bed (ie even before sitting up), I'd eat some try toast or saltines. The biggest thing that helped me the first time around was peppermints. They had to be the real thing, not the speariment or sugar-free. Anytime I started to feel nauseous, I'd suck on a peppermint. It's amazing how much it helped. Good luck to you!

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M.L.

answers from Rockford on

My friend said if u take prenatal vitamins try taking them before bed so u don't get sick from them during the day. As for getting sick from the meds your doc is giving u. The next time u go let them know and maybe they can find something else for u.

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