Morning sickness; some people get it, some people don't. Some people are incapacitated for their whole pregnancy, others get off nausea-free. With Charity, I fell somewhere in between. I took two months off of work between weeks 7-16 and spent my days lying on the couch with a red pail on the floor beside me. I couldn't cook, and Brad had to eat his meals in another room so the smell wouldn't send me running for the bathroom... again. We ordered in and ate out more than I ever dreamed I'd allow myself to.
Week 17 I felt like a new person. The morning sickness (I called it 'morning-noon-and-night-sickness') stopped almost over night, and I quickly packed on the pounds, delighted in making Brad dinner again, cleaned our house from top to bottom, ignited the pregnancy glow once again, and gave birth to a healthy, strong girl who weighed 9 lbs, 10 oz.
Then there's the near perfect experience like my 44-year-old mom had just a few short months ago with Charity's little uncle William. She had no symptoms, except for her expanding waist line. She could hardly believe she was pregnant (none of use could, actually); no headaches, no puking, no swollen ankles, no nausea, no nothing. Just this sense of being overwhelmed that her baby would be younger than her granddaughter; Grandma was having a baby!
So far with this pregnancy, I'm feeling much better than I did with Charity. The nausea is persistent, usually at it's worst in the morning. We have VBS this week and I'm in charge of the crafts for the 6-7 year-olds. Thankfully, I've been given permission to come near the end of the class when the worst of it is over, and I can cut and paste with out gagging at the smell of the glue or marker pens. I'm sure the kids would laugh at the sight of me gagging; Charity thinks it's hysterical.
I've never taken any medication for morning sickness, although it has been suggested by many including my Doctor. I know it's not a chronic condition and that one day it will pass. As difficult as it can be, so far I've been successfully in biting the bullet, and skipping the Diclectin. Perhaps it's because I'm naive and stubborn. Morning sickness is normal, just not particularly enjoyable. Over 80% of women experience it, and usually it means that everything is going just fine with baby.
When I'm tempted to go on medication, I just remember the story my aunt tells of her sister, who has had nearly as many miscarriages as babies (five or six). She was truly thankful for morning sickness, because it was with these pregnancies that her babies survived. To her, morning sickness meant new life inside her womb. The pregnancies in which she felt well usually ended devastatingly within a few weeks.
Along the way, I've learned a few things that seem to keep the uncomfortable symptoms in check. Most of them I learned from other experienced moms. Feel free to add anything you've found helpful in the comment section. I'll make great use of them to be sure!
- Take your iron, folic acid or other pregnancy vitamins when you feel the least sickly. Iron should be taken with orange juice because it needs the Vitamin C to absorb properly. Unfortunately orange juice triggers my gag reflex first thing in the morning. I take mine right before bed at night and everything stays in.
- As soon as you find out you're pregnant, double your meals and freeze one. Most people feel fine for the first month or two. Take advantage of it and stock pile meals for the freezer. You'll be so grateful for a yummy, healthy meal, without having to fork out when the last thing you feel like doing is cooking meat or sauteing onions.
- Can't sleep at night? Try drinking hot milk before bed.
- Keep a package of soda crackers next to your bed, in your purse, or in your pocket. Sometimes I get the overwhelming urge to munch on something. If I don't, I know I'll be sick. So I keep a package of soda crackers nearby at all times. It saves making pit stops at Tim Hortons when the urge comes on suddenly.
- Take a nap. Many of them. You'll feel refreshed.
- Accept help when it's offered. Having a sister over for the day to help fold the mountain of laundry can bring great relief and a renewed sense of hope.
- Keep up your fluids. It's easy to become dehydrated when you're constantly bringing up.
- Look at baby pictures, read up on how your baby's developing, or having an ultra sound, can be just the thing to help you remember that this is all so, so worth it!