By Kelly
Welcome back to the Pregnancy Journal here at 5 Minutes for Parenting. You can find more information about this project here.
You know those medical professionals who say each pregnancy is different?
Hogwash. In my experience, it’s hogwash.
Each of my pregnancies – and this is my fifth – have been identical. I start out fine, excited and a little mystified at the reality that I’m pregnant.
A few days after I test positive, I start to feel queasy.
And two weeks later – almost to the hour – I’m laying on the couch, nauseous to the point of moaning, wishing I could just throw up already and get it over with so I could have a few minutes of relief.
But I don’t throw up. This is my particular brand of pregnancy. I’m just nauseous 24-7 from week six to week twelve.
As far as difficult pregnancies go, I know this is a small cross to bear. I have a good friend who is due in early December, and she’s still throwing up an a regular basis. Technically, she has hyperemesis gravidarum, which is the medical term for throwing up every five minutes. During her first trimester, she required an IV of fluids to keep her hydrated and an IV of Zofran to help her make it to the shower. She’s doing better now. We see each other at school, and she’s upright and smiling and able to walk her kids to class without having to rush to the bathroom.
So I know it could be worse.
But as my friend told me, that’s a small consolation when you are laying on your couch in misery, and you know dinner needs to be cooked but you’d rather die than touch raw meat at the moment, and your kids are hungry and tired of watching TV for entertainment and no one is coming to rescue you.
When my sister-in-law was pregnant last year, I sent her an e-mail asking how she was holding up.
She e-mailed back: “I’m rotting from the inside out.”
Yes. That’s it exactly.
Pregnancy. It’s not for wimps.
So how about you: Did you suffer from "morning" sickness? Or are you one of the lucky ones who escaped this pregnancy hurdle? Tell me your story. It will distract me from my misery.
Kelly is currently 10 weeks pregnant, which means she's nearing the end of the nausea fog. Once the fog has lifted, she plans to blog regularly again about her family, her faith, foibles and her favorite foodsat her personal blog, Love Well.
Kelly, I'm still so excited for you. For me, mine were all different and with each prenancy the morning sickness got worse. But all subsided around the 13 week mark or so. Hope you get there soon!
ReplyDeleteSteph
My two pregnancies were totally different :) With Elliot, I had mild morning sickness, and with the twins, nothing. But don't be envious--with the twins I had something worse. I'll wait till you get to that part of the pregancy journal to share it.
ReplyDeleteWhat can I say....my only pregnancy so far was great I should say as I had no nausea (except for 2-3 days) and no other pregnancy complaints...my only complaint was getting big, I know it can't be avoided but it still was a trauma for me. I am looking forward to have more kids but I ry not to think about getting big as it still scares me...i should be grateful though :)
ReplyDeleteI had a bit of morning sickness, not every day with my first. I remember Christmas at my in-laws. My husband's siblings weren't able to make it home for Christmas, so it was just us and his parents. I was almost 3 months along. Mid-present opening I had to hightail it for the bathroom. They kept opening presents. Even though it was only the 3 of them. "Well, we didn't know how long you'd be."
ReplyDeleteIt was almost 7 years ago. I'm not bitter.
I had EXACTLY the same kind of "morning" sickness with my pregnancy. On the one hand, it could be worse... on the other hand, I had to learn to drive and otherwise function while constantly feeling ALMOST at the point of vomiting.
ReplyDeleteI remember being in the bathroom at work, staring at the toilet, wishing I could just throw up and be done with it.
My husband, bless his soul, tried everything he could to help me feel better. In the end, it came down to keeping me stocked with crackers, cheese, peanut butter, and potato chips, and a 2L of ginger ale per day.... Oh, and he started eating fast food out of the house a lot, since even smelling cold cooked meat made the queasiness worse.
Oh Kelly I feel for you in the worst way. That was my brand of "morning sickness" too - PLEASE GOD PLEASE JUST LET ME THROW UP AND GET IT OVER WITH - only mine lasted 24/7 for 22 weeks. That was with Peabody. With Bean, I was never sick for a single minute. So some women's pregnancies are actually different.
ReplyDeleteI wish I could hop up in the seat of Time and pedal it faster or something and make the next weeks zoom by in a flash so you could stop suffering already! Blargh.
Each one has been different for me! With #1 I was constantly sick through the middle of the second trimester. With #2 I never even felt the slightest bit queasy. I am 7 weeks into this pregnancy (#3) and every once in a while something will turn my stomach completely over, like cigarette smoke or bologna, but no actual retching going on yet. (Let's hope it stays that way too!!!)
ReplyDeleteI have just found out that we are pregnant with #2. I had a FANTASTIC first pregnancy (except for having a stubborn boy who got comfortable where he was and was breech) and never had a day of morning sickness, this go round, same thing, I feel great, tired, but really, really good.
ReplyDeleteMy sister who is 6 weeks ahead of me is so sick. Bless her heart(and yours!)
My three pregnancies have each been a bit different. With my first I was just a bit nauseous, usually in around meal times. I would force myself to eat a little and would then feel better. My second brought more nauseousness...all afternoon. So much so that I had to switch a music class I started teaching to the morning because I couldn't do afternoons. My third was the worst. I had the nausea. And, couldn't walk across the room without my heart feeling like it would just beat out of my chest. Some days were better than others, but none were great. And, you can't just lounge around all day with a 1 1/2 and 2 1/2 year old to keep up with!
ReplyDeleteI am so excited for you and hope this pregnancy follows your others and you are feeling better in a couple weeks!!
I'm 30 1/2 weeks into my 2nd pregnancy, and it has been different so far - I'm having a girl this time, and my oldest is a son, so I just assumed that was the difference. :) I sympathize with the morning sickness - with my son, I was sick from 6-12 weeks, every morning & every evening. Never threw up, thankfully, just nauseous. And I felt fine every day between noon and 4 pm. With this pregnancy, I was only sick for 2 weeks - like weeks 8-10 or so, same thing, morning and evening, and when it went away I was SO nervous, I thought something was wrong. But everything is fine so far! Congratulations on your pregnancy & I hope you're feeling better soon!
ReplyDeleteYep, that's my pregnancy. Sometimes I get lucky and expel, but normally, it's sit on the couch and hope hubby makes it home in time to feed the ravening mob. I just had my fifth as well, and know where you're at. Don't worry, you'll soon be feeling better from the nausea and then you'll get to feel the horror of late pregnancy, then the terror of postpartum, and if you're lucky, the abomination of breast infections (just when you thought things were getting better)... ;)
ReplyDeleteWith my first I had no pregnancy symptoms other than one day (at about 8 weeks) being nauseous from driving on windy roads. This time around I felt nauseous constantly from 5 weeks until about 13. Ugh. I'm so glad I don't feel like that anymore, but I'm still exhausted all the time... what happened to getting your energy back in the 2nd trimester???
ReplyDeleteI didn't have morning sickness (don't hurt me). I only got sick twice, and once was from the smell of David Fongs, how I used to love them. My sister in law on the other hand, sick all the time. She did hurt me, many time. She still can't eat cold cereal, imagine it still being cold coming back up. Nasty!
ReplyDeleteBut, I had the WORST heartburn! They put me prescription meds because it was so bad. Miserable!
I hear you. Loud and clear. I was SO there for both of my pregnancies. I believe It’s all about reduced options, about making it easy on your spouse to interpret your needs. My facial complexion for example radiated 1 of these 2 charming options: green or white. My moods swinging between “hungry” and “nauseous”. Nothing in between. Simplicity at its best. I refuse to acknowledge the term “morning sickness”. The doctor that invented it probably forgot to call his wife and ask her how she felt the rest of the day. All day.
ReplyDeleteHang in there,and try The dry diet. Do not drink with your food. No more milk and cookies, soup and sandwich. Eat yogurt with your cereal instead. Drink between meals. It's not fun, but it worked for me. So did smaller portions and frequent meals. I know every pregnancy book says the same thing. I was really good at ignoring them too.
Courage, it's all worth it once you hear the first heart beat, isn't it?
I was so queasy when I was pregnant. Except that I'm also celiac so for the first 8 weeks I was CONVINCED that I was just doing really, really badly with my diet for some reason. I found that eating continuously in tiny amounts helped. Especially grapes for some reason.
ReplyDeleteMy husband thought it was hilarious that I brought snacks to bed until he noticed that I turned into scary dragon lady if I didn't eat on time. Scary dragon lady who gagged loudly and felt like about to puke (but didn't). My sister-in-law on the other hand is of the tribe that "pays homage to the porcelain gods", as my brother-in-law likes to describe it. So I never felt comfortable complaining too much.
uh...yeah....25 weeks here...borderline gravidarum....all 3 pregnancies...all 3 boys...one pregnancy started out as twins...
ReplyDeleteYou know it's bad when your toddler makes wretching noises into the toilet everytime you walk him into the bathroom.
I did it three times though....it SUCKS, but when you know the prize at the end...who can resist that? =)
Not sure if I'll go for a fourth...it does get more intimidating the more faces that are staring at you while you rot on the couch...
Thanks for starting this journal. It's a great idea for us experienced moms! I look forward to following it.
ReplyDeleteI'm 22 weeks with my third (and also had one miscarriage). I have to say that each of my pregnancies has been fairly easy and uncomplicated, but they've all been at different. Re: morning sickness, with my first, I had very little, just a little nausea first thing in the mornings. It was probably the worst with my second, nausea that would last well into most mornings. This time, it was milder, but also much less predictable timing-wise. When I was nauseous, it was often near or even after lunchtime. And I've had a couple occasions of pretty intense nausea well past the first trimester. I hope it's gone for good now, though! Mine are all boys, too, so the differences aren't gender-related.
All of my pregnancies have been different. I am one of those who never knows what to expect.
ReplyDeleteI had my worst morning sickness with my third, a boy. I lost 15 pounds and couldn't walk across a room without a bucket. During that pregnancy I joked I needed a map of Denver on the wall with red pushpins, marking all the places I threw up.
With Joel, I had no morning sickness at all. Not one wave of nausea.
With Archie, I had SEVERE food aversions but no nausea or general ickiness.
The rest of the gang falls in between.
With my 4 miscarriages, same story.
I'm 9 weeks along with my second pregnancy, and it's almost identical to the first...almost to the day...that I started getting sick. And by "sick", I mean nauseous when I opened the fridge, and puking, puking, and more puking every. single. night. From Week 7 to Week 20.
ReplyDeleteThis time, however, after two nights of puking, I took a page out of Megan (Fried Okra's) Peanut journal, and started taking B6 (not B12) and Unisom (tablets, not gelcaps). And boy, howdy, has it made a world of difference! As long as I remember to take both, I'm not only vomit-free, but I'm also nausea-free. Woo, and Hoo!!
I'm actually surprised no one has mentioned it yet in your comments! This has been a life-changer for me. :-)
I know you've only got a couple of weeks left till your nausea will be over, but it might be worth a try. It might change your pregnant world, too. :-)
With my first, I threw up once or twice a day for the first four months, and spent the rest of my days wishing I could die. I would throw up, and then five minutes later feel nauseous again. NO RELIEF. It got better around the middle of the second trimester--then I just felt exhausted and cranky all the time. The nausea returned early in the third trimester, and then I had about two weeks of feeling great before exhaustion hit again. And I was an emotional WRECK the entire nine months. After twenty hours of labor and a second-degree episiotomy I was smiling and chipper because "Woo-hoo, I'm not pregnant anymore!"
ReplyDeleteIt was all pretty much the same with my second except milder. I attribute much of that to my chiropractor! Still not fun, still loved that feeling of my body losing all its pregnancy hormones after the baby was born.
Pregnancy and me? We're not friends.
I was a serial puker. For both boys. All nine months. Broccoli could make me puke. There's nothing like having a 18 month old leaning on your shoulder and giggling away as you heave. Plus, the NEVER-ENDING acid reflux, the carpel tunnel, the sciatica, and the varicose veins.
ReplyDeleteSUCH A PRECIOUS TIME.
Then there was colic. 4 months and 6 months. HARD CORE COLIC.
No one even ever asks if I'm ever going to try for a girl.
I so hope that the never ending nausea goes away soonest and you can be back to your busy self!!
I had fairly easy pregnancies. I had 2 miscarriages early on, and 4 healthy full term pregnancies as well. Of the 4, I have 2 boys and 2 girls, so you can't always attribute how you feel during pregnancy to any gender.
ReplyDeleteMy first, a girl, was the worst; I was queasy and had to eat ON TIME, but nothing sounded good; it was so hard to find the one mystery food that would not gross me out. I was also very exhausted with that pregnancy. I threw up once and once only, from the drive between a wedding and a reception when my husband said something that made me laugh. Lovely.
My second pregnancy was a boy, and I felt great and even had energy.
My third was another boy, and it resembled my first pregnancy, but the first trimester queasiness was milder, and I did not experience the exhaustion of the first.
My 4th was another girl, and more closely resembled my 2nd pregnancy.
Im 22 weeks pregnant with my first and I have been sick since I was 6 weeks and havent stopped. I have been in hospital twice first time I was kept in for 3 nights with a IV attatched to me perminatly. The second time I was that sick my blood pressure went sky high and I had to have a ECG.
ReplyDeleteI definitly agree that pregnancy is not for the weak hearted but it will be worth it when i get to hold my baby for the first time.
Good Luck to you all
xxx
Hi
ReplyDeleteI had really bad morning sickness with my 1st (a girl) and threw up constantly from about week 4. By week 8 I was hospitlaised for a few days to rehydrate!
No.2 a boy I was sick but managed to function (just).
With both I had horrific heartburn and reflux that continued, despite all the off the shelf remedies and old wives tales solutions, for the whole of the pregnancies. With both morning sickness ended around week 18.
Here I am 8 weeks pregnant and not one bit of actual sickness. The mildest waves of nausea that if I didn't know I was pregnant I would just put down to tiredness of looking after kids. A bit of abdominal pain and some soreness in breasts but apart from that nothing can't figure out if I should be worried or happy!!!??
I am burping but no acid - will it come on or have I escaped - watch this space!
I cannot believe that a pregnancy can (so far) differ so much from the last.
The only difference this time is that I am still breast feeding my 2 yr old a bit and I wonder if the prolactin levels could be inhibiting the effects of pregnancy horomones (though I can't find evidence to suggest this could be so). Anyone else have experience of this? Also there was a problem with the placenta (something to do with under efficient villi??) with my son (though he came out a bouncing 7lb 8oz so no growth problem there!) however I am now wondering if this lack of morning sickness means there is a problem with the placenta forming properly!! Who would have thought that NOT being sick could cause you so much angst! Anyone been similar?
Good luck to all those who are sick - you will so much appreciate that 20 wk mark when hopefully you will feel well again!
xxx
Hi all... What a great thread! I am 7 weeks along with my first and I have had really good days and some really bad days! I have been nausea free for the last 6 days and I am on edge, waiting for it to come back! I never actually throw up but that's because I am a complete emetaphobe and will go to great lengths to prevent that. I have paced up and down night and day at times with cold ice packs on my head... I am praying that the nausea stays far far away! For those of u with severe cases, my heart really goes out to u! I hope you all get better very soon! God bless
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