I thought what better place to start, than where my journey began.. and where it stayed for quite some time!!
When I first found out I was pregnant, we decided to not tell anyone for a little while, well that lasted for around a week! We were due to go out for an easter meal with all my family, and as I went to get out of bed, I was hit with a horrid feeling of nausea, the way you feel after a heavy night of drinking! Of course as I knew I was pregnant I knew exactly what this was.. I hadn't escaped it! Damn!! I had expected some sort of morning sickness, but what I didn't expect or know, was that it could (and would!) go on for weeks, and not just be in the morning!
After a few days of being in bed unable to keep any food or drink down, I knew I had to tell my mum what was going on! She had already guessed I think anyway! I decided now was the time to go to the doctor and see what they could do to help! I had been googling (naughty!) ways to help myself but nothing seemed to work for me. The doctor signed me off work and gave me some tablets which should have eased the sickness enough to help me to eat. They did not work!!
I was so fed up of lying in bed and spent hours reading through pregnancy forums to find out when this would be over and I could enjoy being pregnant! Obviously though nothing could give me the answer I wanted, and I just had to wait it out. The worst of my sickness lasted for around six weeks. However it didn't stop there! I still had the odd day here and there where I would feel dreadful, and I was still sick in the mornings right after I'd eaten (TMI!!) all the way up until I was 40 weeks!! It wasn't every day, but quite often!!
Sickness like this was not something that I had ever known about before getting pregnant, I mean I knew about morning sickness of course, but I had imagined being sick once when waking up then carrying on through the day! I did not know it could go on all day or last for weeks!!
Here are a few things which helped me to get through! I hope if anyone is in the same position I was and is scrolling the internet looking for anything to help, that this helps a little!!
- Eating something as soon as you wake up, even if you don't feel hungry.
- Drink lots of water. My doctor said the baby will get what it needs from you as long as you stay hydrated.
- Wear travel sickness bands. I don't really think these helped, but it was more of a mind trick!
- Don't worry about work. - I would worry constantly what people at work would think that I had phoned in sick again, or if I had to go home, but honestly don't worry. Your health and your baby are more important than what other people think. I was signed off of work for six weeks, and when I went back they would let me go home if I didn't feel well enough. Working in retail it is very hard to cope with sickness or hide it!! Especially when you have to stand constantly all day! Any "work tips" that I found online all assumed that pregnant women work in offices and that you have a desk! Well where I work there is no chance to sit down or rest!
- Keep mints or sweets handy! I always found sucking a hard sweet or a mint helped, and it kept that horrible taste away as well!
- If you can't face eating, try drinking a glass of milk. This always helped me! If you don't like plain milk, try flavoured milk.
- Also eating dry things like toast, breadsticks and rich tea biscuits. I lived off of these things for the first few weeks!
- Keep a snack handy. I used to keep a kit kat or small pack of biscuits in my bag at all times. The second I felt hungry I would have to eat otherwise the sick feeling would come!
These are a few things that helped me, and I hope by sharing it will help others!
Did you have pregnancy sickness? What tips do you have? :)
