I learned that there is Morning Sickness and…Extreme Morning Sickness…
Have you ever wanted something really really really bad for months and years and when you finally got it – it was nothing like you imagined? I remember hugging my toilet feeling so sick. I was so nauseous and felt like I wanted to puke, but I couldn’t puke anymore. I had vomited so much that froth came up when I puked.
My stomach had nothing else to give. I had nothing else to give.
I cried and shouted out to God. I felt like a little girl again – I wanted my mommy.
I just wanted to feel like myself and for nausea to stop.
Pregnancy Affects Everyone Differently
My sister has two sons, and she did not have any form of morning sickness at all. She knew she was pregnant because her “aunt” did not visit.
I started experiencing morning sickness with my first pregnancy around week eight or nine of my pregnancy. Thankfully, it was truly “morning sickness”. I was fine by late morning.
With my second pregnancy, I suspected I was pregnant the day before Thanksgiving as I prepared to host dinner at my home. All the smells that I usually love were making my stomach cringe. Thanksgiving Day was a real struggle. I noticed that at the sight and smells of certain food made me feel sick.
Getting sick while driving…
I remember driving to work drinking a smoothie with my first pregnancy. I was feeling happy to be finally feeling good. I was so hungry I gulped the smoothie down too quickly. I was in the middle lane and started feeling nauseous.
I panicked for a few seconds and then thought what can I do. I reached for a plastic bag I had in the car with some items. I threw the items out of the bag and put the bag over my face while sitting at the stop sign.
As I was puking in the bag traffic started to move and the puke came out on my nice lime green scarf. I got off the road as fast as I could and pulled over in a parking lot. I got out of the car and finished, cleaned myself up as best as I could and went on to work. I felt better after getting it all out and could not stomach smoothies for a while.
This was a cake walk compared to my second pregnancy and sting with morning sickness, I meant All Day Sickness. I think the worst sensation is feeling nauseous like you are going to throw up and you can’t or nothing comes up.
Happy to be pregnant, however, Sick and Tired of Feeling Sick…
It’s like you’re stuck in limbo. You try to eat to settle your stomach, however, food makes you feel sick. What do you do?! Especially when you have to be at work.
This is how I felt for the first trimester and a part of the second trimester with my second pregnancy.
I learned that each pregnancy is different and each woman’s journey is different -with pregnancy and morning sickness.
Talking to First Time Mamas
First-time mamas, you will receive a lot of advice from your family, friends, colleagues, neighbors, and strangers.
Listen, ask questions and keep the information in your “toolbox”. As you get to each stage or your pregnancy you can pull out information from your “toolbox” and try and see what works for you.
Only buy things/remedies in small amount until you find out what will help you feel better.
Take your ginger or mint tea with you to help with nausea
Remedies that Helped me to Handle Morning Sickens
- Hot Mint Tea
This is a go too for all ailments for Jamaicans. I made tea with either fresh mint of mint tea bags. You should be able to find fresh mint and tea bags at your local grocery store. Peppermint was my favorite. - Ginger Everything
Ginger Ale, Ginger Cookies, Ginger Candies, Fresh Ginger Tea and Ginger Tea made with Ginger Tea bags of Powdered Ginger Tea. Trader Joe’s has an awesome selection of ginger products. You can try Whole Foods and small organic grocery stores as well. - Lemon, Lime or Mint Water
Adding lemon, lime or mint to my water helped to make it taste better going down. - Saltine Crackers
Crackers were my friend. I kept them everywhere. I remember a colleague telling me she suspected I was preggers as she saw me always snacking on crackers. Do what you must to get over the hump… - Toast
Toasts were one of the foods my body would not reject – most of the time. - Minty Gum or Mint Candy
The minty flavor helped keep my stomach settled and breath fresh. It was great to have a mint or gum after an episode of puking. - Toothpaste, Toothbrush & Mouthwash
I made sure to have my travel size toothpaste, toothbrush, and mouthwash. I needed to get that taste out of my mouth and surely did not want to smell like puke.
I was so sick with my second pregnancy. I had to tell my manager and team early that I was expecting. I talked about telling my boss that I’m pregnant in this post.
I felt confident going into my second pregnancy. I Thought I knew What to Expect! The remedies above that worked with my first pregnancy wasn’t working with my second as much…
The two remedies below were my saving grace – with my second pregnancy.
Prescription Medicine
I was tired and exhausted from being sick and finally went to see my doctor. I was dehydrated. I was losing weight. I didn’t know much about anything about Extreme Morning Sickness.
I went into my pregnancy rejecting all “medicine” that could potentially harm my baby. Yep, I am or was one of those pregnant women.
My doctor advised me it was either the meds or hospitalization. I had to do what was best for me and the baby.
And thank goodness for the medicine. I was finally able to function better, keep down water, and handle the demands of work and everyday life.
Motion Sickness Bracelet
A co-worker saw how sick I looked and felt and recommended the motion sickness bracelet. His wife had a challenging pregnancy and it helped her.
I like that it was drug and chemical free, and it is only cost around $12. I could tell the difference in how I felt soon after putting it on.
Things I Avoided to Alleviate Morning Sickness
- Perfumes
I eliminated perfumes all together as soon as I was experiencing nausea. I did not want to start disliking them and worst to not be able to stand/like them after I had the baby.
- Scented Lotions and Soaps
- The sight and thought of raw meat made me ill. I could not manage to buy meat without feeling sick. I couldn’t even manage to go to the meat aisles in the grocery store.
- Herbs
Rosemary is one of my favorite herbs. I love the smell and the flavor I give food when used to cook. We visited my sister-in-law over the holidays and she had an abundance of rosemary plants. I was happy to take some back home with us. We were taking a road trip from Georgia to Virginia. The strong smell of rosemary and nausea did not go together.
It has been more than four years and I still haven’t recovered. - My Prenatal Vitamin
The pills were huge and I could not handle taking them in the first weeks of my second pregnancy. I could not keep much of anything down.
I used the gummy prenatal’s during this time.Morning Sickness will be a Memory Soon.
I literally felt like I was dying several times during the first weeks of my second pregnancy. It is all a memory now. It was hard; however, I was lucky and grateful.
I somehow managed to work – or dragged myself to work and showed up daily. I have since seen friends and heard of other women who were bedridden or had to stay in the hospital for months!
Pregnancy is no joke, and that is only the beginning of our motherhood journey.
I survived my “extreme morning sickness” while working because I had the support of my team and colleagues. I spilled the beans early.
I hope you are like my sister and have no morning sickness. However, if you do, I hope the list of remedies above will help you. It will all be a distant memory soon. Hang in their mama!
Are there any other Remedies that helped you overcome morning sickness? Please share how you managed your morning sickness while working.
Best,
Yamiek, aka, Tallawah Human
