Morning Sickness..

OH MY GOD!  I can honestly say I have NEVER felt like this before. I've had three boys and apart from the odd smell that used to turn my stomach, I didn't have any sickness during my pregnancies with them at all. This is a whole new kettle of fish. I have never in my life felt so utterly wretched! I am not exaggerating. WRETCHED...


Since our discovery that my tummy bug was in fact a baby, I have been plagued by "Morning Sickness" (or Hyperemisis Gravidarum to be posh). Although to be fair, it is more like any time of day or night sickness. I feel awful if I get hungry, at all. Then I feel ill if I eat anything. If I am lucky I might get a few minutes in between where I feel less ill and just totally shattered. Smells make me feel rough. Odd smells too as well as the obvious things. I put some washing on today and the washing powder made me gag. It's totally pathetic but seemingly unpreventable at the moment. It's not often that I am actually sick (although I think it may be a relief if I was) I just feel nausea all the time.

My other problem is extreme fatigue. I am totally exhausted ALL THE TIME! Walking up the stairs has me out of breath. Things I never batted an eyelid at have me totally shattered in minutes. I can't carry the boys about like I used to, or walk to nursery, or hoover the house in one go. I am really struggling with this as I have always been a do-er. Now I can't. Today, for example, my lovely husband told me to sleep as much as I needed (I also had two dashes to the bathroom which didn't help). I had an hour and a half in bed while he took the boys to the park to feed the ducks, then once they had lunch I went with them for their afternoon nap and had another 2 and a half hours. Here I am still tired and ready for bed any minute. I know I am supposed to rest as much as possible but I don't feel able to do much else to be honest!

I have had a look on the internet for any suggestions in overcoming the sickness. (I should mention that I was given anti sickness pills in hospital but they are not helping an awful lot. I am tempted to ask the Drs about some different ones although I would rather steer clear of medication if I can.)
The information I found was:

Morning sickness is caused by the rapid increase of several hormones in early pregnancy. 
These are Estrogen and HCG (Human Chorionic Gonadotrophin). 

A lack of vitamin B6 has also been found to contribute to morning sickness. B6 is found in Cod, Oatmeal bread, Milk and Peanuts. 

Also the heightened sense of smell and sensitivity to odours which can trigger the Gag reflex. 

All of this coupled with a growing uterus, sluggish digestion and increased levels of stomach acid is no wonder we feel rough! 

Suggestions to alleviate the symptoms I found are:

Eat little and often to keep you blood sugar levels high

Avoid foods that make you feel sick (bit obvious that!)

Drink plenty of fluids as dehydration adds to nausea

Tiredness also makes you feel worse so try to rest whenever you can

Ginger - make ginger tea sweetened with honey to taste and sip through the day. It has a calming effect on the digestive system. Also ginger biscuits or ginger tea are also pretty effective.

Sea-sickness bands - Theses work on the acupressure points for nausea and are available in most chemists (I am going to try one of these so will let you know how I get on)

Getting fresh air - opening the windows or sitting outside can help. Sometimes central heating can make you feel worse if it's a bit hot and stuffy indoors

Nibbling crackers - Cream crackers or water biscuits are recommended but I think Rich Tea are just as good. Having something to nibble on helps with feeling hungry and keeps your sugar levels up. It suggests keeping some by your bad so I may try this too. 

If you are struggling with ickiness then I hope these suggestions help you too. If you have any other suggestions please share, I am willing to try almost anything!!