Thursday, March 22, 2012

Morning sickness: I finally discovered something more evil than UTIs....

Let me start out by saying that not all women experience terrible morning sickness. Some women don't experience it all. To those women, I say, I am so happy for you! Now go die.

Not really, of course... The only time I feel that way is when I share that my morning sickness is so unbearable that they have me on a anti-nausea medication for chemo patients, and then someone gives me some advice like, "oh just have some crackers to settle your stomach." Like as if I haven't tried that. And eating ginger root, and drinking sprite, and taking B6, and changing my vitamins. One lady (at jury duty) told me that I should drink water to feel better. Ohhhhh! Water??? I should have been drinking water for the past six weeks? The ONE thing I didn't try! I would like to mention that if your morning sickness is more in the mild to normal category, you definitely should try all the things listed above. They obviously help some people, and if there is a way to easily make yourself feel better, it is totally worth a try!

The one thing that actually made me feel better was chewing mint gum. That one was provided by my helpful sister-in-law. It didn't cure anything, but I think the constant chewing action suppresses your gag reflex or something. I never tried motion sickness bands, because my doctor said that even for regular motion sickness, there is no medical or statistical evidence that those are anything more than a placebo. I am all about shunning things that are not scientifically sound, so I didn't try that.

So what is morning sickness like? Well first of all, FOR ME, it's not just in the morning. It's ALL. GD. DAY... Imagine having the stomach flu all day for 6 weeks. Now, change nothing. I would also maybe compare it to the worst hangover you've ever had lasting forever.

Like I mentioned before, I couldn't work out, go shopping, or leave the house really. When I would go out to eat (which was like twice), I was typically leaning up against a wall with my eyes closed. My showering frequency has decreased by half, and I think my dogs have gained some weight from not exercising as much.



Aside from being physically sick, being confined to bed started to take it's toll on me emotionally. My pyschology knowledge goes as deep as listening to talk radio, but I am pretty sure I slipped into some sort of prenatal depression for about two weeks. I felt so terrible, and NOT excited about being pregnant. Then you feel guilty about not being excited. Then you sob to your husband because there is no way to possibly believe that you will ever feel better. Ever. But hey, I snapped out of it, and now I feel better AND I'm not crying when I watch House Hunters.

Complaining about pregnancy can be a touchy subject. It's kind of like when celebrities complain about the paparazzi. There are so many people out there that have difficulty conceiving or cannot conceieve at all. The more pregnant I become, the more thankful I feel that I got pregnant without trying. Even having to try for a couple months sounds super stressful and nerve-racking, and we are beyond blessed to not have to go through that type of disappointment... and I can imagine that it is terribly disappointing and frustrating. Even with all the sickness, we are super happy and grateful to be having a baby, and I hope no one feels that my complaints marginalize how lucky we are. But whining is one of my best talents, and I have to stay true to who I am.

Anyway, I am so much better now. For all those people who promised me that it would in fact get better, you were right! I didn't believe you, but you proved me wrong. I still get really sick at night time, and only feel kind of terrible the rest of the day... which is SUCH an improvement. I hope none of you or none of your wives go through what I did, especially you ambitious types with real jobs. I would have had to take medical leave or something if I was at my old job. Luckily, the people at stay-at-home-dog-mom international were really understanding and flexible with my morning sickness.

Love,
Lauren


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