By Louise Flanagan
In the early stages of pregnancy, I recall being a little disappointed that I didn’t feel pregnant.
In hindsight, I should have thanked my lucky stars, because the alternative to feeling normal in early pregnancy is feeling awful.
I did have the occasional bout of nausea and the odd aversion to strong smells, but given how much some other mums-to-be are affected by morning sickness, I got off very lightly.
Severe morning sickness is referred to as hyperemesis gravidarum or HG.
Plenty of page members of Letterkenny Babies have messaged in over the years, looking for tips on how to manage HG.
They say they can’t keep anything down and can hardly get out of bed in the morning; the nausea can last all day and is completely debilitating.
Many have even been hospatilised due to severe dehydration. They often need IV fluids and anti-sickness injections to help get them through.
It’s no joke.
Some ladies feel nauseous well past the 20-week mark of pregnancy but there’s no need to suffer: Contact your doctor and they can prescribe something for you. Stemetil and cariban are mentioned frequently as effective medication options.
Page members who have experienced HG had other tips to offer. Sipping on water, ginger ale or ice-cold coca cola were all recommended.
Many said that eating dry toast or plain cereal in bed before they even tried to get up in the morning made a positive difference. Apples, bananas, plain chips, ginger snap biscuits, tuc crackers, cheerios and Mr Freeze ice pops all got a mention too.
Plain foods and cold foods seemed unanimously preferable. One mother said that the only thing that could keep the nausea at bay was marshmallows!
A lot of women said they felt sickest when their stomach was empty, so they recommend trying to eat small and often. And keep on sipping on your drink too.
Many women said that anti-sickness bracelets from the chemist that target the pressure point in your wrist also help.
Preggie pop drops were also deemed to be a lifesaver for some mums-to-be.
I’d never heard of these before, but a quick Google search tells me that they’re fruit-flavoured sweets that you simply pop in your mouth to combat morning sickness.
As with all aspects of pregnancy, it’s important to tell your GP about your symptoms of HG.
There’s the risk that your nutritional needs may not be met if you can’t keep food down or tolerate a healthy balanced diet due to extreme morning sickness.
Your GP can advise and ensure you and your baby are getting the nutrition you both need, but only if you tell them.
Some mothers also mentioned the emotional toll of HG.
They sometimes felt guilty that they weren’t enjoying being pregnant and also became isolated from friends and family due to low energy levels and crippling nausea.
Always keep the channels of communication open with your friends and family; they will help you.
Pregnancy should be a joy, but in reality, it can be a very taxing experience.
If your morning sickness is interfering with your daily life, be sure to act upon it.
The end result – that squishy little baby – will make it all worthwhile, but in the meantime, seek advice from your healthcare provider, reach out for support and take each day at a time.
Louise Flanagan is an admin of Letterkenny Babies facebook page and the author of the children’s book series, Dragonterra and Dream Beasts. www.dragonterra.ie
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