Three months
I recently went through my archives to gauge just how bad my morning sickness was during my pregnancy with Leta, and after the fourth or fifth entry dedicated to puke I wanted to tell myself DUDE. I THINK WE GET IT. And so instead of going on for pages this time around I'm going to get it all out in a couple of paragraphs, and I'm not even going to include details on what cornbread stuffing tastes like laced with stomach acid (hint: really awful). Here goes:
Devout Mormons routinely fast for two to three meals on the first Sunday of every month, and this ritual is supposed to bring them closer to the Spirit and strengthen their testimony of the gospel. When I was in college my roommates and I used to go to a local restaurant called The Brick Oven on the Saturday night before fast Sunday and binge on the all-you-can-eat pasta buffet. I'm talking plate after plate of spaghetti, rigatoni, and fettucini, to the point that we wanted to throw up afterward. And the strategy worked, we wouldn't be hungry for another 24 hours, but I think that kind of defeated the purpose. Fasting is supposed to be challenging, and here we were taking the easy way out. Oh my God, if that wasn't a sign of things to come. Hey you, parent of a student at BYU... is your child stuffing themselves with carbs to make fasting easier? Yeah, four years from now they're going to be really good at giving hand jobs. OUT OF WEDLOCK.
That horrible feeling I had after the fifth serving of pasta, the one where the noodles feel like they're sitting at the top of my throat, where my pants are so tight that I can't maneuver into a comfortable position, where I feel like I might hurl if I move my head too quickly, that is what I feel like ALL THE TIME. It never goes away, even if I haven't had anything to eat in several hours. And my brain and gut are telling me that I'll feel better if I just eat something, which is a lie. It's after I eat that I feel the worst. Food tastes phenomenal, yes, but during the two hours after a meal I have to assume the fetal position and remain perfectly still. This is not convenient when life has to be lived, when dogs need to be fed and walked or certain daughters need baths and bedtime stories. Leta has grown used to the grimace on my face during her bedtime routine and more than once has voiced her opinion that "that baby isn't being very nice." Really? In that case your feelings won't be hurt when I tell you that this is nothing! When you were in my womb I used to daydream about how much less painful it would be to shove a fishing hook through my upper lip.
All of this is to say that no, I do not like being pregnant. I am thankful that I am pregnant, so grateful and hopeful about the baby, thrilled about what it means for our family, but I do not enjoy what this does to my body. I cannot relate to women who say that they love this, that they wish they could be pregnant for years, that they have never felt more like a woman. I don't know exactly why, but there are things about this that make me feel totally disenfranchised. I have no control over my body or appetite, and I cannot do anything to improve the way I feel. The nausea is constant, the weight gain already intimidating, and my face is a plate of what I like to call Pregnant Pizza: acne, fever blisters, discolorations, and unruly hair. Yes, hair where hair should not be growing. Read that again, teens: HAIR WHERE HAIR SHOULD NOT BE GROWING. Put on a damn condom already. Or better yet? HAND JOB.
Also, I did not start showing with Leta until I was almost six months along. And guess what? Yep. Not even kidding. I'm totally showing. In fact, I've already had to buy a ton of maternity pants. I'm actually really happy, ecstatic even about this because I feel like I can see the progress, whereas last time I had serious doubts I was growing a baby and not some deadly strain of the flu. Although lets hope that small bump I'm sporting right now is the baby and not all those salt and vinegar chips my brain told me was crucial to my survival. No really, it woke me up one night and said that if I didn't eat that whole bag of chips both me and the baby would die. And I was all, brain, THAT IS AWESOME LOGIC.
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298. zanne said:
i was so sick with my second that i couldn't keep down ice chips. no exaggeration. i thought they were going to put me in the hospital. doc gave me vitamin b complex. shots first (because of not keeping down ice chips) but then later on pills.
i hear it's also great for curing hangovers.
299. angela said:
I HATE being pregnant. Which is why I only have two. Being that we are extremely fertile people, my husband is also scheduled for his vasectomy this month. Merry Christmas to his penis! Anyway, love my kids, hate being pregnant. I totally feel your pain.
300. Vicki said:
Although I didn't suffer nauseau during my pregnancies (ok, just a little, but it was fleeting and minor) I still didn't enjoy being pregnant. It takes too damn long, when all I wanted was that child on the outside, not the inside. All the good stuff(she says, laughing) happens after that kid is born.
301. Asha {Parent Hacks} said:
CONGRATULATIONS to you and Jon -- so happy for you, although I wish you weren't being put thru the morning sickness ringer. (You wear it well on video, though! Bravo on that feat of will.)
A little story about showing early during your second pregnancy: The second time around for me, I was six weeks pregnant and hadn't told anyone outside my immediate family and closest friends. I walked into book club one evening and one of the women yelled CONGRATULATIONS! YOU'RE PREGNANT! at the top of her lungs. All heads turned, and there I was dumbfounded that it was so obvious. Yep, maternity pants soon thereafter.
Hope you feel better soon.
302. Stephanie said:
Ginger ale, Saltines, candied ginger and pretzels were my saving graces.
On the bright side, my 3 year old daughter saw me run to the bathroom to puke so often that she ran to the bathroom to puke too when she caught a stomach bug, as opposed to just projectile vomiting where ever she happened to be.
303. Beth said:
Soooo glad to hear someone else hates pregnancy as much as I did (and my captcha is "torical nursed," whatever that means). I was sleep-deprived for most of it and mean as a snake. And ginormous, and hideous, and barfed nonstop for 3 weeks in the first trimester. Ugh.
304. jeanie said:
Okay, so I missed the whole "here we announce a baby coming" episode (must have been when my bloglines threatened to disown me and move to Utah) so a very huge congratulations!!!
All I can say is don't try fried spinach. Not even if you're not pregnant.
305. Shelly said:
I feel for you....i really do...my child is 18 years old....not 18 months...YEARS!!! and i still remember the horror that was my pregancy!! i lost half of my hair..it went from blonde to shit BROWN...i had bag under my eyes....the prego glow...WHAT A CROC OF SHIT!!!!!and i was fairly sure she was going to be a tap dancer...cause that is all she did to my bladder....for 9 months!
but for all that hell...i have one hell of a daughter...she is to awesome to even discribe...but she never...and i mean never had a hope of a brother or a sister!!
306. amber said:
Hang in there! And if you have to, go beg your doctor for some Zofran, WONDERFUL stuff. The only other things that worked for me was ginger beer and sniffing alcohol pads. Sounds strange, I know, but I learned it from a nurse, It works!
Good Luck!
49248. The Scarlet Pervygirl said:
Hey, I could help with the hot girl-on-girl action. It would have to be at my place, though; I'm allergic to cats. You're cool with pet snakes, right?
And then we could tell people we hooked up through Dooce, and tell Heather, too, and give her details about our respective nipples, and she would then share those details with the world. I can think of no downside.
Heather B. Armstrong, congratulations on your podling! God, pregnancy sounds like it sucks. Good luck.
Hey, I'm curious . . . what are you doing for mental health these days? I was under the impression that women can't keep taking antidepressants while they're pregnant, and between that and the hormone shifts, I don't think I'd survive a pregnancy, so I'm interested in hearing more about what the intersection of Podling Time and The Crazy is like for you.
307. Wacky Mommy said:
Feel for you. Also glad it's you who is knocked-up and not me, woooooooooooooooooo-hoo. I was so sick both times. My friend was trying to sweet-talk me into eating, "Honey, something. Anything. A bagel with no butter or cream cheese?" I literally had to slam the phone down and run to puke, just at the thought of it.
Water made me sick.
Saltines made me sick.
But, meh, you know I liked the boy & girl that I ended up with, out of the deal. Hope you're not sick for much longer and that you have a few good months.
308. Starshine said:
Hang in there, sweetie!
I SO WANTED to meet you when you were in LA, but alas, the timing wasn't good.
xoxo and all my best for surviving your morning sickness!
309. Kristin said:
Just came across this article:
http://karenhurd.com/morningsickness.html
It seems like it is worth a try, unless you hate lentils.
Also, if you eat more according to the Weston A. Price diet, morning sickness is supposed to be drastically reduced.
http://www.ppnf.org/catalog/ppnf/price.htm
Best of luck!
K
310. Lisa M. said:
Here's another vote for ginger (can be candy, tea, or capsules [if you don't like the taste of ginger])... AND another vote for Sea Bands. Good luck!
311. Brandi said:
If one more person tells me to enjoy being pregnant while it lasts, I swear to God I will rip their eyeballs out. I am at 39 weeks with my first, spent the first 20 puking (sometimes out of the windows of fast-moving cars) and have now been programed to get up and pee every hour on the hour in the middle of the night.
And I told my sister the same thing about hair growing in places where it shouldn't grow. There is just so much shit they don't tell you in "What to Expect When You're Expecting."
Anyway, congratulations. And I do mean that!
312. The Bold Soul said:
My sister's second pregnancy was also a lot rougher than her first. She was showing before the 3rd month also; even though she had lost all the baby weight from her first pregnancy, it's like the inside of her body just didn't have the muscle tone NOT to show that baby bump early, the second time around. She had more morning sickness and by the end her ankles had swollen up (and it was the heat of July, too, which didn't help her at all). But she got a gorgeous baby out of it so it made the pregnancy part worth it, she said. Just to tell you that you're not alone in how you feel. And your candor as always is so refreshing. I'm sure there is some other pregnant woman out there reading this post right now and thinking, Thank GOD someone else understands what I'm going through!
Now, let me go take my daily birth control pill. I'm 47 and can't even imagine how hard it would be to be pregnant with a pre-MENOPAUSE baby: gee, hot flashes AND morning sickness combined? Just shoot me now.
313. joey said:
dude. brick oven pizza blows. whatever pain you felt, you deserve for eating that fodder.
314. Sobrina said:
The other day I had this terrible pain in my stomach like I've never felt before accompanied by waves of nausea and I was almost convinced that there was a small human growing inside me. The first thing I thought was "I wonder if this is what it feels like to be pregnant." Then I thought, "No, this really sucks, it must not be this bad." But it really does sound that bad heh. Luckily the next day it went away. I think it was something I ate.
315. Amy said:
I havent visited the site in maybe a year, and tonight I just had this urge...maybe because all others lead me to vomiting in this bliss of a first trimester. I'm the first person in my family to be this sick, which makes me believe I am growing satan inside.
316. Anonymous said:
I totally get you - I'm also pregnant with my second, somewhere down the 7 months line and I absolutely HATE it. I am lucky I guess in that I've had no problems, no sickness, nothing yet I still hate feeling that I've lost control, that I look awful, that I have to wear clothes designed for deformed people and all that for another baby that was more my husband's idea than mine.
I spent the first few months in denial but now I guess I'm getting used to the idea. I am grateful that I am healthy enough to do this I guess but if I could go down to a shop and pick a baby I'd rather do that, because I hate looking at myself right now. All those women that love being pregnant must either be nuts or seeing something that I've missed. So hang in there!
317. Stephanie said:
I'm currently on day one of my period. Horrible stomach cramps and a bit of bloat for a few days sound like nuthin' in comparison to the "torture" (is that the right word to use?) some pregnant women go through.
This entry made me yell out loud, "Thank God I'm on the rag!" My husband just looked at me and freaked out. He knows I am never this happy when I'm on my period. He probably thinks it's hormones and NOT a blog entry that just made me have the little outburst. Heh.
318. Vicky said:
Hey Heather,
If it's any consolation, I HATED being pregnant. And I felt so disappointed with myself for feeling that way - I was expecting to love it. All I heard were stories about how curvy and feminine and sexy you would feel, it as the pinnacle of being a woman. While marveling (with slight horror) at how my body could change and produce this child, I felt no joy in the process. I hated the nausea, the heartburn, the tiredness, the lumbering feeling. I felt stupid, invisible to men (hey, I used to like the occasional glance. Now? Gone!) and I just loathed feeling so not myself. I wanted my body back. I loved my baby already, but honestly after a short while, I got tired of sharing it with a kicking, hiccuping alien being. I longed to be just one, not two.
But the upside? Labour goes by in a flash, after the boredom of pregnancy. I had a similar first labour to yours, induced, stupid evil drip, magical, wonderful amazing epidural. My anesthetist asked me to pray for him, jokingly, after he saw my smile of pain free wonderfulness. AND I ACTUALLY DID.
Anyway, tell yourself this is the hard part. You are doing the hard part now. Then it's over. Yeah yeah, it hurts for a day, and then you get to meet your kid and then the fun really begins. Seriously, don't forget that part. I did!
I'm so excited to see if you'll have a girl or a boy, to see what they look like, how Leta reacts. I hope your morning sickness goes away soon. And please post pictures of your bump. You may feel shit, but I bet you look lovely :)
319. MumofTwo! said:
Heather, congrats. Both pregnancies I had were different, 1st one (little chap now almost 5) was an easy pregnancy. 2nd Pregancy was a pukefest for the first 14 weeks, my Dad died before I could tell him I was pregnant, and the baby treated my stomach like a hamster wheel, running round like it was training for a marathon. And when she got bigger kicked me in the ribs constantly for the last trimester. The little lady in question is now 3 and still does not stop. EVER. My pukefest was eased by boiled ginger sweets and lemon and ginger tea..didn't stop the physical chucking up, but made the general nausea tolerable. good luck.
320. Anonymous said:
Amen, sister. Pregnancy is awful. AWFUL. And the second pregnancy is the worst. But pretty soon you'll be in the slightly less awful second trimester, when you can eat and be still sort of cute-fat and not get-this-thing-out-of-me fat, and still walk down the hall without wanting to take a nap halfway through.
321. Becca said:
will definitely remember your hand job advice from now on... i really hope you feel better soon!
322. Viktor said:
As a man (albeit a man who feels uncertain if his 'manliness street cred' may be damaged by reading this post) I am happy to report that my belly growth is only due to delicious food and being a lazy bum. And the only side effect is to make me repulsive to women and small animals, and a slight smell.
Hm, maybe being pregnant would be better after all.
Good luck.
323. Soph said:
I hated being pregnant too and referred to it as the alien invasion.
At least this time you know for sure that it DOES end.
May the force be with you. xx
324. Lucie said:
Having experienced four months of morning, noon and night sickness myself, I can't help but feel a sense of camaraderie with you. I felt absoultely bloody awful - ALL THE TIME - and no-one really got it. That I could feel so very, very sick and gruesome, yet at the same time, have to eat, yet at the same time feel faint at the thought of any food passing my lips. I'm just over 6 months now and feeling altogether human again - I can eat and in fact I'm finding it difficult to stop. Having lost weight in the first four months, now its gaining rapidly and I'm pretty sure that its the daily, well, if I'm honest, twice daily chocolate bars I eat, more than my growing child.
Good luck getting through it - I hope it disappears pronto and you can get back to those bean burritos without worrying about the aftermath.
325. Anonymous said:
Have you considered acupuncture to help with the nausea? It could help, and make you feel better.
326. Beth said:
After 300+ comments mind is so irrelevant, but yes I felt the same way. My second pregnancy was actually harder than the first. The worst was when I was in a plane, flying back from London and tackled a stewardess for something to eat. So glad there wasn't a federal agent on that plane.
327. M said:
I am 16 weeks at the moment and I have never felt more undignified in my life!!! Hair growing, lots of it, in the WRONG places, runny nose and a persistent irritating cough, insane and off the planet mood swings. Nausea with snot, now there's a joyful image - one that I get to feel every day.
The worst feeling though is that that my whole mouth is coated in butter. Its disgusting.
(I'm very excited to be pregnant but I cannot relate to those smug glowing women I see on the tube).
328. Léonie said:
Oh, God. That sounds bloody awful. I will never be mean to my mother again.
They should get expecting mothers in to talk to teenage girls to reduce underage pregnancy rates. Although the promise of a free council house probably overrides the prospect of horrible nausea. Still worth a shot, though.
www.leoniekate.blogspot.com
329. Candice said:
DICLECTIN= LIFESAVER :)
330. Kathy said:
I'm 27 weeks with my third and it wouldn't be possible for one woman to have had three more different pregnancies. With no. 1, I had a bit of nausea but no vomiting, but near-constant hyper-painful urinary infections and ended up with pre-eclampsia and an emergency c-section at 36 weeks. Not a barrel of laughs. With no. 2, I was exhausted all the way through (turned out to be ridiculously anaemic) and a bit nauseous, but no bladder or kidney problems, no other blips, and labour commencing naturally at 40 weeks (ended up with another c though as it didn't progress).
With this one, I was truly and magnificently sick for the first 12 weeks - vomiting twice daily at least, and feeling like dogshit. The sickness eased off gradually, only to be replaced at 14 weeks with a bone-shattering go-around of pyelonephritis (kidney infection). Recovered from that and actually felt pretty good, with plenty of energy, weeks 16-26, but now I have just been diagnosed with gestational diabetes and am swelling like a bullfrog with so much fluid in every extremity that it's just unbelievable. People keep asking me if I'm having a Christmas baby ("FEBRUARY"" I have taken to barking in response). And here in Australia we are heading into what's expected to be one of our hottest summers on record. So that's nice for me :-(
So yeah, I think pregnancy per se is very overrated and I have come to regard it as an endurance event or extreme sport of some kind - hazardous, painful, not even very sensible, but the pay-off in terms of the prize at the end is what you do it for. Feeling the babies move I always find lovely, but most of the rest of it, not so much. I adored my daughters before they were born and managed to enjoy it from the minute they were born, even the befuzzled newborn stuff, and I don't begrudge what I went through to get them, but oh my God, it ain't easy, or fun, or SOMETHING I AM EVER EVER DOING AGAIN.
331. Emma said:
Please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please tell us how you made the latest masthead?!
It's gorgeous!
332. dernieres nouvelles said:
I'm two months pregnant now. When will my baby move?
With any luck, right after he finishes college. Good Luck!
333. sasha said:
Curling up in the fetal position, smelling a lemon. That's my happy pregnancy memory. It really is the worst kind of nausea. Not even barfing helps.
But for me the weirdest thing was the fact that there was someone else in my body with me, all the time. As far as I'm concerned, there should only be one person in here. Pregnancy feels like being abducted by aliens, from the inside out.
Hope you feel better soon!
334. mari caplan said:
I experienced pregnancy exactly the same way. It was a means to a much wanted end. I could never connect with the women who glowed and loved it all. Maybe their asses never spread the moment the fetus impanted itself in the uterine wall.
These are prolly the same ladies for whom menopause will be a liberating, powerful life change.
335. C'tina said:
you may not like being pregnant but just remember the miracle of life....growing inside of you...like a little alien....and if you happen to get a stuffy nose...you really feel trapped....and become claustrophibic....because there is no escape..., "you'd think people would learn..." but Leta will be all about the baby, I bet....and if not....she'll have a sib...and you'll marvel....like a comic
336. Kate said:
So glad I'm not pregnant anymore. And I'd bet anything you're getting a boy child. My boy killed me in so many ways before I even met him. My girl was easier.
337. Jinx said:
Thank you for your honest and humorous posts. As a victim of 2 rough pregnancies, I sympathize.
All the best Heather! Hang in there!
338. Jane said:
Take 25 mg of B6 three times a day. My pharmacist said that it's one of the ingredients in diclectin, but it doesn't give you the dizziness and drowsiness diclectin can. B6 is water soluble, so you don't need to worry about taking too much of it - you'll just pee it out. It's a miracle cure for nausea and associated brain fog. I'll be seven weeks pregnant tomorrow, and wouldn't be functioning without it.
339. Marta said:
I completely agree with you, I didn't like beeing pregnant at all and I REALLY didn't like the stares in the doctor waiting room when I said it out loud (Hey people I don't mean I don't want this baby I'm just sick of feeling bad all the time... and having to be in complete rest... and eating all the time because it was the only way I woudn't get nausea... and.. I could go on for a couple more paragraphs). Then came 2nd trimester, I stopped getting nausea and I could move and oh yes I felt like the queen of the world for about two and a half months and next thing you know I feel like a whale and yes, you guessed it I weight like a whale, it was not a pretty sight. I never tought I would be so happy to see my feet again.
So be positive from the 6 that are ahead problably three will be very good and the other three will be less painful that what you got know. Good luck!
340. Amy said:
Ginger tea or candied ginger...definitely. Just keep some with you all the time to munch on. Sometimes even just smelling it helps me control the nausea. Ask your doctor about trying dramamine also- it's an anti-histamine (like benadryl or unisom) that fools your inner-ear and your eyes into thinking all is steady when it totally isn't. I even took phenergan for a month (a phenothiazine- not appropriate for everyone, especially when preggers, but when mom and baby are facing malnutrition from all the vomiting the benefits can outweigh the risks). Did your sickness stop with Leta after the first tri or did it last the entire time? Not always the best indicator, every pregnancy is different, but you may be nearing the end of the worst of it. I hope it gets better soon, and Heather, you're so my hero.
341. Heather said:
The lack of control over my body while pregnant? LOVE THAT.
I knew there wasn't a damn thing I could do about it, so I rode that train all nine months. God, it was liberating. Kinda like, "YEAH, I'M FAT. I'm PREGNANT. Revel in my roundness! Now back off me."
Now I'm like, "Yeah. Can't button my pants. Because of pizza."
That one? I can totally control. Maybe. Hm.
Hang tough, mamacita. Hang tough.
342. Nicki said:
I am entering week 10 and so glad to know I'm not the only one dealing with constant sickness. I had to go on Zofran because I couldn't keep water down. Saw and heard the heart beat, but still. BARF. Hard to be excited when you can barely stomach crackers. I've dry heaved and thrown up more in the past month and a half than I have in the past 10 years. It wasn't this bad with my son, which means it's probably a lot of estrogen in there. Just know you aren't alone. Oh, and in the maternity pants part either. I was in stretchy pants by 5 or 6 weeks. We are not alone!
343. Ms. Moon said:
Listen- by the FOURTH pregnancy, you're in maternity jeans the second the sperm hits the egg.
I have a feeling that if I'd had five babies, I'd have gone straight into tent dresses. As in, dresses made of actual tents.
344. E Mama said:
I can relate! Finally someone like me who didn't LOVE being pregnant.
2nd time around you show quicker. Skin is more expandable.
Good luck!!
345. Gillian said:
I remember being so disappointed that I didn't like pregnancy more. Now that it's over and my kid is 7 months, I am excited about the prospect of being pregnant again in the future, and I'm sure I'll like it more. And my brain from 7 months ago is like - hello? Remember me? The miserable one with the heartburn and the puking and the joints that feel like stretched out rubber bands?
How quickly we forget. ;)
Congratulations, a zillion times over, and hang in there mama!
346. Rachael said:
HELLO baby bump pics!!!!
347. Heather The Pregnant said:
OMG!!! thank you for writing this, I am about 7 weeks along right now and I hate this, it SUCKS!!!!!! I cannot relate to women who say they love being pregnant either. Thats crap.
348. Sheri Bheri said:
My Mom would tell you that this is a short season in your life. That it will end soon enough, and you can tough it out.
My brother would say "Mom said: Suck it up Princess!"
But I prefer the "short season in your life" concept. Just keep your eyes on the prize!
(my captcha was Doing Springfield and all I could think of was how yummy Rick Springfield was, back in the day)
349. Sense said:
HAAAA...#206, you are my favorite! Stories like that are why I do not want to get pregnant (well, besides the fact that I am single and don't have an effing clue what I'm doing with my own life, let alone able to handle someone else's)--I'm sure to be the one that faints, AS I throw up, while eating something weird, in the middle of the Soup Plantation. If ever a candidate for a monster pregnancy existed, I am IT.
I had no idea pregnancy could be so horrible...this was very informative. There are some CRAZY stories here. Going to the hospital because of dehydration? that is an awfully common theme. What did women do before there were hospitals?? Die? WTF do animals do? do they go through the same stuff?? So many questions...and are the kids REALLY always worth it, or does everyone have to lie about that, too? I am now totally cynical about the whole process.
Heather (and other moms), thank you for telling us yet-unscarred ladies how it really is, or can be. I hope the pregnancy thing gets better, AND is totally worth it. No lie.
350. bethiecow said:
This is why I am never ever ever ever ever having another baby. Ever. I am so very grateful for the three I have (twins and a third little surprise), I would change nothing, it was worth all of the misery and sickness, etc...but after that second pregnancy was worse than my first with the twins? No. Done. Forever. I will never do it again. Ever ever ever.
Here's hoping you feel better really soon.
351. gorky said:
Thanks for sharing!
Now I know why guys don't get pregnant. It would really conflict with our beer drinking...
Hope this phase passes soon.
352. andrea said:
Now that I am in my third trimester, I don't miss the motion sickness feeling at all. I had three months where I actually felt good and comfortable but I've hit the point where no position is comfortable and I'm a little cranky most of the time, a cranky person with suddenly freakishly big feet and hands. Good luck!
353. foofer said:
Oh Man. I am right now experiencing that short and somehow excruciatingly long time where I am wondering if I'm pregnant, but it's too soon to check. I too have been dreaming of Salt and Vinegar chips day and night. Yikes...and Yay!
354. Hanna said:
I'm sorry that you're so sick. Have you tried vitamin B6? I started taking it in October to help lengthen my luteal phase in hopes to get pregnant. I found out that I'm pregnant about 2wks ago. Apparently B6 is also supposed to help with energy AND nausea! I don't have a lot of the nausea that I have had in my previous pregnancies and only the occasional bout when I smell something really strong or when my husband decides to go on and on about food (which I surprisingly have no interest in at this moment).
It's also been stated that unisom helps too. I have not tried unisom, but perhaps it might be something worth talking with your OB about.
If all else fails, there's plenty of meds your dr might be able to prescribe for you.
Those that have wished that they could "be pregnant for years" usually do not have the horrid morning sickness that you're describing.
Congratulations and I hope you're feeling better soon!
355. Jenn said:
I am currently almost 29 weeks pregnant with my first baby. And by all accounts, it's been an "easy" pregnancy for me. However, what you just said about being pregnant vs. being a parent? I could not have said it better myself.
And the people who feel SEXY when they're pregnant? Yeah. I'd love a complimentary sample of whatever it is they're on. In fact, make mine a double.
356. Lisa M said:
I would be pregnant for the rest of my life if it meant I could skip the first 2 months of the baby's life. Seriously. Well, and the last month of pregnancy if we're making deals with the devil.
357. tori said:
I found your site when you were pregnant with Leta. For the last eight months of my pregnancy I've been going back and reading those blogs because this is one of the only places anyone has ever been so HONEST about pregnancy. I love that I'm pregnant. I love that in one month I'm going to meet the most important person in my life. But I HATE being pregnant. It's like my body has been revolting against me for all the horrible things I've done to it. Payback.
Thank you for that honesty, for all your honesty. It makes people like me feel a lot less alone.
P.S.- Something about your writing for the last couple of months made me suspect you were having another baby. I couldn't be any happier for you and your family.
358. SART said:
OH.MY.GOD. I am so right there with you. At almost 9 weeks I've been on puke parade since the day I hit 6 weeks. That combined with never ending nausea and the horrible crap taste in my mouth make me want to hibernate for the next 7 months! I hate to complain b/c we've been trying for this kid for a year and I know I SHOULD be so thankful for the pregnancy. But I'm not. I remember with Nugget being all excited and full of shit about how I was creating a new life, blah blah blah. With this one, all I can think about is how July can't come quickly enough...
Hang in there.
359. Angie said:
Enzyme tablets totally saved my life. Also, chewable calcium from the health food store....and chlorophyll. I had heartburn that kept me awake at night, and we all lose our dignity if we don't get our sleep, don't we?
360. Lisa Kirker said:
YOU ARE NOT ALONE! I love my two girls, but being pregnant was like 18 months of hell. Oh, wait...36 months since I couldn't fit into anything for 9 months AFTER the nine months I spent morphing into a beluga whale. Hang in there. You know it's worth it - most of the time!
361. Sassy Molassy said:
Hopefully you will start feeling better now that you're moving into the second trimester. I have four kids and each time I felt like death in the first trimester, but fabulous in the second.
Have you tried taking Lysine for the fever blisters? It usually works great but it will give you gas, not that this will be new in the pregnancy experience, right?
362. ckirby said:
I absolutely hate being pregnant. Actually, my body hated being pregnant. My second pregnancy was with twins, which made it all the worse. Thankfully, I will never be pregnant again. I feel your pain but in a way that makes me happy it is you going through this and not me. Can't wait to see the baby though!
363. Kim said:
I was SO like this with baby #2. UGH.
The only thing I could keep down was orange/pineapple kool-aid!?!
And now words of warning...please be careful with Leta (like you're not)...
My 1st (who is now 12 and the 2nd is 8) STILL resents/hates the little brother and I suspect it's due to my complaining that the baby was making me sick. The older son also stopped saying he loved me on the day the brother was born. Still hasn't said it. So sad!
Sorry for the downer.
364. DateWithKate said:
I am trying to get pregnant - this gives me so much to look forward to! Congratulations, it will all be worth it in the end!
365. Daddy Scratches said:
I am again reminded to thank my lucky stars for being born with a penis.
I do not know how my wife lived through this twice, but, with our youngest now 3-and-a-half years old, and the pain of my vasectomy a distant memory, I can honestly say that, while I am glad we experienced the pregnancy and infancy phases of our son's and daughter's lives, I do not, for one wee infinitesimal moment, miss that period of our marriage ... and I wasn't even the one who had to swell to the size of manatee and pass two human beings through my genitals ... drug free.
All hail women.
366. Stacy said:
I'm 32 weeks pregnant, and I think it happens to be insanely unfair that not only to do we end up being fat, clumsy, and perfect idiots (I swear, there are days when I think: "Good thing I've got GPS, or I'm not sure I'd find my way home."), but we're SLOBS. I've never spilled so much crap on my shirt as I have both times I've let my husband knock me up.
367. Ames said:
When I was pregnant I was just like you... I survived those first 17 weeks on Nilla Waffers and Zofran. Anything else was puke city. Let me just tell you a thing or two about Zofran, in case you decide to go that route. The relief from the sickness was a Godsend, but you might as well pour a bag of QUIKRETE directly into your small intestine. You won't poop for weeks, and when your body finally decides it's held it all in long enough.... well, it ain't pretty.
368. alisa said:
Yup... I can attest that the half-Unisom/B6 cocktail really does work, a little. Give that a shot.
Lord help me, I am 38 weeks and 4 days today. I've been pissing hourly and having contractions all dang night for nearly a week, but NO REAL LABOR yet. Pregnancy sucked the first time, but at least my water broke at 37 wks with that one. This going-right-up-to-your-due-date-with-a-week-of-prelabor thing might be the worst experience of my life, second only to pushing out a face-up child.
Hang in there, Heather. I know it's a rough road :)
369. DJ said:
Yeah, never actually been pregnant, so I don't really know how I would deal with it, but I told my husband that pregnancy makes me think of a parasite taking over your body. He told me I was demented. Oh well. :)
370. Susanne said:
This is like reading a description of my life! Except I usually only have at most an hour before I'm curled up in the fetus position trying to hold down my dinner and substitute salt & vinegar chips with Ketchup chips smuggled across the Canadian border.
Oh, and along with 2 dogs and a 2 year old who don't understand why mommy doesn't want to move off the couch, I also have a husband that likes to tell me to just shake it off. Being pregnant is GREAT!
371. Abi said:
Maternity jeans ROCK! I wish I could still fit in mine. They were the most comfy jeans ever!
PS... Did you get the hedgehog ornament?
372. Erin said:
Man, I can relate. I love my son more than anything, but the thought of getting pregnant again is scary to me. The thought of feeling like I have a stomach virus for four months solid is horrifying. Particularly because I love food, and I don't want to have to deal with choking down bland Ramen noodles and holding my breath when I open the refrigerator door again. I hope your nausea passes soon!
373. Julie said:
Heather Darlin', I totally know where your coming from. I knew when I was pregnant all 4 times when I started puking all the time. I discovered the joys of motion sickness pills. If I took it with the pre-natal vitamins I wouldn't puke as much. Mornings were always bad but not as bad and I could usually keep things down throughout the day.
I'm like you - I want to smack the girls that say "pregnancy was a breeze". BS! It was the worst experiences of my life. However I have 2 beautiful girls to show for it. (Yes I realize 4 pregnancies should equal more than 2 children, I had miscarriages.)
Babies after the 1st start showing earlier because the abdominal muscles aren't as tight as they once were. Even for your skinny butt.
374. Z said:
I'm a spontaneous aborter who also hated being pregnant, I know what you mean about "Yay! Baby!" but "Gross! Pregnancy!"
375. Princess Mikkimoto said:
I HATED being pregnant too! HATED IT! Feeling the baby move was cool but the rest of it... YUCK!
I love my son more than life itself but if I ever have another kid, it better be brought to me by a stork.
Hang in there!
376. S said:
I'm clearly a late-bloomer in the blogging world and am just reading yours for the first time, and I have to say, this is perfect timing to start. My due date is 9 days after yours, my first ultrasound was the same day of your sonogram, and on Saturday, I was totally munching on Salt & Vinegar potato chips despite the constant feeling of wanting to puke. My point is I can relate and I really like not going through this crap alone. (Misery loves company?)
377. erinhazel said:
i'm so excited for you, and am sorry that the present reality of pregnancy is so hard. keep your head up, dooce.
378. Holly said:
You are freaking me out. I'm 3 months pregnant also...and I can't stop snarfing down salt & vinegar chips. My belly popped out after one month. It is so weird compared to my first pregnancy. My doctor says the uterus has a "muscle memory" from the previous pregnancy and just knows to go to that shape earlier. Delightful. Let's hope my butt doesn't have "cellulite memory"
379. RuthWells said:
Have you tried lemon water ice for the nausea? (Do they have water ice on the west coast?) It was the only thing that worked for me...
380. Finn said:
So glad I'm not the only one who hated being pregnant.
I've heard that after the first baby you start showing the minute the second pink line appears.
Hope you feel better soon!
381. Sarah said:
Hope you feel better Heather! Thanks for sharing!
382. Sara said:
I hate being pregnant too. It makes me absolutely crazy. Did it twice. Will probably never do it again. Unless it's a huge fluke. And I too think the women who want to be pregnant all the time have lost their damn minds!
383. beeps said:
i hated being pregnant- it was like my body was taken over by aliens for a year. i had morning sickness (which i re-christened alldamndaysickness) for both of my pregnacies for 7 months. i hated losing control and hated even worse wanting so badly to eat only to revisit it moments later- not unlike the feeling of being on the tilt-a-whirl at the county fair ALL THE TIME while you can smell the corndog stand 10 feet away. pregancy ain't made for everyone but the outcome is oh, so sweet...you're not alone heather, just hangin a while longer and suck up all the chips you can while you have that fantastic excuse of "i'm eating for two..."
384. Brandy said:
Heather, I am also in early pregnancy. I am about 4 weeks behind you on my second child. I am positive that I'll be in maternity clothes by the end of the year and I'm having morning sickness only when i don't eat... When i get hungry I start gagging and dry heaving. So I am trying to eat small amounts all day long. With my first pregnancy I also lost 15 lbs because I was SO SICK. So I am glad it's better this time, but I will be just so glad when week 16 hits. That's when it finally ended with my first.
Happy for you and your family, but you are right. This part sucks!!
385. Dawn said:
Thank god I am not the only one. I hated very second of being pregnant. I love my little 3 month old and she was totally worth it, but pregnancy felt so unnatural to me,
386. Lindy said:
I'm due two days after you (though this is my first). I read the part about feeling disenfranchised and the bells just went off. Yes! I've never been very good at being embodied as it is (I'm a philosophy professor, so ideas have always appealed more than bodies and materiality). But now I honestly don't even know how to deal with all this some days. I'll hit the 2nd trimester in about 5 days, and I'm really hoping it gets better, even if just for a couple of months before the 3rd trimester turns me into a cow. But thanks for writing this. It doesn't feel like anything I can tell people. I tried to mention it to my mom, and she was shocked--*shocked*--that I'm not glowing with joy and happiness at every possible second.
387. Heather J said:
I agree totally with you about the HATING being pregnant...I got the pizza face too.. I thought I had an AWFUL sinus infection..not pregnancy!! My advice for the nausea? Sour stuff worked for me, like just the jolly ranchers sours or the sour popsicles (I lived on those and vitamin water cuz I couldn't keep anything down for longer than 4 minutes..ever) I dunno why, but I could keep those down and I didn't feel like ass afterwards..
good luck honey!
388. Amy said:
THANK FUCKING GOD. I wanted to stab you with a dinner fork after your last post about how much you loved the taste of food because let me tell you, at 15 weeks and 3 days, not only is the vomiting STILL HERE but food tastes like RAT POISON and oh my god if you say the word milkshake in front of me I might very well kill you.
I hate being pregnant. Hate it hate it hate it. There. I said it. It's been a real psychological mind fuck for me. Without even knowing it I've been surrounded my whole life by the myth and unholy paradigm that if you don't absolutely love (LOVE!!!!) being pregnant then you are going to eat your children with gravy the first opportunity you have. (Faulty point of logic number one in that statement is that I can't eat ANYTHING, none the less an entire child and fuck you for even saying the word GRAVY)
So thank you for this. Because I seriously wanted to reach into the screen and gouge your eyeballs out after that last post. But that's only because I haven't been able to eat anything that doesn't taste like battery acid and splenda in four whole months, I haven't gained one effing pound, my heartburn threatens to rip my entire esophagus straight out of my chest and I wake up most mornings with vomit stuck in my throat from the night before.
And you are so right about the freaking hand jobs.
389. Heather J said:
I almost forgot!!! My OB told me this was good.. since I was sick ALL the time...
take a half a Dramamine and one Benedryl. since it's supposed to be that we get sick from our balance being all jacked up and not the alien growing inside us...giving us another 15lbs of craziness...
good luck
390. Odivah said:
Being pregnant is always a blessing. It's another life, another love.
391. Jennifer in Templeton said:
4 days after I found out I was pregnant, my mother died. We didn't tell the stepkids right away, 'cause we knew my stepdaughter would freak. I was exhausted the whole of my first trimester...BECAUSE I WAS HAVING TWINS! No morning sickness, tho. But I'm a small woman, so my babies shoved my lungs up into my throat. (My OB said, "Breathing is overrated." Bastard!) One girl was doing somersaults and standing on my bladder. I got hemoroids, skin tags everywhere, and my feet were so swollen, all I could wear were flip-flops. Then came the gestational diabetes. Then the C-section. It has taken me over three years to fully recover.
I don't recommend twins at 40.
Best of luck to you and your family!
392. Meg said:
Good luck with the already showing. I started showing at 2 months and for the next 7 had to endure comments like "You look like you're ready to pop!" or "You must be having twins. No? Oh..." or my personal favorite (and most often heard) "God, You're HUGE!" Its the price I had to pay for being 5'2" and having a 9lb baby. So hopefully this means you're going to a nice big healthy baby. Congrats again and I can't wait to see pics of the bump!
393. d3 voiceworks said:
does it make you puke when people call you sweetie in the comments section? :O
44 y.o., 28 weeks, 1st pregnancy, natch conception, no morning sickness, but i'm mentally ill in that i think i look cute and want my DH to a.) tell me that. a lot, and 2.) jump my bones. i can completely relate to the disconcerting/intimidating/ hard-to-adjust-to weight gain.
i told DH i place a lot of stock in my hotness.
now ... i place a lot of hot in my stockiness.
i hope you'll move out of that sickness as you come to your 2nd tri. ... sweetie ;)
394. Jennifer Suarez said:
I hate being pregnant too. In fact I hate the infant stage as well. It's not until my children can start to sit up on their own that I feel better about the whole thing.
Now don't get me wrong. I love being a Mom and I love my babies TO DEATH. It's just that, you know, GROWING them sorta sucks.
The only part of being pregnant that is truely fun - is feeling the baby move and kick. And that's only when it isn't kicking directly into your bladder causing you to piss all over yourself.
395. SAHM: Surviving Assorted Home Mayhem said:
I just had to pop in to say hey, I totally remember The Brick Oven! It was "another life" ago, but brings back memories. Oh, and yeah, the pregnancy description brings back plenty of memories, too. I feel for ya!
396. Kristin said:
On my second pregnancy, I popped out pretty quickly too.
It was disturbing.
But the end result is pretty amazing.
My kids are now 7 and 9.
397. Allison said:
I hated being pregnant too. I have never felt so out of it and miserable in my whole life.
398. laura said:
Showing already? Oh you are so having a boy!
Well, i DO hope all goes well and that maybe soon the sickness will go away and the rest of the pregnancy will be ok...
hugs
399. CDP said:
This is exactly what both of my pregnancies were like: the food that tasted AMAZING going down, but not so good coming up (and it almost always came back up), the crazy hormonal side-effects, the first one not showing until six months or so and the second one showing the minute I took the EPT. The good thing was the hair...my hair looked excellent when I was pregnant.
400. Laura said:
After desperately trying to find advice on how to handle morning sickness during my pregnancy, I came across a book, "Managing Morning Sickness" by Miriam Erick. She's done research in this area and found that:
(1) Sniffing lemon helped many women - just slicing a wedge of lemon and smelling or even licking it might be helpful.
(2) You're most likely to handle those foods that sound good to you, and they don't have to be bland (she says for many, crackers aren't very helpful). She's seen success with everything from chips to cinnamon candies.
For me, Chili's boneless buffalo wings were the only food that miraculously lifted the sickness for me . So I'd indulge every so often. Also, I found that potato chips first thing in the morning helped more than later in the day. I hope that you can find something that works for you!
401. Kristie said:
I'm with you Heather. At 15 weeks, I feel like I've been pregnant for 8 months already. I am so over being pregnant. I have nausea throughout the day and all I want is pizza... so why do I always get nominated to pick up ice cream for my husband? Something's wrong here.
This is my third pregnancy & it's been worse every time. And of course I start showing earlier with every one. I'm glad to know I'm not alone in this.
402. Theresa said:
Oh, I SO hear you. I hate being pregnant, and I let my husband know it daily, in between him massaging my lower back and holding my hair back while I hug the porcelain. That being said, I love my 2-yr old son so much that I'm actually doing it all over again. I'm at 15 weeks...and woke up a few days ago without the nausea, heartburn, and food aversions, hallelujah! It won't last, but I'm suddenly getting excited about the baby again, instead of blaming my husband for my predicament. Hang in there...and keep writing.
403. margiesbooboo said:
Saltines and cool water by your bed! Do not pick up your head until you let a saltine dissolve in your mouth and you have a sip of cool water. Mylanta is a wonderful antacid. My son was 6 months of nausea and he was a large baby. Very hairy fella at birth. He had a mohawk on top with a rattail going down his back and hair on his chest. Baby hair not some freaky wolfman hair. A gallon of milk a day along with mylanta. I do not like milk. Or mylanta.
Good luck with the pregnancy, I am jealous. Try the saltines, they may settle your tummy.
huggs,
margiesbooboo
404. BOSSY said:
Bossy was morning sick too -- except it was All Day Sick with nothing to distinguish the morning hurl from all the other hurls except maybe the sound of the Today Show, which was perpetually on in the background.
405. Tammy said:
I do not envy you the pregnancy part. Love the new babies - hate pregnancy! Did it four times (yes we knew how it happened) and still. I. Hated. Pregnancy.
Best wishes! Tammy
406. mpotter said:
here's to hoping you feel better in the next trimester.
i've heard you tend to show earlier w/ the 2nd pregnancy. i've noticed some of my friends who did as well.
i totally agree with the "pregnant pizza"- great analogy.
we didn't find out what Little Bean was going to be & i read somewhere that 'boys give you beauty, girls take it away'. all the acne i had all over my body made me blurt out i was having a girl.
everyone in the friggin world would tell me it's a boy. even to the point of arguing once or twice. (??)
nope. the world was wrong. we have a 4mo old daughter.
and i have the backne to prove it!
407. Elise said:
I am with you...I had one child and I love her like no other, but that is it for me. I crave another baby but the thought of going through that again, no way. They say you forget, well this lady did not forget and my baby is four.
Best of luck and happy wishes to you!!
408. an said:
eat small frequent meals throughout the day so that your stomache is never empty. aim for bland foods that are high in protein or carbs, b/c they both fight nausea. when you first wake up nibble on crackers, try eating food at room temp, limit fluids during meals, drink only between meals. sometimes water can induce nauseau, try sprite. try vitamin b does b/w 10 & 25 miligrams 3 times a day. ginger is an alternative remedy thought to settle the stomache see if you can find ginger ale made with real ginger (most sodas aren't) or grate fresh ginger into hot water for ginger tea. also giner capsules are avaliable and teh usual dosage is 500 mg 3 to 4 times a day. acupressure bands have been thought to help. they are soft cotton bands solf at most drug stores. they ward of seasickness.
try to avoid fatty foods which take longer to digest.
good luck
-dr. p
409. KimberlyK said:
whoo, this is so exciting!
do we get to see progress pictures like we did with leta in your belly?
410. bonnie said:
You have my sympathies...I had "morning" sickness 24/7 the whole nine months with BOTH my kids. I didn't enjoy being pregnant either. But I guess we have to keep our eye on the prize, right? Here's to hoping you feel better soon.
411. Jillian said:
I'm sure someone has already mentioned this but I've always heard it's really common to show earlier in subsequent pregnancies. I'm due exactly 3 months before you, with my second also. And this time around I had someone ask me at SIX WEEKS if my daughter was going to be a big sister SOON. WTF? And now, at 25 weeks I apparently look big enough to pop any moment. It's lovely, huh?
412. Jessica said:
I feel your pain. I am pregnant with my second (due a week before you!) and it is much more miserable this time - I think it is exacerbated by the fact that I have a toddler that MUST be attended to no matter how I feel. And I'm already showing too! At THREE MONTHS - it took me 5 with my son. Good God, I hope this isn't a sign of things to come... my son weighed 9.2 at birth. Okay, now I'm starting to panic! This all goes to say that I am so super stoked for you guys!
413. katehopeeden said:
Me too. Me too with the throwing up, the nausea and the hating being pregnant. And me too with the loving the new baby :)
I have three daughters (now 12, 10.5 & 6.5) and with the first two it was nothing but barfing. And none of that first trimester barfing, I'm talking the whole effing time I was pregnant. Daughter number one completely killed any urge I ever had to drink apple juice. To this day neither she nor I like it.
With daughter number two I would wake up in between four and five in the morning and eat a peice of toast or a bowl of VERY BLAND cereal and go back to bed. It tricked her for several months and made living more bearable.
With daughter number three I was fully convinced I was having a boy because I never even threw up one time. It was as though The Universe thought I'd had enough punishment.
Hang in there, nothing is more wretched and wonderful than pregnancy. :)
~K
414. Lori said:
Ok so it has been 19-years since I was last pregnant (Thank the Lord) and compared to most of my friends I had it easy. (only had morning sickness 1 time)
I am thankful that I chose the "the Lord said multiply and replenish the earth" meant by 2 not by 200 but my body was never the same after the 2nd. I look at my beautiful 19-year daughter and say to myself "just you wait until you have your 2nd child too kido."
415. Jennifer said:
I am five months pregnant with our fifth - and yes I broke out the maternity pants within minutes of peeing on the stick.
I'm not sure I'll ever get the women who feel more womanly while pregnant. To me, feeling like a woman has a lot more to do with buying overpriced skincream, drinking at bookclub, and taking home a nice paycheck than looking like a Dr. Suess character who mated with something vaguely bovine.
416. shani said:
I was one of the lucky ones, who didnt get sick, not to stick it in your face.
However, my body did crave food, lots of it. And now, nearing 40, I am paying for it.
You will show earlier with number 2 and even sooner with any after that. As the saying goes- your already 'stretched'.
I have to say- as a non-mormon in utah, who has attended the mormon church and asked 'why?' I love to hear your comments about the teachings that I and others have voiced in our own circles.
Keep up the laughs you make my day!
you will feel better- but like one poster said, better get your sleep now.
417. Tammy said:
I am sure you have heard this... go to a oriental market, get pickled ginger... when your stomach is upset, eat a sliver of ginger... in the north here we have vernors (ginger ale) but it still doesn't work as well as this.. plus being pickled, hits that craving and the soduim helps with some bloating.
418. Wedje said:
I sympathize. During my pregnancy I didn't notice the facial hair thing. However, I did notice the lump thing - anything that was freckle became mole, anything that was mole decided to double in size, any of those weird bump things that aren't moles also doubled in size and didn't shrink after I popped him out of my body. Melanoma? Nah, just pregnant thanks. Oh yes, one more thing - my nose grew too. Husband thought I was nuts, but I have photographic evidence. Thankfully the nose shrank back afterwards. May you and your new little one be healthy and happy.
419. Erica said:
Who could enjoy being pregnant? It's an alien parasite growing inside you. And yes it's beautiful and wonderful and exciting, but COME ON, alien parasite.
420. Tater's Mom said:
A-fucking-men! Pregnancy sucks balls! All those people who go on and on about how it's such a magical time? I want to shove a watermelon up their nose and ask them how magical they feel!!
421. Sarah said:
I also hated pregnancy with a vengeance. I just had my second baby two months ago and got a tubal two weeks ago. I love my children with everything I've got, but the thought of another pregnancy brings no joy, only paralytic fear. Best of luck, Heather.
422. Julie B. said:
Ask your doc for PremesisRx. Has extra Vitamin B & folic acid. I tried this with my second pregnancy as I had horrible morning sickness 24/7 and it worked like a charm.
423. Benthead said:
Wendy's Frosties. Chocolate. Cold. Smooth. Slides down the throat and just dissolves all those gassy bubbles of nausea.
Much better than popsicles, in my mind, which are too sickly sweet and way too close to syrup.
424. Melanie said:
Heather, I feel for you. I was the same way - nauseas for three months straight.
And the second baby did show earlier.
But don't forget that it will get better soon. The second trimester is generally easier.
I craved chips at the beginning of my pregnancies, too. Weird. Must be the salt.
Rest. Put your feet up. 'Cause they're easier to take care of in the womb!
425. Cindy said:
Thanks for your post. I'm sorry to hear about the pregnancy acne but I must admit, I'm glad to know that I'm not the only mom-to-be who suffers with that. None of my other pregnant friends ever got it and it's not the type of complaint you want to mention and draw attention to. Actually I'm always dealing with adult acne but while pregnant, I can't take anything for it. It's painful and disgusting but thankfully, good makeup can help. I'm 15 weeks now and it just starting to get a tiny bit better now. Hope yours does, too.
426. Amy said:
seriously i am impressed you are posting at all. i am 9 weeks pregnant today and the morning sickness is so horrible i can barely look at the computer screen. i hate it but it was the exact same way with my first child and he is totally worth it but it seems unfair when i see preggo women out and about eating and socializing and being great mommies to their first child and i am in bed constantly curled up ready to hurl....counting down the hours till daddy comes home at night to take over and i can finally rest.
thank GOD for PBS kids.
take care and know that i am literally right there with you.....well almost. i am due beginning of july....but close.:)
427. Domestic Goddess (in training) said:
This post proves what I've been saying since my first pregnancy. Tell teenagers the joys of pregnancy (who knew your nipples turned that color and grew to the size of a satellite dish... I mean the old school ones) and worse... make them watch the video my birthing class made me watch (why didn't that lady wax... oh wait... that's the head!?!?!?!) and teen pregnancy would drop to NOTHING.
428. Cindy said:
I love all three of my babies (who aren't babies anymore!), but I hated being pregnant. At least with each subsequent pregnancy, the constant-nausea improved.
What's worse, Heather? Feeling pukey and disgusting all the time or dealing with all of these teenager's angst, drama and sarcasm NOW? I'm still trying to figure that one out. Hang in there, sweetie!
429. brianna said:
So I was one of those women that loved being pregnant, every minute of it, and did not understand how women out there had such hard times...read back to WAS! I am now pregnant with our second, due in June, and I truly never want to be pregnant again. Don't get me wrong, I may want to have more children in the future, but holy hell this has been one VERY different pregnancy than my first. So to you Dooce, act and feel the way you need too and know there are readers and fans right there with you!!!
430. Leah said:
My little boy is almost 6 months old and I still wear maternity pants!
431. Tori said:
WORD UP! I HATE BEING PREGNANT! If I hear one more gypsy skirt-wearin Earth Mother tell me to "really embrace these last few weeks, it's such a beautiful thing" I will most certainly make the evening news for taking hippies out at the Whole Foods one-by-one as make their way down the granola aisle.
I was sick as a dog, couldn't even take the smell of water (yes it smells), and funny, could only eat sour gummy worms and salt & vinegar pringles for a month. Now I pee when I sneeze, fart when I laugh (or just breathe or talk, it's a fun little surprise), and there is no sleep. NONE. NO SLEEPING, LIKE, EVER, NOT A LICK OF THE SLEEP HERE, HAHAHahahahaha. It's such a beautiful time! BUT, I am lucky, I am fortunate, I get a little human out of this whom I can train to cook me hot dogs with cheese in the middle, and that right there does make this the most beautiful time in my life.
432. Karen said:
Heather
I know! The good news is that when you stay pregnant, you have long healthy pregnancies, even if you feel terrible, that end in beautiful babies. You aren't trapped on the couch or taking progesterone shots every week or going to the fetal specialist to have your cervix measured so everyone can freak out about how your baby could literally just fall out of you. This is all fantastic!
I loved being pregnant the first time, I only gained 18 lbs (granted by son was born 9 weeks early), I felt great, I looked great, it was totally wonderful. This time, it was like my body said, "Hey, I remember this! POOF!" and I was HUGE, felt like I was going to hurl, and had all kinds of complications which have resulted in me having to sit on the couch since JULY and deal with all the stuff I listed above...yes, I'm still pregnant, but yes, she is going to be early.
So, love the maternity clothes. Love that food tastes good. Love that your babies come out just perfect and get to go home with you!
I'm excited for you and your family. And if you want to talk about puking for posts on end, I'm happy to read them!
433. Afuss said:
I'm totally with you -- in fact my due date is June 15 and I feel exactly the same way. Except no food tastes good to me. Ever. Isn't it supposed to get better soon???
434. Jessica said:
You are crushing my hopes that this will be over in a few days. I am about 7 weeks along and I feel like crap - I feel like my body has betrayed me. I thought this was going to be all cuteness and fluff but thus far, not so much. I hope you feel better soon and don't forget to tell us as soon as you do - I need some hope!
435. Lisa Brooks said:
I feel your pain! I love my son, and wouldn't trade him for a thing, but my pregnancy was miserable as well. It actually made me depressed, as I couldn't understand why other women enjoyed this so much. I thought I was defective. Hang in there, you'll do just fine.
436. Katie said:
Any excuse to legitimately wear elastic waist pants is a good thing.
437. ruby said:
I should not complain as I've been trying for 3 yrs to get pregnant and have spent thousands upon thousands of dollars to get to puke every hour or so. I can no longer grin and bare it, it sucks big time but it is what it is.
However, I did find somethings that work for the acne that I managed to miss out on as a teenager.
I wash my face 2x a day with organic soap by Avelon Organics. I use a scrub by Burts Bees once a day prior to the wash - made of ground peach pits or something like that. And I follow up with Thayers Witch Hazel with Rose Water and Aleo. It does not have alcohol to dry up the skin and it seems to cleanse and refresh. And I use day and night cream for oily skin. I had made the mistake of ditching the cream till I read that your body will produce more oil (hence more zits) if it thinks it is dry.
so far it has worked for me, hope it works for you!
438. d3 voiceworks said:
one word: heartburn
killing. me. now.
it's got nothing on morning sickness but ow!
439. kelly said:
Thanks, dooce. Just as I was finally starting to forget, finally thinking about having that second kid – BAM – your words bring it all back.
It's a girl. Only a girl could be vicious enough to do this to her own mama.
440. Kate said:
Oh my word, do I hear you. Your comment about feeling totally disenfranchised completely resonates with how I've been feeling about being pregnant. This is my first and I just hit the 5 month mark and, while this part is *way* better than the nauseous-fatigued-completely-hormonal part, I still do not care for the feeling that my body is completely out of control and that my baby is ALREADY taking over my life!! not to mention the fact that even though I'm already two cup sizes larger than my normal size, I think I need an even larger bra!! My boobs are out of control. Um, but enough about me... I can relate is all I'm sayin'.
441. Kathleen said:
I hated being pregnant, too. Love my daughter, hated hated hated pregnancy. And of course all the women in my life had amazing pregnancies, so they (especially my MIL, I think) do not understand when I shudder at the thought of being pregnant.
I likened the sickness to feeling like I was permanently jet-lagged and hung over, for 9 months. Your pasta description is pretty accurate, too, though.
I hope it gets better soon for you. If not, ditto those who have said Zofran. It's the only way I made it through without curling up into a little ball and dying.
442. Liz said:
Here I was... cheering you on with the NO morning sickness. I thought - LOOK - LOOK at Heather! She was as sick as I was the first time around, and here she is the second time with none of that.
I thought there was hope for me, and that putting off getting pregnant with the 2nd would finally be over because I had living proof that it was possible I wouldn't be as sick.
Go ahead and write about puke and sickness as much as you want - I know for me in those first 16 weeks that's all I could think about, it was all consuming.
Hang in there - and tell everybody who says "just eat some saltines!" to EFF OFF for me. ;)
443. carin said:
My thoughts exactly. I'm 20 weeks... the nausea stopped at 16, later than with my first. The exhaustion stopped last week, and my belly popped at 8 weeks. It is NOT the same as the first, but it has gotten much, much better these last few weeks. I hope the same for you, soon.
444. Liz said:
At 40 I plan to never be pregnant again, but I was one of those radiant pregnant ladies. I got so much energy by the second trimester that I could have conquered small countries. Maybe even large ones. And the horny hormone surge was insane. Great skin, great hair, great nails. I never looked better. By the time the bump was no longer "cute", my mood took a 180-degree about face. But the months leading up to it were great.
445. Write Softly said:
I hear you. Hang in there. There is NOTHING glowy or magical about greeting the new day (and noon, and evening) bent over a toilet.
The only thing that kept me human was Zofran (generic: ondansetron). It's a medication originally developed for cancer patients going through chemo. As a few of your commenters have noted, it dissolves on your tongue, tastes like ass for a few seconds, and then you are magically NOT NAUSEOUS for like six hours.
And yes, it's expensive as hell. But as someone who suffered for 14 weeks before she found it will attest, that did not stop me.
Blessings to you, Jon, Leta and the dogs.
446. Mothering4Money said:
All day sickness, pizza face, elephant feet, dog nose ... oh gosh I remember those days. Congratulations BTW, and good luck with that whole squeezing a watermelon out of a lemon thing.
447. Megan said:
I found this today. I thought about how grateful I was to be exposed to those two blogs of those two beautiful women who suffered with infertility issues. I thought about how grateful I was to read your opinions - hilarious, strong. Our guy won. I can't wait to see what happens next. But this website shows a little of what's happening right now - and it almost made me cry. Hope you get a chance to check it out.
http://www.zefrank.com/from52to48withlove/
448. wetpaint said:
RE: Horrible Life Destroying Morning Sickness CURE
Order some contraband Diclectin from Canada....most of my friends have used it for all of their pregnancies. No Flipper babies. Just Canadian babies.
449. Orange Tangerine said:
Ooh, I like those Tangerine Sours from Altoids, and I should buy some. They match my fake internet name.
The only thing that ever helped my morning sickness was to stick my face in the freezer or out the back door (or car window) and breathe in the frigid winter air.
450. Coyote said:
When I was pregnant with baby number 4, suffering yet again from non-stop nausea, someone told me to try acupuncture. WTF? But, I was desperate, and willing to try anything. After one treatment, my nausea was gone, never to return. Why did no one tell me this during my FIRST pregnancy?!
If you are afraid of acupuncture, you can can try acupressure.
Otherwise, try everything made of ginger. REAL ginger. You can even get it in capsules if you can't stand the taste.
451. Mom2Gizmo said:
Zofran. Ask your doc...it's the same med they use to make chemo patients stop puking...I get sick when I am pregnant from week 6/7 through....well, I am at 22 weeks and it JUST STOPPED. Zofran is the only thing that ever worked for me!
452. Suenarita said:
The reason I never took up smoking is because my first (and only) drag made me so nauseated and dizzy that I wished I had never done it. I understand that you get over that...
I feel for you but there was no nausea for me - nada - furthermore, I wore a bikini for the only time in my life during my pregancy - and gave birth to a 10# plus, 23" baby girl.
I have my own reasons for not doing it again.
453. sol said:
I totally second the popsicle suggestion. I am 18 weeks along and still dry heave every once in a while but at least I can enter my kitchen without my stomach convulsing.
About the sex, I totally hope you get another girl, otherwise Leta is going to make his life miserable, poor darling. Morning sickness is completely unrelated to the sex of the baby. With my first boy I never felt a bad not even for 5 minutes. This time it is a boy again and I lost 10 pounds in the first 14 weeks for all the vomiting.
I'm so happy for the Armstrongs and can't wait to see photos of fat dooce.
454. HeyJoe said:
You had me at hand job.
455. Ann said:
I feel your pain! I'm pregnant with my first baby and although I love the eating the puking really does suck! I get my hubby to order me burgers and fries every night and feel very sick the next day.
He's been really nice when I feel sick though and recently bought me a gorgeous diamond necklace from www.idonowidont.com to make me feel better so that was a nice bonus.
Being preggers sucks but I inhaled all the thanksgiving food like it was the last supper!
456. Dackerson said:
Protonix saved me during my pregnancy. I went to the doc and told him I was going to stop eating and just drink my meals because I felt so awful. I loved being pregnant except for the eating part/feeling awful part.
He said why didnt you say something sooner? I have never been so grateful in my life. Cant hurt to ask your doc for some good drugs, pregnancy safe of course.
457. heather MH said:
i'm 11 weeks now and mercifully nausea-free so far this time (it was so bad last time that i was hospitalized for nearly two months). i totally hear you on the S&V chips. i munched so many that i got little sores on the inside of my mouth, though. serious. i switched to big garlic-y dill pickles.
hope you feel better very soon
458. linda said:
And only a few days ago I envied you because all food and drinks tasted so good. I'm glad my morning (aka all day) sickness is subsiding now after 15 weeks. Only started enjoying food again for a few of weeks.
Hope your nausea will go away soon!
459. KellyS said:
Go ahead and hate me now: 2 kids, and not a single bout of nausea or puking in either pregnancy. My mother was the same.
On the other hand: gestational diabetes, with both. NOT fun.
460. Caloden said:
Some women were meant to breed. Others of us were intended to be weeded out of the gene pool. I can't imagine what it would have been like to glow during pregnancy. It sucked. Every moment of all three times. It wasn't until the doctors laid those squirming masses of goo on my belly that I wondered if perhaps I had been less than gracious about the whole bearing children thing. Good to hear some honesty from somebody else. Keep your chin up!
461. erin said:
i'm sure someone else has said/suggested it, but the only thing that got me out of bed during my pregnancy was real drugs--Zofran and Phenergan....otherwise I was pretty useless, and like you, confined to the fetal position most of the day. hang in there!
462. Sara said:
I am currently 16 wks pregnant with our second. I go between WE'RE DOING THIS AGAIN YAY! to ARE WE INSANE?! Mostly b/c one moment I feel wonderful in my gaining-by-the-second body, and the next I am praying that the porn boobs will just GO. AWAY. So depending on the minute, I am one of those women that loves being pregnant, or I am of those that sees pregnancy as a necessary 40 wks of BLEH to get a precious baby.
As far as morning...I mean...all day sickness goes, you know as well as any second-time mom does that you do whatever you have to to survive. If that means living off of salt and vinegar chips (now I need some, thanks) and Dr Pepper for the first few weeks, that's what you do. All those people that are all fruits and ginger cure morning sickness! can suck it.
And yay for showing earlier. That beats just being sick for so long and getting fat with no evidence of why.
463. Larmar said:
I feel for you. I am three months pregnant, and have hated every minute of it. This is my second, not nearly as bad as my first, but still bad enough to make me want to sleep for the next 6 months. and if you think cornbread is bad, stay away from kettle-cooked chips. those slice and dice on their way back up. yum.
good luck.
464. Snarky Mommy said:
I have so been there. With two pregnancies. The last one, I could not even think the word "chicken" because anything having to do with poultry made me want to vomit. No thinking about it, no seeing it, no talking about it. Period. I didn't even let people around me eat it. That lasted well into my third trimester.
At least your oldest is potty trained. Mine was not during pregnancy No. 2. Let's just say it was an awful, awful experience to change those diapers while sick.
465. Laura Reaux said:
I'm 8 weeks pregnant for my 4th and honestly didn't remember how awful the nausea was. I'm praying that the Zofran that the nurse just called in for me WORKS. I do know that once I reach the 2nd trimester I love being pregnant, but right now I'm dying for it to end.
466. Dee said:
First time, I kid myself and even I believed I loved being pregnant. Looking back on it I lied.
Don't know why though.
Second time, lying would not have helped. I had a prenatal depression. Is that a word in English? I'm too lazy to look it up. In my language we also speak of a postnatal depression, so not sure if prenatal is correct.
Either way, no one would have believed me should I have lied.
I couldn't stop crying for weeks on end. Even at my job, I cried and cried and cried. Not the occasional tear, no. I cried rivers.
For the first time in my life I understood that people would want to end their lives.
People say that it is only for a short period but being in the middle of it is not easy.
As I can understand that you don't even want to think about another day of nausea.
I hope for you it is one of the cases where it ends after your first trimester!
467. Rissa said:
I know exactly what you're feeling right now. I felt like I had the flu the entire 9 months, it was awful. And I KNOW you don't want to hear any advice on how to get rid of that nausious feeling, because you're right.. NOTHING HELPS. But.. (and here's where I give you unsolicited advice but not to annoy you! I just want to share what worked for me and maaaaybe you haven't thought of it yet) I would suck on lemon heads, lemon drops, drink lemonade, etc, and that seemed to help some. That may be why you enjoy your citrus altoids so much. I think that (mostly artificial) citrus flavors help. Well, for me they did. Perhaps for you too?
I also switched from taking a pre-natal vitamin to taking 2 FLINSTONE CHEWABLES, and that probably cut back my hanging-out-over-the-toilet time by atleast 20 percent.. so it was well worth it!
468. amy said:
I am sorry you are sick. I threw up for 9 months with my first child. The second time around I threw up until I got myself a prescription for Zofran. It works, I took it with my 2nd and 3rd pregnancies and so far I don't see any side effects.
I know people love to help, but I would get so mad when I would get "you are 4 months along, shouldn't you be getting over the morning sickness?" My response to that one, wasn't always nice.
Best wishes to you. I love your blog.
469. Tiggerlane said:
Ah, yes - the 24-hour a day "morning" sickness. How well I remember. I, too, felt like my body was being taken over...
I've always heard that the second baby shows faster than the first, hence, I only have the one child.
And considering I consumed a crapload of salt/vinegar chips last weekend AND noticed hair in places it does not belong, unless I'm a pirate, I'd better have my uterus checked.
470. Lisa said:
I hate being pregnant. And I hate other women who tell me how wonderful their pregnancy was. And I hate the stupid advice they give. So, I'm totally with you on this...
471. Anonymous said:
Twins perhaps? If you're already showing so well...
=]
472. Anonymous said:
when the heartburn hits, try a spoonful of white vinegar - weird home remedy but it works
473. Holly Reynolds said:
Pregnancy is like muscle memory. Once you've done it once, the body kinda knows where to go from there. That's why you show faster. :)
Being a small person is, unfortunately, harder to swallow when pregnant. Yeah, yeah, bad pun. I experienced much the same sensations and by the end, the heartburn made me have to sleep in a fully upright position.
The end product? TOTALLY worth it.
Hang in there, Heather!
474. Tara said:
are you having twins? haha. or not haha.
475. michelle said:
I know you said no nausea advice, but that's like saying...please, please tell me all your tips!
That said, I have a friend and atomic fire balls worked for her. You can get them in bulk at Sams, or any baseball concession stand.
476. mary said:
My friend who was pregnant when her 1st son was about Leta's aged puked so much that her son started to add pretend puking to his daily playing. He would go in and stand over the toilet and make retching sounds......
477. Anonymous said:
I had horrible morning sickness and the weird smelling thing like you - I mean, a trip to the grocery store was too much to bear! I couldn't even step foot into one. My doctor prescribed me Zofran. They give it to cancer patients for nausea. I was really hesitant about taking it at first as I didn't want to ingest anything that wasn't absolutely necessary and didn't even take as many as I was allowed per day. It did provide some relief for me. I mean, you aren't 100%, but it did allow me to stop puking for a couple of hours and actually get comfortable in my own skin. Hopefully, this will only last for the first trimester and Congratulations!!
478. hihorosie said:
While I am hesitant to say I love being pregnant, I actually do like being pregnant but then again my pregnancy has been really good. However, like you I'm just grateful I am finally pregnant.
During my first trimester I didn't get sick but I was BLOATED like crazy. Drove me insane. Food was not very appealing but again, didn't make me sick. It's just every time I ate I felt like those all you can eat pasta dinners you had before fast sunday. Now that I'm better and halfway into my 2nd tri I still don't snack much b/c I still get full so fast. Thing is now my "I'm-full" sensor is on delay meaning I get hungry all of a sudden and stuff my face and then an hour later I feel like I just ate a whole turkey with all the fixin's when really it was only a typical size meal before I got pregnant. Anyway, the eating part has been a challenge but thankfully I didn't get sick. Hang in there - I'm sure you're ever so patiently waiting for the day it does get better. ;)
479. J said:
I didn't enjoy pregnancy, either. When people would gush about how much they enjoyed their pregnancies, it was all I could do to muster up The Eye and try not to vomit in front of them. Just get through 1 day at a time, and try to stay hydrated as much as you can. I'm sorry that it's a miserable experience.
Oh, and reCaptcha - cool.
480. Sherri said:
I didn't feel too great during the first trimester but thought I would get away without puking all day long. Then my babydaddy made some kind of garlicky beef stroganoff. I could smell that bowl of cold garlicky meat when I walked in the house even though it was leftovers in the fridge. One day I forgot to hold my breath and I opened the fridge. That one whiff set off an entire week of puking my guts out. If I even remembered the smell, I was puking. I remember crying and saying "I can't believe there are people out there that PLAN FOR THIS SHIT and do this for 9 months!!!" Of course it's worth it but believe me, Heather...I feel your pain. I woke up one day and it was gone. I hope the same happens for you.
481. jojo said:
Oh my gosh - can't believe someone is going through the exact thing as me but can put it into words. Thank you for being exactly you. So sorry you're going through this bloody blessful time. I feel so guilty hating pregnancy so much but I'm sorry it's disgusting. Sorry also that you're not in Canada and don't have the wonder drug Diclectin at your disposal. Day by day, minute by minute, bowel movement by bowel movement, you will be blessed again not a moment too soon. Hang in there momma.
482. Ami said:
I'm at 32 weeks into my first pregnancy and without diclectin I think I would have curled up and died months ago. I still get wretchedly sick if I try to go off the stuff. If I ever do this again - and it won't be for a good long freakin time - I will be at the doctor's office demanding a prescription the minute I see that second little blue line.
Add this to the soul-crushing, never-ending exhaustion and I am forced to conclude that this pregnancy thing is for SUCKERS.
483. Andrea said:
One word, lady: ZOFRAN. It's a miracle drug, and the ONLY thing that allowed me to function like a human being during 39 weeks of severe morning sickness. Call your doc ASAP!
484. Wondercat said:
Oh, mercy. And my mother went through this SEVEN times.
Barren and joyous. Thass me.
485. Tina said:
Dooce:
I ate salt and vinegar chips every single day for months during my pregnancy. And now I totally want a bag.
But, and god, I hope this doesn't get lost in the comments, I had morning sickness 24/7 for months as well and the only thing that saved me was ZOFRAN.
They cost my insurance like, 700 bucks for 20 pills but they are the second-coming-of-christ in a bottle, I kid you not. I only used one fill of the script, because I felt weird taking medicine (other than vitamins while pregnant). But they were a life saver on those days when I just could not spend another minute with my face in the toilet or in my office trash can.
Take care!
486. Michelle said:
Salt and vinegar chips?
Yeah, dude. You are definitely pregnant.
487. Peanut said:
This is my first time commenting, though I've been reading your blog for about 2 years now (religiously ever since you started the Daily Chuck--love Chuck!)
I'm commenting now because I'm expecting my first baby at just about the same time as you, and I could have written the post above word for word, except replace salt and vinegar potato chips with cheesecake. The part about the simultaneous need for food, desire for food, aversion to food, rapture while eating food, and then painful regret as soon as the fork is down was me for the past 8 weeks or so.
Also, I've spent my whole life sleeping on my side, and now that the doctor says I -can't- sleep on my back it's the only position where the food wants to stay put. So many surprising things they never tell you in the baby books.
488. Shelley said:
I am so trying the tangerine sours. I'm sitting here contemplating eating the Clementine tangerines on my desk because for some reason citrus makes me feel better this time around (my third). Like the sours, though, it is only while the tangerine is actually in my mouth and then I go back to feeling yucky. I think I OD'd on lemonade in my first trimester, so it is a good thing it is Clementine season.
Shelley (due May 21)
502848. Wondercat said:
Je t'adore. GREAT post.
489. marcoda said:
A friend of mine laughed fiendlishly during my second pregnancy because while she was pregnant I kept talking about how I loved being pregnant, lalala. Then the second one came and I decided to never do it again. My body hurt so badly the second time around and I got so much bigger so much faster and it was NOT the miracle happy times I remembered it to be.
You have the right outlook: Baby=YAY!! Pregnancy=Sucks to be you.
490. kbreints said:
I was not a OMG i love being pregnant person either.
....and yes... you show a lot earlier with #2... I was shocked... it was like my body just gave in and said-- I am not even going to try to hold it in this time!!
491. AJ said:
5 weeks pregnant here and totally freaked out now about what's to come. Thanks.
492. Liz said:
I don't know that I can say thank you enough for your honest comments about how much you dislike being pregnant. I'm the last of my friends to have a baby and every one of them has spouted that Best time of my life, so fulfilling, can't wait to do it again bullshit. I'm sitting here at 20 weeks, still dealing with 24/7 nausea that even anti-nausea meds given to chemo patients can't fully get rid of and gets disproportionally worse after eating. I've lost a good 18 pounds since I found out I was pregnant which makes me think that I'm a bad mom and am already screwing up my kid. I'm just really tired of having people look at me like I've got 4 heads when I respond that "yes, I'm excited for the baby, but no, I really don't like being pregnant."
493. Joni said:
I feel your pain. With both of my pregnancies I had the most horrible indigestion. I would eat a tiny bit of food and feel like I ate a truck. That feeling would last a good 4 to 6 hours. Consequently, I lost 12 pounds during the first tri.
Prior and during my second pregnancy I was seeing an acupuncturist (to aid in fertility and also maintaining the pregnancy). For the morning sickness, the acupuncture worked for just a few hours afterward. But what seemed to really help with the indigestion was UMEBOSHI PASTE (plum paste). I took about a teaspoon of the paste and stirred it into a mug of hot water and drank that concoction a couple times a day. Give it a whirl. It might just do the trick.
494. hugnkiss said:
NO ONE can understand morning sickness. I hate women who have been pregnant and are all "well, I kinda felt queasy once..."
Both my kids were born in June, so I have had the pleasure, twofold, of being in the first trimester on Thanksgiving. My heart goes out to you. And please know that I puked too this year, but because of too much wine this time. If its not one thing its another.
495. Joni said:
Just coming back to say that I also HATE, HATE, HATED being pregnant as well. It was not fun, I felt awful, and was generally miserable. I wanted to punch out those women that said they loved being pregnant. Ugh.
496. Mandy said:
You are a complete stranger but, like hundreds (thousands?) of women I feel like you're a friend and am compelled to write my congratulations! I found out you were pregnant on the same day I got the 'good news' of my amniocentesis, actually!
I also had a miscarriage at 9 weeks earlier this year so can relate to what you went through there..
I was really sick for the first 12 weeks but (exactly the same as my first pregnancy - my son is 4 1/2) it stopped on the dot of 13 weeks. Hope the second trimester energy and 'feelings of wellbeing' kick in with you.
Have you tried morning sickness pills with ginger and vitamin B? Blackmores worked miracles for me but I only used them in the last two weeks when my sickness was getting beyond a joke. Should have trusted them sooner!
http://www.blackmores.com.au/pregnancy/
497. C.R. said:
I used to end my fast at McDonald's. And then give an afternoon hand job to my boyfriend before going to a fireside
(another name for more church meetings often held sunday night). Good times.
498. Genevieve said:
Amen sister. Pregnancy made me feel awful. yes I got a great kid out of the deal, but the first 22 weeks, yes I said 22, i was on mediciation (zofran was my best friend!!), lost a ton of weight, and was truly miserable all day long. I kept wondering if I had made a terrible decision.
but this too shall pass.
and what a cute little dog beating monkey it will be at the end.
I'm very happy for your family.
499. jlj said:
Lordy, I hated being pregnant. Except for the body image stuff. It was the one time in my life that putting on clothes was a complete pleasure and not a stressful event. Sigh. What does that say about me?
But being pregnant otherwise, very unpleasant. I felt terrible almost the entire time and very thirsty and just generally not great.
The only thing that made it worthwhile was the fact that I had the most perfect child ever, since the beginning of time, whenever that was.
500. Christie said:
Ugh. Thanks for the reminder. I feel your pain. First baby, had a great pregnancy. Just nauseous for three months, happy for four and heartburn for the last two. Second baby, puked ALL THE TIME for FIVE months, felt ok for two, and then puked and had horrific heartburn for the rest. waahoo.
Congratulations and best of luck.
501. nikwit said:
I felt nauseous all day every day for most of the nine months both times. That was definitely the worst part about being pregnant for me. I rarely threw up - did a little more with the second pregnancy. It usually made the nausea a little better when I did throw up, but I really hated the actual act of throwing up. I would definitely try everything everyone's suggesting. I tried a few things with some results - like crackers before getting out of bed (seemed to work a little but crumbs in the bed sucked), the no liquids 30 minutes before/after eating (I think that worked a little), ginger tea (not sure if that worked real well, would like to have tried the fresh ginger idea, I bet that would work), the papaya enzyme (with the first - don't remember much about it), limiting sugar (i think...my blood sugar levels tended to get high toward the end but that was a whole separate issue), and hmmm I'll have to think on what else. The acupressure, massage, and Seabands I wish I had tried, cause they might have worked. I felt so "off" though that half the time I just didn't give a shit. About much of anything except just trying to sleep it off (that sometimes worked too).
I look forward to reading your pregnancy blogging. Yours is the only blog I read regularly, it's kind of an addiction I guess, but really you can chalk it up to excellent writing and great entertainment!
502. nikwit said:
OH, yeah - another thought about the fun morning sickness. I have heard/read that morning sickness is kind of an American/Western phenomenon. Women in some other countries just don't suffer from it the way we often do here. What's the difference? Maybe diet, maybe % body fat (I think that could affect what your hormones are doing, because certain chemicals/substances are more apt to be stored in fat), maybe because they are humping it just to stay alive and feed their families every day, getting constant exercise the way a lot of us westerners just don't, or are more stressed or less stressed or stressed in a different way - who knows. It's interesting enough that I'd like to google it again and see where that piece of info came from before it lodged in my brain. It was mighty interesting that THE DAY AFTER I found out I was pregnant with my second child, I started in with the all-day sickness. Mighty coincidental - I'm not EVEN going to say it's ALL in our heads, but perhaps there is a mental component. Maybe hypnosis would be a good cure to try.
503. Erin said:
I totally get you. Pregnancy is a miracle--at the end of the 40 weeks. The other 40 weeks--total hell! I hate being pregnant but so few other people get that. Good luck cooking #2.
504. Laura June said:
Yo seriously? Pregnancy is THAT bad? Christ. If I was currently getting laid at all I'd totally stop having sex.
Adooopting.
505. Cam Bowman said:
HI Heather,
Congratulations on the baby! I really do feel for you. I was sick the entire time feeling as though I had a bad hangover every single day. I love our baby more than anything but HATED being pregnant!
Take care!
Cam
506. Becka said:
HAHAHAHAHAHAHA! The hand job comments made me spit out my coffee. That's the funniest thing I've read online in a long time. HaHa, I went to a small Christian high school and I feel ya! LOL
And I doubt I'll be all-about being preggers. I feel like my life is spinning out of control now if I wake up bloated with a headache. I'm not sure I'll make it through 9 months of much worse than that. My poor future baby's daddy. As long as there's Moes burritos involved we may be okay. ;)
507. Bertha said:
I liked the idea of eating your placenta. But I think you ought to bring it home and feed it to the dogs. After balancing it on Chuck's nose. That would be an awesome picture for anyone's baby book.
508. Katherine said:
OK, my stomach was like 10 times bigger than yours BEFORE my first pregnancy. Am trying not to hate you. Good for you for doing what you need to do to take care of yourself. I do second and third and fourth the recommendations for ginger and papaya enzyme. They do settle queasiness whether or not you can taste them. Hope you feel better!
509. Alfriston said:
Your post about morning sickness reminded me of the earnest young resident who enquired if I was experiencing any morning sickness. (This was during my only pregnancy. My son is now 10.) When I answered in the affirmative, but added that the nausea lasted all day, he got all excited and said, "Oh, that's excellent! That means your body is producing the hormones needed to support the pregnancy!" I smiled at him weakly, but refrained from telling him that I would not be able to keep that thought uppermost in my mind the next time I was hugging the toilet.
Brilliant, funny, honest, brave post as usual. I hope you'll feel better soon.
510. Rachel said:
Talk to your doctor, they can prescribe you something to help. I can't remember what it was called, but it was a miracle pill for me!
511. renae said:
So I'm 6 months pregnant with my second and this pregnancy I have been soooo sick and I was not with my first. I only now appreciate how lucky I was.
I live by Zofran. It is frickin expensive, but so worth it! Give it a shot.
512. Anonymous said:
I was exactly the same way until about 18 weeks. The worst part for me was all the stupid advice. When you have serious morning sickness, especially the type triggered by motion, goddamned saltines DO NOT HELP. Ginger DOES NOT HELP. The only thing that helps is time. Eventually either it goes away or you have the baby.
I also am not a fan of being pregnant. I love the result, am absolutely totally in love with my child, but I do not relate at all to the women who love being pregnant.
I also wanted to say good for you about the Prozac. You have to weigh the risks and benefits for your self and I think you obviously really need the medicine - for yourself, for Leta, etc.
513. Jennie said:
My only advice - stay away from the Spaghettio's!!! When I was pregnant with my fourth, my other three were old enough for 1st, kindergarten and preschool respectively. When packing lunches, they wanted Spaghettio's in their thermos for a hot nutritious, non-peanut buttery lunch. Warming and filling the thermos with Spaghettios at 6:30am made me queasy, queasier and then queasiest!!!
Twenty years later, and the smell of Spaghettio's STILL makes me hurl... Consider this a cautionary tale.
Congratulations on both the pregnancy and the embracing of the pregnancy pants panel - I learned to love elastaband pants with all of my children.
514. Rita Zimmerman said:
I too did not enjoy being pregnant at all. Second time around was worse because I knew what to expect and for that reason it seemed to last longer. While I was pregnant and the morning sickness was in full swing I had a total stranger tell me how she wished she could be pregnant all the time. I wanted to kick her. Seriously though, best wishes with your pregnancy.
515. Angela said:
I'm pregnant with my second child after having a miscarriage last year as well. Let me tell you that the growth of your stomach will only increase. I'm at 28 weeks and I look like I did at 40 with my daughter Audrey. I swear there is no way that I'm going to make it three more months. NO HOLY WAY. I also fought off the sickness for four months before it subsided. Difficult with a toddler running around. Yes. Congratulations. Buy lots and lots of elastic waistband pants. I also hate being pregnant. I hate the sickness, the stretchiness, the achiness, the peeing my pants, the waddling, the zits, the fluids, the big boos, all of it. But I love being a mother. All those women who claim to love being pregnant are high on crack cocaine. HIGH. Or they have been brainwashed by their respective religions. I swear it's true. Who else what's to look like a pink watermelon? WHO IN THE HELL?
516. DIana said:
Someone may have mentioned this...but perhaps ask your doctor about Ondansetron...I took it, had a healthy baby and it would cure my morning sickness ALL DAY...sometimes a day and a half.
517. cattitude said:
I was showing I swear immediately upon conception with my second child, and yet still only ended up gaining about 22 pounds, which I lost right after his birth (He was nearly ten pounds)so have faith!!
518. Clare said:
Try those acupressure bracelets you can get they totally helped my seasickness on a rough ferry crossing and I get seasick swimming... By the way morning sickness is meant to be a really good sign for the pregnancy. Hope you feel better and keep taking prozac anti-depressants saved by life and you can bet I will have kids one day.
519. hollie said:
My first (and only baby) is now 6 months old. I started showing about 10 weeks along. Just reading through your comments reminded me how annoying those comments got
"You're showing already!? It's twins for sure!!" or "Look how high you're carrying...it's definitely a boy." Obviously, strangers know nothing. I had a single baby girl, and I wish I could just rub it in all those know-it-all's faces.
I also hated being pregnant. Actually, more like LOATHED. The only thing good I had going for me during that time was my skin looked AMAZING. Other than that, the whole experience sucked. But Hazel is the best thing to happen to me, therefore, I will some day totally endure it all over again for the love of being a mommy.
Congratulations by the way, and best wishes for your pregnancy, and your growing family.
520. maarmie said:
I couldn't agree with you more. I loved that I was going to have a baby, but I hated every facet of pregnancy and being pregnant. The bloatiness in every part of my body, the discolorations, the hair, the pain, the vomiting, the worrying. I didn't feel like a woman, I felt like an engorged pig. But....there were times in the second trimester when everything was at an even keel that I actually glowed and felt truly happy. I'm imagining that's what the women who enjoy pregnancy feel like the whole time, or at least a majority of it. Good for them. But it wasn't me. And I don't feel bad about hating most of it...not one bit.
521. michelle said:
You are not alone. When I was pregnant with my now 4 year old son, I could not eat anything. And by that, I mean anything. I had the constant feeling of nausea. I went in weekly to get IV fluids. At one point, I was at WalMart shopping and passed out. Come to find out my blood pressure was extemely low from the dehydration. Oh, it was bad. I wanted to shoot pregnant women who looked like glamour stars with a bow and arrow. I would shoot daggers out of my eyes when my husband ate anything. I felt noone should be eating if I was not able to. The one thing that did calm my stomach if only for an hour was a McDonalds coke. It had to be from McDonalds. So, that is my piece of wisdom for you. Just know that when that baby comes out, you will be all the better for it. I was so worried that when Alexander finally arrived that I would not bond with this child for the things that I had gone through. Not at all the case. He is the most precious human being in the world. For knowing this little person, I am all the better. Good luck and know there are people out here rooting for you. Stay strong.
522. Cathy said:
I liked portions of being pregnant-feeling movement, the great hair and nails and all the attention. I did not like feeling like a big fat whale or being sick all day (morning sickness, ha!). I have three kids, the oldest is seven, the middle is four and the youngest is four months. I definitely showed earlier with the second and third and had to get into maternity clothes way earlier. Don't let anyone tell you you should enjoy this time while it lasts. Pregnancy can really suck.
523. Joji said:
Thank You
You and Jon and Leta and the bestest Doggies have been there for us ...for we have been their too...with my brother...look forward towards being supported of each other and all......
I will leave all with one of my favorite quotes all time:
Whatever you can do,
or BELIEVE you can,
Begin it,
BOLDNESS has genuis,
Power,
Magic,
in IT"
GOETHE
Joji in Denver, CO
Please come visit us ..love to share our city and MT home with you !!!
We are friends of Pioneer, beehive, etc....
I sent you a real card back when you were awarded the Blogger of the year..
I would love to have a BLOG nad you sponser me . etc.. off line stuff .. My wonderful Dh is a webmaster
We have 2 homes and work from both and wish all can do like we do.. like you and Jon....
I am so new to BLOGGING and you can adopt me now...
I love Christy and Dave and just turned 1 Hadley..in CO
that is how I found you!!!
524. Jenn said:
Back again to offer some anti-nausea advice that worked for me...
Boston Market Mashed Potatoes. Seriously. By the end of my first trimester, I was on a first-name basis with EVERY employee of Boston Market. I was in the drive-thru every day for lunch, getting my mashed potatoes.
Aside from that, Vitamin Water - but ONLY!! the Triple X kind - made my life even remotely worth living.
525. Ellie said:
Word. Being pregnant is not fun (37 weeks and counting). The "rainbows and butterflies" people are deluded. No one would engage in this activity if there was not a baby at the end of it, and I'm not someone who can get all dreamy-eyed about a child I've never seen. It's something I cope with and get through as best I can, and it would be a lot easier without people trying to shove the 'you must be so happy' down my throat every five minutes. Nine months is a long time. I have moments of happy, but there are a lot of 'man, this sucks' in there, too.
526. Erin said:
De-lurking to tell you how much I love your site, and best wishes with the pregnancy! I work with a bunch of pregnant or once-were-pregnant women and all the pregnancy stories scare the living shit out of me - but hey! Good luck to you and your family!!
527. Pretty Jane said:
I had my first at 20 (should've taken your advice about the hand jobs, clearly) and my third 12ish weeks ago, and I can say that at 20 I looooooved being pregnant, and at 34, not such a fan. Something along the lines of, "Enough already--just get this thing outta me." Although, now that I think about it, he was 6 weeks early (all is well, no worries, but still), so maybe that attitude did me no good. On the other other hand, now, at 34 weeks they're still pretty small and shoot out like greased whatevers and recovery was a freakin' dream of ladybugs and roses.
All this TMI to say, Word, homie, pregnancy is overrated. And yet we do it ON PURPOSE. At least the babies are nice.
Will have to think of something Not Gag to send as a gift, as soon as I figure out how to do that without being all stalkerly.
528. Lisa said:
One of my best friends had constant nausea all throughout her pregnancy and just sent me this link.
http://www.hyperemesis.org/index.php
Help HER - Hyperemesis Education Research
Hyperemesis Education & Research Foundation provides education & support for mothers suffering from hyperemesis gravidarum and those who care for them.
From all the posts here, it's way more common than I would have expected!
Awesome post Heather. I'm another one who will continue the anti-depressants during pregancy.
529. A hey nonny nonny mous said:
Yeah, I'm 2/3 through pregnancy with baby #5 and I'd still love to have two more babies after this one, and I feel just like you do about pregnancy. I do get a reprieve in the middle trimester, but I didn't manage to get the baby's room all ready in the middle trimester, and now I'm heading into the last trimester, and can barely get out of bed for a few minutes each day. Not so convenient when you already have four kids.
Well, at least my new baby can sleep in a dresser drawer if need be. And she won't need clothes; I have some old rags I can wrap her in. (Actually I have some plastic bins full of hand-me-downs, but they're in a storage room, so not accessible to a woman who can't get out of bed.) (No, I'm not on bedrest; I just can't get out of bed. Kinda makes me wish I WERE on bedrest.)
Oh, sorry, I was about to write a blog entry about the joys of pregnancy and made the mistake of reading your post first.
530. Amanda said:
I don't know anything about being pregnant, but I know a whole lot about the BRICK OVEN and HAND JOBS. You're right, there is a direct correlation.
531. Cecily said:
I had god-awful morning sickness with my twins. I'm sure you've gotten hundreds of tips, and I'm sorry to add to the pile. But I'll bet you a million dollars no one else is going to suggest this to you: energy drinks.
I would buy one a day (M*onster was my preferred choice) and sip it, slowly, most of the day. The combo of sugar, caffeine, and B vitamins would really offer some comfort. No, it didn't cure it. But it helped.
My doc felt it was no worse than a coke or a cup of coffee.
You'll probably never see this, 500 something comments in. But I thought I'd share. :)
532. Anonymous said:
Congrats! Sorry to hear that the nausea is ruling your world right now. I heard from a friend that almonds are suppose to help. But, this is all second hand since I have never had the pleasure of being pregnant. Hope the nausea comes to quick end.
533. Natasha said:
Yes! I craved salt and vinegar chips during all that morning sickness too! I don't even like them in real life. Or... I mean, when I'm not pregnant.
And I've had Zoloft through two pregnancies. It's fine. There's an organization in Toronto that has been monitoring pregnant women and drugs for YE-ARS and these anti-depressants have been shown to be safe. Of course, I can't remember the name NOW. But if I do, I'll let you know.
Congratulations, Armstrong Family!
534. Steph said:
We've been calling our baby "Stewie" after the baby on the Family Guy, b/c I'm pretty sure it's trying to kill me. For the first time in over five years, I ate a McDonald's quarter-pounder with cheese. After the heart palpitations slowed, I swore I'd never do that again (ok, after the second McMeal). I just wonder what Stewie is going try next. Ack.
535. Elaine said:
It brings back such memories! I remember walking around with a giant Costco sized bottle of tums at work for a month before my first was born. Hang in there! Elaine
www.lipstickdaily.com
536. E said:
Oh, Heather, how I heart your blog!
I'm totally with you - I hated how I felt while pregnant with my now nine-month-old, especially when other women gushed to me about how they wished they could again experience pregnancy, and how womanly they felt while pregnant. At first, it made me feel jealous and guilty that I didn't feel that whole womanly glow, BS, but then I just got frustrated about it. All I felt like was a Neanderthal, not some beautiful, blessed woman. A hungry, clumsy Neanderthal with acne worse than a 13-year-old (which sometimes still rears its ugly head, oh thank you hormones!).
For what it's worth, the Unisom and B6 trick worked a little for me - it made that awful, constant nauseous feeling subside, even if only for a little while.
Best of luck, and I hope your second trimester is less pukey than the first!
http://motherhoodconfidential.blogspot.com/
537. michele said:
I'm with ya Heather. I was not jazzed about being pregnant with the first and even less jazzed about being pregnant with the 2nd. Am I excited that we're having a new baby? Yes, but seriously, fast forward this crap. I'm halfway through now which is great, but I am feeling like....REALLY...only halfway through, that's absurd!! I think woman who get all glowy and blah blah blah during pregnancy are all paid tv actresses.