Mama looks like:
Wait, no, that's what I've looked AT all week. My bad. There has been no change in my belly size, except maybe it's smaller and tighter because of the *fantastic* abdominal workout I've taken up.
Fair warning, what follows is a big, fat whine session. If you want to continue believing my life is filled with only rainbows, adorable children, unicorns, and tasty food that always stays in my belly, stop reading now.
Mama feels like: crapola.
I'm not new to the nausea game, by any means. With Lily's pregnancy, I was sick all day, every day, for almost 6 1/2 months. Zofran saved my life. I only started taking it around 9 weeks because I threw up so hard I blacked out in the bathroom in the middle of the night. I tried to stop taking at 12, then 14, then 16 weeks because *darn it* that's when you're supposed to stop being "morning" sick. Each time, I was thrown into a tailspin of back-to-back barfing, every 20 minutes for a few hours, until my body was exhausted enough to keep down the next Zofran. The end result was worth it:
With James, lather, rinse, and repeat, but this time I remained under the influence of Zofran until 3 hours after (yes, you read that right, AFTER) James was born. (I did still try to go off of it at 14, 20, and 30 weeks.) Again, so worth the struggle:
Needless to say, I did not expect this pregnancy to be any different. But my beloved Zofran has failed me. Starting at 7 weeks on the day, I have been sick; too sick to walk to the mailbox, too sick to care that my children are jumping on the couch (as long as they're not jumping on me!), too sick to make dinner (thank HEAVENS there is an A&W in this teeny town), even too sick to sleep. I had a few dozen Zofran left over from James' pregnancy, and they are not working! And before you ask, no, they haven't expired. I take them faithfully, hoping beyond hope that *this time* they will kick in. Of course, I have good days, too. I was able to take Lily to the dentist yesterday with no horking until we got home :) I have an appointment tomorrow, and I'm hopeful the doctor will have a solution.
END RANT :)
I am SO thankful for modern medicine. Unisom (with the active ingredient doxylamine) has helped me sleep at night without nausea. Nutritional supplements (prenatal vitamins, vitamins B6, D3, folic acid, magnesium, zinc, and flax seed oil) help ease my mind that this baby is still getting the nutrients it needs.
I'm thankful for my family and friends who have done their own research and offered sound advice (whether or not it has worked!). My sister in particular read all about papaya as a nausea aid. Another friend reminded me about ginger, which reminded me of the small success I had with homemade lemonade (extra sour). I'm not sure who pointed to me to this blog post, but I've read a few more articles about how protein can help with nausea and I must admit that the days I have felt best, I started by eating scrambled eggs, or chicken deli-slices (microwaved to prevent listeria poisoning), or an egg-salad sandwich.
I'm especially thankful that my littles are so easy-going. When naptime hasn't gone as planned, they have been content to play with the toys in Lily's room while I take a 30 minute nap.
Soon the worst will be over and I will have a sweet little person to hold in my arms, and this will all have been worth it.
I completely understand. To be honest Zofran did not help me very much. My doctor gave me phenergan which was MUCH better. The only problem with it is it makes you drowsy, so I would only take 1/4 or 1/2 at a time. But it would still help me from throwing up constantly. I don't have to take it now but I do still have nauseous days. Like 2 days before Christmas. But now I only have a month left! woohoo! I know you can do this and at least you have beautiful kiddos to remind you of the end result :). Miss you!
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