Nauseated Pregnant Mother of 17 Month Old Needs Advice

I also agree with the ginger. You could put some of that into a tea (that could help) called Chamomile tea...which can also help, but definitely the ginger.

I was in the same boat. My son is 17 months now, and I am 24 weeks along. The first trimester was horrible, much worse than with my first son. On top of the sickness comes the anxiety that you aren't able to play, and interact as much with them because you are so sick. Don't let it get you down. Try to stay as upbeat as you can. It should pass, and if it doesn't you will adapt and so will she. Try to nap when she naps, and set up a comfortable place on the floor to lay down and "play" with her. Just being on her level will help her to not feel isolated while you are resting.

No, you're not crazy. I am in the same boat. My daughter is 20 months and I'm 13 weeks pregnant. I've been so sick too. Luckily it is subsiding, but I am still very tired. I know it's hard, but try to stay positive. Hopefully the morning sickness or all-day sickness will go away soon. I was in such bad shape that I had to fly my mom out from CA to help out. Good luck!

when i was pregnant first time my grandmaw told me to put saltines and water beside my bed before i went to bed and eat a couple before i got out of bed and it worked for me

E.--All I can say is I can feel for you. I have four kids and each pregnancy has me unable to keep food down, get enough sleep much less cook dinner or play. I read a lot of books to my first born. He was only a year old when I got pregnant with his sister, he is extremely bright and I think that he thought I was really ill. We told him she was coming, and he has been a great big brother to that sister and two more brothers. I did wait longer for the next additions--four and five years in between. All I can say, is that is will pass. Find quiet things the two of you can do together, and you will be closer for it.

I am in about the same situation as you, I am 13 weeks pregnant and have a 14 month old. We have been spending a lot of time reading stories, coloring, and playing playdough. That way I can sit or lay with him while he is playing and he feels like he is getting to spend time with me. If I am feeling well at all we go for a walk. When my husband comes home he pretty much takes over for me. It will get better soon and your daughter will not remember you being sick. Just keep doing your best and take it one day at a time. Try taking her to story hour at the library to give yourself a break.

Hi E.,
This doesnt sound crazy at all! It sounds like your body is just run down. Do you see a Chiropractor? That may sound crazy but I am one and I assure you it can help with what your feeling! Upper cervical treatment alone can help with the feelings of exhaustion and keeping your food down. Not only is this critical to you and your daughter, but certainly your unborn baby. Your not a bad mother at all, you just need some help! Find a family Chiropractor in your area and give it a try. You have a long way to go in your pregnancy and your Chiropractor can become such a welcome surprise. I wish you the best with this!

Hi E.,
I can totally relate to your issue...except my oldest is three, so is a little more independent than a 17 month old! I am currently 20 weeks with my second child and feel okay now, but the first 12-13 weeks were a nightmare for me. I was nauseated all day, felt like I could sleep for a month, and didn't want to move. I felt the same way you do--I felt as if I was putting my daughter on the back burner, but if I even moved an inch, I would just vomit everywhere!!! Hopefully your husband is sympathetic towards your symptoms--I told my husband to imagine the worst hangover he had ever had, and that I felt like that all day, every day! He finally began to realize how bad it was, and pitched in a lot--especially with my daughter. If you have family around or good friends who you trust, let them know that you need some help...I don't have family around where I live, but I have great friends, some who went through the same thing, who could come over for a few hours just to relieve me so that I could take a nap and not have to worry about my daughter. Don't be hard on yourself about playing with your daughter--hopefully your nausea will go away in a few weeks and you'll feel great and you can play like you did before. It was easier for my three year old to understand that mommy was sick and needed to sleep, but a 17 mo old, it may be a little harder. Besides nausea medicine, another thing that helped me was to get sugar free hard candies and keep one in my mouth all the time...get a flavor that you like and just keep eating them...it also helps with bad smells because you only smell the candy. I know it is one of the worst feelings in the world but it will pass--your daughter is so young, she won't even remember! Good luck and hope you feel better soon!

Try not to get too discouraged!! This will evenutally pass and no- you are not a bad mother. You are just a bit ill right now. If you are feeling this sick I am sure that you've tried all the typical tricks. I have a friend that was so incredibly sick she became dehydrated several times. They inserted a Reglan pump for her. It worked wonders. She even returned to work and a normal life. It sounds pretty scary but, her daughter is 6 months old and perfectly healthy and beautiful. Even if you do nothing different, keep in mind that you will eventually have this baby and feel better!

I can relate!
I am a mom of 4 and 24 weeks pregnant with baby #5!

I began to get horribly nauseous at about 6-8 wks and I was totally thrown off guard. I had mild nausea with the other 4, but nothing like this.
I also felt horrible, because i was so sick I could barely interact with the children for the entire summer. i planned to use this time to hang out with them before school began. I didn't happen. I was grumpy and miserable and found some comfort in just laying on the floor.
I tried all of the usual remedies for icky belly mommas and they didn't seem to work this time as well as I needed them to. I tried ginger, crackers, and eating a high protein snack when nauseous, but only helped short term.

Then I read that eating peeled oranges (not cut)can help. I tried it and I really helped me a lot for at least a month!

I also had to correct a sluggish digesting and constipation by getting back "regular", stretching, light exercise, staying hydrated (that was a bit of a challenge, as water tended to get my icky most of the time, but i drank nettle and/or red raspberry (including walking). That helped to relieve a lot of the nausea as well.

The other factor I noticed was the correlation between the nausea and tiredness. When I didn't get enough Zs I was even sicker! Go figure. So take naps with your toddler if possible (cleaning the house and other chores that will return in a day have lost some their priority for right now)
Make sure your stomach doesn't get too empty, take a good iron supplement (I like Floradix) if you are a little anemic.

All-in-all take the best care of yourself so that you can care for your toddler, she'll be all right. And let her know that mommy doesn't feel good right now. These youngins are very intelligent!
Congratulations and Peace!

This too shall pass.:-) My son was 7 months old when I got pregnant with my daughter and when I say this was the hardest thing for me I mean it. I know what you're going through. With my son I never got sick, but with my daughter I was really sick for the first 6 months. I stayed in the bathroom all day and lost a lot of weight. This was at the point my son just started walking, I was potty training him as well and breast feeding him. I felt horrible that I could not spend more time with him because my husband traveled alot at this time. My sister did tell me about ginger, which I hated and could not keep down. There is also a drug called emersol that you might want to ask your doctor about. Sometimes with my son just holding him tight and letting him know that I love him and was sick and that I would get better soon sometimes helped. Also laying down on the floor while he played with his toys also helped. Good luck, and just remember it will all be worth it in the long run.

I'm not the first on here to say this, but you'll both survive this! My first two are 15 months apart, and I was SO sick with my second. So my oldest I felt had to suffer. But looking back, it's all okay. We did end up watching more Baby Einsteins that I would have liked, and as other said I would lay on the floor while he colored, played with play-dough... whatever it took. We had daily baths that lasted for as long as he would play in there and I could lean on the side of the tub and watch (always handy since the toilet is close by!). Sometimes he'd be in there for an hour. But yes, if you don't have family around try to get him some play dates, but if nothing else you husband just needs to take over when he gets home. Get your daughter to bed by 7:30, make sure she still has two naps during the day, and you'll get a little more down time. I know when my son outgrew his second nap, I set up the pack n play in his room with a bunch of toys for him to do some "quiet time" or "alone time". It might seem selfish now, but the habbit is well worth starting now! Something they (and you) will always benefit from doing. My kids are 6, 5, and 2 and we still have our daily down time. Good luck with it all!! And no matter what, you daughter will be okay. It may be a long pregnancy for both of you, but it will all be okay!

When I was pregnant with my daughter the only thing I could eat was spaghetti o's they actually helped with the nausia. And have you tried sucking on a pepper mint? That helps me anytime I get nausus , I get BAD car sick. ginger also helps but ginger has a very hot taste that some people don't like.

Hello E.,

Please stop beating yourself up about your current situation... little people are much more intuitive than we give them credit for and I am sure that your little girl will only remember the times that you spend with her having fun, not the awful sick moments.

For some peace of mind I would recommend interviewing a babysitter, or enrolling your precious in a mother's morning out program to allow for you to get some rest and she can interact with little folks her age while having fun in a structured environment.

Good Luck and God Bless with you and your family,
N.

You are not a bad mother! I went through the same thing. My first set of twins were about 16 months old when I got pregnant. I was very ill and just could sit on the couch in the room with them. They put me on a med called Zofran (the vitamin B and unisom thing did not work for me), which did not take the nausea away, but sure stopped the vommitting. I had some help some days, so they did get people to play with them, but other days, they just had to play with toys. It will pass...Mine was the worst 8 weeks through about 14 weeks. Then it got so much better! Don't be afraid to ask people for help..you need and deserve it! Ask your OB about meds if it gets too bad. Stay away from anythin that smells (for me that was practically everything!), and drink as much water as you can, but in SMALL amounts. I found even water set me off sometimes! It will pass, and you will feel like playing with her again soon! Good luck!
J.

I know what you are going through. I have 4 weeks to my due date and currently have a 3.5 yr old and 2 yr old. I am at that exhausted state again and cannot move as good because of how big I am. In the beginning when I had lots of morning sickness, my wonderful neighbor took the girls for me so I could just rest. I had a really bad week back in the spring and she took them all day while my husband worked so I could sleep/throw up/feel yuckie. She also did some housework for me while they took their naps. She is a blessing.

Right now, my girls are watching too many videos, but I just think about getting through each day/each minute. I have a very active 2 yr old so it makes it kinda hard, but my home is child proof so I don't have to worry much and the rooms that are not child proof, they do not have access to. I am grateful that they do go to a mother's morning out program in town that is twice a week so it gives them some time to play with other children. I also have been trying to do a play date with one of the other moms. My husband really plays with them when he gets home from work which helps too. (I usually seclude myself in our bedroom when he does so I can rest.)

I hope this helps. Hang in there. It will get better. Blessings to you, J.

You are not a bad mother!! It will pass. Your daughter knows her mommy loves her. You will get through this, E.!!!

I feel your pain! I'm almost done with my second pregnancy, but during my first trimester with a 22-24 month old I thought I would DIE! I have to say, we're not big on him watching tv, but he saw A LOT of Noggin, PBS and Disney/Pixar DVDs. Sometimes you just have to do what you can do. I used any available childcare resource I had as well. And, even though they didn't completely cure the nausea, I found the Sea Bands wrist bands for motion sickness helped a lot.

E.,

I feel your pain. I was so sick during my first pregnancy that I lost 15 lbs. during the pregnancy. This will pass at around 17 weeks. So, for the next 9 weeks, your hubby needs to step up a little more. Lean on friends and neighbors for playdates (where you can drop her off for a little while). Consider a daycare program 3-5 days a week for her until you can get your energy back. Buy lots of toys and movies she can enjoy.

When it's all over with, she won't remember that her mother wanted to lay on the couch for a few weeks.

You can do it! Just focus on one day at a time.

Good luck!

I'm really sorry because I know exactly how you feel. I was literally in bed for 3 months and I could hardly play with my daughter at all. Don't feel guilty, it'll only make you feel worse. It will run it's course and you will start to feel better. She'll forget about this time. One thing that helped me is getting phinergan (sp?) cream that I could put on my wrist cause I couldn't take it orally. Also, taking vitamin B-12 is supposed to help. Some people say that nausea is caused by the vitamin B deficiency. Hope this helps, it will come to an end, I promise!

This is interesting I have a 17 month old and I am currently 14 weeks pregnant. So we are about in the same situation. I just want to tell you that it does get better. It started getting better for me about week 13. I know that it seems a long way off...but in hang in there. I remember being so exhausted and throwing up all the time. I would just lay on the couch all day long wanting to cry. We were also moving at the time from texas to geogia. It was just not fun. This is funny but when I was in the bathroom throwing up my toddler would be standing by the door saying, "Bless You" in her own cute way!! She thought that I had sneezed:) I just wanted to tell you that to make you smile:) I ate a lot of bland foods that seemed to stay down a little bit better...sometimes. For example I would eat toast and applesauce, oatmeal, cereal, etc. Take it easy and don't feel bad. I will be praying for you, E.. I know exactly how you feel. God Bless!!

Hi E.,
Oh, I know how hard it is. I have three and was really sick for months with the second two, with little ones to care for. The only thing you can do is get through it and do not feel guilty. It will be so hard, take it one day at a time, but it will pass. If you can childproof a room and just lay down and let your daughter play, do that. Sometimes getting outside in the fresh air helps. I took a B vitamin when I was sick with my third child and it really helped the nausea. It was the only thing that offered relief from the constant sickness, vomiting, etc. A friend told me about it and I asked my ob about it. I don't remember which B vitamin it was, but ask your ob. Hang in there!!! You will make it! Your new little one is worth it!

It sounds like you have hyperemesis- I had it in both of my pregnancies. I know you feel guilty right now but you have to just let those feelings go and do whatever it takes to get through the day. During my hospitalizations/sickest my mom took over care of my 2 year old for a few days (because my husband had to take care of me) and while it broke my heart it was the best we could do at the time. Let your child watch more tv, read more books, do more things that will allow you to lie down on the floor and rest. If possible, ask for help from your church/moms groups/family. DO NOT BE AFRAID TO ASK FOR HELP! My son (now 4) doesn't remember a thing about my pregnancy and the time he spent with family and simply adores his younger brother. I know right now it feels hopeless and you are helpless but IT WILL PASS. I never thought my pregnancies would ever end but they did and things turned out well. If you need to, feel free to email me and I can offer you some resources/advice for your pregnancy.

Hang in there- you can do it. You ARE a good mom, you are just having a rough time.

I am so sorry you are feeling this way. I was throwing up all 9 months of pregnancy. In and out of the hospital because of dehydration. I could barley take care of myself. I could not imagine having a little one on top of it! Is there anyone who could come help you? We flew my mom down to stay and help around the house for a couple months. That was the only way we made it around here! I hope it gets better!

I feel your pain and went through it last year. Although I could keep food down, I couldn't really play or be enthusiastic for my daughter. She survived though! My husband came home every night to a messy house, no dinner and a bored/wild toddler. He never once criticized or judged, he only smiled and took over. You're husband is probably the same way. Take advantage of any help that is offered. Don't feel bad, this stage won't last forever and a few weeks of not being able to play with your daughter won't hurt her a bit. Trust me!!! Good luck!!!!!

hi E.
i have first hand knowledge of your dilema. i have an almost 27 month old daughter, and a 5 week old little girl.
first of all, you aren't a bad mother because you can't run around like you used to. i think i spent the first 4 months laying on the couch. i felt so bad because i would see my husband play with our daughter, and i wish that i could.
but, in a few weeks, you will get some energy back.
what i used to do with her, was watch movies, read to her, play little games like paddy-cake and itsy bitsy spider. or just lay there and cuddle.
you would be amazed on some of the things that you can come up with.
i hope that this helps....