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Dear Alice,
During my first pregnancy I had morning sickness ALL DAY for 8 months! Do you have any suggestions on how to avoid the nausea? I have heard (and tried) a lot of "old wives tales" but nothing seems to work...Please help me, as I would like to have another baby but I don't think I can go through that again!!
— Sick of being sick
Dear Sick of being sick,
Alice is sorry to hear that you had such a difficult time with morning sickness that you are concerned about getting pregnant a second time. As you are probably aware, your obstetrician or midwife will not want to give you any drugs that could have teratogenic effects...ones that could impair the normal growth and development of the fetus. This is especially important during the first part of your pregnancy which usually coincides with the time most women experience morning sickness. Taking 50-100 mg per day of Vitamin B6 has been found to be nontoxic and helpful for some women, but definitely discuss this with your provider. Also, talk to other women to learn what worked for them or discuss your problem with the hospital's childbirth educator.
Often, each woman will find out what works for her, although sometimes nothing works. For example, eating crackers before you rise in the morning or eating something like a piece of cheese when you feel nausea or light-headed might help. You might try to remember your nausea. What made it worse or better? When was it worse or better? Was it only nausea or vomiting as well?
In some cases, a mother-to-be will experience very serious vomiting during a pregnancy, hyperemesis gravidarum. This can lead to hospitalization to rehydrate the body and to make sure that no electrolyte imbalances occur.
Alice is hopeful that your condition was not this serious and that your next pregnancy will be smoother. Remember, each pregnancy is different, so what happened in your first may not happen in your next.
