The Great Big Giant Question Thread!

wigglyicecream

@paytonpedro as long as you wouldn’t get upset if you OB had trouble finding it, I say go for it. Or if you know your OB could/would grab an US machine, that happened at one of my appointments. My dr couldn’t find her on Doppler so I got a quick scan 

paytonpedro

The office I’m going to doesn’t have an in house u/s machine 🙄. They switched offices recently and it’s super aggravating. I could go to their office that’s a little further and has the u/s but that’s not where my appt is Monday. I feel like i know it would be hit or miss so maybe id be logical about it? Lol. Maybe. 

ETA: words are hard and I don’t proof read. 

Katek819

What is a good sleep aid ? I’ve tried unison but I’m having trouble fighting off the sleep in the morning. I feel to tired. I know fatigue is par for the course but i feel like the unisom is contributing. 

paytonpedro

@Katek819 You should ultimately ask your doctor, but I was told in previous pregnancies that Benadryl is safe in pregnancies. I’ve never taken unisom so I don’t know what’s in it or how the drowsiness would compare. 

and_peggy

@kate819 try taking half a unisom. If I took a full one, I felt drowsy all day but half was a good in between.

darkrose88

@Katek819 I take a Benadryl before bed for allergies, but it also helps knock me out. Last pregnancy, I took a half dose of unisom to help combat nausea, and it helped me sleep. Both options were considered safe and suggested by my NP. 

cas060

I need to switch prenatal vitamins.  I'm vegan so my options are limited, but this is one area I will slide on..

Kirkland that I've been using has bht in it.. any out there you're using that do not have this preservative?

Any specifics helping to lessen the nausea ?

Thanks everyone in advance

malloryfrommn

@cas060 I use Ritual prenatals, and I think it would check all your boxes (vegan, 12 traceable ingredients). They have a refreshing lemon scent that makes them easy to take. 

In terms of nausea relief, the combination of B6 and unisom has been a game changer for me. I'm still nauseous throughout the day, but it's much more manageable. Of course, always good to run it by your OB before taking anything new. Hang in there!

paytonpedro

@cas060 I am taking smartie pants capsules and I don’t think they bht in them, but I also don’t know that I recommend them. They smell God awful and are hard to get down. Once you get them down, you burp them up and relive the experience until you can find something to eat that masks it. It’s been tough. 

Taking them at night helps with the nausea and I’ve heard it recommended multiple times through the years. 

darkrose88

@cas060 I take the Pinkstork vitamins. Overall, I like them - easy to get down and doesn't cause me to burp the awful fishy smell. They are not vegan friendly though but they are vegetarian. I've also asked a friend of mine who is vegan what she took while pregnant. I'll post her response once I hear back. 

nwshay

Is anyone else on progesterone suppositories? Yesterday was my first full day on them (two doses) and I felt so sick last night. Not sure if this is nausea setting in as I'm getting closer to 6w, or if it's from the progesterone. It was awful!

bearmomma1

@cas060 Ritual! Great vegan prenatals.

@coffeeshay i was at the beginning of my pregnancy. Then when my levels came back sky high, they took me off of them. I definitely felt better being off of them. 

coco2787

@coffeeshay I was on them my last pregnancy and this one as well. Last pregnancy I had zero nausea, this time I have a little bit. Typically when you use progesterone in suppository form it doesn’t cause side effects because it doesn’t enter your bloodstream like it does if you take it orally or inject it, it just goes straight to where it’s needed. 6 weeks is a prime time for nausea to start so if I had to guess it’s probably just a pregnancy related symptom. 

nwshay

@bearmomma1 and @coco2787 thanks for your insight! 

Oof. I hope this doesn't become a regular thing! I was lucky with my daughter to have a really easy pregnancy, but with my losses, I am also thankful to have some symptoms. it does ease my worries a bit. 

darkrose88

@cas060 my vegan friend recommends the Garden of Life mykind organics prenatal. It is vegan and has real folate. If you do decide to get it, make sure to get the once a day prenatal as they also make a 3x a day (for whatever reason). 

cas060

@paytonpedrohaha, I dont think I'd be able to handle that 😅. 

Thanks everyone, I'll look into ritual and garden of life.  😊

Katek819

How are you doing with water intake? I am queazy for a good chunk of the day. Its hard to figure out because I get hungry, the nausea comes back and I don't want to eat. Anyway sometimes just thinking of all the water I should be drinking makes me want to puke. I try to sip ginger ale but its so sweet I can hardly stand it. But the water is really not helping at all but I know its critical to overall health. Any suggestions ?

wisewitch222

@Katek819 With my first pregnancy I had an aversion to water. Yep, that is a thing. Back then, LaCroix water was really trendy so I had some at a friend's house and it turned out I could tolerate that, so that's what I did for a good four weeks before I liked water again. It's definitely not super sweet like pop (but you can also get some more artisanal ginger ales that have more real ginger in them and are less sweet, if that feels better on your stomach.)

paytonpedro

@Katek819 can you add a ton of ice to the ginger ale and maybe water it down that way so it isn’t so sweet? I’m not great at drinking water to begin with but especially in the first tri when I feel like garbage. I buy bottled water and try to just drink what I can. As for general nausea I wish I had a magic solution because between that and the constant dry heaving this is getting to be too much. 

maggiemadeit

@Katek819 Have you tried changing the temperature of the water? I can't stomach any cold drink right now, but I'm totally fine with room temp water, or warm tea. If you don't like sweet, maybe you can try an unsweetened tea? I have been making an herbal lemon ginger tea that is so nice when my stomach isn't in the mood for much, or when I get that feeling like I ate too much. 

aukeev

Is anyone else not experiencing many symptoms? I was pretty nauseated from weeks 4-5, then week 6-now 7 I'm not hardly queasy at all. We did have an ultrasound at 6 weeks that was normal with a strong heartbeat, but the lack of symptoms is giving me major anxiety. Last night I told DH I wish I was puking all day instead. 

*TW* In my last pregnancy, which was a loss, my symptoms disappeared completely a few days before the loss. It's making me extra anxious. 

and_peggy

@aukeev the after loss mind game is so rough. I’m currently 9+1 but in the past few days I feel like I’m not as nauseous as I’ve been. Maybe it’s leveling or but it certainly makes me get into my head and worry.

When is your next appt?

aukeev

@and_peggy It really, really is! My next appointment isn't until 9 weeks (the 17th). We do have a scan at that one, but it feels ages away. 

I bet yours is just leveling out! 9-10 weeks is the common range for that, right? 

and_peggy

@aukeev all of my pregnancies have been very different so I don’t even remember. I wouldn’t be concerned except that I’ve had some bleeding. They’re letting me come in tomorrow to check it out. I’ve had a scan with a healthy baby so I’m sure it’s probably just me overthinking.

starkette

@Katek819 Yea water was hard for me the first few weeks. I added mio flavoring, which helped a bit. Now I have dry mouth all the time so I feel like I can't get enough water. But yea, when you're nauseous even water is hard to get down.

paytonpedro

@aukeev my symptoms definitely came in waves until about 6-7 weeks when they got pretty consistently crappy. Pgal is a very anxious place to be and I definitely commiserate with you. When I have an hour of energy and am not nauseous, I instantly get worried. 

aukeev

@and_peggy I'll be sending lots of good vibes for a perfect update tomorrow! 

geshem

@Katek819 I also sometimes feel like drinking water makes me nauseous. I've been adding a little juice to my water, making herbal tea, and making not-too-sweet lemonade. 
@maggiemadeit that's funny because for me sometimes it's the room temperature water I can't stand, but if it's cold, or warm tea then it's good. 

paytonpedro

@geshem what kind of herbal tea are you drinking? My go to is chamomile but I just read you’re not supposed to drink it in pregnancy…. 😬

aukeev

@paytonpedro have you tried the morning sickness tea from Pink Stork? I think you can find it at Target. I've also done a lemongrass tea with honey and that worked well when I was pregnant with DS1, as did a pretty simple peppermint tea! 

paytonpedro

@aukeev thank you for the suggestions, I’m going to look the pink stork one up right now! I read that about chamomile and was like dang. And now I’m trying to remember if I drank it with my first two. Probably… I think I do have peppermint currently! We have a pretty extensive tea collection but I just didn’t realize I couldn’t drink some of it and now I’m worried about drinking the wrong thing!

nursenicolee

vitamin b6 and unisom for the nausea has been a lifesaver for me! 

starkette

QUESTION
has anyone found good maternity leggings that aren't overly tight on top? I ordered some from amazon and they are still pretty restrictive around the belly which made me beyond annoyed. I don't want belly control in maternity leggings, tyvm.

wigglyicecream

@starkette I think bolding the word question at the top works well. 

When I was pregnant with my daughter I bought motherhood maternity ones. They weren’t tight on the belly but I felt like the were a little loose in the crotch which drove me nuts. I’ve read that the “best maternity leggings” are from blaqui. Idk if I spelled it right 

starkette

@wigglyicecream oh yes, the baggy crotches in so many of the maternity pants/leggings is super annoying, too. Thanks for the suggestion! I'll check them out.

coco2787

@starkette I love my maternity leggings from Gap! They barely look like maternity, they just have a nice soft, wide waistband and aren’t super tight at the waist like regular leggings. They were nice for postpartum too. 

maggiemadeit

QUESTION 

Is anyone else getting the dreaded lightning crotch already? I feel like I am being stabbed in the cervix off and on this evening. I remember this coming much later, like when the baby was actually big enough to kick my cervix. Is it weird to have it this early? Also, ouch! 

geshem

@paytonpedro I didn't know that about chamomile. I'm trying to remember if I've had any this pregnancy... 😬 I probably didn't note it in previous pregnancies because I used to hate chamomile before I discovered mint chamomile tea. 

I've been drinking lemon ginger tea, Twinings makes the best one I've tried. Also lemon nana (mint) tea, and sometimes Twinings honeybush, mandarin and orange tea. Those are my go-tos. I sometimes add some honey for a bit of sweetness/fillingness. I'm pretty sure as long as it isn't raw honey that's ok.

wigglyicecream

@maggiemadeit so I thought lightning crotch was when your pubic smyphysis hurt. I didn’t know it was when your cervix hurt. Anytime I feel like I just start to spiral and think it’s my cervix opening up prematurely 😫

maggiemadeit

@wigglyicecream Maybe I’m not naming it right? 😂 It’s not SPD pain, definitely in the vagina/cervix area. I’m also worrying that it’s not a great sign… I’ll call the doc tomorrow if it’s still going on, just wondering if anyone else was having something similar.