Sharing is caring: Coping with pregnancy sickness

I've been meaning to write the so-called 'sharing is caring' post, for the sake of sharing my experience throughout this pregnancy as well as for a reference for my future pregnancy, but had no time to do so until now. So, here it is!

Remember, every pregnancy and every woman is different. And the sickness(es) I'm gonna list down here were what I have experienced and the way I deal with it might not work for everybody, but it is worth a try!

1. Nausea/Vomiting

When I was first hit by nausea and vomiting, I became phobia to eat almost anything. But, you can't! Cause you will end up accumulating more gas in your stomach and you will only make it worse. Try to eat at least some snacks such as crackers, protein bars or whatever snacks that you think you can tolerate the best. If you start feeling uneasy, try to take strong-taste candy like Hacks, cough drops to create some sort of diversion of your physiological feeling to vomit. Try to rest as much as you can because from my experience, exhaustion will only trigger more sickness. I had a lot of nap time during my first trimester, so that helps a lot.

I admit, at first I was annoyed when people gave me advice how to deal with morning sickness but everything didn't seem to work. But, don't worry, keep trying and deal with it with whichever way works for you and by the end of first trimester (some women went over 3 months), you will start feeling like yourself again ;)

2. Heartburn

I had this sickness for a few weeks during second trimester. As I have been dealing with on/off gastritis way before I was pregnant, it was easier for me to recognize the symptoms and avoid taking food that could trigger more acid production. As for me, I avoid drinking soda and eating spicy food, as well as taking milk. Weird huh, milk is supposed to reduce the pH of your stomach acidity but it tend to make it worse in my case. Lying upright while sleeping also help me a lil bit since it reduces acid reflux into the esophagus etc.

 

3. Nose bleed

I think I had occasional nose bleeding due to the excessive use of heater during winter weather. But if you have this symptom, one thing that  helps to reduce the possibility of having nose bleeding in the future is to have a humidifier in your room. It helps moisten the room as well as the air =)

4. Leg cramps

Seriously, I don't know how to deal with this except for lying down and rest as much as you can.

5. Stretch marks

The scariest thing women had to deal other than labor pain! Alhamdullilah, at 38 weeks ++, I have no stretch marks (just yet!), hopefully takde lah muncul sampai deliver. I applied Palmer's Cocoa Butter once a day ( I think as early as 2-3 months kot), but personally, I think as long as you apply any cream/oil that can moisturize your skin, it should work to prevent you from getting stretch marks. I have a friend who used just baby oil and it worked for her (she applied as early as 2 months and twice a day). Tapi kalau dah ada gak kuar stretch mark tuh nak buat camner, it will dissappear eventually as what my mom told me.

I think those were all the symptoms I had/are having throughout this pregnancy. The symptom I dreaded the most was the first one, serius rasa cam nak tido dalam toilet jer. I felt terrible!! But, remember in the end, every sickness you are having occured for a reason, that is, you are growing a tiny human being inside you. So, embrace the journey bebeh!

P/S: Next in the series of sharing is caring will be 'breastfeeding' :D