working with morning/day sickness

[kach]

hi all.. i just wanted to know any tricks and tips that people had to overcome the morning/day sickness while at work.. i havent been able to go to work lately because the nausea feeling is so bad i lose concentration on work..

is it possible to get fired for taking too many days off from pregnancy symptoms?

[LuluHB]

Its really hard to cope some days isn't it. I lived on ginger nut biscuits, diet coke and Red Rooster chips for the few few months with my DD because that was all that would settle my stomach. I ended up being so sick that I worked only part time - was lucky that I had employers who were very understanding and were happy to just see me when they saw me.

I know its early in your pregnancy, but if you're struggling I would be inclined to talk to your boss and just explain what's going on. Most people are very understanding if they know you're pregnant, not just slacking off. Hopefully your m/s won't last too long and you can get back to normal.

[mumrach]

I know that it can be overwhelming!! i agree that you should discuss the situation with your boss, they may be agreeable to you only doing half days, work at home, or part-time until your m/s eases off a bit. GL with it all. I have found eating small amounts through the day helps, and sitting still for a little bit after eating. Also plenty of sleep, I go to bed at 8:00pm and don't get out till 8:00am, Mind you I have to make sure everything is done in that time frame, but more sleep seems to help me a bit.

[Karina]

They cant really fire you. Maybe you could let your boss know that your are pregnant. Chances are they might already have worked it out. But maybe you could let them know, just so they know whats going on and to be understanding of your situation.

I had horrible sickness too. I just sat at my desk at ate arrowroot bickies and drank camomile tea all day, and every hour or so rushed to the bathroom to spew!

I was really vague for a few weeks as well, but that passed. Then it came back in the last few weeks of my pregnancy.

Hope you feel better soon.

[morgan78]

anything with ginger in it. I had the lovely all day nausea and struggled but like mumrach said little & often, make sure you have a couple of crackers or something before getting out of bed in the morning. I even put pickled ginger on my sandwiches.

[mrscricket]

Poor you! I had to take 6 full weeks off work because of morning sickness, and still had it when I went back. Just make sure everyone is aware that you might need to make a sudden dash to the loo or closest bin (did that a few times!). I tried everything from sea sickness bands to acupucture and a natropath and nothing worked for me. I found salty foods helped - I lived on salt and vinegar chips, and coke. I felt really bad because you feel like you should be eating so healthy for the baby, but it just wasn't possible. I kept icy poles in the freezer at work, and also found sour lollies eased it a bit - like those sour snakes. I don't think they can sack you.. really not sure, but I assume there must be some law against it. Good luck with it all.
We didn't want to tell anyone until we were 12 wks but had to tell my bosses at 6 weeks - apart from the fact it was a bit obvious from how sick i was. They were really understanding and greatful i was honest

[belfie]

Totally agree with what the others have said, having your boss understand can make a big difference. I had to stay at home for 3 weeks (working from home) for other reasons in my first trimester, and I must admit, the food was soooo much easier to manage at home. Thrilled to hear others lived on chips & coke too! I'd been worrying that I didn't crave healthy stuff! I also went for lemon & ginger tea, marshmallows, breakfast IN bed before you get up makes a HUGE difference (my DH reckons he did that for 70 days lol!). Toast with a lemon/ginger tea was my routine. Plus eating small & often. I couldn't cope with a big meal at all.

Other things to try: pressing the acupuncture points on your wrist, smelling (not necessarily eating!) lemon, acupuncture itself (from someone reputable with PG) all helped me.... and just eating WHATEVER I felt like regardless of whether other people thought i was bonkers.

And totally agree, often your boss might guess anyway, so may feel appreciative if you come to them for a little support/understanding and together you can work out the best way to manage it.
Good luck with it!!

[Claire_A]

I agree that talking to your boss is the best idea. I'm in the same boat as you - I'm actually home sick today - and know how much of a struggle it can be. I don't really have any suggestions as nothing has helped me, but just wanted you to know that you have a sympathetic ear here!

Hope things improve soon.

[Chocaholic]

I found ginger beer did wonders for me. Also gingernut biscuits.

As mentioned previously, try and eat something before you get out of bed, preferably before you sit up if you can. At leastthat worked for me.

[jo76]

hey!
for the first time i think i have had some morning sickness with this pregnancy. (4th) I have taken a little container to work that has nuts and rice crackers in it so i can quickly nibble when i have felt a bit nauseas. At the moment the greatest thing for me is soft drink, water is making me feel blah and as healthy has i have tried to be the only thing that has really made my stomach happy these last few days has been mcdonalds.
i only work part time thanksfully as i am trying to remember how i ever worked full time to 39 weeks before! (and i am only 8 weeks so far!)
just experiment and you'll find something that is unique to you that your body will love you for in those moments. I have alos found taking my folate tablets at midday after lunch has helped the nausea also, i was taking them after brekkie and feeling terrible and i have found a much fuller stomach has helped!
good luck!

[Janie]

Yep, gingernut biscuits, ginger tablets, they sort of helped. I was so sick, but I kept showing up to work as it's really hard to replace people in my field. My poor boss had to watch me run out on him numerous times each day when I headed to the loo to be sick! I did drop one day a week, which made things easier.

I don't really have any tips, all I did was work, sleep and lie on the couch feeling miserable, I did that until 20 weeks. I don't really remember all those weeks, it's a bit of a blur, but I do know that I literally didn't do anything but work during that time. When I came home I would lie on the couch until it was time go to bed, then I would sleep (if I didn't feel too sick) and then get up and go to work again. I would not advise doing this if you can help it, I didn't feel like I had any other option, except to resign.

Talk to your boss, explain how you're feeling, maybe you could reduce your hours? Good luck, and I hope the ms backs off soon for you

[Sugar83]

I know just how you are feeling. With my 1st pg i was so sick that i had to resign at only 10 weeks because the m/s was so bad. It was probably the best thing i could have done as being a chef by trade the smell of food was unbearable. It's not what i really wanted as we were left really financially insecure but it wasnt fair on my employer and not a good look when the chef is running out of a restaurant every 5 mins to be sick. At around 4 months i found that lollies and slushies helped with the nausea but before that i couldnt keep anything down and was hospitalised twice with dehydration. I'm nearly 6 weeks into my next pg and today i started feeling sick again i suppose it was just wishful thinking that i wouldnt get it this time around. Good luck Kach i hope everything works out for you.

[blackstar]

I've heard that Vitamin B helps and it seems to with me (along with eating what my body feels like rather than forcing things down). There is Vit B in your pregnancy multivitmin. I find that if I can down that with a bit of toast before I start moving around too much in the mornings, it calms the nausea down.

I hope this keeps working. If it causes me to have sick days (i've already had one) I'll have to explain, but I'd REALLY rather wait until I'm passt 12 weeks to tell them.