pregnant! need buddies please, recommendations on prenatal

[carriedodson]

Hey gals,

Wanted to let everyone know I took a pg test Wed. and it was positive. I am 4 wks. Started feeling that weird hunger nauseous feeling about a wk ago (about a wk after conception) Dr. gave me 8mg zofran and phenergren to start. haven't needed them soo far but it is still early. I am up eating something because the minute my tum is empty I feel yuck.

I want to stay out of the hospital and ER with this one. I hope that happens. I have read alot of your posts. If I can keep from getting dehydrated I can deal with the nausea. I don;t want the reglan pump if I can avoid it, I pray I can do it with the zofran only. We will see. HAven't tried b6 unisom- how do I take it? any prenatals that work well with HG?

My dd is 14months. I want to be able to take care of her, this one is a surprise but we are excited!!
Any advice or buddies would be appreciated.
Hugs,
Carrie

[HdGAMom2B]

Congratulations! I hope to be pregnant very soon!

I found out that there IS a prenatal vitaming for women suceptible to nausea and vomiting in pregnancy. This may be old news to many, but I haven't been pg in 5 years, so this is news to me: Premesis. You can get it from your OB. They never mentioned that 5 yrs ago to me, so I'm assuming it's new? Anyway, I'd check it out. So you can get your vitamins/minerals, and it's supposed to stay down. (we'll see right?)

Also, I've been taking 50mg B6, morning and evening, with my meals, as well as a multi-vitamin in the morning. Once I get a hint of nausea, i'll add Unisom, and try to make it through my days. Then, I've got this script of Zofran here, so I think we'll fill that before we need it.

Sounds like you have a plan! Congrats!!! Keep posting, so we can get through it, and learn some things from each other. Can't wait to be where you are!

Christy

[MamaLily]

Carrie -

Congratulations! What wonderful news. I'm so excited for you!

I have heard others talk about Premesis, but I can't remember who has actually tried it. I think it's definitely worth a try. You probably ought to start taking a vitamin as soon as possible so that your body can store those nutrients...could you call your doctor and ask for a prescription today or tomorrow?

There is a post in this 1st Tri folder all about Zofran, Unisom/B6, etc. It's a great one, with lots of info that will hopefully keep you out of the ER and the hospital. I honestly think that hydration is the biggest key to keeping on top of the HG. You may be miserable, but if you can stay hydrated, you are definitely ahead of the game. Do you have a hydration plan worked out with your doctor? Where will you go if you need fluids? Some HGers have a standing order in ambulatory care or in an infusion center...would your doctor feel okay about this? I think it's such a great idea - when you need fluids, you just go get fluids!

From what I have read, it's important to start taking something (unisom/B6 or meclizine or even zofran) when you start to feel nauseated, before you start vomiting. If I have another pregnancy, my plan is to take meclizine the first day I wake up feeling nauseated, and then to add the zofran as needed.

Good luck! I have to admit I'm jealous, LOL. How fun to have a new BABY...I'd even take the HG that goes along with it!

- Anna

P.S. Carrie, I just realized that you are in Texas. What part? I'm living here in Austin for the summer.

[carriedodson]

Hey Anna and Christy,

Thanks for the replies. We can be buddies! I am taking prenate (ob gave it to me) and so far so good but last time I ended up taking flinstones b/c of the Hg. just wanted to have another prenatal in mind. I am in houston. Oh no, want to write more but Noodle Roni is throwing breakfast off high chair. What is the infatuation with that? hee hee

Hugs,
Carrie

[Ivydragon]

Hi Carrie,

Congratulations on the pg! I know that Rainbow Light has a good prenatal vitamin that you take once a day that is food based, so it's supposed to be easier to digest. I definitely felt better taking their vitamins. I know a gal from HuGS who was able to tolerate them through her pg, so it might be a brand to keep in mind. You'd probably have to order them through a health food store. Their usual line requires taking lots of vitamins throughout the day, and I think that's way too many for an HGer to handle, but they also may be chewable, so it is an option. Just search for rainbow light, and they should pop right up.

Flintstones are not a bad idea . . . vitamins that stay down are far more important than quantity or namebrand.

Hugs, Andy

[carriedodson]

Hey Andy,


Thanks so much for the info on rainbow light. I am reading your sticky right now trying to figure out this b6 unisom thing. Today I took 16 mg of zofran and still feel like I could lose it any second, I am trying to stay ER free and pump free. Ugh! I bought some unisom - I'll read your post and see how to use it. I have a folic acid supplement I am taking on the days that the prenatal is not happening, like today. Talk to you soon!
Carrie -edd 3/15/05

[Ivydragon]

Keep me posted, and feel free to ask questions about that Zofran/B6/Unisom sticky if it doesn't make sense. How well are you doing at getting liquids in?

Hugs, Andy

[carriedodson]

Andy,

I am not doing so good with liquids. Nothing appeals to me. I can drink about 1/4 cup at a time. everything tastes so sweet. I have a snow cone maker and I think I'll keep trying to get that down. I can tell I am already a tad dehyrated cause I have dry mouth and my veins are a lower in my arms hands. I can do this though! Thanks for your support.
Carrie

[Valerie Cruz]

Hi Carrie

Just wanted to say Congrats! and I hope that you don't have use the meds.

Valerie

[Ivydragon]

Carrie,

I'm sorry to hear that liquids are getting difficult. A 1/4 cup of liquid at a time is great! Just try to do that as frequently as you can. If things seem too sweet still, try diluting them with some water, which may make them more palatable for you. I've known stubborn HGers to dig themsevles out of dehydration by literally drinking a teaspoon or sip of water at a time. Keeping track of how much your getting per day will help you keep an eye on how much you're getting in total. You might want to set yourself an amount and break that total into an amount you can tolerate every 15 min., or 1/2 an hour, or hour. Have you tried keeping your liquids separate from your solids? Sometimes that helps with nausea, sometimes it makes it worse, experiment to figure out what is best for you.

Hang in there!

Andy

[kellyjo]

Congrats on the pregnancy!

You might want to try Gatorade....for whatever reason that seemed to work well for me. It's not sweet and seemed to hydrate me quickly....more so than water. My doctor also suggested room temp Coke....I know it sounds odd, but a small amount of that seemed to help me some.

And as my OB always says, "Sip, sip, sip!"

Hang in there!!!!!!!!! As you know, it's well worth it!!!!!!!

[kitty_doc]

Hi, Just wanted to say that you should try the Unisom and B6. Also consider some Zantac (75mg twice a day). this is my 4th HG pg and by far the easiest because I began taking all of this stuff BEFORE I felt sick! I believe it delayed the onset (7wks) and has made it much more mild than the others. Keep yourself hydrated and keep eating to keep your energy up and SLEEP as much as you can. I have a 26mo old at home with me, so I know it is hard, but take a nap when the baby naps and go to bed early. We can get through this for the great outcome!

[carriedodson]

Hi Andy, Julie, and Kelly,

Thanks for the replies. Yall are a huge help and inspiration. I am doing soo much better than first pg so far. I am on 24 mg zofran and I have been able to drink more the last few days. I am having more problems with indigestion and heartburn than with first pg. I am still taking folic acid by itself and not a prenatal. I am going to ask dr about premesis and look for the rainbow light too,
Talk to you soon
Carrie

[MamaLily]

Carrie -

Have you taken anything for the heartburn? I really think it's worth taking some Pepcid to help with the acid/indigestion/heartburn. It's my personal opinion that HG could be lessened quite a lot by taking something for the acid. You can buy pepcid over the counter...it might be worth a try!

- Anna

[carriedodson]

Hi Anna,

Yes I think I will give that a try. I am taking gaviscon 4 times a day and that helps slightly but I think I need something stronger. How are you doing? Any luck with insurance stuff yet? How is your little one?
Carrie

[MamaLily]

Carrie -

Thanks, I'm doing fine. No news yet on my insurance dilemma...we're moving in a few weeks so I'm going to wait until we're settled before spending time researching it. If we can figure out a way to get insurance, I really want to TTC. I just want a baby like crazy! DD is in the throes of the terrible 2's, so she keeps me hopping. She figured out how to take off her diaper this week, which is the latest challenge to my sanity as a mother ! It's a good thing that kids are so adorable !

How are you doing? I hope the Pepcid helps.

- Anna

[carriedodson]

Anna,

Tell her to leave that diaper on! hee hee It is a good thing they are so cute it makes it all worth it. Does she go swimming alot? It is soo hot in Houston/tx. Katie has only pulled the diaper off once but I think it was by accident. She is really in to running away when she has a poopie diaper. Makes it really fun excercise. I understand about the insurance thing. It was a huge issue with our family. DH is self employed and we ended up buying indiv. insurance from the state which is more than our mortgage but so far we have gotten more than our moneys worth. They even covered 30 day supply of zofran and my copay was 25$. The insurance we had before was a joke, didn;t cover anything I still am trying to figure out what they owe me and can't get straight answers. I am grateful that we have it. Well, have a good day and talk to you soon!
Carrie

[MamaLily]

Carrie -

I'm sorry to say that DD has mastered the diaper removal. Today while she was supposed to be napping she took of the diaper and then went to the bathroom (BM!) all over her crib. Oh, the mess! Having a 2 year old makes me question HG all over again, LOL!

Yes, it's so hot in Austin. During the day it's really too hot to be outside unless we're in the pool. We got some of those Floaties for DD, so she just swims around "by her own self," which is her preferred way of doing everything right now.

How did you manage to qualify for an individual insurance plan after having HG? Does the state have different requirements than the regular insurance companies? Or did you have your insurance before your prenancies? You are lucky to have such a good plan!

Hope you have a good day!

- Anna

[carriedodson]

Anna,

Hey girl. It sounds like you are having a good summer with your lil swimmer. We tried to get approved by Humana and Blue Cross and we were denied coverage because of my medical records. I was teaching when I had #1 so I was able to have group coverage on Cobra with that pg. The state bar of texas insurance is a group plan that covers tx attorneys so I guess that is the only way we were approved because the coverage is more expensive and it is a group plan. The other plans we tried to get were individual plans and like I said we were denied-even my daughter because she has has two yeast infections-she's 14 mos give me a break, you know! Our insurance premium is 1600.00 a month my portion is 700 of it, as you know we are getting our moneys worth. We just got this insurance in June and I got pg in July so I am sooo glad that we have it, it is truly a blessing from God. Anyways, it is impossible to get maternity coverage on an indiv. plan so even when we were applying for those we knew if we had another baby we would be paying out of pocket for everything. I know you'll find something -hang in there.
Carrie

[Ivydragon]

Anna, we went through the whole applying for insurance thing, recently, too, and are on independent ins. We applied to Blue Cross and Blue Shield. Here in Idaho they are totally different, some places they are combined. We were accepted by Blue Cross, but not by Blue Shield, and so Blue Shield "kicked us out to the State plan" which was explained to us as only available if regular insurance plans wouldn't accept you. The premiums were a bit higher than on Blue Cross, and so we went w/ the Blue Cross, $665 a month, and $500 cheaper than our optional COBRA coverage, and so that's what we went with. Anyways, check state by state (of course, moving you might want to apply after you move), and see what the laws are. We worked w/ an ins. agent, and he showed us our options. It took us a month to figure it all out enough to decide.

So, wanting to ttc again, huh? I know exactly what you mean about wanting a baby in the worst way. We had to give up our spot on the adoption waiting list ~ I was way moody for the whole weekend, and just felt like crying so much.

Andy