When I talked to my family doctor about all of the problems I'd been having with nausea, he recommended Benadryl. I looked at him like he was crazy, but he told me that there is over 50 years of research on using Benadryl as a cure for nausea, and also a sleep aid.

He told me to take two pills about an hour before bedtime, and one in the morning with breakfast. To my complete and utter surprise, it WORKED! I began to sleep more soundly through the night, and waking with less nausea. While it didn't completely cure all of the sickness I was feeling, it did make a noticeable difference. 

Even when eating was difficult due to my never-ending nausea, Mac and Cheese was one thing that I could hold down. Not sure what the magic ingredient is, but there are LOTS of pregnant people that swear by Mac and Cheese as a cure to pregnancy-induced nausea!

I practically lived off of Mac and Cheese for a couple months. I would pack some Easy Mac (don't forget the sea salt and pepper!) in my lunch, along with a box of apple juice, some veggies and dip, and a sweet treat (usually something with chocolate!), and that was my mid-day meal at work. Sometimes I'd bring some hot cocoa for a nice pick-me-up, and a nice relaxing hot beverage before my nap! 

Easy Mac is great because you can cook it in a microwave with little to no effort. The single-serving size was great for me, too. You can purchase packets (provide your own bowl, and voila), or the kind that comes in a disposable cup. If you're looking for something that is a little more cost-conscious, try making a big box of Mac and Cheese, and dividing it into reusable individual-serving containers. Don't forget to slightly under-cook your pasta, you don't want it to be mush when you reheat! 

Eugh, Morning Sickness!

Some women claim that they could be pregnant forever, others have told me that being pregnant was the most positive and rewarding experience of their life, and a few have confessed that if given the choice, they'd do it again in a heartbeat. Then, there's me.

The very FIRST thing I saw every morning of my pregnancy was the bowl of my toilet.  But it certainly didn't end there... morning, noon, and night, I was nauseous. I was forever taking trips to the bathroom at home, work, and robotics. Some nights, I never even left the bathroom floor. In addition, often times while my Husband and I were riding in the car, we were forced to make emergency stops so I could throw up whatever I just ate. During the first two months of my pregnancy, I lost just over 8 pounds, which is pretty significant, since I started out at a pre-pregnancy weight of around 90 pounds.

I had everybody (and their brother!) telling me what to do to cure my nausea. Family members were sharing their tried-and-true solutions, I was given advice from old wives' tales, and even my OBGYN tried nearly everything under the sun, and nothing seemed to work. I began to realize that perhaps maybe, just maybe, I'd have to suck it up, and deal with the discomfort and weight loss. It wasn't until a co-worker recommended some pregnancy candy called "Preggie Pops" that I began to notice any difference in my well-being. They sell this candy in multiple forms (suckers on a stick, individually wrapped drops, and Popsicles) and you can find them just about anywhere. I started sucking on them constantly, and it seemed to help a lot, though they were unable to altogether alleviate my nausea. On a visit to my family doctor, he recommended that I take Benadryl for both a sleep aid, and to assist in taming my nausea. As a huge surprise to me, it worked absolute wonders! I started taking two pills before bed with a snack, and one in the late afternoon with lunch. While I was not cured completely, I did notice a significant decrease in my trips to the toilet and emergency roadside regurgitations.