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Sarah
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| Posted: Oct 31 2006 at 8:58pm | IP Logged
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This week my pregnancy sickness has kicked into high gear and I have completely lost my ability to keep my house up.
Bending over makes me sick, getting my hands wet makes me sick, standing in my kitchen makes me sick, etc. etc.
How would you/do you deal with this?
1. Live with it and know you'll SLOWLY dig yourself out in about 6-7 weeks and in the meantime dh and kids do dishes.
2. Hire someone to come daily and clean while having to undergo humiliation plus the annoyance of someone in the house, not to mention the cost. (I'm thinking a teenaged homeschooler here).
What about school?
Ours is falling apart, too.
I feel very "down" watching all this chaos unfold. I feel so sorry for my dh who is now Mr. Mom--he is so tired.
If I do decide to get up and work, I throw up and its right back to trying to choke down another meal because if I'm hungry I start dry heaving. I'm sorry to be so detailed. 
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Sarah in SC
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| Posted: Oct 31 2006 at 10:26pm | IP Logged
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Oh, Sarah. I'm so sorry you're at this stage.
If money were no object, I'd hire the help. If it were an object, I'd choose A, probably....but then I might beat myself up over it. ugh
I wish I were close enough to help you! Although I'm just beginning to "dig out" around here, myself!
You've been in my prayers.
(((Sarah)))
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"What good shall we then do with today?" --Benjamin Franklin
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Erin
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Sarah
Cyber hugs from here.
For one of my preganancies I did hire some one and it was a good thing for me. I realised that I was too independent. Gee if I could have had a teenager that would have even been so much better, I would have felt far more comfortable.
I note your oldest dc are 10 and 7. Could they manage to get the washing in the machine and the dishes done. If nothing else is done that is enough. Perhaps dh could go and buy some frozen dinners that your oldest ds could pop in the oven in time for dh to get out? Not healthy I know but something. And not too erroneous for ds.
Don't beat yourself up, it is only temporary, in relation to school lots of reading on the lounge and what about educational videos? There is always Magic School Bus  If you are not up to reading aloud yourself how about audio books.
Hope it will pass soon.
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saintanneshs
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| Posted: Nov 01 2006 at 7:34am | IP Logged
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Ohhh, Sarah! I feel for you, having just been there not too long ago!!
I just live with it when this stage arrives and slow things down to a crawl. It IS hard on my dh, too. He's not a natural "Mr.Mom" but he handles it all really well when the time comes (and he knows it won't be too long before things get back to normal). I know it seems like it will never end and you want so much to take the pressure off of him, but don't worry. You're in this together, right? And you'd do it for him, right?! Just concentrate on doing what you can to nourish your baby and yourself in this difficult time.
Don't worry about school, either. You can "catch up" later (if you feel there's a need...I never do, but mine are still so little).
I will say some prayers for you and your family at mass today. 
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Sarah
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| Posted: Nov 01 2006 at 9:22am | IP Logged
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Thanks ladies for your kind and hopeful words. In the realm of everything else I'm not really sick for that long, BUT it FEELS like forever. 
I just dread the weeks to come with each day getting worse. I will be so happy when I feel a little better each day instead of sicker.
Thanks for listening. I really feel guilty for sounding so whiny! 
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Sarah
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| Posted: Nov 01 2006 at 9:28am | IP Logged
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PS.
I might look into that teenager. . .just to pick up a little and put away laundry. But, its so embarrassing with the state things have gotten  .
And on a funny note-
I woke up this morning SO SO SICK and I could hear the rustling of candy bags in the boys room at 7am. I couldn't even yell STOP EATING YOUR CANDY FOR BREAKFAST!!! I'm sure they ate a ton of Halloween candy by the time I was able to stop them.  
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hylabrook1
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I recall a time when my only housekeeping priority was for dh to keep the rim of the toilet wiped off so I could stand to get near it. Probably it wouldn't have mattered, I would have run to it anyway...
You're so right about it feeling like forever, even though you know you'll be beyond this stage of things in *just* a few weeks.
Praying for you.
Peace,
Nancy
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Marybeth
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Sarah,
When my sister was so sick and then on bedrest,her neighbor's Mom (age 60) came over everyday from morning until naptime to help. My sister said it was worth the $$$. They live very frugally so for her to say that...I know it helped!
I can't recommend enough books on tape...easy and educational. I am praying for you.
I wish you lived closer...it would be wonderful to help out a 4real friend.
God bless,
Mb
PS You are so not whiny!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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MEBarrett
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When I was pregnant with the twins I had someone coming in once a week to clean the whole house top to bottom. She was totally worth the money. I could not move well enough to get behind the toilets or the bathtubs clean and Dave was doing all the laundry and a lot of other things when he wasn't at work. I figure if I didn't have the help the Department of Health would have put that yellow tape across my front door for sure.
If you can, get some help. Even if it's just for a few weeks you'll feel better quicker if the house isn't falling down around you.
I hope you feel better soon. Been there andd I have HUGE sympathy for you.
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Mary Ellen
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mary
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| Posted: Nov 01 2006 at 4:00pm | IP Logged
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that was me last year! i took option 1. every day, i focused on unloading the dishwasher, feeding the kids and that was pretty much it. as for school, we did a weekly nature walk and i kept up on read alouds. i did nothing more for 2 full months. the 2nd trimester burst of energy was wonderful and we completely caught up with school and housework in less than a month. if i had to do it over again, i would have gotten the kids to keep up on math and LA workbooks - they are young enough that the rest really didn't matter.
i hope you feel better soon! and congratulations on the most wonderful excuse for feeling horrible.
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Sarah
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Thanks ladies.
I can't tell you how much all these words mean to me. I really need them to not feel alone and discouraged.
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Servant2theKing
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Sarah, you are in our prayers. As much as possible, remind yoursel;f, "This too shall pass!"
One thing that may help is to maximize the times you feel somewhat decent, no matter how brief. Try focusing on the things that you know distress you most when you're not feeling well. If dirty dishes in the sink are a stressor, have your older ones help you do power dishwashing...use a timer and make it a challenge to see if everyone can get them done before Mom gets sick again. (Humor helps!)
During extended bouts of illness I have learned to pack up a snack basket and lots of library books, videos and quiet games and camp out in our bedroom with the children for siestas. They are very used to the routine and actually enjoy the quiet time, and I am able to get much needed rest. Just being off your feet can do wonders.
Have you tried Sea Bands for the nausea? I mentioned in another post that we use them for carsickness, but they're also recommended for morning sickenss. They've been very effective for our son, who suffered a great deal before we learned about them. You should be able to find them at most pharmacy departments. We found ours in the section where Dramimine is sold.
Remember, this season will not last forever and the fruit of this suffering is a new life that will be joining your family before you know it! God bless you all.
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Sarah
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Thanks
This will pass. We'll find our way out it it. I need to remind myself how hard other people have it with their crosses and how this is a happy sort of cross.
I have tried Sea Bands. Sorry to say they didn't work. I've tried Zofran, Kytril (sp?), Reglan, Compazine (works, but SNOWS you and is category "C"), Dramamine, IV fluids (do help), ginger, peppermint, Marilyn Shannon's Morning Sickness book (nope- although eating does help).
I have not tried acupuncture and I'm not going to. I've resigned myself that there is no cure.
My posts are pretty silly here, but reaching out helps my spirits. Thanks.
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Sarah in SC
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(((Sarah)))
Oh, honey. I'm so sorry the meds aren't working. When you've got hyperemesis gravida, and the meds aren't working, it's very rare that a regular "morning sickness" remedy will do the trick. You're right that eating helps, but it's all dependant on which "thing" will work right then, that moment, and rarely did I ever have that perfect thing at arm's reach at the moment I needed it. Has your doctor talked about putting you in the hospital for IV fluids with meds tapped in? That's the only thing that worked for me. Try to keep your protein intake up, if you can.
Did you look into the teenager coming to help? HG becomes a major humbling experience, doesn't it? When the very idea of the dishes in the sink sends you running to the bathroom, and the color and scent of the dishwashing liquid becomes absolutely unbearable...well, the state of the house becomes off-topic.
A lot of people just don't understand that HG isn't morning sickness--it's a totally different animal. The label on a can or the color of the child's juice wouldn't make a normal morning sickness person think twice. But with HG, it can trigger an episode that lasts for hours, and that's totally debilitating.
Obviously, if your doctor has prescribed & you've tried all the major meds, he/she is proactive about the hg. Have you tried the unisom/b6 trick? Or benadryl? I was only able to use those in the evenings, for obvious reasons (the snooze factor), but it did make the evenings bearable. If you haven't tried them and need info, the HG boards I mentioned before have all the specifics. Or feel free to email me & I'll try to help.
((((Sarah))) I'm just so sorry and wish I could help you somehow. Please feel free to PM or email me anytime. You are in my prayers! Remind me how many weeks you are?
Praying!
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Happy wife to Tom and mama to Mac, 12, Hannah, 8, Rosemary, 6, Luke, now 1! and the 9 little angels that Mary is rocking.....
"What good shall we then do with today?" --Benjamin Franklin
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Servant2theKing
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Sarah, I had no idea how severe it is for you...I'm sorry if anything I suggested seemed insensitive. We're increasing our prayers for you here. May the Lord send His holy angels to comfort and assist you!
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Sarah
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Oh, no please don't worry. I so appreciate every word.
Please don't worry. I never felt offended.
The funny thing here is that my OB doesn't give a darn about sickness because I don't lose weight, so the doctor who is proactive about the sickness happens to be my dh (a fam doc).
He gives me IV fluids at home here. He offered them today in fact, but I don't remember trying them this early in my other pregnancies (7wk). Oh, how can it get worse? I just couldn't try th IV's yet. He also offers shots of this or that (as I previously said).
I do everything in my power to keep food down because I've had pregnancies where I got into a vicious vomiting cycle and its hard to break.
One of the hardest parts is that I'm always eating and I run out of stuff to eat both because I get an aversion to it and also because I eat it all. The grocery store is unthinkable!
Thanks for listening everyone. Seriously. It means so much.
I still haven't called the girl.
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Elizabeth
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Take the IV. Really. You'll feel so much better and since it's not at all inconvenient, you need to let him do that for you. You'll even think more clearly. And then you can call the girl  .
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Elizabeth Foss is no longer a member of this forum. Discussions now reflect the current management & are not necessarily expressions of her book, *Real Learning*, her current work, or her philosophy. (posted by E. Foss, Jan 2011)
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Elizabeth
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Sarah wrote:
I have tried Sea Bands. Sorry to say they didn't work. I've tried Zofran, Kytril (sp?), Reglan, Compazine (works, but SNOWS you and is category "C"), Dramamine, IV fluids (do help), ginger, peppermint, Marilyn Shannon's Morning Sickness book (nope- although eating does help).
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Ditto all of the above, with the exception of ginger. Compazine doesn't work for me--took it during chemo and it made me nauseous!Eatign didn't really help either. But the IV works--at least for awhile.
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Elizabeth Foss is no longer a member of this forum. Discussions now reflect the current management & are not necessarily expressions of her book, *Real Learning*, her current work, or her philosophy. (posted by E. Foss, Jan 2011)
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jdostalik
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Sarah,
I've been praying for you and wanted to let you know that!
Also, I'm sure you've seen the Cardinal Mindzenty prayer for Mothers--but thought it might give you a boost today. You are doing important work--the nausea is a constant reminder of it...
The Most Important Person
"The most important person on earth is a mother.
She cannot claim the honor of having built the Notre Dame Cathedral.
She need not. She has built something more magnificent
than any cathedral
-- a dwelling for an immortal soul,
the tiny perfection of her baby's body.
The angels have not been blessed with such a grace.
They cannot share in God's creative miracle
to bring new saints to Heaven.
Only a human mother can.
Mothers are closer to God the Creator than any other creatures.
God joins forces with mothers in performing this act of creation…
"What on God's good earth is more glorious than this: to be a mother?"
~Joseph Cardinal Mindzenty
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God Bless,
Jennifer in TX
wife to Bill, mom to six here on earth and eight in heaven.
Let the Little Ones Come
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Sarah
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Thanks so much Elizabeth and Jennifer. Its been a hard day
Jennifer thanks for sharing those words with me.
He's bringing home the IV today. I hope there's some relief, even if its just a little. I'm not getting much relief from eating anymore.
Sorry to seem so clingy. You guys help me, really.
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4Real Forums : Tea and Conversation
Topic: Housekeeping when sick
