I’m not quite into the 3rd trimester yet, but the HG has been creeping around the edges of my life. I’ve had to start taking meds again, which is not particularly fun.
I had been waiting to take the Zofran until I really needed it. I’ve learned that I have a hard time reading my body’s feelings since the HG. I don’t always recognize mild nausea for what it is. This means that I frequently wait to take the Zofran until it’s too late and I’ve already thrown up. There’s nothing like having to scrub down bathroom in Jersey Mike’s. Yuck.
I decided, this past weekend, that I needed to take a more proactive approach. I called my midwives, who put me in contact with the back-up OB. He was kind enough to write me a script for 100 8mg ODT Zofran tablets. Thank you merciful heaven for good insurance!
I’ve started taking them regularly again. Not much, but every single day. I’ve also added Nexium in since I was having trouble with acid reflux.
Of course, with the Zofran comes the joys of the Zofran side effects. You know… that one side effect. So I started drinking this stuff called Natural Calm, which is a Magnesium/Calcium supplement.
Natural Calm is a powder that you mix into water. It fizzes up and becomes a lemon-flavored drink. According to the back-up OB for my midwives, the magnesium helps stop muscle cramps in your legs, a real issue for many pregnant women. The other benefit is that the magnesium helps you poop. So bonus all around.
I had heard about this product during my last pregnancy. One of my mom’s friends recommended I give this a try during my pregnancy with Gabi, but at the time I was concerned about shelling out money for the big jar of the powder only to find out it wouldn’t stay down.
Thankfully, my local natural food store held a health fair this past Earth Day, and there was a table set up with a Natural Calm rep and free samples. She let me have a taste of it and sent me home with a handful of free samples in a variety of flavors to see which one sat best on my sensitive stomach.
At the time, she warned me to be careful with it. The magnesium can cause loose stool in some people until your body adjusts to it. “Trust me,” I said, pointing to my Zofran pump, “That’s not going to be a problem for me!”
I finally reached the point a few weeks ago where I could drink this, so I ended up getting a jar of it. I got the Natural Calm Plus Calcium formula in Raspberry-Lemon flavor, and so far it seems to be helping.
So at this point, I drink the Natural Calm in the afternoon, and take a Nexium pill and an 8mg Zofran tablet before bed. The idea is that the nighttime Zofran will carry over into the next morning.
So far, it seems to be making a big difference. I felt sad about having to restart medications, but the positive change in my overall feeling of health tells me that it was the right move.
Tomorrow, I’ll be 27 weeks tomorrow. One more week until I officially reach the 3rd trimester. I just need to keep taking things one day at a time.
