Is there anything worse than being sick while you’re pregnant? I will never forget the time when I was pregnant with my third child and I had spent days literally running puking kids back and forth in my house in (mostly vain) attempts to catch some of their vomit in the toilet. I had cleaned puke from between couch springs, off of eyebrows, and – in one horrific instance – in the tiny holes of the safety rail on my toddler’s bed. (Side note: puke never truly comes off of those things, so if this happens to you, you might want to consider tossing it out!)
I was overwhelmed and exhausted, and just when I thought I couldn’t take any more, I remembered that I was on call that day for my job as a nurse. I said a silent prayer that I wouldn’t get called in that night of all nights. Then, exactly one hour later, my phone rang at the precise time that my stomach churned and I was forced to sprint/waddle to the toilet, where I proceeded to empty all the contents of my digestive system. My husband answered the phone for me, trying to explain to my supervisor that I was really sick, but of course, they thought I was faking it. I was written up and then had to feel guilty on top of trying to survive the stomach bug with two sick toddlers.
Good times, huh?
The point is, it can feel completely overwhelming to get sick while you’re pregnant. Not only are you already dealing with the aches and pains and sometimes literal sickness of being pregnant already, but then to add in an actual sickness and it feels like too much. Even a minor cold can feel overwhelming when you’re pregnant. Oh, and fun fact: did you know that your immune system actually goes down when you’re pregnant? It’s like we just can’t win! Except for the whole baby at the end part, of course. If you’re currently dealing with being sick while you’re pregnant or just want to be prepared for when illness strikes, here’s what you need to know about being sick during pregnancy.
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