I experienced severe nausea during pregnancy [1]. I literally
never left the house for the first trimester because I could not keep anything
down. I vomited about every three hours and I had to take short-term disability
from work because of my extended absence.
To treat my condition, I first
tried IV fluids at the hospital and some dietary changes, including adding
electrolyte drinks. Nothing worked, and I was very adverse to any drug therapy
during pregnancy. I wanted to first try everything but
pharmaceuticals.
My OB nurse told me about Sea Bands, an acupuncture [2]
treatment usually meant to help motion sickness. They are a form of acupressure
and were available by mail. She also gave the name of a local acupressure
practitioner, in case the bands didn’t work.
To my relief, it worked –
this “acupressure lite” was really helpful. I cannot say for absolute certain
whether the nausea ended because it was naturally time for it to wane, but it
seemed to coincide with the acupressure treatment. And it sure beat trips to the
hospital to be hooked up to an IV after vomiting. I really liked the preventive
approach.
Our parents kind of considered Sea Bands to be quackery, but
that didn’t bother us. People asked a lot of questions in public, because the
bands are really visible, but people were more curious than negative.
I
think that people should be told more about non-invasive therapies like
acupressure, and listen with an open mind. I recommended them to my sister, who
used them to great effect with her pregnancy with twins, where nausea was a
problem for all three trimesters.
