I experienced severe nausea during pregnancy. 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 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.
Erin Shares a Story About Acupressure for Pregnancy Nausea
