My Morning Sickness: More Than You Wanted to Know

I was completely unprepared for morning sickness.

Obviously I knew about it and expected it. But I had no idea that it would make me feel like I was about to die for a good three weeks and would make me feel miserable for a good three weeks (and counting) after that.

I missed three days of work but should've missed more. During the worst days I couldn't eat a thing, and whatever I did manage to force into my stomach came right back up. There was a day or two I spent more time at work in the bathroom than at my desk.

Unfortunately, the morning sickness was unpredictable. Sometimes I'd be sick right away in the morning or as soon as I got to work and then be fine for the rest of the day. I eventually had a gauge: If I had to run to the bathroom three times before noon, it was going to be a bad day. The record: Six times before noon. That was a really bad day.

Also bad -- anytime you're puking into a plastic grocery bag on a subway platform.

When the morning sickness began, I couldn't help but have two questions. One, why does anyone have a second child? And two, how does anyone have anorexia? As the vomiting has decreased, I guess I can answer the first question. I'm still not sure about the second.

I lost seven pounds in about two weeks, and I tried to keep my spirits up by telling myself jokes. What's the best way to lose those last few pounds before swimsuit season? Get pregnant. How can you wiggle into a pair of skinny jeans? Get pregnant. But really, I wasn't laughing. The morning sickness -- all-day sickness, really -- was all-consuming. In that it felt like it was consuming me from the inside out.

My nausea continues all day, although I act on it only a few times a week. I think the end is in sight. I know other women have had it worse, and all I can say is I'm sorry. I'm sorry I didn't know or have nearly enough sympathy for you!

(On a side note, sometimes the absence of a blog post on a Monday, Wednesday or Friday isn't because I'm sick. In the case of this post, I pressed the "save" button instead of "publish" -- you really should have seen this post last Friday!)