Hi there, i just need a bit of advice for my friend, she is 17 weeks pregnant?

Question

and she can't keep any food down, is constantly being sick, her blood pressure is 77 over 56 & she keeps feeling faint & dizzy.

What could be causing this? and what can or should she do?

I have advised her to telephone her midwife, but she seems scared to do this?

Please help! Any suggestions greatly appreciated!!!

Answer 1

I agree with you, she needs to call her midwife. She may have a kidney infection. There are other possibilities, even appendicitis, but that was my first thought, and I've learned to trust my instincts. That is assuming this is a NEW problem and not a continuation of one, and that her blood pressure is lower than is normal for her. Just in case I am misreading your message I am pasting my stock list of morning sickness suggestions here. But if I am reading right, talk her into calling her midwife, and/or going to an ER. Even if it turns out to be nothing serious they can give her an IV and that can help tremendously to make her feel better fast and break the cycle of nausea/vomitting.

Good luck
Claudine Crews CPM, LM

SUGGESTIONS FOR DEALING WITH NAUSEA AND VOMITTING OF PREGNANCY
Try what sounds the most appealing, but don't dismiss the other suggestions. Sometimes it's the thing that sounds the worst (like rice water!) that is exactly what you really need.
Some of the theoretical causes of "morning" sickness you really can't do anything about, like rapidly rising hormone levels. However, one thing that may cause and contribute to nausea, fatigue, dizziness, etc., is low blood sugar and that is something you can work on. Here are the ideas: Ref: "Holistic Midwifery Vol. I Care During Pregnancy" by Anne Frye and personal experience:
1.Eat small amounts throughout the day BEFORE you feel hungry (this keeps the blood sugar from dropping too low before eating.) Keep a bowl or dish of something you can just grab quickly. One client found keeping a bowl fool of raw broccoli to munch on really helped. Another discovered popcorn was the 'cure'.
2.Do not take supplements on an empty stomach (don't try to take them at all when the nausea and vomiting are really severe, except maybe B6.)
3.Eat before arising from bed each morning
4.Eat something (shoot for healthy) every two to three hours (the worse the nausea, the more frequently you should eat, but smaller amounts if necessary.)
5.Eat foods you know will settle your stomach; yogurt, cottage cheese, cereal, toast, crackers are a few suggestions. Sharp cheddar cheese may be well tolerated by some women as the sharp smell and taste increases salivation and digestion, placing less burden on the stomach
6.Be sure to include many high protein foods
7.Beverages such as carbonated drinks may help initially to settle the stomach but should not be taken regularly or "lived on." Nutritious foods are really needed to turn the pattern around.
8.Eat a high protein with carbs snack (like yogurt) before going to bed and whenever you wake in the night (frequent waking signifies that your blood sugar is low, even if you don't feel hungry)
9.Drink to a healthy thirst, avoid dehydration. Women often find plain water more tolerable if they add lemon or if they drink it very cold (Don't try to eat and drink at the same time. Try to space your food with your drink by about 30 minutes. When fluids are hard going down try to get them down in frozen form, such as frozen juice bars, ice chips, etc. Try freezing some herbal teas, such as red raspberry, ginger, peach tree, and making ice chips from them. Alternatively, sometimes something very hot will go down, such as hot broth or tea.
10.Moderate exercise will assist the body in mobilizing toxins and high levels of hormones through the liver and out of the body.
11.Avoid spicy or greasy foods (I personally have had good luck getting red of nausea with a low-carb tortilla and lightly grilled or simmered onions!)
12.Eat a high complex-carbohydrate food, such as crackers followed by a high protein food 20 minutes later.
13.Eat an unrefined sweet food (such as fruit) followed by a high protein food shortly afterwards (the sweet will begin to bring the blood sugar up and the protein will help to stabilize it.)
14.Inadequate dietary intake quickly leads to burning stored fat for energy needs. This causes ketones to appear in the urine. This process can lead to more nausea.
15.Dizziness may accompany morning sickness. Lie down with a very cold cloth across your eyes and breathe evenly and deeply until the dizziness passes. Darkening the room may also help.
16.If gas, bloating, bowel irregularities, abdominal pain, etc., are present the symptoms may be related to a food allergy.
Some more specific measures:
1.If the vomitus looks like bile, drink a cup of water with 2 tsp. of salt added upon arising. Usually this will cause vomiting once, and then stabilize the stomach.
2.Drink a small amount (start with 2 oz., then try 4oz., increasing to a tolerable amount, if needed) 'Third Wind', 'Recharge' or another natural foods brand electrolyte balanced liquid before eating or when nauseous.
3.Eat a boiled egg. While this may sound awful, eggs are perfectly balanced protein and can calm the nausea quickly in some cases.
4.Take powered ginger in 00 size capsules throughout the day, up to 2 capsules every 2-3 hours if necessary.
5.Take Ginger root tea in tablespoon doses at the onset of nausea. This is especially good when combined with peach tree leaves. (Use leaves from trees that have not been sprayed with pesticides or fungicides!)
6.Drink Peach leaf tea (Use leaves from tree that have not been sprayed with pesticides or fungicides!)
7.Drink peppermint or spearmint leaf infusion first thing in the morning
8.Drink anise or fennel seed tea on rising or chew either of these seeds during the day
9.Take 1 tsp apple cider vinegar in 8 oz warm water first thing in the morning
10.Rub lobelia tincture on the feet, under the arms and on the abdomen to sooth tension and spasms with trigger vomiting.
11.Take B complex and try extra B1 and B6 for 2 weeks (long term use of isolated B vitamins can cause deficiencies of the others). *** Many women have dramatic improvements when they supplement with B6. As much as 50 mg of B6 can be taken every 4 hours, along with 400 mg of magnesium each morning. You might start with trying 50 mg twice daily, once 20 minutes before arising and once at night
12.Bee pollen in teaspoon doses has helped some women.
13.Raspberry leaf tea or infusion - drink 1 - 2 cups daily before rising or suck on ice cubes made from the infusion
14.Acupressure wrist bands can be purchased which put pressure on the anti-nausea point at the inner wrist. These work wonderfully for some women. (These may be sold as "seabands" or "motion sickness" bands and are available at some health food stores or pharmacies.)
15.Take small sips of the following tea throughout the day, but no more than 1 cup in a 24 hour period: 1 part cinnamon, 5 parts blackberry leaves, 5 parts yarrow, 10 parts red raspberry leaves; mix and steep in 1/2 cup boiling water for 1/2 hour.
Try to keep track of what works, what makes things worse, etc. If you begin to feel terrible, think back on how long it's been since you ate, what you ate or drank, etc. See if there is a pattern. The most likely culprit is low blood sugar. The real key to dealing with low blood sugar is to eat very, very frequently! Every hour or two, and whenever you wake up during the night. Hopefully, some of these suggestions will help.

Answer 2

If she can't even keep down water, she needs to got to the hospital, because she is dehydrated. I suffered from severe morning sickness and lost 15 lbs while pregnant, my doctor presribed b-12 for my nausea and I didn't have too much morning sickness after that. With my new pregnancy, I can just tell by looking or smelling an entree whether I will puke it up or not. When you find something that she won't puke up fill her up, she needs nourishment so she can get her energy back, Poptarts helped me, because they have b-12 in them. If she gets worst please take her to the emergency room so she can get an IV to replenish her fluids. One thing about morning sickness I found is you have to go with the cravings and when you can find something that you can tolerate keep eating it, well unless it's harmful. Good Luck.

Answer 3

It could be that she is having "morning sickness" or a really rare but sever case of "morning sickness" and she might need to be prescribed something so that she can keep food down so that she and the baby can get all the nutrients that they need to stay healthy. The dizziness may be because she cant keep her food down and she may be dehydrated, which is not good for her or the baby...she need to see a doc quick!

Answer 4

she may have a digestive problem along with morning sickness or a stomach virus that is going around have her above all call both her doctor and midwife to get something to help quuell the nasea and vomitting so she don't get dehydrated as ther is a stomach flu going around and virus but it only is suppose to last 1-2days if longer she may have a digestive problem. she needs to go to her doctor. for help.

Answer 5

She is probably weak from not keeping food down tell her to have some saltines (crackers) and sit down . Shes got morning sickness pretty bad it sounds like and if that doesnt help she might have to call cuz she will get sick from not eating.

Answer 6

go get some ginger tablets and sprite (they are kind yucky tasting) and it helped me tremdouslly with my nausea...i was sick 24/7 and lost 23 lbs during my pregnancy....if that doesnt help go to the doc

Answer 7

GET HER MEDICAL ATTENTION NOW!

---COULD BE SOMETHING AS SIMPLE AS THAT SHE HAS A HARD TIME WITH MORNING SICKNESS

---COULD BE THAT SHE IS REJECTING HER PREGNANCY

BUT MOST IMPORTANTLY GET HER HELP NOW