Pregnancy is the happiest reason in the world for feeling like absolute crap.

I’m now 23 weeks pregnant with twins.  I’m not going to lie and tell you it was all sunshine and buttercups.  It wasn’t.  For some it can be the worst 9 months of your entire life.

It’s ALL day sickness, not just morning.  It can pounce on you any time of day without a moments notice and before you know it your running out the room or off a bus to find somewhere to throw up.  I used to dream about food, which resulted in waking at 4am to puke.

If you want to have a cry and moan, do it!  Your more than allowed.  Morning sickness can be awful to go through.  We payed for IVF, took months of treatments, it didn’t stop me feeling like I’d been hit by a couple of buses, or complaining about how useless I felt as a wife and mother.  My husband would come home from a long day at work to find me, still on the sofa, or bathroom floor and a child running around in odd pj’s and one shoe.

One evening after dinner, another that I didn’t get to enjoy & 6th puke of the day my husband asks… ‘So, 4’s a good number, we might as well fill the new 7 seater right?’  at that moment if I didn’t laugh, I may have cried.

 I had ‘morning’ sickness for the first 16 weeks.  16 whole weeks.  Thats 4 months, approx 112 days.  You can’t eat because your nauseous, and your nauseous because your so so hungry.  Mine hit worse around 3pm and it was so bad most days I had almost 4 entire months off work.

You’ll get all sorts of advice from everyone, some works, most doesn’t and sadly you just have to ride it out and smile politely when they give it to you.  My favourite little bit of advice was ‘Can you not just, you know, not be sick?’.  Why didn’t I think of that?

Ginger:

Its always, without a doubt the first thing people suggest.  I tried fresh ginger, grated, ginger crystals, ginger tea, ginger ale, ginger beer, ginger sweets, ginger snaps.

I’ve never been fond of ginger, so it didn’t go down too well with me.  But who knew there was so much out there!

Lemon & Mint: 

Lemon Tea for me was a saviour.  It was refreshing and so easy to go down.   As well as hand wash.  When I was faced with an overwhelming scent and felt nauseous I just smelt my handwash or moisturisers and it was instantly calming.

Mint chewing gum was a great little help, brushing your teeth after being sick too, the acid can ruin the enamel.

Sea bands: 

I wore sickness bands from 8 weeks onwards.  They looked awful with a dress during a wedding, but I spruced mine up with lace and ribbons.  When the sickness eased a little, I was too scared to take them off after a while in fear of instantly throwing up.   Not to mention they look gross!  Hey, look at me… I’m pregnant, stay back, I may throw up on your shoes. I’ve already thrown up on mine, twice.

Morning well: 

Sent to me by a good friend, morning well is a cd that ‘distracts’ you from the feeling of being sick with some music thats calming.  It works best with headphones.

Ice lollies: 

I found making your own a bit of a challenge most days but it was nice to have something to do with Ruby, fruit juices, milk, chopped fruits.  Keep it simple and keep hydrated.

A few other things:  They say little and often.  Your tummy copes better with small walks and little meals.  Dry foods are great, toast, crackers, dry breads, cereals if you can manage.

Avoid overpowering smells.  I could tell if my husband had opened a packet of mushrooms or a banana 3 rooms away.  Its a good idea to try and avoid public transport too.  If your not keeping anything down, even a little glass of water, then do contact your midwife.

Morning sickness normally hits first thing in the morning, throwing up on an empty stomach is not attractive, so try and have a little cup of tea and a cracker in bed before you even think about getting up.  I found when I was tired my sickness was a lot worse.  So rest up!  I hear you…. It’s not easy to lie on the sofa when you have full time work and a toddler who needs fed.  You feel like useless not to mention feeling like the worst mother in the world.

Its hard keeping a toddler busy most of the time.  But when you feel like you want to vomit every single time you move…  The days seem so much longer.

So here’s a few things to keep the little one’s ‘busy’:

Movies, who doesn’t like a movie day?  Frozen on repeat… erm. Maybe try something else.  Disney marathons are fantastic, with a bowl of popcorn, your all set to relax and cuddle.

The bed is a…. PIRATE SHIP. this was one of Rubys favourite games.  Theres sharks in the water and you’ve got to keep safe.

Long fun baths.  coloured shaving foams, bath paints & bubbles… whilst I sit on the floor sipping water trying to stay alive.

Let them read to the babies.  Ruby sang songs to my tummy, she got to have a little bonding time and it helped take my mind off things for a little bit.

Mini manicure… we had spa mornings, she delighted in painting my nails.

Being pregnant, you need to be a little more organised than normal.  I was very kindly given the  Health & Parenting App in return for my honest opinion.

Scans, antenatal classes, midwives. With twins, these appointments are doubled up, so it was good to have somewhere to place it all and keep track for when baby brain sets in.

You can list your favourite baby names so you can share them with your partner later, track your weight and even pop in your birth plan.  The kick counter is great for days your not feeling much movement and want to track it for a while.    There is a lack of twin information, but its the same on most apps and even the health guide you get in your booking in pack, but otherwise it helped me keep track of all the crazy appointments.  I’ve loved keeping up to date with things and it has a great image section where you can see baby developments week by week.  I plan to use it for the rest of my pregnancy and will be sure to update you again.

If you would like to purchase the app you can here: https://itunes.apple.com/app/pregnancy-+/id505864483?mt=8

*I was given this app free as part of a review.  My views are my own*