Krista Thomas sat uncomfortably in a boardroom, shaking and afraid to open her mouth. She wasn?t nervous about sharing her views at the monthly meeting with the vice-presidents of the construction materials firm where she works; rather, she was worried she would throw up on the table. Thomas had been hit with morning sickness, also known as nausea and vomiting of pregnancy (NVP), but she was only a couple of months along and not ready to share her big news. Thankfully, she made it through the meeting and to the washroom, where she dry-heaved in a stall and prayed none of her colleagues could hear her.
Thomas started feeling queasy when she and her husband were on their ?conception-moon? in Hawaii?an early sign that their plan to conceive their first child had been successful. Morning sickness typically begins after a woman misses her period, but some, like Thomas, can feel sick in the days following conception. Back home in Calgary, she started vomiting at about seven weeks? gestation, and her doctor, a mom herself, urged her to try Diclectin?a combination of an antihistamine (doxylamine succinate) and vitamin B6?saying it had worked for her when she was pregnant. Desperate for relief, Thomas decided to give it a try. Diclectin is the only drug specifically made for NVP that?s approved by Health Canada. Manufactured by Quebec-based Duchesnay, Diclectin has been on the market in Canada for more than four decades, and one prescription is filled for every two live births in th...