"Morning" Sickness - What to Eat?

With me it wasn't a food that helped, it was a vitamin. Rainbow light complete pre-natals. They are food based and have ingredients for energy and ginger for the tummy. You take 6 a day because they are made with food, not chemical nutrients. They stopped my 3pm everyday 'morning sickness' in its tracks..the first day I took them. I took three in the am and three in the pm. Capella's natural market in Eugene has their label of the same thing..5 bucks cheaper and worked just as well.

I found that it was more of a frequency thing than what I ate. Try not to let your stomach get empty, eat something every 2-3 hours. Milkshakes helped me, but I also had really bad heartburn - but that started later on. Good luck!

Congratulations!!

Graham crackers really helped me with my first and gum with my second. They were the only things that helped me not feel naseous. I had to be put on Reglin with my third because I was feeling so sick (works great btw). Don't worry, it will pass :)

I had all day morning sickness and thirst too, and I had it for a long time. I also had trouble telling if I was hungry or sick. That was the one thing that really earned me my husband's sympathy. Hang in there.

Vanilla milkshakes were my food of choice during my first three months. Take a scoop of the most natural vanilla ice cream you can find, throw it in a small glass with a cup of milk, and mash it up with a spoon. If I felt like it, I would add raisings, peanut butter, chocolate syrup, whatever, but plain vanilla was always mild enough for my tummy and filling enough for the rest of me.

Bland foods are best. I know you feel all sick, but eating always helps even when you don't feel like it. I kept a sleeve of crackers at the bedside so I could eat a few before actually getting fully up and walking around. The good news is this...once you enter trimester 2, the morning sickness usually goes away, it did for me, and everyone else I know! Ask your OB about taking vitamin B for nausea, it helps some women, I didn't try it myself. Hang in there!

Cheetos! Sounds bizarre, but it helped settle things down for me so I could eat normal food.

You don't want too much water in your stomach either, but want something starchy and bland. I would eat a pack of ramen noodles- boil them for 4 minutes, then DRAIN them, put them back in the pan and put in the seasoning and stir the seasoning powder in for a minute on low heat. Very soothing on the stomach and warm and filling at the same time.

I feel for you...I was sick all day with both of mine!
A few things that I could eat (and craved) were Yoplait's lemon burst yogurt and cold oranges and apples! They aren't super filling, but they would calm my stomach and take the edge off. I think it's really all about experimenting and finding what things work for you because it's so different for every woman and pregnancy! Sometimes the not so good for us stuff worked well for me too...one night I was so sick and the only thing that sounded good was a McDonalds cheeseburger and fries! My husband went out and brought it back for me and I felt great after eating it...but I realize it's not the best thing you should be running out to get all of the time!

The key to drinking ginger ale if you want to try that, is to sip it warm. Sounds gross, but a friend told me that once and it worked great for me! It's not a thirst quencher, but if you sip it slowly, it should calm your stomach!

Congrats and best wishes!

I used to suck on a peppermint candy. Don't know why but peppermint would settle my stomach. I still do it today if i am queasy...I'll chew peppermint or spearmint gum.
Good luck ;-)

R. - If you're only eating salty foods, then you are going to be thirsty! Drink up! However, if you're having other signs of diabetes such as excessive weight gain, frequent urination and recurring infections (such as yeast infections) talk to your doctor. Usually Gestational Diabetes won't occur until 20 to 28 weeks, but you don't want to ignore it.

Try to eat unprocessed foods. Whole, "real" foods from the earth are your best bet. Try a small amount of one fruit or vegetable at a time. (Slightly steam veggies for easier digestion.) Whole grain bread/toast and crackers, and some soothing teas are usually okay. I would stay away from salty foods because your body needs hydration right now, and salt robs the water from your cells and can raise blood pressure.

If you find you still can't do any foods, try smoothies, yogurt, or healthy shakes that aren't just packed full of empty calories (Talk to a nutritionist or knowledgeable vitamin store employee about this. You're not looking for weight-lifter shakes, but all-around nutrition/meal replacement shakes).

It helped me to not have a too-empty or too-full stomach. It should ease up after a few weeks. Blessings on your pregnancy!

Drink lots of water, eat crackers. I too was sick all the time and felt even sicker if I did not eat. I had to start eating things that would come up well. It was still better then not eating because at least some of the food would stay down. I am sorry I do not have a magic food that will make you not be sick, but you still have to eat even if most of it is going to come back up. The good news is that usually you will hit a point in the pregnancy when you will stop being sick. For me is was around 5.5-6 months, but I hear it is earlier for most.

Bananas, Oats N Honey granola bars (the crunchy ones in the green packages) and, oddly enough, Pop Tarts were my main life-savers when I was feeling sick. Mainly the granola bars which I could keep in my purse and desk, and a banana in the middle of the night when I would get up to pee, to keep my tummy from being empty all night. Plain bagels and cream cheese also agreed with me in the morning to help settle my tummy. Sometimes the first few bites were a little tough to get down, but once I had something in my stomach it got much better quickly.

Nibble crunchy ginger snaps, and sip ginger ale. Also try jello tea. Take two tablespoons jello powder for every cup of hot water. Sip it like tea. Do that a couple of times a day. Keep the ginger snaps and ginger ale handy all the time just to nibble. The constant supply of munchies to the stomach will help keep you from feeling light headed and from getting dehydrated and the jello will "reset" your tummy so hopefully it will settle down. Jello works, but it might take a couple days so get a couple of flavors :) Good Luck and congratulations :)

My best ticket was to eat protein (yogurt, cheese) when I woke up to go to the bathroom in the night. If I didn't, I had a sick day, all day. Also, avoiding sugar (especially before noon, even a tablespoon on cereal would make the whole day bad) Hope this helps.

I totally feel for you. I am 33 weeks and haven't thrown up in almost two weeks, but I still have to work very hard at it. The first thing I would say is notice what you are eating that makes you extra sick. I have had to cut out all raw veggies except baby carrots, including salads, and peanut butter, whole grain (heavy) breads, spicy foods, milk, yogurt, and probably some other things I'm forgetting..oh, yeah, like chocolate. It sucks, but its worth it not to eat the foods that make you sick. Bananas were one of the first foods to go, but toast is ok, I saw someone mentioned the BRAT diet.

I tried every single remedy under the sun, and the best things for me were sea bands with medicine from the doctor and ginger. My doctor gave me Phenegrin for night time and Zofran for day time because it doesn't make you sleepy. (its a chemo med so it works really well) I used these off and on, but the best thing I found was fresh ginger chopped into small pieces and put into an empty gel cap (from a health store). A whole piece works too, but not as well because your stomach has to break it down. This works for me and I still use them whenever I feel sick which is quite often. The other thing is there is an acupressure point on the hand in the soft pad by the thumb on the way to the first finger. If you or you husband squeezes it hard, it can have a calming effect on your nerves and your tummy.

What did not work:
eating small meals
ginger candy
ginger snaps
ginger tea
candied ginger
saltines
water (this actually made me throw up for several months)(vitamin water and gatorade had good and bad days)
warm milk
protein bars/shakes
top ramen

Foods I could eat:
apples
pure fruit popsicles
white bread toast
slurpees
chicken
baked potatoes (a lot of these)
plain white rice
plain noodles with butter and Parmesan cheese

As you can see all the normal remedies didn't work for me like they do for other people, but I did find some relief. Oh, and I didn't have just morning sickness, I had 24/7 sickness, I would even wake up from sleep to go throw up, so I know how you feel. I hope it eases up! Use the ginger and the meds from the doc if you can. The Zofran is very spendy, but the other one is on the $4 list, so its affordable. good luck!

Boy do I fell you I am actually 15 weeks along with twins and they say that everything is doubled and man is that the truth... but I have been having the same problem as you but have you talked to your DR mine prescribed me a perscription for nausea and vomiting and it really helps.

CONGRATS!!!

Dry Burgerville hamburger.

Yeah, cheerios are great. I was thirsty a lot, but plain water would make me nauseous, so ice chips. I also did well with milk and yogurt smoothies. Sour flavors or candies helped. Toast & tea.

Congratulations R.!

How exciting for you. Not let's get the nausea to go away so you can enjoy! I'm a Parent Coach and a Certified Professional Nanny. I've worked with children, parents and families for more than 15 years, and have been around a lot of pregnant Moms.

I suggest you try the BRAT diet, Banana, Rice, Applesauce and Toast. This diet is great for nauseous Mommies and children alike.

You may also try the sea sickness wrist bands. I've heard they work, but I do not have any experience with them.

Just a FYI, as long as you're a healthy weight, it is normal for Moms to lose weight or gain very little during the first weeks. The idea of eating for 2 is more of an old wives tale than truth. With that said, you do need to make sure you keep hydrated. If you have having a hard time keeping foods down, drink a lot of water or Gatorade.

One last "tip" eat many small meals. This will help ease nausea and keep you from being hungry.

I wish you all the best!

R.

R. Magby

Parent Coach

Everything Baby, LLC

www.everythingbabyllc.com

I threw up for months with my twin pregnancy. I drank protein shakes. They were satisfying and had the added advantage of not being to bad to throw up if I did end up doing that! Good luck.

Reed's Extra Ginger Brew (really strong ginger ale) saved me from morning sickness. You can find it in most health food areas of grocery stores. Make sure to get the one with extra ginger.

I kept a package of ginger snaps on hand at all times. it was the only thing that helped.

Try eating very bland foods. Bananas, Rice, Applesauce and dry toast (BRAT diet). Eat just a very small portion then wait a half and hour eat a bit more. Also, try not to gulp down a bunch of water in one sitting, take small sips throughout the day and don't drink within a half hour of eating. Many people have heartburn that manifests itself as extreme nausea when pregnant. Try taking a TUMS and seeing if that doesn't help settle your stomach a bit. If it doesn't work then your nausea is probably not caused by heartburn. Sour candies helped me when I was feeling mild nausea but if you are thinking you may be dehydrated or just can't seem to keep anything down then consult your O.B. and consider taking some anti-nausea medications to get you through the worst of it.

With my second pregnancy whenever I ate anything remotely unhealthy I felt sick. Watch the fat content of the foods you eat as well.

I am currently pregnant with our second and this time managed fairly quickly to get a grip on the morning sickness. At first it was awful, I couldn't eat, headaches due to being so hungry and so forth. I learned quick enough to literally force myself to eat. There were some things I just plain and simple could not do, but for the most part as soon as I'd get a few bites in, I'd start to feel a tad better. I ate alot of Power Bars, Luna Bars and Cliff Bars cuz they seemed to really stay with me longer and that was something that I needed. I got really tired of feeling hungry and nauseaus all the time! I also ate a bowl of cold cereal in the middle of the night for probably the first 8 weeks or so and this really helped. With my first it seemed like all I ate was cold cereal!
Good luck to you and this will pass, believe me! It'll be over before you know it!

Honey Bunches of Oats. Every morning as soon as I woke up, I'd zip down for a small bowl with milk. I think I needed the sugar and carbs. This worked for two pregnancies. Anyway, I think you need to keep trying. When you weren't pregnant, is there something you would eat first after missing a meal and feeling yucky? Cereal w/milk was always my go-to food when my blood sugar would drop and I felt dizzy and sick to my stomach. Hope you feel better soon!

The plain Lipton noodle soup stayed down ok for me. I think I also did Luna bars but you really have to eat what sounds good. I would also recommend putting boxes of saltines in your car, desk drawer, or wherever so you can always be nibbling. Good luck!

M.

Hi R.,
I had that, too, when I was pregnant with my twins. For thirst, I drank loads and loads of vitamin water. It was the only thing I could drink that didn't make me feel nauseous and it tasted better than water, even. I think you just have to find what works for you. With both I found fresh fruit to be good - oranges with my first and any kind of berry, melon or pineapple or apples with my second pregnancy. I also ate saltines and managed to be able to eat grilled cheese sandwiches and tomato soup, but that's about all I could get down. Try some kind of soup - a clear broth even, or some kind of sandwich, maybe. I hope it passes soon! Remember that the peak of morning sickness is around 10 weeks, so you're almost there! You should be feeling better in a few weeks... Seems like a lifetime, I know, but hang in there!

Oh, this is the worst part of pregnancy. If there is anything at all the sounds good, eat it. What you don't want is to get sicker because you are too malnourished. But don't give yourself a hard time when you're doing the best you can. For most people this nausea passes by around the 14th week of pregnancy (but for me it was closer to the 16th week) Try drinking an electrolyte drink (like Recharge... or Gatorade, but Gatorade has a lot more sugar) instead of water when you are thirsty, because if you have an electrolyte imbalance that in itself can make you nauseous.

Also, I'm going to second what someone else said about your extreme thirst. Extreme thirst is a possible sign of diabetes, which is controllable, but if you had it it would be very important to know. You should check in with your doctor or midwife to find out.

I had extreme thirst during my first pregnancy. No problems (e.g., diabetes), I was just really, really (really!) thirsty. I had to ration the water I would drink in the middle of the night. The thirst went away immediately after giving birth. It was very strange.

I'm pregnant with our second, and I don't have the thirst this time around. Go figure.

Good luck!