Eating in First Trimester and Body Image Issues

Try eating small red delicious apples (organic)... this has worked for two friends. Also if you need to take b vitamins buy the Quantum Labs Max Stress B Nano-Plex. You can buy it at Peoples pharmacy or Healthline in Round Rock. Most all other vitamin B supplements are made with petroleum which maybe why they have made me nauseous pregnant or not.

Blessings,
M.

Well, the first trimester was awful for me. However, the rest of the time I never felt more beautiful. My libido was through the roof and I loved wearing clothes that showed off my expanding tummy.

Some food ideas: cheese, hummus, sweet potatoes, whole grain bread, peanut butter...

I have posted this before.
Ah yes, morning sickness. I am a legend for having morning sickness even while touring the birthing rooms at the hospital and while in labor! You should have seen the nurses faces. My husband just laughed and said not to worry, I "did that all of the time".

I would wake up every morning brush my teeth and then puke. It was funny if it wasn't so horrible.

I felt like I only wanted to eat fruit, but in reality that would also make me sick. I learned to find foods that could stay down for at least a little while. It was odd what worked. I did not eat large portions.
V8 juice, grits with butter, Egg McMuffin, Special K cereal with no fat milk for breakfast. Roast beef, mashed potatoes, and spinach for lunch, but NO GRAVY!
Grilled steaks, corn, and baked potatoes for dinner.
I realized protein was easiest to keep down.

Take your prenatal vitamins with lunch. I could not handle them in the morning and at night, they pumped up my system too much.

I also learned to not avoid vomiting.
Once I would vomit, I just brushed my teeth and moved on. To this day I do not like to vomit, but I do not dread it. As you get larger, it feels stranger to get sick, but you are not harming the baby.

One trick my mom suggested (she also had morning sickness her entire pregnancies) place a cool wet bath cloth at the back of my neck and put my head down. It did help many times.

Remember that morning sickness is not fun, but usually it means that your child will be healthy. I only gained 22 lbs during my entire pregnancy, but my doctor just kept a good eye on the baby to make sure she was thriving. Now she is taller than me and a freshman in college!

I was working full time until the day I went into labor. I walked almost the entire day with my work and did not exercise. I did not worry about the weight gain, because I kept thinking about wanting my baby to have whatever SHE needed. We are so fortunate to be able to be pregnant. More and more women who desperately want to get pregnant and would be awesome parents will never have this magical experience. I had a friend who went to a Halloween party dressed as a pregnant rabbit, her husband was not able to attend, she said she had never had so many men try to pick her up than while she was pregnant. Get some push up bras and some lower cut tops and enjoy your voluptuous, life giving body. Men are attracted to hips and breast, not women that look like teenage boys.

It's ok to eat carbs but just in moderation. With my first I put on about 100lbs. Part was from pregnancy and the other part was from the stress from my ex wanting me to have an abortion and being abusive. I was able to get out of that situation but the damage was done. I was able to get some of the weight off. I'm now married to a wonderful man and pregnant with my second. I've been pretty paranoid about gaining too much weight with this one. I wasn't as sick with this one in my first trimaster but found that chicken noodle soup or similar was easier to keep down and it gave me a lot of the nutrients that I needed. I also started drinking vitamin water because I would feel so weak after my food came up. This also helped be regain my energy at the same time getting some of my water intake. If water is even coming up then you need to get with your Dr. With my first the dr had to give me a strong medicine that put me to sleep for about 10 hours. After that I was still nausious but was able to keep some food down. As soon as I hit my second trimaster it all went away. Make sure to stay away from caffeine and carbonated drinks and stick with healthy meals and you should do fine. With my second I have done that and luckily don't have as much stress and have hardly put on any weight. I'm now in my 4th month and at my last visit I had only put on 1/2 a lb in a month. My dr said that average is about 1 lb a month but you may have little spurts here and there which is fine. If you deprive yourself of certain foods you need then it could effect your baby's growth. Even now I don't go wild on chips or things of that nature but if I want chips I'll do the baked or lower fat chips. Last night I wanted some chocolate so I ate about half a bag of M&Ms. Just don't overdo it on junk food and make sure you walk. I'm not always great with this part but trying to get better. I've been told it makes delivery easier and helps you to bounce back on weight after you deliver.

On the self esteem issue. I still battle with that even though my husband constantly tells me how beautiful I am and how great I look. It sucks when I can't button my pants and I'm now having to wear maternity underwear and clothes. As long as your dr says you are fine I would try not to worry about it. Worry about the now and how to stay healthy now. Once you have your baby then you can worry about your weight then. You never know you may bounce back completely with no problem. There is no sense is fretting about it when you don't even know what the results will be in 5 to 6 months. Take care of yourself and baby now. Worry about the rest later.
Good Luck

I hope this helps.

I had a rough time being prego b/c I like to be in control of how I feel and what I look like. Obviously being pregnant, you cannot control either of these.

I will make it short and simple.

I was sick up until 18 weeks. I made a broth based homemade soup every week. Also, I would make muffins.

As soon as I woke up, I would have a muffin on my nightstand and ask my husband for some milk. I would eat this before getting out of bed. I would take a Zofran (prescribed by my dr. for nausea. It helps a little.) I would bathe and get ready for the day (I did not do my normal routine. I would do my makeup and let my hair air dry. I became queen of the ponytail and headbands. I just did not have enough energy or feel well.) About an hour or two later, I would eat another muffin and milk.

I ate every two hours. Example, instead of eating my lunch in one sitting, I would split it up. I would eat my sandwich then two hours later, wheat thins, two hours later, fat free pudding or yogurt. Two hours after that, I would eat my soup. Soup was great b/c you can have it anytime. It is low fat and full of vitamins. I would make tons of vegetables and chicken noodle soups. Chili with turkey meat was one of my favorites. Making it homemade lessens the sodium. Foodnetwork and cooks.com had great recipes. I did alot of them in the crockpot.

Usually, this would get me to 5 or 6 p.m. Then I would eat dinner and go to bed.

The trick hear was to eat every two hours and keep your tummy full, no matter if you are hungry or not. The worse thing I found was if I waited 30 more mins I would be very sick and it made it even harder to eat.

Also, I went on a 30 min. walk or run every night. I wore a heart rate monitor to make sure I was in a safe range.

try taking vitamin B-6...you can take 70mg per day safely. look on your pre-natals to see how many mgs are in there first so you don't overdose! and make sure to tell your OB at your next visit that you are taking it. I swear I had the most horrid morning sickness during my first pregnancy and tried EVERYTHING until my MIL (a nurse) told me to try the vitamin B-6. as soon as I started taking it, the only days I got sick were the ones I forgot to take the pill! my 2nd pregnancy, as soon as the morning sickness showed up, I started taking the vitamin again and voila! no more sickness =)
as far as body image, just think of it as "growing a baby" instead of "getting fat". I have horrible body image as well, but during my pregnancies I just tried to focus on the fact that there was a baby inside =) for me, that made it all worthwhile!

L.,
Are you taking B6? My OB recommended 50 - 100 units / day to help. I'm taking it every 12 hours and can tell when it wears off.

Below are some snack ideas that are helping me.
1. Hard boiled eggs (instead of fried). The only way I can eat an egg right now.
2. Cottage cheese with canned fruit. We buy the fruit that's in a light syrup with pear juice (no sugar); I've found sipping that syrup to be helpful as well.
3. String cheese.
4. Almonds (more mild than walnuts), and a healthy fat.
5. Banana (natural source of B6, which is great for morning sickness). For protein, slather on some peanut butter (or other nut butter).
6. Baked potato (again, more natural B6). For protein, you could either put on some cooked chicken, cubed deli meat, or cheese.
7. Lara bars are nice. They are pretty much dried fruit and nuts in different flavors. These make a good portable snack.
8. Pinto or black beans (canned) with a vinagrette salad dressing (for flavor without spiciness) and garnish with cheese. Beans are a wonderful, balanced food: carb and protein already included.
9. Baked yam or sweet potato (can be microwaved). You can top with a bit of salt, or for some protein, finely chopped pecans. A dash of butter or allspice can be nice, too.

I've found I eat, then an hour later start getting nauseous. So I suck on hard candy, a sucker, or sip some pear juice syrup until I'm ready for a real snack.

My snacks are probably a little off the beaten track . . . my body can't tolerate any grains. So crackers, etc., aren't an option for me.

In terms of body image . . . I think most of us struggle with this at some point (thanks to our think-perfect media-obsessed culture). Yet, if you think about it, when pregnant our bodies are doing so very much for us and the baby. It's a time when we should be the most grateful and kind to them. No one gives a flower bud a bad time when it swells before blooming--and it's part of fulfilling the measure of its creation. The moon, flowers, most things feminine in nature swell during their natural cycle or during their creative period.
I would recommend recognizing the negative thoughts, but don't let them continue--and don't give yourself a hard time for them. Just change the channel (if you can) and give yourself something positive.
I came across a body image meditation that's just a few minutes long, but focuses on appreciating your body, the way it is. It's on a CD called Meditation 24/7. You can just run it while you're getting dressed for the day. The CD is a companion to the book by the same name by Camille Maurine and Lorin Roche; Amazon has it starting at $7. I'd recommend it as a great way to get some positive thoughts going toward your body.

Good luck!

My trouble with pregnancy and feeling nauseous was fixed by brushing my tongue...turns out there was some kind of taste in my mouth that was making me sick and brushing often really helped. I also found that you-hoo chocolate drink tasted awesome to me and kept me from feeling sick...it has a TON of potassium in it but isn't as gas-producing as banana. (yes it has a lot of carbs but keep reading)

AS for the body image issue. I don't understand how you feel as a pregnant woman, but I have gone through the "three-kid-post-pregnancy" body issue. I am at the opposite end of the spectrum than you...I took it as a no holds barred excuse to eat anything and everything. I gained 65, 55 and 45 lbs with my pregnancies...during the last one I tried really hard to be careful! I believe the most important thing is to have a healthy baby and to load up on everything they will need including omega fatty acids, carbs, and vitamins and minerals.

I would not stop eating something (carbs)just for your body image...you are going to have that great big belly no matter what you eat or don't eat...right now your body belongs to that baby. Once you stop nursing, you can do whatever you want to get your body "back."

I had my last baby and then I lost down from 165-117lbs and feel great now, and it only took me four months to get most of it off! In the grand scheme of things that isn't any big deal.

I don't want to sound obnoxious or insulting but you may want to see a counselor to find out what the underlying cause of your self esteem issues are (could just be pregancy hormones)...does your husband make comments because he finds you cute that you are taking as degrading? Maybe tell him how you feel and ask him to give you some comforting words every once in a while...(men don't often say it even if they are thinking it). Pregnancy is the time to enjoy being a woman and the miracle of being able to create that special body that your child is waiting to inhabit! Make it a good, strong and healthy one! Blessings to you all!

Hi L., I was really sick with my second pregnancy too. Unfortunately, I have no great advice for you. My advice is to eat whatever sounds good. Like you said, keeping your blood sugar up is really important (and staying hydrated!). You aren't going to be gaining much weight anyway because you are so sick. I lost weight and didn't start gaining back until I was 14 weeks pregnant and feeling better. That's when I focused on eating well for my baby and myself. Things you should try to help with the nausea are Preggy Pops (you can get them at Motherhood Maternity). Peppermints work well too. I would suck on these things constantly. Ask your doctor if there are any hot teas you can drink (some are not safe). These things only provide temporary relief but even the smallest bit of relief was like a breath of fresh air. I found pickles to help as well. They would neutralize stomach acids. It's pretty much a misserable 3 months! People don't understand that it's like having a stomach virus for 2-3 months. No one can EVER relate to this until it has happened to them. If it's so bad that you are becoming dehydrated and malnurished, talk to your doctor. I was prescribed Zofran and it was a miracle drug! I was not thrilled about taking meds when pregnant but I feel like I had no choice. Pregnancy can be debilitating when you are sick like this. I would cut the pills in 3rds. It was enough to help get me by. A half a pill would do the trick but I was nervous about taking them (eventhough the doctor said they were okay). I wish you luck and hope you find some relief in the next month. Oh, as for body image issues. I had them with my son (my 1st) because I gained 40 lbs and was swollen and broken out. I didn't feel good and was ready to have my body back. With my daughter, I really watched my salt intake and ate as healthy as I could. I gave into some cravings, however! :) I walked regularly, drank lots of water and felt better. I gained 25 lbs, didn't swell (and fortunately, didn't have acne). Just remember how cute pregnant woman really are. Try your hardest to embrase it and I recommend taking maternity pictures if you can. I didn't with my son but did with my daughter. I'm so glad to have them! We are probably finished with 2 and I'm so glad I can look back at the pictures.

While pregnant, I enjoyed eating nuts, almonds especially. Milk was ok, but orange juice made me feel better. When I felt particularly bad, I would go for a brisk walk around the block or neighborhood and while still feeling 'relieved' from the walk, I would sit down to an almost normal breakfast (no matter what time of the day, because it probably was my first meal of the day)

I avoided meat, sugar, but craved brocilli and spinach. Oh, I ate my healthiest since being pregnant.

But my morning sickness didnt last long, once my walk trick worked,M.

Try a NATURAL(not loaded with sugar like when we were kids) peanut butter with honey sandwich. The honey will sweeten it and is very good for you. You will get a lot of protein with the good kind of fat.

I highly recommend the Brewer's diet...it is high in protien and many birth professionals recommend it because of the great outcomes, it seems to be just about ideal. There is a good summary of it on this link... http://nutrition.birthingnaturally.net/brewerslideshow/br... I really hope you start feeling a little better soon!!!

I would definitely second taking your B vitamins, that should help the nausea. With respect to body image issues, pregnant women are gorgeous!!! You are actually at your most feminine now and throughout your pregnancy, so focus on showering love on your growing precious baby instead of oh i don't fit in my jeans anymore...who cares!!! This is as womanly and life-giving as it gets. Eat whole grains, brown rice, lots of protein rich foods, my midwife said to eat a ton of protein so one thing I did was in the morning I made a shake with protein powder. Eggs, chicken, beans, are great choices. Just try eating as much fresh stuff as you can, and don't combine fruit with vegetable, that will bug your stomach. Both are vital for your nutrition but should be kept separate. This part won't last forever and you'll be feeling better soon...then it's easier to enjoy your sexy pregnant body. Just feel the life-giving energy flooding your body and you can't but help feeling absolutely radiant. Don't compare yourself to anything prepregnancy, your are growing a human being. I took some awesome pregnancy pics when I was about 8 months wearing a black slightly sheer lace tunic with my gorgeous belly and husband loves those pics. Good luck!

Hi L.,
Sorry you are feeling so lousy. I was morning/all day queasy with 3 of my pregnancies and violently sick with one of them. I vomited if I moved suddenly, smelled certain foods, sometimes food that smelled appetizing then first put in my mouth made me vomit. I tell you this to ask if you know if the baby is a girl? The pregnancies with my DD's made me queasy, my DS made me wildly ill. I'm curious if the sex of the child has any bearing on the severity of nausea? (You indicated the morning sickness this preg is worse than the first.)
Wish I'd known about alfalfa caps for morning sickness when I was pregnant. Check into them at your health food store/Whole Foods/Central Mkt. They are supposed to be great help, vitamin packed and all natural.

I had the opposite self image issues because I was so happy about the pregnancies. It was the post pregnancy weight, fatigue with newborn, lack of sleep that aggravated my self esteem. Hope you feel better soon. C.

I ate a whole lot of fresh fruit. I would go to the produce section and stock up on what ever was in season and take it home and cut it up into small pieces. then I would divide it up into little snack bags and carry then around in my purse. I would also eat whole wheat crackers and cheese. What made me sick was the smell of food, so I would carry Vicks around with me all the time and just stick big globs of it up my nose if any offending smell was around. As for body image, I totally understand. In the summer, I think its easier because you can wear cute little tank tops but in the winter I just felt like a big oval in what ever I put on. Just think of the plus side. Your boobs will be bigger! And it will all be over sooner than you think!

First of all, congratulations on baby 2:) We are going to be trying in the near future for our 2nd little ball of joy as well. As far as eating healthy, in the first trimester I say eat what sounds good and do everything you need to for yourself. Put your feet up if you can, take a bath, I know so hard when you are chasing around your first! But be good to yourself. It is a lot of work making a baby. As far as the self esteem goes, pregnant women are just so beautiful and you are no exception. I have yet to see a pregnant women walk in a room without the collective "hmmmmm" of everyone who sees her. I know no-one can tell you are preggers yet, but soon that little one will be appearing and it will be your time to shine. If you struggle with self esteem issues at times other than during pregnancy, just remember God made you, He loves you, and getting comfortable with ourself seems to be a process sometimes. But you are awesome, unique, and a gift. Hang in there and have a great day!

Hi L.!
Congratulations on your pregnancy. :o))
I, too, had THE worst morning sickness which lasted allll dayyy, every dayyy, except mine lasted 7 months. I will pray that you don't have it that long! ;o)
It was horrible. I couldn't eat and felt terrible because I didn't think my baby was receiving the appropriate amount of nutrients. My Doc suggested I start eating high protein foods when I felt "sick" and to eat immediately after I "got sick". I know it sounds yuk to eat right after but it worked! I finally found that eating a bean and cheese taco in the morning held fine and I actually felt better. I still "got sick" during the day but didn't feel horrible the entire day. I, then, started eating small meals every two hours, such as half a roast beef sandwich. I added cucumbers because for some reason the crunchiness of the cucumbers made eating the sandwich "bearable". And I was able to eat just about anything immediately after I "got sick". Doc thought maybe since I didn't have as much acid in my stomach. Who knows. I really didn't care because I felt better knowing my baby was receiving the appropriate nutrients.
In between meals, I sucked on Jolly Ranchers. The "Original" kind, not the sweet, fruity ones seemed to "work" better.
Well, I hope some of these help and I understand you have image issues but during your pregnancy you might try and just focus on the growth of your baby and not yourself. I don't mean to sound harsh but getting "bigger" is just part of being pregnant. Enjoy your pregnancy and try not to worry about image right now.

Take Care!
D.

L.,
I had morning sickness with my 2nd and got on meds to help. I lost weight b/c I was so sick. However, I made up for it as soon as I got on the meds.
I absolutely love being a Mommy! I did NOT enjoy my pregnant body. I loved feeling my baby move and enjoyed being warm in the winter months when everyone else was cold.=) I just never felt like I was cute pregnant- I carried my babies all over you knew I was pregnant from every angle. Some Moms love it and some don't. I finally accepted the fact that my body was making sacrafices so that I could have the blessing of being a Mommy! There will be good days and bad days. You will get through it. Take one day at a time and gets lots of rest! Good luck and congrats on Baby number 2!
V.

Ditto on the B-6!

I was also morning-sick through my youngest son's pregnancy; it was a constant irritating nausea that never went away fully, just increased or lessened. I found that sucking on Altoids helped a lot; they also tended to mask scents since the peppermint is so powerful. Both peppermint and ginger Altoids will help.

Since a lot of people have already given you great eating advice, I won't add to that, but I will say that if you think about the baby, pretend that you're holding him at belly level, you'll realize that you don't look fat at all. You look pregnant.

Good luck to you!

Have you taked to your doc. The only thing that helped with the nausea and vomiting was a medication. I think the only reason they don't bring it up right away is because it is very expensive. I just paid my copay though so it was cheap for me. It curbed the nausea and stoped the vomiting for me. I can't remember the name but your OB will know what I'm talking about. Good luck! I know how hard it is to feel sick all the time. Mine lasted 4 months all day and night both times! It was worth it though.

Hi L.,

I have one suggestion for you regarding something that might feel like a comfort food, but be healthy for you too... Whole Wheat Pasta in the penne form.

You have to cook it longer to have it not be so firm, but you can put Smart Balance on it or butter, salt and pepper or a favorite marinara. You could also make it carbonara with a bit of pan fried ham and some peas and a little shredded parmigana cheese.

The whole wheat pasta is very high in protein and fiber both and so that would help you feel fuller and give you much needed protein.

I used to think the W.W. pastas were aweful- but I have re-tried them, So many brands are very good and the only type I would stay away from is the angel hair style and even teh reg spaghetti styles aren't so hot. Penne is my favorite and the bow ties and other cuts like that are very nice.

The 2 year old I nanny for loves it too. And that is saying a lot.

For your nausea- I would try a product by Solaray at Whole Foods called Ginger chew/aid or something like that. It's a chewable ginger that is lovely. It tastes great and helped my nausea a ton while I was pregnant.

Good luck!
D. ;)

Congratulations!

Quick response: I kept almonds and dried apricots in my desk at work (or on hand at home) -- they got me through the first trimester of all 3 kiddos. They take a lot of time to chew, are nutritious, relatively low carb and delicious!

As far as body image, you are not alone. I do hope you can overcome this--- I am not sure what to add as I always loved my pregnant body and think pregnant women are the most beautiful around. I think many people believe this, so be proud!

Good luck!
J