Having a Hard Time Eating Right While Pregnt, Not Feeling Well at Almost 20 Wks

You can try nibbling a little crystallized ginger - it's settles my stomach every time.
Ginger ale is good, too.
Try drinking drinking small amounts more often rather than large amounts less often.
As long as you like PB & J, you can also try PB, banana and honey sandwiches - a little messy but very good.
Nibble saltine crackers.
You'll get through this.
Hang in there.

Try drinking some watered down pedialyte and eating a bunch of fresh fruit. I don't know of any drink supplements that aren't nasty, but I enjoy Cliff Bars. Are you taking a prenatal vitamin (and keeping it down)? If so, don't worry too much. This should pass.

With both of my pregnancies, I had BAD morning sickness AND migraines all at the same time. Everyday.

Per my OB/GYN, I had Acupuncture.
Just one 1/2 hour session, and it was GONE!
It is very relaxing and does not hurt.

try gatorade, sugar free if they make it. Also cook some chicken and ADD it to a low sodium chicken noodle soup. Luna bars are great for protein too!!

I had morning sickness through the entire pregnancy with my second. My doctor advised me to stay hydrated (milk, juice, tea and sports drinks are ok, too) and eat what I could. Hydration is more important that eating. I did drink Carnation Breakfast Essentials (it used to be called Carnation Instant Breakfast) many times, simply because it actually stayed down.

Do what you can, and try not to worry about it. Remember, baby gets the nutrients first, and you get what's left. Baby is fine!!!

Hang in there! It won't last forever.

Hugs - having recently recovered from a bad stomach virus, I can empathize with the hydration and nausea issues. Have you tried adding a bit of gatorade to your water to help replace your electrolytes and add a bit of flavor? And (sorry if this sounds like an obvious thing that you're already doing) since it's hard for you to eat a lot, maybe your goal should be to eat smaller quantities at more frequent intervals? Also that might be a good goal for the hydration as well - smaller quantities at more frequent intervals (when I was at the worst phase of the stomach bug my dr's office said to literally keep sipping to stay hydrated - like 4 oz. spread out over the course of a 20-30 minute interval - because when I took gulps it would set my digestive system off)
good luck!

try drinking more gatorade or flavored water. and with the keeping things down and eatting better. try to avoid cheese, it only binded you up. feeling sluggish is normal with a second pregnancie. because your body is not use too it. yes try ensure in the morning and try taking your vitamins too. also try drinking some ginger ale and eat some saltines. it will help with sourness of your stomach. and ask your doctor if theres anyway of getting any anti nausea pills. I know walmart sells some and yes they are flavored. if you cant afford the anti nausea pills from your doctor. i hope this is helpful.

Oh J.!

Nausea is NOT fun!

I swear...IF I had had it during pregnancy...I would have been preggers ONLY ONCE!

That said, I have had some gastric issues over the years...and, along with some of the great suggestions here (ginger ale...crystalized ginger, instant breakfast etc)...I found I could NOT drink gatorade...BUT...faced with the thought of IV fluids...I found if I froze it (in a little teeny ice cube tray...or a pop) I could tolerate it...

Also...IF ice cream works for you...blend in an instant breakfast...(and heck...a banana or two) and sip from a straw!!

Best Luck!
Feel better
michele/cat

I did best when I drank a glass of milk with protein powder. I don't remember what I used, but I did add a bit of chocolate powder to it to make it taste better. After I had that first thing in the am, I did much better throughout the day. I also drank an herbal raspberry tea. That seemed to help, too. Try some ginger tea, the ginger lollipops or other ginger based preggo candies. Sometimes just sucking on a ginger candy can help. You could also try candied ginger, but watch out, it is so good, it's addictive.

Sorry to hear it's been rough. Your OB can prescribe something that is safe and will help keep food down. Talk to you OB. If you are still having this much trouble after the first trimester, it is probably time to seek professional help on the eating/nausea side of things.

Good luck and hope things improve for you.

soy milk helped a lot of my tummy issues, both nausea and unbelievable heartburn... feel better

It tastes nasty nasty nasty, but if your dehydrated there is nothing better than Pedialyte.

I'm so sorry you're feeling so rotten. With both of my pregnancies I was throwing up the entire time, all the way to the delivery table. Like you, I was in and out of the hospital for dehydration.

To try to stay hydrated and nourished, I discovered I could sometimes hold down milk, so I drank Carnation Instant Breakfast drinks often. I could also hold down potatoes (???) most of the time. Who knows why? I was good about taking my vitamins everyday (at night). I also drank tons of water.

My babies were born healthy, and I returned to good health after pregnancy. I hope you feel better soon.

sounds like you are having a rough one. i had nearly constant sickness my first time thru month 7 but it did eventually end, so hold out hope ;). i took meds in the morning to help me get thru work and tried to balance eating/drinking the rest of the day/night. The meds did help a lot b/c without them i couldnt get something down in the morning to start eating, even if i ate snacks during nighttime. I took Zofran 5 days a week in the morning and rode it out the rest of the time.

i had a hard time drinking too, even water would make me gag. Try to find a sports drink you like and I recommend Reed's ginger ale/ginger beer - they have a LOT of real ginger and i think it does help a little. i also had success drinking bitter flavor (white grapefruit flavor, but dont drink acidic juice- that will sour your stomach) sometimes i could also drink chicken bullion. watermelon has a lot of water- when it was cold it went down pretty easy

i had a really hard time getting protien since i could not stand meat or spice when PG (which also made the nasuea worse since my diet was primarily simple carb based). if you can get more protien in tho, it will likely help some. i can't recommend any other than commercial Jamba juice or homemade ones w protien powder, the bottled stuff all made me gag.

also, this is gross but if you are going to throw up, drinking cream soda right before cuts the acid taste. I had a hard time eating after getting sick and that seemed to help me a little.

good luck and hang in there!

Hello,
I'm so sorry you're having such a rough time. :( Have you heard of the Brewer Diet? There's a website called blueribbonbaby.org with lots of excellent nutrition info and they have great tips on getting the right nutrition when it's hard to keep stuff down.
Also, there are these really cool natural drinks called Recharge and they are like gatorade except without the nasty chemicals like high fructose corn syrup. They worked really well to hydrate me when I got heat exhaustion while pregnant and kept vomiting.
Hope you feel better soon!

Gatorade! But only if your blood sugar level allows. Also, watermelons have a lot of water and fiber. Can you drink soups? Chicken soup, oxtail soup ... delicious and nutritious. Ginger helps nausea, although it may be a bit strong in taste and heat. Try boiling carrots, water chestnuts, sugar cane and ginger ... my Chinese grandmother made that a lot for us when we were kids, especially during the summer. You put all the ingredients in a pot, cover with water and boil for an hour or more. It's really delicious cold.

you might try a B.R.A.T. drink that is sold in the kids aisle. there are several flavors but i like chocolate the best. no sugar added: Filtered Water, Organic Brown Rice, Organic Safflower/Sunflower oil, Organic Banana Puree, Organic Apple Puree, Natural Flavors, Calcium Lactate, Sea Salt, Gum Arabic, Pectin, Vitamin A Palmitate, Vitamin D3, Vitamin B6, Vitamin B12

hope you feel better

I have to second the Crystallized Ginger response.

I was working in the Show Department at Nordstroms thru the beginning of my third pregnancy. I had the worst issue with all day sickness with this one.

One of the ladies who worked in the Stock department was a very wise Asian lady. she gave me a whole bag of the Ginger. I would leave it in the side of my cheek and suck on it. I would go from rolling to normal in no time.

I had never been a ginger fan until then. Now I never am without a case of the Natural Brewer Ginger Ale. I love it!! Helps with the acidy tummy you can sometimes get during labor too:)

Good luck/Congrats!! And hang in there. Mine always settled down after 24 weeks. Then it is hip pain and butt pain:)

I'm sure you've already had a lot of suggestions but here's my two cents worth. Try some tea with with peppermint or especially ginger in it. Ginger especially is good for digestion and calming nausea. You could probably jut buy a hunk of ginger at the store and then boil in in some water then drink that. Maybe add a little lemon as well. Have you tried accupunture? This might help as well. There are things you can buy over the counter, I think they are called prego pops or something like that and they are supposed to help with nausea. Additionally you might try eating popcicles as they will give you sugar as well as fluids. Ensure or boost are good options as well. Many people find them more palitable if you drink them cold or over ice. Hang in there and good luck to you.

You may want to consider asking your doc/nurse/midwife about vitamin supplements. I'm sure you're already taking your pre-natal vitamins, but how about some extra iron? That might help with energy levels. Also, for a sour stomach, consider sucking on an Altoid. Peppermint is good for making tummies feel better.

Otherwise, keep sipping water. Hydration is so important.

It's tough to be so run down all the time. I slept for the first four months of my first pregnancy. I simply couldn't stay awake and I would get such vicious mood swings! My students learned my "demonic possessions" occurred when I hadn't eaten in a while. They were soooooooo good about making sure I had fruits, nuts, candy and, of all things, MILK to keep my mood more stable. If you can tolerate milk, it really is the best source of nutrients while you feel so icky. I craved whole milk (I grew up on non-fat, so I loved the rich, creamy texture). Goat milk is also tasty and much easier on the tummy.

Hugs, sweetie. Hang in there!

You need good nutrition which I am sure you know. I know lots of people who take Shaklee vitamins and their babies are healthy as is the mother during pregnancy. Shaklee has protein powder which you can make smoothies with and a multi-vitamin that helps give you good nutrition.

I have also heard that either the b-complex or the alfalfa helps with morning sickness.

Just so you know I have a friend that when her Shaklee baby was born their umbilical cord was fat, round, and healthy looking. You don't find that any more. The doctor was shocked at how healthy the baby and the umbilical cord was.

You can go to her site at: http://leangreencafe.myshaklee.com/us/en/ and check out the products.

Hope you will do that for your sake as well as your baby.

N.
Wellness Coach

Drink gatorade or other sports drinks to stay hydrated and get a little more than regular water.
I ate lots of bread when I was queasy. Lots of small meals.

Highly recommend acupuncture. Works well for nausea and fatigue in pregnancy

J. You live in Seattle where a school of naturopathy is located. Find a homeopathic practitioner and get there immediately. This is a symptom of some other problem besides pregnancy.

My daughter had a post nasal drip that made eating very, very difficult for her while pregnant. She threw up every day until delivery. He doctor could not help her. She did find that black beans at night stayed down.
Eat fish if you can. Your body is protein deprived. It is often easier to eat later in the day. Make your own ensure of organic ice cream and milk and drink it slowly. Protein powder can be a help added to it so you cannot taste it.
See a homeopath and feel better soon.