Finally Pregnant - But Not In A Gluten State Of Mind -- Help!

[lostinvast]

A brief on me: I've been TTC for almost 2 years as I was diagnosed with premature ovarian failure. I was told I have a 2% chance of ever having children, and that I should consider adoption.

I decided to leave my fertility doctor after failed IUIs and move on to a holistic doctor. She had me tested for celiac, and it turned out I had it. This was in december. Now 3 months later I'm gluten free, and I got pregnant! Pregnant and healthy and doing well :)

So now I'm 7 weeks in and just about a week ago is when I REALLY started to feel the symptoms.

My biggest problem is that I am absolutely disgusted by gluten free products. Anything with corn or rice just makes my stomach churn. And I'm CRAVING - in a major way - a slice (or two or three) of whole grain bread. A big hearty chunk and just thinking about it right now is making me hungry. And nothing (I mean nothing!) else makes me hungry. It does the opposite.

I just have no appetite for a gluten free lifestyle right now Substitutes are not sufficing.

I'm kind of going crazy :/ I don't know what to do!

[krystynycole]

I was carb addicted and wanted to eat anything and everything when I went gluten free. While I will still admit that I miss it, lessens over time and you get used to it because you feel better. I used to fill up on bread and not eat much of my entree when I went out to eat. It's like weening yourself off of anything you are addicted to like people who stop drinking caffeine. Your body wants one thing and one thing only. I know that's not any consolation now but I can promise you my love of bread is something I will long for forever.

[mushroom]

Congrats on your pregnancy. I don't know why most fertility docs don't know about and don't test for celiac

Carb addictionis are very real, especially wheat . It is like quitting smoking, you do have to get over the hump and it may take longer for some than others, depending on the level of addiction. I thought I was doing fine without cigarettes until week four when it really hit, and I didn't really consider myself cured until about six months down the line. Hopefully for you it won't take this long. Try eating some of the starchy vegetables like sweet potato, turnips, potatoes, squashes. Dress them up with whatever makes them the most palatable to you. They will be good for the baby too. It's best to leave the gluten free substitutes alone as much as possible at first, because they do not taste like their gluten counterparts, and you need to forget the gluteny taste first before you will find them palatable. And lthey are full of soy and rice and corn. Eat fresh, wholesome whole foods and try experimenting with things you have never tried before to tempt your taste buds. Focus on the foods you used to like apart from the carbs/gluten and challenge yourself to use them in creative ways. Turn food into an adventure, a creative endeavor to arouse your taste buds.

Good luck in producing a healthy baby.

[suziq0805]

Congrats on your pregnancy!! I did not know about my gluten issues during my pregnancy a couple years ago but can definately remember the cravings. I had horrible morning sickness and the ONLY thing I seemed to be able to eat in the morning was poptarts (I pretty much lived on them for a week). I craved carbs during my pregnancy (and BBQ chicken until I couldn't stand the smell of chicken). You obviously know you shouldn't be eating these products, but it's gotta be tough resisting those pregnancy cravings. Do you have a gluten-free house? Might not be a bad idea to get rid of as much gluten as possible. And if those cravings get really strong just remember that your baby needs you to not eat gluten for his/her well-being. Cravings are strong but maybe picturing that little baby in your arms in a few months can help.

[lucia]

Congratulations on your pregnancy! Do you mind if I ask how old you are?

[Ollie's Mom]

I'm gonna jump in here. I'm currently 15 weeks with my second pregnancy. I've been gluten free for over 2.5 years.

I didn't have any cravings for glutenous foods since early on in the diet... so years ago. But now.... all I want is glutenous garbage food!!! These are not breaking the habit cravings. These are I'm pregnant and totally want THIS FOOD cravings.

So I feel for you... and I hope you feel better knowing you're not alone. (Not that it will make the cravings go away, I'm afraid. )

[jswog]

I can totally relate to Ollie's Mom! While I haven't been gluten free for nearly as long as she has, I honestly haven't had too many issues with wanting gluten-laced things after the fist about 2-3 months. Now at almost 17 weeks, I had to put my food down and not allow my husband to get some pizza rolls the other night. He thought they sounded good and, unfortunately, I did as well. It's about all I've thought about for a couple of days now. I have been pretty bad about some junk foods but have been trying to stick with ones that at least have some redeeming qualities. Beanie weanies have been my big kick the last couple of weeks...

[Di2011]

You all have to remember it is poison. Don't go there. When you see gluten products you need to see that poison warning you see on insect spray cans. Don't do it to you and don't do it to that little guy/girl who is coming your way. Change the way your mind "sees" or "wants" gluten products for the sake of a marvelous parenthood. Being a parent is the best thing ever and you don't want to poison it.

[lostinvast]

Thanks for all the replies! Since I posted, my appetite has had yet again another "swing" and all I have been interested in is ice cold fruit and veggies. (raw, uncooked) so I'd say that's not such a bad thing lol

I am 30 years old. I have been off gluten for 3 months now. I think my first day of quitting the gluten was somewhere around mid-december, as I recall going nuts when my mother brought out her calzone for xmas lol. It was actually really easy for me to start, with the exception of home-made goodies like that. I still resisted!

I never really had symptoms that I recognized before I cut out gluten cold turkey. Now, I noticed the few times I had been bad and ate something I shouldn't, I would break out in what looks to be hives, I'd feel terribly bloated, and have tremendous difficulty digesting - and it'd often just come back up on me.

You've all brought up some great ideas - and I do have to remind myself that I am not only harming myself, but also am harming the one thing I was sure would never be!

So now I'm going to have to find some great meal ideas - and mashed potatoes have been a heaven-sent carb solution for me when I need them most! So for now, I'm going to stick to that being my only starchy fix since the other stuff is just making my stomach turn.

[jswog]

Ohhh.... Mashed Potatoes! You said that and it sounds AMAZING! I think I just might go make some...

[addis001]

Definitely missing my Crackers for M/S... With my first pregnancy, I would lay in bed with crackers and peanut butter... sooo AMAZING... The crackers aren't the same anymore... I even tried making some with Gluten free flour...

It was a disaster..

[JNBunnie1]

Definitely missing my Crackers for M/S... With my first pregnancy, I would lay in bed with crackers and peanut butter... sooo AMAZING... The crackers aren't the same anymore... I even tried making some with Gluten free flour...

It was a disaster..

Best gluten free crackers- Glutino brand round ones. They're harder than Ritz, but very tasty. I like the cheddar.

[evilette13]

There are so many amazing gluten free breads out there now. They live in the freezer section in your local grocery store or Whole Foods. When I was diagnosed 7 years ago there weren't these options. Being sick with morning sickness would only be made so much worse if you were to eat gluten containing breads. Also, please keep in mind that eating gluten products while in your first trimester ups your chances of having a miscarriage. No food is worth the pain or consequences of losing your baby.

Good luck to you. Having those two diagnosis on the same day must seem so very overwhelming for you. But, remember, you can do it! And in a couple of years eating gluten free will be like second nature; you'll feel so much better you won't miss foods with gluten anymore. Unfortunately, right now, it might seem like a huge hurdle to have to conquer. But with time, it will get so much easier.

One more note, beware of prenatal vitamins. Make sure they say gluten free on the label. Congrats!

[1desperateladysaved]

Congratulations, children are a great blessing. I say that and I have 7 pretty grown up ones. They are very motivating as reasons to succeed with the diet.