Pregnant And Suffering

[ljb]

Hi All,

HELP!

I have been Gluten-free for a year+. I am 10w3d PG and am sick as a dog! I am having a hard time finding a saltine substitute. The mere thought of crackers makes me want to puke. All food is having this reaction on me. The idea of food preparation; the smell of pretty much anything has caused me to run to the bathroom.

When I was PG with #1, I just ate saltines or other bland foods from a package of sorts. I can't seem to do this with #2. DH tries to help, But he's not very good at gluten-free food-prep.

I can't stand eggs, peanut butter, (Ugh - every thing about PB makes me ill) most (if not all) gluten-free breads...

Any ideas of simple, quick foods would be soooo appreciated.

I have spent most of my days trying not to vomit or cry.

-Laura

[tarnalberry]

I feel you - I had about two months of the same thing going on. Yup, food prep is a nauseating idea. Yup, most foods are a nauseating idea. Whatever you think you might be able to eat (not that you want, but you might be able to eat), have it. And realize that your body, in an effort to get as wide a range of nutrients as possible, may well not want to eat the same thing more than once or twice in a row (or in a month!).

If you know a place you can get safe prepared foods, do it. (I use the Whole Foods hot bar or salad bar, a few restaurants, and a few types of prepackaged soups like Thai Kitchen.) As best as possible, we want healthy foods, but we need to eat. Oven fries, pasta w/ sauce, and tuna casserole have all been in my diet. Sometimes, salads work well for me, but it varies. Fruit smoothies have been stomachable when nothing else is. The only thing I actually want, though, is sushi.

Two things to keep in mind - make sure you're getting enough protein (which I will grant you may be more difficult than we want) and plenty of fat (the first couple weeks, I averaged an avocado a day - it wasn't disgusting, and had lots of protein and fat). And make sure to get lots of water as dehydration is much easier when pregnant. If you're thirsty, you're most definitely dehydrated. (My midwife reminded me on monday that at this point - 14 weeks - I'm flushing out and replenishing at least 1/3 cup of amniotic fluid every two hours. That's four cups of water every day!

You might try smoothies or soups - something thin and smooth and well mixed together. Or, try anything that may come across as not disgusting even if it's just long enough to eat it.

And it will very likely get better - maybe not for another few weeks, but it's something!

[Wolicki]

I would suggest bananas, and toast- if you haven't tried Udi's gluten free, you must. It is divine! I sure do hope you feel better soon!

[missy'smom]

I seemed to live on chammomile tea, applesauce, plain mashed potatoes and deli turkey for a few months until the morning(all-day!) sickness passed.

[nmlove]

Each pregnant was different for me but I had a few weeks of really bad morning sickness with my last pregnancy. A friend suggested plain potato chips and lemonade. It didn't sound appealing but it did seem to help. I was desperate, nothing else was working. I did lose a little weight at that time. But don't worry, you'll be packing on the pounds soon enough!

[tarnalberry]

One thing that is *very* important to me is to prevent from getting really nauseated. So, I start the morning with a little bit of juice, since I can't fathom eating as soon as I get up. (I mean within the first 10 minutes of getting up or so.) No later than 30 minutes later, I have a small, but "real" breakfast. It CANNOT be "toast" or a piece of fruit on it's own. The blood sugar spike/drop will make me feel like $*!7 most of the rest of the day. Toast with a healthy serving of peanut butter (since I'm ok with that every once in a while), or a cereal that has plenty of protein and fat (a gluten-free granola, for instance, NOT rice/corn chex!), or anything that has some balance to it. That early in the morning eggs are usually out, but if they don't sound disgusting, eggs it is (hardboiled has been best for me - ironically, some good deviled eggs were just fine!). And then keep on drinking water, and eating small snacks. Oh, I spend plenty of time just *looking* in the kitchen for something edible, but ya gotta eat...

BTW, ginger is good for nausea, and fine in moderation during pregnancy. Acupuncture helped my nausea as well.