Need health advice! PG, BFing, losing weight, sick and tired!

[NewMama117]

I am 17 weeks pregnant and still breastfeeding my almost 1 year old. I started this pregnancy weighing 114lbs(my ideal weight is 125). I have had morning sickness, UTIs(2 of them), a yeast infection and now I have the respritory flu(was running a fever for a few days, now I'm just coughing up junk). I am down to 111. I had gained two pounds until I got the UTI and was put on medicine that makes me soo sick! I'm not good at counting my calories but I REALLY need to put on some weight. Do any of you have some suggestions? I already started supplementing milk with my son because I was afraid he wasnt getting enough nurtients from my milk and he cant have formula. I am extrememly tired all the time no matter how much sleep I get. I cant exercise cuz my body needs my calories. We're moving across the country in four weeks so I NEED to get some energy so I can pack and get the house cleaned up! Thank you!!!

[HikeMama]

EAT EAT EAT.

Then eat some more.

I wouldn't be overly concerned about the weight you lost- I lost more than that when I was pregnant and had morning sickness.

Chances are your son is getting what he needs from your breastmilk plus if he's eating some solids, so I wouldn't be too concerned about that either.

I would be concerned about your intake. You need those calories!!!

What I would do (adapt to your own tastes-- I had a problem with weight loss and not eating enough recently so this is what I did and I gained some back)

Start the morning with a carnation instant breakfast right away and then eat breakfast after it settles- Eggs would be ideal nutritionally, and whole wheat toast. when I was really trying to gain, I had an egg sandwich on a bagel and boy did I load it with mayo... probably not the best advice, though.

Then I would have a snack with me ALL DAY. Pack some crackers, raisins, cheese, grapes in a little bento if you go out. If you stay in, put out a munch tray for you and your LO. I would be making some heavy bean soup ahead of time and eating it throughout the week. My problem was that I never had enough time to eat or make food, so I picked things I could eat or make on the fly.

I would eat a full lunch and dinner and I would eat a snack after my LO went to bed. Breyer's ice cream (hey, you're pregnant- it's so allowed!!), a yogurt parfait, a salad with all the fixings.

I hope you can hold your food down. You guys will all be A-OK!

Oh- good foods for you to eat:
Spinach, beans - chickpeas!!, eggs, humus, cheese spreads on whole wheat toast, fruit smoothies...

[Llyra]

Foods dense in nutrition and calories would be probably be my first thought. Eggs, cheese, meats, natural oils like olive oil and coconut oil, dried fruits, butter, if you can stomach them. I would try small meals more often. I would also carefully watch your fluid intake-- it's easy to get mildly dehydrated, and that just doesn't help you feel better. If you can't hold the fatty foods down, then eat whatever seems to agree with your stomach, whenever your stomach will accept it.

I found, when I was pregnant with my twins and having trouble gaining enough weight, that I needed to wake up in the night and have a meal then, in order to get enough calories into the day. So DH put a tiny little fridge next to the bed with some milk, and I kept a box of cereal and a bowl and spoon next to the bed. When I got up to pee, I'd make a bowl of cereal and eat it before going back to sleep.

Something like carnation instant breakfast or Ensure is not the ideal thing, with the sugar and artificial ingredients, but use them if you need to. When my ulcerative colitis flares, I lose a ton of weight. The last time I was emaciated, and nursing twins, and I found that Ensure was the only thing that maintained me for a few weeks. So I'd go that route if you have to.

[Mrshawwk]

I lost tons of weight with each of my 4 pregnancies, and at 5'10 and 135-140lbs, I had very little to lose. But my problem was I was just too sick to eat. You can eat! Go to the store and if you can, get everything that sounds good (minus the twinkies, of course). If you get ice cream, get the full fat, most natural one you can find. Do that with everything. What do you love? Hamburgers? So make hamburgers every day. What do you feel like right now? Go get it! I had to convince myself that I was pregnant and desperately needed calories, and even though I didn't want to ask hubby to go get me a whole fish meal from Red Robin at 10:30 at night, I knew I needed to because it sounded good and precious few things did.

Hope your move goes well!