Pregnant, feeling HORRIBLE and suspecting diet...

[Hethir09]

HELP!! I'm 9 weeks pregnant with my 2nd child and I'm still nursing my 19 month old. With my first pregnancy, I was never sick, just a bit 'gaggy' at night and a touch tired. This time, at 6 weeks on the dot I started feeling like I got hit by a train!! I'm really thinking it's my diet because it's not just nausea but body aches, depression and extreme exhaustion. I don't know how much more I can take with a busy toddler!!

Before becoming pregnant we tried to follow a TF diet as best as we could. Now I barely have energy to get to the store to buy cereal to eat (gag, I know). The only things that sound good are the things that are soooo bad for me (hot pockets, fast food, stuff I'd normally gag at the thought of!!). The good is that I'm taking a food based prenatal, trying to drink Kombucha and a glass of raw milk daily and eating an egg every day for breakfast. 

Is anyone aware of dietary tweaks that can make a huge difference? I'm getting desparate, here! THANK YOU!!!

...I also posted this in the Traditional Foods forum...

[Cujobunny]

I'll start by saying I don't know much about Traditional Foods diet LOL. I know that I felt HORRIBLE my first trimester and it was more difficult having older kids to look after. I pretty much just wanted to eat crap that I don't normally eat and though I did my best to keep my diet healthy, in the end I had to eat SOMETHING and figured boxed mac & cheese wasn't going to kill me, or anyone, it was easy, filled me up, didn't make me vomit. My midwife said it didn't much matter, you have decent nutrient stores to get you & the baby through til your appetite comes back.

[Stayseeliz]

I agree. Just do your best right now. I stocked my pantry with as much "healthy" easy stuff as possible. WW bread, natural pb, fruit, etc. Easy things you can throw together fast until you're feeling better. I was fine by my 2nd tri and back to my normal diet. Just hang in there!

[rockycrop]

I was exactly the same way.  My 1st trimester sickness was nothing too bad with my first, but it was AWFUL this time.

I too, had been following a TF diet as best I could beforehand.  I could barely get down any milk, and I couldn't cook at all (really difficult to stay TF without cooking!).  During that time I had fast food for the first time in years (nothing else sounded edible), and I literally cried tears of joy one night when I caved and had some ramen noodles.  It was the first thing that had tasted good to me in a week.  I know your pain, mama.  

Don't worry about it too much right now (I know it's hard).  If you were eating well beforehand, you will be fine.  Things will get better in the next couple weeks!  Eat what sounds good to you now, even if your rational mind gives you grief.

[ursusarctos]

Just another sympathizer here. I've been trying not to worry too much for the reasons Cujobunny posted. But it's annoying when you can only eat junk! And I agree, TF is impossible when you can't cook. Now at 14 weeks I am not quite back to normal in relation to food but can cook some things and eat most things. The junk food cravings have lightened up. You will feel better before you know it! And if you had a good diet before you got pregnant you probably have plenty of reserves to draw on during this short time.

Also, does your prenatal vit have iron in it? I ask because I have been taking floradix on and off and when I do take it my energy levels are much better.

Good luck!

[Twinklefae]

Every pregnancy is different.  I had a very similar thing happen - first pregnancy I was just a bit gaggy, second time around, it was AWFUL.  I lost 15lbs.  Some of it was just being sicker, some of it was a different time of year and some of it was the fact that when you are a parent already it's very hard to avoid the kitchen, garbage and anything else that might set your stomach off!

Anecdotally, I've also heard that nursing during pregnancy can make nausea worse.  I would imagine though, that that is different for every woman.

[zuzunel09]

I've felt much better since I began drinking whole milk and eating eggs for breakfast, but you're already doing that.  You've got lots of hormones flying around with the breastfeeding and being pregnant...hopefully you'll feel better in about three weeks!

[MrsBone]

also a TF follower here. I was very sick the first time around, and just breaking into the TF lifestyle, so I wasn't that good with it, because eggs sounded awful, milk made me gag and I couldn't even look at raw chicken let alone cook it. So, I feel ya. I ate a lot of gluten free mac and cheese, gf pretzels and junk. But by about week 15 I was able to eat normally for the most part. I think I just had a rough pregnancy in general though, because after the nausea came heartburn. I think had I been more knowledgable about TF eating, I probably could have avoided some of that heartburn though. This time I wasn't nearly as sick, and for a much shorter period of time, and I do get heartburn at 29 weeks but only when I eat junk..too much candy, or for example, tonight I had chocolate cake for valentines day and I'm already feeling a bit gassy and bloated. I just really have to eat smaller amounts and not overindulge. I'm pretty much back to my TF diet now, with a few vices, like corn chips and corn tortillas on occasion, but for the most part am back to meats, veggies, fruit and properly prepared grains. You'll get there. I know it sounds awful right now, but time will fly!! I ended up weaning my 21mo DS at 11 weeks pregnant because my milk dried up due to pregnancy. I don't know if you want to wean or not, but if your milk starts to dry up, it might help with your fatigue to wean.