[MoonWomb]

I know that eating healthy lets your body be at it's optimum and so it's supposedly easier to adapt to changes hormonally or otherwise. However, in my experience, it only makes a slight difference. I pretty much eat healthy all the time, with the occasional splurge or two, but I eat a balanced, vegetarian diet and try to limit my intake of processed foods.

I have a friend who told me that morning sickness (or other hormonally-induced discomforts such as PMS) can be eliminated if one is "healthy enough" and eating the right things, getting enough exercise, etc. Which I'm doing and have been doing, along with pre-natal pills. And yet, I have morning sickness, cramps/bloating, all the usual culprits. I also had it for the first trimester of my first pregnancy as well during which I was even "healthier" than this time around.

Although, I know there are some people who don't even know they're pregnant and never get PMS or pregnancy symptoms and I'm inclined to think that some people are just more sensitive to hormones than others and it has little to do with diet.

What is your experience with this? Does a healthier lifestyle make a huge difference to you? I feel like I'm doing almost everything I can to be healthy, to the point where I'm somewhat of a health nut, and her comment just rubbed me the wrong way and felt judgmental, like it's my fault that I'm experiencing all the morning sickness things and if I chose, I could just make it go away but I'm lazy. What would you think in this situation? Maybe I'm just ultra emotionally sensitive right now. I'm going to go eat some tator tots (hehehehe).

 

[SplashingPuddle]

This is an interesting question for me because I've always had very severe morning sickness. I am currently too sick to work. I also have it all throughout pregnancy, but it definitely improves in the second and third trimesters. I also know that I have extremely high beta hcg. At 6.5 weeks, it was 83,000. I read that women often peak between 60,000 and 100,000. I am nowhere near the "peak" yet already have very high hcg. So I think that has a lot to do with my sickness.

I actually have little faith in diet/health modifications when it comes to extreme morning sickness. I do believe though that they can make a small difference and that that difference may be enough for many women who experience mild/moderate morning sickness. Motherrisk is the most helpful resource. I use there toll-free number regularly to discuss strategies. It's free. They have diet and lifestyle advice, but they are also great recommending medications, when gravol and diclectin do not cut it.

I was a vegetarian for my first pregnancy, added fish for the second, and now eat local, organic meats. Basically there has been no difference in sickness, except that twins is much more intense. But that I believe is due to the high beta hcg.

I am interested in hearing others' experiences too.

 

[brusselsmama]

I would not go so far as to say that morning sickness (or PMS etc) can be eliminated by just being healthy enough. In fact there must be something else at play regarding some people just being naturally more inclined to have morning sickness (or having higher levels of the hormones perhaps as definitley most people with twins and also single births say they were more sick with the twins). I'm one of the lucky ones who didnt get sick at all with my first pregnancy (and thus far no sickness or only super mild background nausea) and while I eat generally healthy I wouldnt say I am a model for perfect healthy living either.
That said- I do think that most people I know who did have morning sickness found it could be improved somewhat through diet- but not just the typical "healthy" diet necessarily. For example lots of little meals throughout the day helped a lot of people I know, or eating somethign first thing before even getting out of bed (even if that thing is always saltines or something ... so not necessarily typical healthy). So diet can play a factore I'd say in mitigating the morning sickness you do have but I wouldnt say its the cause of the sickness (or lack of) either if that makes sense.

 

[basje]

I have a friend who told me that morning sickness (or other hormonally-induced discomforts such as PMS) can be eliminated if one is "healthy enough" and eating the right things, getting enough exercise, etc.

I am going to call BS on this one. I eat a 100% organic vegan and (mostly) wholefoods diet. And both my pregnancies have had very horrible morning sickness. As an HG survivor with my last pregnancy there isn't anything that helped but IV fluid and zofran. This pregnancy I am weighing an extra 10 pounds going in, hoping that will help if I get sick again. If you've had very bad morning sickness there is a 80% chance you will again in future pregnancies. I have been taking magnesium flake baths to try an prevent a deficiency and eating frequent meals but my morning sickness hit 6-7 weeks with my last pregnancies and I am not there yet.

There is well documented research on taking ginger supplements before morning sickness starts, and b12 which has been proven to decrease normal morning sickness. And some people have found sea band and acupuncture help them too. I hate being sick but I tell myself that at least having morning sickness indicates a lower chance of miscarriage.

 

[clar5108]

I agree with basje - I ate very well through my first pregnancy and I was sick, like clockwork every evening for the entire first half of it. I couldn't take zofran because it gave me the worst constipation (sorry for the TMI!). And I tried all of the natural techniques I could think of until it just went away on its own. I haven't had any yet but I'm sure keeping my fingers crossed. Although that 80% is concerning.... :frown:

 

[sraplayas]

I wish so much that a healthy diet weighed in on this! I am currently battling HG, and I completely changed my diet (which was already organic and healthy) 6 months+ prior to conceiving, and went paleo and did a liver cleanse. I felt great! My body was alkaline! I was taking good supplements, etc. and doing everything I could. I guess the point is not to feel like you've done something wrong if you are suffering from any type of morning sickness. Hugs!

 

[littlehazelnut]

I started a Primal/Paleo diet about 6 weeks prior to getting pregnant with my daughter (after 6 years of TTC!) and I was determined to remain on the diet through my pregnancy. I had read tons of blog posts from others on the diet who claimed that the diet allowed them to sail through pregnancy with zero symptoms, but that just wasn't the case for me. I still has tons of nausea during the first trimester and gestational diabetes later on. A doctor once told me that I am insulin-resistant, which was probably preventing me from getting pregnant in the first place. Changing my eating habits (mainly cutting out sugar and grains) balanced my hormones enough to help me get pregnant, but I still ended up with GD.

I really just think that every body is different and what works for some, may not work for others. I still follow a Primal diet, because I just feel better overall when I eat that way. No fatigue, no headaches, and I am able to maintain my weight with hardly any effort. But, I know now that I could have complications just like I did last time. I really beat myself up with the GD diagnosis, because I always associated that with a really unhealthy lifestyle and I was doing everything possible to be healthier. But, I'm much easier on myself now. I know that I am more susceptible to certain conditions because of my genetics, so I just continue to do whatever I can to stay healthy.

 

[ilovetchotchkes]

My first pregnancy where I had the WORST DIET EVER, had the least worse morning sickness.

My second I had borderline HG

This time around the morning sickness has been a little worse than the first time, but nowhere near as bad as the second.

 

[Grace Wisdom]

---