The Great Big Giant Question Thread!

paytonpedro

Have a question? Drop it here so we can try and answer it, or point you in the right direction!

andrea3o

How do you all manage nausea? Mine is constant and unrelenting. The thought of food makes me feel like I’m going to throw up, and I have been doing so for the past week now. However, I’m also hungry often. 

I started taking my prenatal at bedtime and try to snack consistently throughout the day, and this seems to help a lot, but I’m a teacher and with covid protocols in place I’m not allowed to eat while teaching. Being at work is a living nightmare. 

paytonpedro

@andrea3o my doctor recommended the snacking/often small meals. If your nausea is super bad to the point where you’re throwing up, let your doctor know. There are things that can help! I think B vitamin is one of them. Would chewing gum or sucking on a sour candy help at work? More discreet?

starkette

Oh yes, the nausea has been bad. I find whole chocolate milk really helps, it has some calories, sugar, and fat which takes the edge of hunger off. Maybe carry around some chocolate milk to sip during the day? Or maybe a smoothie? Is that allowed during school hours? Maybe you can chat with whoever is in charge (the principal?) to allow sipping through a straw while you teach.

andrea3o

@paytonpedro @starkette thank you for your smart ideas! I will go out to grab some lactose free chocolate milk and keep the crackers nearby at all times. I’m a vegan but I think for the sake of not starving I will cheat this little bit lol. 

I actually have a dr apt today because I developed a strange lump in my right breast shortly after discovering my pregnancy in week 4 that hasn’t gone away (today I’m 6+4). I will bring up the extreme nausea and see what they say. It is truly to the point that I’ve either not been able to eat anything besides crackers, or thrown my attempts up. 

I said in a different thread just now that I forgot to take my prenatal last night, and I am suddenly so much better this morning! So I think my other next move will be to swap the brand. Any recommendations? I am taking Johnson and Johnson presently. 

wisewitch222

@andrea3o I've never taken prenatals, honestly. When I got pregnant with my first I was taking a daily children's multivitamin on the recommendation of my PCP and my ob/gyn recommended I add to that a daily children's complete multivitamin with iron in it, so that's what I did for both my first and second pregnancies. I just bought Flintstones with Iron yesterday to take in addition to my daily Women's gummy. My ob/gyn at University of Michigan where #1 was born said that regular prenatals cause constipation and can irritate my stomach from all the iron, so as long as I'm feeling fine and don't have low iron in the blood tests, the amount of iron in the children's multi was enough. So you can call and ask if it would be okay for you to substitute other, gentler vitamins for an actual prenatal vitamin.

maggiemadeit

I have to take a prenatal without iron. I like the Smarty Pants brand. No iron and they are gummies instead of pills, so no gagging trying to swallow a giant pill. 

andrea3o

@wisewitch222 I’ve never heard of this idea, I’ll have to ask my dr today when I go see her. Thanks!

@maggiemadeit the idea of gummies sounds incredibly appealing. Do you know if they are vegan? I have been on my back all day and the moment I’m up, I feel incredibly dizzy and nauseous. Second trimester cannot come fast enough!!

maggiemadeit

@andrea3o I’m sorry you’re feeling so rotten! The organic version of Smarty Pants is vegetarian, but not vegan. I looked it up out of curiosity, and no animals are used in the product, but apparently they get their vitamin D from shorn sheep wool. So bizarre! 

becks105

what prenatals do y’all take? I’m almost out of my bottle of naturemade. I’ve been taking them since august of 2018 when we started TTC #1, but now I’m almost out and wondering if I should try something new. 

Finding that sour things help with my nausea! Sour patch kids or those preggie drops. 

paytonpedro

I also take the smartie pants gummies but in previous pregnancies, I’ve been anemic so I bought the capsules (because they have iron) for when this container of gummies run out. Make sure whatever you take has the right amount of folate and dha, those are the two most important!

starkette

I take the Olly gummies (just the women's daily since the prenatals make me nauseous). But the women daily gummies have almost the same stuff and I take separate iron.

AIturra143

Hi ladies, I’m sorry your nausea is so bad I’m hoping mine doesn’t get worse as it’s manageable now as long as I have something in my stomach. 

I take Garden of Life Vitamin Code Raw Prenatal, the pills aren’t too big but to get a full dose you take 3 pills. I’ve been taking my prenatals at night after dinner and it seems to be easier to digest. 

laddy12

@becks105 I’ve been taking NatureMade plus DHA too - I took them my last pregnancy as well. I tried a different brand - rainbow something and it had so much excess vitamin B my pee was neon yellow all the time and I wasn’t a fan lol 

daffodil_shoe

@becks105 in previous pregnancies, I took the Target brand gummy ones. I’m currently taking the ones my RE gave me, which are Naturally Smart for Women. 

The dads asked if I would be willing to take these, and I’m not picky so I said sure. So they are mailing these to me:
https://www.nordic.com/products/prenatal-dha/?variant=39472191471800
https://www.thesynergycompany.com/purenatal?gclid=CjwKCAiAs92MBhAXEiwAXTi259CPlCSQ2VwavsVqOf9Lrb-fu26F3gWCed3Ept_vnDM8ODdM45S8BRoCqrAQAvD_BwE

andrea3o

@maggiemadeit shorn sheep wool, eh? That is truly unusual and bit funny haha. Thanks for the heads up!

Saw my Dr this evening, and she has me going for a breast ultrasound as soon as I can be seen. She also prescribed me Diclectin for the nausea … I took two in the car on my way home as she prescribed, then proceeded to vomit them up when I got home. So we’ll see how tomorrow goes. 

paytonpedro

@daffodil_shoe are they wanting you to take double the prenatal vitamins?

becks105

@paytonpedro I thought the same thing, but the k e has more vitamins and minerals (the synergy one) and the Nordic one is all omega 3s and vitamin D! I don’t believe the first one has any omegas. 

daffodil_shoe

@paytonpedro what @becks105 said ☝🏻 ☺️

paytonpedro

@becks105 & @daffodil_shoe oh ok that makes more sense! I opened both links but definitely didn’t look at the ingredients lol. Oops. 

becks105

@paytonpedro I only did bc I’m thinking about switching things up! Don’t know if I can swallow two pills tho, one barely makes it 😂 I do love the omega content in the Nordic one. I’m intrigued, but don’t know if I want to have to take two!

daffodil_shoe

@becks105 the regular prenatal they want me to take actually says to take two 2x/day…so I will be taking 5 pills a day! At this point, I’m already stabbing myself 1-2x/day and shoving a huge pill up my vaheen 3x/day, so what’s a few more 😆

darkrose88

So I instantly gained 5ish lbs right away this pregnancy. Last time I gained WAY too much weight and I'm worried that I'm on the same course. I already started this pregnancy with a higher BMI so I really should only gain between 11-20lbs total according to my doctor. Any suggestions for keeping my weight under control this time around? I've been trying to eat small meals throughout the day to help with nausea and moving every day (taking walks, working out).    

and_peggy

@darkrose88 I know it’s hard not to compare or focus on the numbers but there’s only so much you can do safely and healthily. As long as everything is in moderation and you’re taking care of yourself, which is sounds like you are, just try not to look at the scale. I think a lot of has to do with genetics, honestly.

darkrose88

@and_peggy thanks for saying that. I really don't feel like I've been over indulging yet the scale keeps creeping up which has me worried my doctors will say something about my excessive weight gain. Last time I got comments about it

daffodil_shoe

@darkrose88 11 pounds doesn’t sound very reasonable. Baby and placenta alone can weight 11 pounds. Add in extra blood volume, uterus growth, amniotic fluid…if your doctor doesn’t understand this, I’d be searching for someone more competent.

buffythevampireslayer

@darkrose88 Haven’t we canceled BMI by now anyway? The comments people make are the worst but I feel like the number on the scale shouldn’t be the focus.

and_peggy

@darkrose88 that’s the maddening thing about health and fitness; you get 2 people the exact same size, with the exact same fitness level, health style, everything, and the results won’t be identical. That’s just how it works. Your OB will see you once, twice a month, during the pregnancy. So they can just be quiet for all I’m concerned. If you’re genuinely taking care of yourself, and the scale still climbs, maybe something else going on, but the biggest factor is you’re growing a human and you’re going to gain. Be kind to yourself 💞

ced45

Has anyone taken B6 to help with morning sickness? Have tried small meals, ginger EVERYTHING, lots of protein, changing the time of my prenatal, etc. but I'm still on the struggle bus. I heard B6 can help with nausea but I wasn't sure if you can take it in addition to your regular prenatal? 

darkrose88

@daffodil_shoe DS was 8lbs 10oz so yeah, I agree 11bs doesn't seem reasonable at all. 

@buffythevampireslayer yeah, I think everyone but doctor's have canceled BMI. It isn't realistic at all yet I'm constantly told at doctor's appointments I need to lose weight (pre-pregnancy) because my BMI is too high. 

@and_peggy agreed, I struggled a lot last pregnancy with the scale increasing (despite knowing it needed to). I wish I could avoid it completely... I think it would be better for my mental health. 

maggiemadeit

@darkrose88 I completely agree with the other comments here. Pregnancy weight gain is individual, and depends on a lot of factors that have nothing to do with your starting weight or BMI.

Story time: My BMI is in the 'normal' range, and I gained 45-50 pounds with both of my full-term pregnancies, no gestational diabetes, worked out and ate well the whole time. I just grow HUGE babies (#1 was 10lbs 8oz, #2 was 11lbs 4oz). With my first, the midwife didn't say a thing, no once, she just checked to make sure I was taking good care of myself. With my second I ended up switching providers around 20 weeks, because I was already getting shit about his size (he measured 6 weeks ahead at our anatomy scan!), and my weight gain. I had literally run a half marathon the week before the scan, and I wasn't having any of it. I found a new midwife and had an absolutely amazing experience in her care. 

All this to say, it's so much more important that you are eating well and working out than to gain the 'correct' amount of weight according to come chart at your doctor's office. And don't be afraid to find a new provider. A good OB/midwife will treat you as an individual, not a statistic based on your BMI. 

None of that answered your question though. If you are trying to avoid extra weight gain, you can try to eat 100g of protein daily as part of a well-balanced diet. It will keep you fuller for longer, can help with pregnancy swelling, and possibly even help prevent preeclampsia (although I think the evidence for this is mixed). 

darkrose88

@maggiemadeit thanks for sharing that. I gained about 40-50lbs the first time around too & no gestational diabetes, no preeclampsia, etc.. I never got comments from my OB or NP about the weight gain but some of the nurses commented about it. I brushed it off as otherwise I really liked who I was seeing from a doctor/NP perspective. No one has made comments thus far (I just read the paperwork they gave me) but I'm super bloated/gained weight instantly and already look further along than I am. I was noting in a dress yesterday my stomach was going past my boobs after eating dinner. So part of me is worried I'll get comments again. I'm probably making it to be a way bigger deal in my head than it is.  

Also, thanks for the tips on protein. I've been making a huge effort to increase my protein intake because I generally suck at eating protein. I'm also trying to incorporate more veggies into my diet & drink more water. 

darkrose88

@ced45 I'm actually taking B6 in conjunction with my prenatal. My NP recommended Unisom at night and B6 during the day to help combat nausea. Instead, I take Benadryl at night (as it is similar to Unisom) due to my allergies. Honestly, though, I'm not 100% convinced it is helping (although I don't think it is hurting so I won't stop using B6). The thing that has helped me manage morning sickness (although we should really call it all day sickness because it happens all day long) is eating small meals so my stomach doesn't get empty (although I see it hasn't been helping you) but also Pink Stork's morning sickness sweets. I've tried both flavors they offer and they help me so much. Last pregnancy I remember being constantly nauseous & miserable and this time, since I discovered their sweets, I've been able to actually function. I go through anywhere from 1-4 sweets per day depending on how sick I've been getting. They are like lozenges so really easy to pop in when I start feeling off. Their morning sickness tea also helped too but I prefer their sweets. I'm sure there are other lozenge brands out there I just haven't tried them.  

ced45

@darkrose88 that is great info, ill have to check out those sweets. That's exactly how I feel...miserable and unable to function, so its so reassuring to hear about something else that could work! Willing to try just about anything at this point!

starkette

@ced45 in taking something from my OB that's B6 and another thing for sleeping (supposed to take it before bed) and it helps throughout the day with nausea. First day and no nausea! It's a miracle. I've been suffering for over a week, every day, all day, nausea. I could actually eat today. I'll make sure to get you the name of the med once I'm upstairs and getting to bed.

@darkrose88 BMI isn't based on any science and was chosen at random by men decades ago. Seriously. I don't know why this archaic and unscientific model is still being used at all. There are tons of different body types and they can all be healthy regardless of weight. I'd say just eat as healthy as you can and don't let the scale tell you what's what. 

ced45

@starkette that is amazing! So happy you are gettting some relief. Let me know the name of that!

sarahba21

Sorry if this posts twice! Still getting the hang of the app.

@andrea3o I’m so sorry you’re so sick! I’m only five weeks and I don’t have a lot of symptoms yet, but I have a chronic health condition that includes nausea. I’ve struggled with it for a decade. Here are some things that work for me:

Ginger tea (might have to order on Amazon to get one with only ginger as an ingredient)
Very strong mint gum
Sea bands
Homemade broth (I do chicken, but you could do vegetable) I put 2 tbsp in a mug and pour in boiling water and sip it
The relief band - it’s a bit expensive, but I have found it to be affective. One of the reviews that I read was a woman who had been hospitalized due to terrible vomiting in a previous pregnancy and the band kept her out of the hospital.
https://www.reliefband.com/

sarahba21

@andrea3o I tried to tag you above but it looks like it didn’t work!

paytonpedro

Anyone know if I need a full bladder for a dating u/s? I can’t, for the life of me, remember. 😅😅

and_peggy

@paytonpedro they always have me do a urine sample before, so I’d guess not.

dimeadozen

@paytonpedro I think so, but my memory isn’t great either! 

I want to say when I went the first time they didn’t tell me until I checked in, directly after me using the restroom 😜,  so I had to sit there for a while while I drank water.