Natural Birth

hopefully some ladies on this board can help

I know this isn't always the case, but I'm willing to bet some of you natural childbirth ladies are also into eating whole foods and treating your body in the most natural, healthy way possible. So I'm hoping you can give me some much needed encouragement. I will be 8 weeks on Saturday and have had a pretty unhealthy pregnancy so far. I stopped taking an antidepressant right after ovulation, and really struggled with the emotional eating that came along with that. In addition, I've just been feeling like crap. Totally exhausted, sick to my stomach, etc. I'm finding it very hard to change my eating habits and get on the right track because nothing healthy sounds good to me when I'm sick.

I think part of my issue is the negative thought that it's too late and that I've already messed up too much. (I've pretty much been eating loads of sugar, processed foods, etc.)

I supposed I'm just looking for some encouragement that I CAN do this, that I am strong enough to make the right choices even when it's really really hard and I feel terrible. And I'm also hoping for some reassurance that I can turn around what I've done... undo any potential damage I've done to my body (and perhaps the baby). I worry I could be setting my child up for obesity, myself up for gestational diabetes, and the list goes on. Will changing my ways at 8 weeks make a difference? Do you have any tips, wisdom, etc?

Thanks for any help you can give.

 

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Re: hopefully some ladies on this board can help

  • I agree with the PP. First tri is about doing the best you can to make it to the second tri. Don't beat yourself up over it and when you can stomach healthy foods, go back to cleaner eating. It's never too late to make you and baby healthier.
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  • First trimester is ALL about survival, well said pp!  Just do the best you can.  I practically lived on bagels and cream cheese in the beginning (not that that's a horrible food, but certainly not balanced).  Once you start to feel better start incorporating healthy foods, while still making sure to treat yourself.

    Honestly if all it took was undesirable food choices to ruin our babies, I don't think the human race would have survived :) Your doing great mama!   

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  • Eat what you can stomach until the sickness goes away. Start focusing on healthy foods/lifestyle after that. Eating junk right now isn't going to do any real harm to you or your baby. It's the second half of the pregnancy I'd say that diet and exercise are most important. You should definitely be on a good prenatal vitamin with DHA and folic acid, though.
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  • Oh girl you are totally fine!!! One of my very best friends  basically lived off of junk her entire pregnancy and her babies turned out just fine! :)

    That being said, there are definite benefits for you and baby having a healthy diet and lifestyle through your pregnancy (which sets you both up with a  great foundation to build on after birth as well). Getting out and walking every day may do a great deal to help offset the drop from your antidepressants. A good sneaky way to pack your diet with good stuff is smoothies! I make the every morning with pears, strawberries, blueberries, kale, spinach, apples, carrots, beets, cabbage and pineapple. All you taste is the sweetness but you get the benefit of TONS of vitamins, antioxidents, fiber, etc. Also, if you make just one switch everyday (baked potatoe instead of french fries, grilled chicken instead of breaded) you wouldn't believe the headstart it will give you on making more and more healthy choices. If you slip up, don't beat yourself up. And don't think of junk as a "reward", its not. Reward yourself with a pedicure or chickflick! :)

  • imageintheflowers:
    Don't beat yourself up. The first trimester is all about survival. You eat what you can stomach, and make better choices when you can. Babies are incredibly resilient. Try for balance, obsession and worrying are no good for you or baby. I'm sure your healthcare provider would say the same thing.

    I agree with this completely!  

    I usually eat very well, but I don't even want to tell you how much crap I ate during 1st tri just because it was all I could stomach.  Just do what you can, when you can.  That's a hard time, but it only lasts a short time in the grand scheme of things.  Baby will take from your body what it needs, just get back on track when it's possible! 

    I was worried I was dooming myself to an unhealthy pregnancy (FWIW, I ate differently the first time around, we hadn't yet started down the path of our healthier eating habits.  I was afraid I would fall back into old habits.), but as soon as the first tri ickies let up I was back to craving my usual foods and eating good stuff.  A few weeks of crap isn't going to ruin your health or your baby's. 

    Also, gestational diabetes isn't caused by the food you eat during pregnancy, neither is childhood obesity.

    Don't beat yourself up, it will work itself out!

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  • Don't beat yourself up at all! There are women who didn't even know they were pregnant until many months in and they still had healthy babies.

     I usually love any type of veggie, but for the first trimester I couldn't stomach much. The smoothie suggestion is a really good one - I made (and still make) one every morning with a bunch of frozen berries, a banana, milk, plain yogurt and Spiru-tein vanilla protein/vitamin powder. It also helped to coat and settle my stomach. Another thing that really worked for getting rid of nausea was kefir (any flavor). It's basically a liquid yogurt and having a glass would settle my stomach enough to eat something else - even if it was just a pb&j :)

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  • I would look into the Brewer diet.  It's high protein and lower carb and encompasses all of the necessary nutrients you need for the baby.  Having an outline of what I am supposed to eat really helps to keep me on track.
        
  • I ate pretty crappy and didn't exercise during my pregnancies. Some of it because I was nauseous, anxious, depressed and down right lazy, but in the end, my weight gain was pretty low (30lb total-X3) and I was able to bounce back pretty fast.  My biggest and best advice is to LISTEN to your body. That baby is telling what you need so if you crave carbs then eat them. If you need to sleep, then sleep. Don't beat yourself up about it. You are growing a new life and that takes alot of energy.  I am a mama to 3 very busy boys and the energy it takes to keep up with them pales in comparison to the energy expended while pregnant. It is ALOT of work so be kind to yourself and enjoy the process. 

     

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  • I still take my medicine, although before trying to get pregnant I switched to a low dose of Prozac (I had been taking an SSRI that wasn't well studied in pregnant women).  The way I see it, my baby wont be healthy unless I take care of myself.  My doctor told me Prozac and Zoloft were both pretty safe especially when you weigh the risks vs. the reward.  Some people are able to do OK without them.  I'm just not one of those people!

    I definitely know that you haven't messed your LO up just because you had a few bad weeks!  I ate like CRAP in my first trimester because I could only eat junk and carbs.  I gained 8 pounds in the first trimester and then once I could eat healthy again I stopped gaining anything until week 20.  I'm 25 weeks now and right where I should be in terms of weight gain.  Try to think positively, though that can be difficult to impossible if you are clinically depressed.

    That being said, if not taking your medication begins to make it impossible for you to take care of yourself, or if you have any dangerous thoughts, you should talk to your doctor about an approved anti-depressant.  Depression is a real illness that no amount of personal strength can make go away.  There are of course alternative therapies that you could also try but make sure you talk with your doctor about what is right for you.  The bottom line is that you have to be able to take care of yourself before you can take care of anyone else!  Good luck :)

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  • I forgot to mention too (and correct me if I'm wrong, ladies),  but I think the baby lives off of the yolk sac for the first 8 weeks.  So, what you're eating right now isn't going directly to the baby anyways.  Just try to do well from here on out.
        
  • With my second pregnancy I had horrible food aversions to pretty much anything healthy for about the first 20 weeks. My first pregnancy symptom before we even knew I was pregnant was me retching over a plate of eggs. It was awful. I pretty much survived on danishes because they were all I could hold down. So I feel for you.

    But obviously you know nutrition does matter. The best things I have found are things that sneak healthy food into you while you feel like you are eating something sort of junky. Smoothies are great for that. An overripe banana, half a cup of frozen berries, a half cup of milk, and a half cup of greek yogurt is a good way to sneak some nutrients into you, even if you eat it on the side of something unhealthy. If you are feeling adventerous sneak a half teaspoon or spirulina powder in there. No more or you will taste it, and it tastes awful, but it is amazing for you. Make fake pudding out of two overripe bananas, about a quarter cup peanut butter, and 3 tbls cocoa. Lots of junky tasting foods can be healthy if done right, like tacos or lasagna or french toast covered in fruit and real maple syrup. I found this great cranberry multigrain bread at my grocery store when I was having my food aversions that was great soaked in egg and made into french toast. I have some good recipes for pancakes made from cottage cheese and oatmeal, and waffles made from ground almonds, both of which taste way junkier than they are, I can post them if you are interested. Make some veggie soups, like french onion, cauliflower cheese, leek and potato, minestrone, etc, will sneak some veggies in you. Get a yonanas ice cream maker and have healthy ice cream or frozen yogurt every day.

    If worse comes to worst and you cant cut out the unhealthy foods, adding in healthier foods to your current diet will still provide you with more of the nutrients you need and might get you started down the healthier path. Start by having a small salad before dinner if that's all you can do. Every bit helps. Good luck!
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  • ...and if you are only 8 weeks, you still have 80 percent of your pregnancy left! Of course that is not too late.
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  • imageannabelle.27:
    ...and if you are only 8 weeks, you still have 80 of your pregnancy left! Of course that is not too late.

    Right, and 8 weeks is REALLY only 6 weeks because they count the two weeks between when you have your period and when you ovulate :)

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  • I really can't thank you ladies enough. I know it's probably pregnancy emotions talking here, but I am feeling emotional in a good way because I am so grateful that you would all take out the time to really make me feel better. Thank you so so much. And thank you for the advice about smoothies and other ways to slip in some nutrition. 

     

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  • and the embryo lives off the egg sac to begin with. It's only once the placenta and umbilical cord are established that baby starts sharing blood and nutrients with Mum.

    Totally agree with pp that it's all about survival in the beginning. As you feel better it will get easier and easier to make healthy choices.

    Plus parenting is the long haul. You will make many decisions along the way that you may not feel 100% happy about. That's fine, because you get to make a different choice next time. 

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  • My first pregnancy craving - buffalo wings.  Couldn't get enough of them.  Then the morning sickness started and all that even sounded good was Ramen soup.  Once that was under control, I resumed my regular healthy eating habits.  Don't sweat it and get back on track when you can.  I'm not going to say that I haven't indulged in pizza this pregnancy or anything, but I do find that I am making a more conscious effort to get more colored fruits and veggies in rather than the filler crap.  You can do it!
  • I must say I agree with everyone else!  I was trying to eat really healthy, until I hit about 8 weeks and became so nausous it wasn't funny.  I still have some food issues now but I'm slowly changing the way I'm eat back to before.  It's all about making it through the begining.  Don't stress about it too much.  It will be okay.  Take your vitamins and make sure you drink enough water.  The food can come later. 
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  • I don't have experience with depression or (much) emotional eating, but, in 1st tri it's important to eat, whatever appeals to you. It's hard to stay on track in 1st tri. You have not already damaged your body, beyond repair or otherwise. A few weeks of unhealthy eating wont' ruin the rest of your pregnancy. It is a good idea to watch your diet and try to help avoid GD and other pg complications that are related to diet and weight, but don't beat yourself up over what you have done in the past few weeks.

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  • *hugs* to you! I know how you feel. I eat super healthy and always cook at home, rarely eat out, and never eat fast food or processed foods. First tri, I had aversions to EVERYTHING. I didn't want chicken at all. Or vegetables- not a single vegetable I could stomach. I managed to eat some fruit. But it was horrible. I can't even tell you how many things I ate that I had eaten in years (fast food, etc.) and actually had cravings for. Ahhhh. It drove me totally crazy. At the end of the day though, I realized that at least I was eating something, and it was in moderation enough still that I didn't gain any weight. My doctor told me that eating something was better than nothing, and since she wasn't worried, I relaxed a little bit.

    It hasn't gone away completely, I still don't want to eat much, but the aversions aren't as strong and the cravings for fast food have pretty much subsided. Though I have still gotten some cravings for chips (doritos, cheetos, etc.) and my main thing is I want pasta with red sauce and cheese (ricotta, mostly, so raviolis and lasagna, with mozzarella of course) pretty much consistently, like every single day. But it is healthier than what I was eating before and I've started back on the path of trying to go grocery shopping and making dinner again. It is a struggle and I'm not 100% back to where I was pre-preg, but I'm taking it one step at a time! 

    Check this out: https://www.ted.com/talks/annie_murphy_paul_what_we_learn_before_we_re_born.html It is somewhat long but fascinating and talks about what is learned in the womb. The point of this isn't to freak you out, but to show you that the things you are worried about (setting your child up for obesity, etc.) doesn't start to happen until late second tri and third tri. So you are totally ok. =)  

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  • imageintheflowers:
    Don't beat yourself up. The first trimester is all about survival. You eat what you can stomach, and make better choices when you can. Babies are incredibly resilient. Try for balance, obsession and worrying are no good for you or baby. I'm sure your healthcare provider would say the same thing.

    This. Also, it's never too late to start eating better, for you or for baby. Babies are very resilient, as are all human bodies. Never underestimate the power of our biologies to heal themselves and recover from "abuse" (if you're calling sugar abuse ;) ), if given the opportunity. People have healed their own cancer through nutrition alone. It's definitely not too late.  

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  • imageminxyglams:

    Don't beat yourself up at all! There are women who didn't even know they were pregnant until many months in and they still had healthy babies.

    Also, this. I missed the boat on pretty much my entire first trimester, and I'm not even going to tell you the kind of crap I ate AND drank. I could easily make myself sick with guilt over it.  

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