Problems with Morning Sickness

ANSWER

Your concerns about nutrition are normal. But there are things you can do to ease the morning sickness and get better nutrition for you. Please remember this -- your baby is getting everything he or she needs from your body. The baby is going to take whatever s/he needs.

Now, you need to make sure you get proper vitamins and minerals for you. Without proper nutrition, you will feel more tired and exhausted and could be more susceptible to colds/flu.

Here are some suggestions:

• Take your prenatal vitamins in the evening (on a full stomach) before you go to bed. Most women report that the prenatals make them feel sick and, therefore, stop taking them. No, no, no. Take the vitamins before you go to bed so that you will sleep through the breaking down period of the tablet. This is when women feel as though they are burping up the taste all day and feel ill.
• Be sure to drink lots of water. I know you don’t feel like drinking water because it makes you feel terrible but we now know that water is the number way to combat morning sickness. Of course, you will have to go to the bathroom more often -- as though you aren't going enough already! -- but it will help suppress fatigue and illness.
• Carbonated drinks and hard to digest veggies (cauliflower, broccoli, cucumbers, celery) can often cause gases to build in the stomach, creating more unhappiness in your tummy Go for more mild foods but choose carefully. Oatmeal, cereals and bagels are good breakfast meals that can start the day with a solid base to your stomach. They are mild but packed with nutritional goodies. Salads, for example, can cause a lot of discomfort for pregnant women.
• Snack throughout the day on yogurt, fruits, carrots and crackers/cheese rather than candies or fried foods. Many times pregnant women do not realize how much the baby is taking from their body and feel nauseous as their own body fuel is being depleted. Translation: The gas gauge on your body is suddenly reading "Empty." If you don't fuel quickly you will run out of gas (or get sick).
• Little meals throughout the day will fight this and help control your weight gain in a healthy manner.

While you will certainly gain nutritionally from eating in this manner, you must take your prenatal vitamins.Let me know how this works for you, Minoo. We can always take a look at the kind of prenatals you are taking. Also, taking the vitamin with a glass of milk or soymilk will help.

-- Alex