What did you eat when pregnant?

[Libby Pritchett]

So I'm still having trouble with a lack of appetite & nausea right now. There's very little I can stomach. NOTHING sounds good at all, but I'm living off of fruit, mac & cheese, and bean burritos. Those are things I can keep down. Jeff makes me some scrambled eggs now and then, but honestly, I have to choke even those down.

I'm super weak right now and know I need more "fuel" in my body, but I have NO ideas about what sounds good or what i might even be willing to try. Jeff will make me whatever I want, but the problem is that i don't KNOW what i want. LOL

I'd prefer to make healthy choices obviously (not that you'd know it by my mac & cheese and bean burrito preference), but at this point, I'm open to anything.

Suggestions?

[Darcy Baldwin]

What about things like hummus and veg sticks to just munch on - that way you're not committed to a full meal, but can snack. Smoothies made with yogurt and fruit or peanutbutter/banana can feel like a dessert, give you the nutrition you need, and again, feel like a snack and not a meal.

You just want to really pack in those good things wherever you can. You'll think me weird, but even putting some pureed pumpkin into your mac'n'cheese can boost the nutrition without changing the flavor (start with small amounts depending on what kind of mac'n'cheese you're doing.

What about salads?

I also ate a lot of metx protein bars when I couldn't stomach a lot else.

[mummytothree]

I was always so sick the first 20 to 26 weeks that I didn't care about eating healthy...I just wanted to eat!

Protein really is the key...I know easier said then done...believe me!!!

For one of my pregnancies it was hard boiled eggs...I couldn't even stomach the thought of eating scrambled eggs or fried eggs but hard boiled eggs went do very easily!!!

Another pregnancy was meatballs....with very very VERY lean meat because the thought of greasy meat or "fried ground beef" again made me sick...but I could eat a couple meatballs a day and feel "better".

On pregnancy was lenders white bagels, clementines and pulp free orange juice.

Pregnancy number 2 was country time lemonade and salt & vinegar chips.

Also sometimes eating something super sour (a few olives, a couple dill pickle chips or even taking a swig of pickle juice ) would for some reason settle my stomach and I could eat something "normal".

Just keep trying things Libby!! And really it does get better...it might be a bit but everyday you'll get a little bit better!!!

[heathergw]

avocado... just plain until I could stomach guacamole...

I ate a TON of bread and carbs... it was the only thing I could stomach so I ate it... I figured I could go back to eating healthy later... I think that's why they have you take pre-natals... knowing that you just can't stomach eating healthy.

[*Celeste*]

All I ate for the first three months was:
Vanilla Milkshakes
Plain bagels not toasted with cream cheese (toasting gave them a smell)
and Entenmann's cheese buns
Once in awhile I could stomach a bowl of frosted mini-wheats with milk.

Notice the theme - it's all white!

That's it. So I'm no help.

[mummytothree]

Oh and I wanted to add that not cooking or fixing my own food was a big help to me!!! It got harder with the more babies I had but we all managed and survived and my hubby earned husband of the year award quite a few times!!! So if Jeff can (and is willing) left him fix everything for you!!!!

[jovi_girl]

I lived on toast and salt and vinegar chips for the first few months. Not healthy I know, but it was all that stayed down and for some reason the salt and vinegar chips actually helped to settle the nausea. Good luck finding something that works for you, hopefully it won't last too long

[my2monkeys]

During my 2nd pregnancy... I was so nauseous that I didn't feel like eating much... just like you. My doctor suggested drinking things like carnation instant breakfast, slim-fast, boost or even ovaltine... just to help suppliant my diet.

[MamaBee]

Can you handle something like Ensure? That would help with the nutrition... I had more problems during the evening getting sick... so during the day I had to keep snacking and not eat full meals. I at a ton of fruit... wanted watermelon in January - try finding that in Wisconsin! LOL! Oh - and potatoes... oh, I would give my right arm for anything potato related...

[lovely1m]

During the time that I had major morning sickness, I made sure to really drink Gatorade so that I wouldn't get dehydrated and get something into my body at least. Good luck, I hope it passes quickly!

[MissKim]

I ate popcorn like crazy because I needed something in my stomach and it was bland enough I could keep it down. I hate popcorn. But that's how I survived my first pregnancy. Not incredibly healthy, but better than some options.

[Megan Turnidge]

I struggled a lot with food aversions/smell sensitivities in the first tri of my pregnancies... even though I was never nauseous and never threw up, it was hard for me to eat anything. I ate tons of fruit, bland stuff like potatoes and bread, and since I had problems eating meat I would drink a large glass of Carnation Instant Breakfast every morning (I love chocolate milk). Sometimes I could eat meat if someone else prepared it and I wasn't there while it was being prepared. lol

[Libby Pritchett]

LOL I'm so glad I'm not alone here. Thanks for all of the suggestions. It's so funny how certain things just turn me off INSTANTLY. Megan, I'm cracking up about the meat thing because I'm right there with you. Jeff is talking about grilling steaks for himself and the kids, and I can't even stand the thought of SEEING the meat.

So now I want potatoes. Like now. Jeff will be making a run to the store soon. He's so good to me. LOL

[pewtertm]

I craved beef tamales...and of course couldn't find any in OKC other than those nasty canned Hormel things. Each time mom came to visit, we'd have her bring some

Chocolate milk...dill pickles...can't think of anything else.


The worst for me was the smell of coffee...it made me ill to smell it brewing. I don't like coffee anyway, but the smell never bothered me before. And of course hubby is a huge coffee drinker and would drink a pot every morning because he said he had to have his coffee. I wasn't thrilled with him.

[glumirk]

Baking powder biscuits are great because you can't taste them coming back up.

And I am Sooo with you ladies about the meat thing. I had DH pre-cook the meat so that we could freeze it and I could attempt to make us dinner.

My first pregnancy I wasn't taking prenatals (I ate Total cereal and took Flontstones eventually, but prenatals made me sooo sick!) and I craved fruits and veggies and whole grains.

My second pregnancy I found the gummy prenatals, and craved Subway, Papa John's, and good ice cream.

[NeverendingJen]

Mashed potatoes. mashed potatoes. and mashed potatoes. seriously. 2-3x a day sometimes. It was all I could tolerate. I figure next time I get pregnant I'll probably hate them

[kristijoy]

Lots of starch definately and soup! I couldn't even walk by the meat counter at the grocery store. Uugh.

[nun69]

I ate lots of mexican with Sam but with Ben everything smelled terrible to me and I don't even remeber what kept me going so I can totally relate~

[nanienamou]

toasted banana sandwiches! Practically lived on those during my first pregnancy! I was mostly ok with what I ate, it was the smells that would bother me, like meat cooking, etc.

If you can smomach smoothies, it's a good idea with some good protein powder.

How about nuts?

[carriesmom]

I agree with Darcy, that Ensure was what I was told to try when I couldn't keep anything else down. I ate a lot of frozen fruit. And Taco Bell. Taco Bell was the only thing I never got sick on.

[Jengerbread88]

I almost exclusively ate fruit and vegetables. String cheese was a HUGE help to me, too...

[Davita]

I had all day ms for seven long months with my pregnancies. I could only drink really cold or frozen beverages and only if they were not too sweet. (I actually liked decaf add shot espresso fraps from Sbux.) That and bland scones or crackers were about all I ever ate or drank for months.

[AmberK]

My first pregnancy we went to NYC when I was 9 weeks pregnant and most everything smells horrible to me. We went to the statue of liberty and afterwards waiting for the ferry to get there we got a snack and I got fries with melted nacho cheese on it! OH GOOD HEAVEN that was yummy. When we got back Peter went to the store and found the GIGANDO can of nacho cheese for me and I ate that on french fries until I was no longer sick. Then I ate the deep dish frozen red baron pizzas a lot too.

If you live near a Costco there is a brand of protein shake called Premier Nutrition and one of their shakes has 30 gms of protein in it. They only have chocolate and vanilla but I drink these all the time for breakfast and snacks.

[Julie Billingsley]

I got sick a LOT when I was pregnant with the boys, but I never had any problem eating. Probably explains my high weight gain with each pregnancy. LOL I did eat a lot of watermelon while pregnant with Logan. Not very filling or worth much nutritionally, but oh I craved it like crazy. I would eat 4-5 of those $5.99 bowls of cut up watermelon every week. I can't believe how much I spent on watermelon. yikes!

[aggiefamily]

My first pregnancy I could only eat spaghettios straight from the can for the longest time. Could not stand the sight or smell of raw chicken and meat. Most meat items had to be covered in ketchup for me to eat them. I also went through about 3 jars of baby whole sweet gerkins a week. Could not eat sliced pickles at all but devoured the whole ones. Strange.

Towards the end I had to start each meal with a shot of Maalox.

[dana]

i ate A LOT of bagels with cream cheese the first trimester of both pregnancies ... and a lot of ritz crackers. later on, i moved to burritos and ice cream as my favorites ... i also liked fruit a lot, but wasn't a big fan of meat at all ...

[Jengerbread88]

Also, just some advice. If you decide to eat lunch meat or hot dogs, they should be heated to STEAMING before you eat them-- they can cause issues if you don't heat them up first.

[shaynesgirl]

With Zac I craved apples... apples...and more apples. throw in a burger king burger and some mexican and I was happy. Give me tuna casserole (or any casserole for that matter) and not so much.

Funny thing is that Zac's favorite fruit, bar none, is now apples.

Sorry you are feeling so queasy Libby!! Hoping it passes soon.

[Jengerbread88]

Originally Posted by shaynesgirl

With Zac I craved apples... apples...and more apples. throw in a burger king burger and some mexican and I was happy. Give me tuna casserole (or any casserole for that matter) and not so much.

Funny thing is that Zac's favorite fruit, bar none, is now apples.

With me, mom craved super spicy food-- hot wings, Mexican, etc. I LOVE spicy food.

With my brother, she craved Pizza. She doesn't even like pizza! And, his favorite food now? Pizza.

I'm guessing Zach is going to like String Cheese and Watermelon. I ate probably 1 watermelon a week during my pregnancy with him...

[DawnMarch]

I was all about the egg salad. It was one of the few things I actually craved all the time. Proabably why I gained over 50 pounds by the end!

[Teresa]

I lived on Saltine crackers for several weeks. They calmed my stomach down enough to attempt "real" food. But for the life of me, I have no idea what else sounded as good as crackers (well, except ridiculous amounts of fruit)! Something I really found helpful was to take my prenatal vitamins at night, stomach was too upset during the day from them. This too shall pass!

[Traci Reed]

With Finn, cottage cheese and fruit got me through the nausea stage.

[jacinda]

I went off nearly all food with my first pregnancy. Just the smell of food often made me sick. One thing I could stomach was one piece of bread with hot chips (fries) on it, and tomato sauce. I don't know how I survived the pregnancy, or how my daughter ended up so healthy after the rubbish (and lack of food) I ate, but that's what I did. I researched it later, and apparently the biggest factor influencing your baby's health is actually the food you ate 3-4 months PRIOR to getting pregnant. Luckily those months I was super healthy, eating lots of fish and veges.

[SeattleSheri]

Bread, crackers and broth-based soups. I hope your MS goes away soon. It can be pretty miserable. With my last pregnancy I would get sick 5-6 times a day up until week 20. I think I only gained a few lbs during the first half of my pregnancy.

[AmyG]

With child 1- I lived on blueberry waffles, mcdonalds hot fudge sundaes, cheese enchiladas and ice cream and lots of Mylanta. He now loves cheese enchiladas lol!

Child 2- had some nausea and was very smell sensitive and the only thing I wanted to eat for the first trimester were cheese grits. After that passed I lived on steak from Boston Market, ya I know it's weird lol, cheeseburgers, chocolate milk, Lubys fried fish (we went there a LOT). Seriously craved red meat the whole time. This child loves cheeseburgers. Crazy!

With El I also craved Chuys strawberry margaritas the whole time I was pregnant!

[WalkersMommy]

During my first trimester, all I could stand were bagels, apples, and toast. lol Good luck, I hope the sickness ends soon!

[nikkiARNGwife]

While I was having 24/7 morning sickness...Lay's potato chips...I probably at 30 bags by myself..it was the only thing that even sounded good..I guess it was the saltiness of them. I'd crave mexican when I was having a better day, but anything else I had to literally force it down. Everything sounded awful and I had zero appetite plus I always had this bad taste in my mouth so everything tasted bad to me too.

Now after the first 4 mos of sickness passed I ate everything in sight it seems lol. I think I was so glad to finally be hungry again that I just ate ate ate. With Ella I craved little debbie nutty bars.

[ColleenSwerb]

Ugh, I'm so right there with you Libby!
Right now it's just carbs carbs carbs. I love egg salad and it sounds delicious, but I doubt I would actually eat it when put in front of me, lol.
I'm lucky if I can stomach 2 eggo waffles a day while at work. In between I snack on pretzels or saltines. I had Jordan get me some Baked Ruffles yesterday and those were amazing. I've always loved how extra salty they are.
Caffeine free pepsi is helping me too.
Chik-fil-a hashbrowns! I stopped this morning and got 2 of them and a small root beer, and it's been a pretty ok morning so far.
Grilled cheese is going ok for dinner. Also chicken noodle soup, and last night I had 3 pierogies sauteed with butter.

The baby needs sooooo little nutrition right now, you don't have to be eating a ton to help. Plus the prenatals are good too. My dr pretty much told me to eat whatever I could, when I could, until the m/s passes and I can have an easier time of eating more nutritionally. She also doesn't care if all I drink is soda (caffeine free), as long as I'm getting a fair amount of liquid in to prevent dehydration. Dehydration is a bigger worry right now than a lack of food. Oh and I'm still drinking 12-20 oz of gatorade a day. It helps calms my stomach and it helps fight the dehydration. Red was always my favorite but right now I'm really craving orange (I only drink the original flavors, lol).

I really can't wait to wake up one day and NOT want to throw up. And then want to eat everything in sight. It will be SUCH a welcome change, lol.
Oh and are you napping? Take naps! I usually feel a little better after I wake up and can eat something pretty quick. Last night I ate early to try and combat the late night vomiting (and failed) and ended up passing out afterwards for 2.5 hours! It was awesome, I woke up soooooo much more refreshed this morning.

[Angie4b1g]

Everything. Hence the 80lb weight gain.

[kim21673]

Waffles! Lots and lots of waffles with lots of syrup! LOL I have SEVERE morning sickness with boy #2 and that is all that I could eat for 16 weeks. Not on the healthy side I might add!!

Boy #1 I craved carrots/celery and tacos
Boy #2 I craved waffles (well, more like I could stomach them again and again, ever after throwing them up), McDonald's McChicken, Wendy's Jr Hamburgers, fruit....lots of carbs after the 16 weeks was over.
Boy #3 I craved pizza and Sweet-tarts....definitely not healthy!!
Boy #4 I craved OJ, salads...lots and lots of salad and tootsieolls!!!

I only threw up with Boy #2 and I had it bad! It was almost a year after he was born before I could even look at chili!!! And Subway...forget about it! I couldn't even go in Wal-mart b/c they had a subway in there...just the smell made me throw up!

[Sharon Kay]

My first pregnancy the guys at work kidded me ... they were seriously thinking of buying stock in Taco Bell ... I ate there almost twice a day throughout the whole pregnancy!!! I couldn't stand spaghetti during it ... well my oldest absolutely LOVES Mexican food and will eat it every single day almost....and does NOT like spaghetti.

My second pregnancy I ate Crab Rangoon at this little hamburger joint (the owners made homemade Crab Rangoon fresh every day) ... I would walk in and they would say in their accent "and how many Crab Rangoon for you today?" LOL ...but I can't get my middle child to even try Crab Rangoon! ... I wouldn't eat spaghetti during that pregnancy and that child does NOT like spaghetti or any italian (except pizza).

My third pregnancy I craved italian ... spaghetti, lasagna, etc. ... but no on the Mexican. He loves italian but dislikes Mexican.

Hmmm coincidence??

Eat whatever your body thinks sounds good ... and it could change daily ... plus even while it's being made ... what sounded good 30 minutes ago ... might not sound good once it is ready. Sometimes eating out where it can be ready fast without you fixing it or smelling it ... was the easier route to go.

Good luck ... and congrats!

[Libby Pritchett]

hehe I'm loving all of these stories!!

And yep, more than once I've thought I've wanted something and then after Jeff fixes it, it suddenly sounds disgusting. Poor guy. He's being so patient.

I managed a banana and juice so far this morning. Gonna try to brave some mashed potatoes in a bit.

[LeeAndra]

I know it was only two years ago, but I can't remember!

I drank a lot of OJ, but otherwise I could eat just abt anything. I only threw up twice while I was pg, but I was nauseated a lot the first trimester. I ate a lot of those packs of crackers with the PB in the middle as often as I could since I was still working then. Oh, and if I wasn't eating, I was sucking on a mint. That seemed to help with the nausea, too.

[Leila]

With JP, the only things that appealed to me were hot dogs w/barbecue sauce, barbecue chicken thighs, mac & cheese and taco bell. No joke, I ate the two hot dogs every day for lunch and two chicken thighs with mac & cheese for dinner. When my friend G would come down to visit, we'd eat Taco Bell.

With Devin, I could not get enough of the biscuits and gravy at Cracker Barrel. We were there 3 times a week, at least.

I could and did eat other foods though. I didn't have many food aversions with either pregnancy, and my morning sickness was limited to gross nausea on waking for the most part.

[heathergw]

Originally Posted by Libby Pritchett

hehe I'm loving all of these stories!!

And yep, more than once I've thought I've wanted something and then after Jeff fixes it, it suddenly sounds disgusting. Poor guy. He's being so patient.

better than what I did to my poor hubby!!! Not food related at all... but Mark was practicing his speech for a talk he was going to do in Indy the following weekend (was pregnant with Moriah)... and I was his audience... and I told him... "don't take this the wrong way... but your voice makes me want to puke" he still gives me a hard time about it... and we can laugh about it now... but oye... I totally broke his heart... well Moriah broke his heart... but I'm still amazed that our marriage has survived any of my pregnancies LOL

[Libby Pritchett]

HAHAHA Heather! That's so funny!

Last night I went into the kitchen for juice and Jeff came up to kiss me... I actually gagged. Poor dude. He goes, "Wow, my ego is HUGE right now. I don't know how I'm gonna fit my head through the door!"

[ColleenSwerb]

I've done that to Jordan a bunch. Gone to hug him and then been like "omg ew, you reek" when in reality he'd like, just taken a shower or something. I feel really bad for him right now cuz I am miserable and he can barely even touch me.

[jaylensmom]

When I was pregnant I lived off of bacon & cheese crouissants (sp?)...I can't eat those things to save my life now...I also used to eat almonds every night before bed...

[Paula]

Bear in mind that my last pregnancy was 15 years ago. LOL

But, I had shakes, yogurt, creamy soups, and I loved mushrooms. Fruits and veggies are very good for you too.

[Paula]

Now for cravings - I craved weird stuff.

Preg #1: I craved mushrooms and shrimp all the time. I also craved those yucky fish sandwiches from McDs.

Preg #2: I craved tomatoes and chocolate - together! LOL

Preg #3: I craved Hardees breakfast burritos and Wendy's baked potatoes with bacon and cheese. I also craved fish sticks with Heinz 57 sauce on them.