Really struggling with food in pregnancy

[SeaBird99]

I am currently 17 weeks pregnant with my first baby and really struggling. I was diagnosed with anorexia in early 2011, when I was 19, for which I have been in and out of therapy since then. I was managing well and on a good path to recovery, but pregnancy has really thrown me and I'm now struggling to eat and still facing morning sickness into my second trimester. I have in fact lost 5kg since I found out that I was pregnant. I think the other issue that I'm facing is that I'm terrified of eating something 'dangerous' that would hurt the baby. E.g. something with unpasteurised milk in it and I'm driving myself insane. Any help / guidance / tips would be HUGELY appreciated!

[Seb9]

I would definitely recommend talking to your midwife about this and seeing if there's some help that you can get to manage any food anxiety you have. They should be able to help you get in contact with other teams too who can provide you with extra support. Regarding what to eat and what not to eat, there is a great list of foods to eat and avoid in the NHS website, I'd suggest going with what they say and ignore any other sites as it can get quite overwhelming with all the information that's available and so much misinformation. There's really only a few foods to avoid and even if you ate something accidentally there really is only a very small risk with most things. I hope you have a happy, healthy pregnancy x

[JustJane1234]

This must be so difficult. I'm sorry you're going through this. As another respondent has said, definitely reach out to your midwife with this. You won't be the first and they'll know how to help. Sending lots of strength for the rest of your pregnancy xx

[Twiglet2]

my advice would be to just stick to a few staple foods that a) you know you like b) you know are on the nhs safe to eat list and c) you are best able to stomach and don’t make the morning sickness worse

Honestly I ended up able to only eat ice lollies, dry toast and plain pasta for a few weeks at one point due to the morning sickness but it did get better at around 20 weeks and I was able to bring in more types of foods slowly and carefully.

Defo speak to your midwife and re engage your counsellor if possible too! Morning sickness can be yuck and it’s understandable that it’s set you off track a wee bit! Try not to worry about the unpasteurised milk stuff it’s more just the soft cheeses to avoid which I couldn’t even have smelled never mind eaten during pregnancy anyways 😷 ignore google and just stick to the nhs website 🤗 xx

[Teddy02]

Hi there,

I’m sorry you feel unwell. I know exactly how you feel. I went through it in my first pregnancy and currently going through this again in my second pregnancy. Just hold in there and it will soon pass.

I would suggest just stick to simple diet like fruits that you like and little bit of dark green veggies. Eat small portions even if it’s little it’s fine! You can have a little toast or something here and there.

Divert your mind from all the other things and only think about your baby when you try to eat and think that you are doing it for your baby.

Hope it helps you and you feel better soon will pray for you

[VEA88]

Hi SeaBird, I’m so sorry you are feeling like this! I don’t have personal experience of anorexia but my morning sickness has been difficult to deal with. But what I’ve found is that even if I feel extremely sick and don’t fancy food at all, food is actually the only thing that makes me feel better once I’ve eaten it! What helps me to eat when I really don’t want to is my husband prepping some food for me and bringing it to me (in bed/on the sofa!). Have you got a partner/friend/family member that could help? I find that if I start my day with some crumpets in bed, and then eat little and often it makes me feel sooo much better.

I’m eating crumpets, crisps and pasta mainly - but this is what makes me feel better so maybe work out what foods make you feel better and stock up on those?

I’d really recommend speaking to your midwife/GP asap so they can help you to access the right support. You don’t have to deal with this alone 😊

Wishing you all the best xx

[Maggie85]

Hi so sorry you're going through this. Well done for reaching out....that's a big step to know you're needing some support through this. I would suggest speaking to your midwife and an anorexia specialist to help you through this. You say that you're struggling to eat....is this because of morning sickness or anxiety of putting on weight/change of body during pregnancy? I would suggest you explore this and your thoughts about pregnancy, body shape and food.

Morning sickness is horrible and if you're struggling to eat because of this, the midwife may suggest medication if you've tried other things e.g. eating bland foods, ginger etc. I found that light exercise helped, especially cycling. But maybe suggest you speak with a specialist to avoid any more weight loss that would also come with exercise.

Sounds like you're going through a lot and I hope you can speak to other pregnant mummies who have gone through similar situations. Good luck