Despite its name, morning sickness does not only strike during the morning hours. A pregnant woman can feel the queasy, nauseous feeling of morning sickness any time of the night or day. It is different for every woman and for every pregnancy; a woman can have no morning sickness at all for one pregnancy and be sick all of the time with the next one. There are several old wives tales about how and why this occurs. One myth holds that excessive morning sickness means the baby is more active and will be bigger, while another claims the sickness means that the baby will have curly hair.
It doesn’t matter when you have morning sickness, but rather how badly it affects you. An expectant mother needs 500 more quality calories from healthy, nutritious foods, in addition to an increase in protein. Protein, vital to the average person, is needed to help the baby’s organs, bones, limbs and brain to develop and grow while it also is needed to help the mother keep up with the increased blood volume in her body. Blood is one of the ways that the mother’s body “communicates” with the growing baby since nutrients and oxygen flow from the mother’s blood stream to the baby’s. A pregnant woman’s blood volume is at 60% over that of the average person.
In addition to being inconvenient, morning sickness can lead to other problems such as esophageal tearing, dehydration and in some cases, it can keep the baby from growing properly. Any woman who is having excessive morning sickness or morning sickness that lasts beyond the fourth month should discuss her problem with her doctor right away.
A Healthy Diet Plan
If you have ever eaten a large, greasy meal, you know how sick you can feel afterward. Anyone who feels nauseated has a difficult time eating. Even a bland meal can be a problem if it is too large to digest comfortably. As a pregnant woman there are two states that your stomach should never be in: too full or too empty. A large meal, especially one that is overly spicy or greasy, might be too hard to digest and can make the queasiness even worse. If you do not eat enough, the sensation of hunger will also make you feel queasy. The goal should be to get good nutrition through small, evenly spaced meals that will keep you feeling satisfied and neither too full nor too hungry.
Before getting out of bed in the morning, pregnant women should have a small snack, which can be something as simple as a few crackers nibbled at the bedside before even moving. The first meal of the day should be something small and rich in complex carbohydrates and protein. Another option for a morning wake up snack is Profect, a protein supplement from Protica. Because it is heat stable, it can be left in the dresser drawer with no danger of spoilage or other problems.
Profect has 25 grams of protein per serving with zero carbohydrates and zero fat. It has additional benefits including 100% Vitamin C and 10% B complex vitamins. Profect is available in a number of flavors, which can be important to pregnant women whose tastes may change during pregnancy. Profect can also be mixed with other foods and beverages for a greater range of flavor combinations.
Protein is only one aspect of a healthy diet, however. There are other nutritional needs that have to be met as well including complex carbohydrates and healthy fats. The amount of each kind of food that you need will depend on the exact calorie count that is established by your doctor. The common myth that pregnancy is the time to just eat whatever you want whenever you want is completely false. Healthy foods are necessary to ensure that weight gain is slow and steady, not excessive.
Morning Sickness and Nutrition: a Case Study
Eve is pregnant with her third child and very miserable. With her first child, she breezed through the entire nine months without any morning sickness. With child number two, she did not feel well when she ate vegetables, but otherwise was pretty fine. This time, she is miserable when she wakes up in the morning. She is miserable when she gets ready for bed. She feels sick if it is hot, cold or the radio plays certain songs. In short, she is sick all of the time. Miserable and upset, she has tried several popular remedies, but has not had relief.
After yet another night of vomiting and misery, Eve calls her doctor, asking if she might need to take medication. The doctor suggests that she change the way that she eats, not only the amounts but the timing as well. He suggests that she eat a small meal every two hours between so that her stomach always has something in it. She will reduce the spicy foods but increase the protein-rich, easy to digest foods. In addition to healthy, whole foods, Eve will use Profect between her small meals, giving her an additional 25 grams of protein and the convenience of stashing them in various locations.
After a week of using Profect, Eve is feeling and is mixing the Profect with oatmeal, the only way that she can handle eating breakfast at all. She knows that soon her first trimester will be over and she will start to feel like herself again. She will continue to do everything that she can to feel well and help her baby grow strong and healthy.
Protica Research (Protica, Inc.) specializes in the development of Capsulized Foods. Protica manufactures Profect, IsoMetric, Pediagro, Fruitasia and over 100 other brands, including Medicare-approved, whey protein liquid for bariatric patients. You can learn more at Protica Research – Copyright