Thursday, January 17, 2013

My Morning Sickness Plan of Attack



I have been preparing my arsenal before we even found out about our newest.  I know it is all very redeeming and rewarding, BUT if I can make it just a little less crazy town I think that would be nice.

*We've been taking Cod Liver Oil for several years now, but I finally bought the capsules for myself because my 1st trimester would allow for no such nonsense in taking the oil.  For my last few babies, I avoided it because the smell was horrific.  I wanted myself and the baby to have the oil so I splurged and bought the capsules instead of the oil.  Problem Solved.

I buy mine from Green Pastures



 Cod Liver Oil is scary good for you and the baby.  It contains 150% of your daily vitamin A & D.  These two vitamins are essential for absorption of all other vitamins.

Their website gives this description.
"Many of the great historical cultures had one sacred food which they relied on to ensure strong mind, body, and spirit; fermented fish/fish liver oil. The Might Roman Soldier was given a daily ration of fermented fish oil. The Stoic Scandinavian Viking had a drum of fermenting cod livers outside the door of his home. Grandma always had a bottle of cod liver oil in the back cupboard."

*I also take 2T. of coconut oil daily.  I have to choke this one down so we will see how long this continues.  I melt the oil in a small bowl in a saucepan first.


*My cousin is expecting her sixth baby and had terrible morning sickness.  She was able to find much relief after following a strict Paleo diet.  Her nutritionist recommended trying to get 100 grams of protein per day either with meat or nuts.  If you are not familiar with this diet, you can find thousands of recipes.  I have cooked Paleo all week and I heard no complaints from anyone.  I mean who wouldn't love a meatloaf with 2 lbs. of hamburger, 1 lb. of sausage and 1/2 lb. of bacon on top.  It was glorious.  I roasted brussel sprouts with bacon, olive oil, balsamic vinegar, salt  and pepper.  Again, I heard no complaints.  Tonight, we had chicken noodle soup with Kelp noodles.  The kids thought they were great.


*My favorite Grace posted her helpful tips on Morning Sickness.  I quickly purchased all her recommendations HOPING (Fingers crossed tight) that they will help.  I have made myself wog on the treadmill since before we were expecting so I hope to continue that insanity.  I have to admit that I should have known I was pregnant when One Direction's "What makes you Beautiful" made me tear up.  Wow.  Am I maturing or de-maturing? 

*Jennifer Fulwiler over at Conversion Diary wrote a great post
"How I mostly cured Morning Sickness."  
She basically did a Paleo diet also.  I have printed this out and reread it every 2 seconds.

  • NO processed food. This includes basically anything that has been significantly modified from the form it’s in when it’s alive. No crackers, chips, cereal, granola bars, energy bars, tortillas, bread, pasta, yogurt with added ingredients, etc.
  • NO grains (except rice). No quinoa, oatmeal, breads, or anything else made from grains (including “whole grain” products). I did find, though, that I tolerated white rice okay.
  • NO sweets. This under the umbrella of the processed foods list, but it’s worth breaking out as a separate bullet point because I found it to be so important. Absolutely no ice cream, cookies, cakes, candy, etc.
  • No binge eating. This one wasn’t as huge as the others, but I found that if I ate beyond the point of being full, to the extreme of feeling completely stuffed, this would trigger hours of nausea later.
Her results were amazing.  Her morning sickness drastically changed after following this diet.

*My favorite Pro-Biotic "Prescript-Assist" came highly recommended from my favorite WAPF leader so I basically do what she tells me to do if it is easy.  You know, I buy Raw Milk for $9.00 a gallon and eat it with my Fruity Pebbles.  I know I drive her crazy.  I take Cod Liver Oil after we eat Papa John's Pizza. 

*I try to snack on Bubbies Sauerkraut. I have learned that lacto-fermented foods are soothing to the stomach.  I drink Ginger Tea all day. 

Sauerkraut originated in China, where it is known as "kimchi", about 2,000 years ago, about the same time the Great Wall of China was being built. The laborers who built the Wall got their nourishment from rice and a type of cabbage pickled in wine.
It wasn't until 1,000 years later that Genghis Khan plundered China and brought back the recipe for pickled cabbage, which his hordes then transported to Europe. The Germans (who gave it the name "sauerkraut") then learned to omit the wine in the recipe, replacing it with salt. Which gave us sauerkraut as we know it today.
It wasn't long before sauerkraut became a staple for seafaring men. It kept well without refrigeration and the high levels of vitamin C found in sauerkraut helped keep the ships crew scurvy free. (The same was done with cucumbers). The famous ship captain, James Cook, once ordered 25,000 pounds of sauerkraut to outfit two ships.


We will see how this goes as I know when cravings take over I will be the first to throw my sauerkraut out the window but at least I have a plan besides being face-down on the couch desperate for Chinese food all day.



22 comments :

  1. The image of you munching sauerkraut during your afternoon reading time is cracking me up. Just an open jar and a fork!

    Also laughed out loud at the image of you pouring your raw milk over fruity pebbles.

    Despite the laughing at you thing, I'm hopeful this all pays off and you have seriously minimized morning sickness this time around!

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    1. John eats Doritos and raw milk. Yep, you got it right. Open jar and fork. Quite tasty.

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  2. I agree with all the above!! One question, can you take the Cod Liver Oil capsules and a prenatal at the same time? I have the capsules...but have been sitting on them because I'm not sure if that would be too much Vit A and D. What do you think??

    Oh...and Wellness Mama wrote a great post about morning sickness and the benefit of taking extra magnesium. Here is her article:
    http://wellnessmama.com/6065/how-i-avoided-morning-sickness/

    (P.S. She lives on a strict Paleo diet as well)

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    1. I haven't taken pre-natals since Zellie (#4). I much prefer the benefits of Cod Liver Oil. Dr. McNeely never cares as his wife didn't take pre-natals. I loosely follow WAPF with the CLO, coconut oil, grass-fed meat, apple cider vinegar (taken in a shot glass with orange juice and a high kick afterward, chicken and beef broth, and fresh eggs. I am sure they equal out to the same so carry on as you were if your prefer. I just like to say to myself that my baby is getting Cod Liver Oil. Sounds enticing, heroic, and dramatic all at once.

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    2. Cynthia, during my last pregnancy I took both the CLO and a good, whole foods based prenatal. My ob thought it was great: basically he said the RDA of both vitamin A and D are way lower than what the body actually needs, an WAAAY lower than a momma and baby needs while the baby's cookin' away. If that helps :)

      Lindsay--have you tried diluting the coconut oil? I have had good luck putting a teaspoon or so in tea, or just in a cup of hot water with lemon. And scrambled eggs cooked in coconut oil are to die for.

      We follow a loosely WAPF diet too...we don't do the raw milk with fruity pebbles, but I make sure my white bread toast has plenty of raw, grass fed butter slathered on it ;)

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  3. Haven't had this struggle yet, but have lots of friends with multiples that have had it, so I'm grateful you wrote about it. (I already forwarded it to them!) Thanks Lindsay!

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  4. I haven't done a whole lot with the diet aspect of things while I'm pregnant (I figure if I have to restrict while I'm nursing, I'd better enjoy what I can while I'm pregnant!!!) But, I did find that sticking with running/walking made a HUGE difference. It didn't always help the entire day, but once I got going, I felt so much better and it usually stuck with me for a couple of hours!
    Praying for you and baby!!! Congrats!!! :)

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  5. Thank you for posting this, Lindsay!
    I cannot imagine doing all of this while having intense food aversions-- way to go!-- or doing Jen's diet, that seriously sounds so hard, but it would be soooo worth it if is actually helped. Morning sickness is the thing I fear most when it comes to pregnancy, I have bookmarked this along with the others you mentioned for the future.

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    1. This comment has been removed by the author.

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    2. Hi Ana,
      Great to hear from you. I know food aversions will be the catch...Food basically becomes the enemy and I save up all my favorite inappropriate words for those who invented such things as Grocery Stores. Honestly. The nerve. So, I know that will be the hardest part. My weirdest aversion was to, get this, people who wore blue shirts. I would gag if I saw a man in a blue dress shirt. Maybe I should get my brain checked out before I work on my gut. You think? My second best, Michael's Craft Store. I gagged all the way through the store. My only hope this time is that I have a plan. In the past, I would just let it take over our home for centuries upon centuries. I am somewhat hoping this will be helpful because my best pregnancy trait is blowing it up weight wise. I gained a whole 65 lbs with our last baby and it wasn't water weight. Have a great day! I have read your blog and took note of all your beauties. Lucy is squishy. Do you get pretty sick? Take care and God Bless.

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    3. That is SO hilarious that blue shirts made you gag!

      I always feel like I am the MOST sick woman in the world, but I know it's not actually nearly as bad as other women. I manage to avoid vomiting, but I always throw up at least once (sometimes a little more). I am right there with you on the weight gain, I've found that if I keep eating it temporarily makes the sickness better, but the catch is that the ONLY foods I can stomach even thinking about are fried foods- the nice thing is that after pregnancy I do not even want to think about fast food ever again.

      I totally agree about having a plan, I have book marked every blog post I have come across about helping morning sickness, I feel determined to not let it run our home again the next time.

      Congratulations on this newest addition, your family is so beautiful!!

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  6. My 5th baby was my easiest as far as morning sickness goes, and I basically just ate carbs all day long. So not healthy, but it was tolerable and all I wanted. With the first 4 pregnancies, I tried a high protein diet and was so so sick. As soon as week 12 rolls around and the nausea goes away, I go back to eating a lean protein/veggie/fruit/whole grain diet. Hope you can catch a break!

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    1. Hi Colleen,
      This is the part when I would read the web that drove me crazy. People felt better when they didn't try to eat healthy. That makes all the logical sense in the universe. Carbs are awesome in the first trimester. I totally understand that desire as I have slept outside Panera's door waiting for them to open so I can get their sourdough bread. Here's hoping to success, but I won't be too disappointed if nothing changes. Nice to hear from you. How old is your baby? Aren't they just lovely?

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    2. Bubbes and scrambled eggs are so good together!!

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  7. You have a beautiful family! Ive stumbled over your blog several times and have always taken notice to the health and beauty of your children. I shouldn't be shocked that WAP and FCLO have had a hand in it! Wishing the best to number 8:) we have two so far:)

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  8. Oh I hope this works for you! I have heard good things about ginger tea especially. I also tried to prepare myself ahead of time, and read Jennifer's post about morning sickness, and thought, this doesn't sound too hard! Then as soon as the aversions started and all that sounded good was a bowl of cereal... my good intentions went down the drain. I have actually had some success taking 50 or 100mg of B6 before bed. And sucking lemon drops. My doctor also suggested B6 in combination with Unisom (the kind with doxylamine) before bed if it was really terrible (I was so green when I went in to his office for my appointment!). I have mixed feelings about taking meds for it since mine is moderate but not severe, but it DID work when I tried it.

    I completely know what you mean about morning sickness being redeeming. I sometimes feel like I'm trying to run away from the little sacrifices God is dropping in my lap. But at the same time, even if these food/vitamins make the burden of nausea a little lighter, there is still plenty to offer up. :) I am 12 weeks and seeing the light at the end of the first trimester tunnel!

    I am laughing at your comment above about blue shirts and Michael's craft stores. When I was pregnant with my first, I bought those silly little perler beads (the kind you make designs out of and iron) as a craft project to do with the kids I was babysitting. I STILL feel sick when I look at those beads. It's so funny the connections our brains make and refuse to forget.

    Keep us posted on how your plan works! I may just be willing to try Cod Liver Oil...

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    1. I'm a little late to responding here, but I just wanted to note that that B6/Unisom combo is category A for pregnancy. In other words, it's in the same category as prenatal vitamins; it has been extensively studied for more than 30 years and has absolutely no negative effects on the child. Almost nothing is category A -- it means that it is really, truly safe. I completely understand about not wanting to take meds during pregnancy -- I'm with you on that -- but when it's necessary, it's nice to know that there is something safe out there.


      Not that it's a miracle drug; but it does help some. I have severe morning sickness and the B6/Unisom (called Diclegis in prescription form) gets me to the point where I'm still utterly miserable, but I'm also able to keep my food down generally. I am so grateful for it.

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  9. Hi Lindsay! I so hope your plan works! For your sake and selfish reasons as well. I thought I'd tried everything for morning sickness, and last time resolved to focus more on accepting my cross than fighting it. It helped give me some peace. That said I thought I was out of options. I'd try paleo in a heartbeat if it helped. The only pregnancy I wasn't sick was when I ended up miscarrying. That helped with the accepting thing too. Anyway I don't mean this directed towards you in the least. Just curious to see if there really is an answer to the morning sickness misery. I'd given up!
    God bless you and the newest Boever baby :)

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  10. Sounds like you follow a lot of what I have recently read in a book called "Trim Healthy Mama." It is a big book, but a great read with tons of great info for eating pure and healthy!! Congrats on your newest blessing!!

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  11. I take this very brand of Fermented Cod Liver Oil, but, Man!, there was no way I could swallow that with the morning sickness in the first trimester. It does have a fishy tast in your mouth :( I try really hard to take it daily though!!!

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