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Kyra
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| Posted: July 26 2011 at 11:48am | IP Logged
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I'm not sure what forum this belongs in, but I wanted to ask- how do you survive the first trimester with littles around? I'm expecting our third, and the nausea/exhaustion/vomiting has hit me very hard. It was like this with my others, but... I had fewer children! My other two are three and a half and sixteen months, and I don't have much energy, partly because I can't eat enough each day to keep from blood sugar crashes. I'm on anti-nausea medication, but it's not helping very much.
Right now I've shouted for help to all our close friends, and we have a few bringing dinners. My husband's in charge of cleaning up the kitchen in the evening. My parents are taking the kids for a little while nearly every day, which is heroic of them, and I'm deeply appreciative.
I just feel kind of despairing, because I can't keep enough down to give my the energy to do the chores, let alone play, and I'm throwing up all the time. Suggestions, hints, sympathy?
(I'm aware this is whiny. I'm sorry. I'm just terrified about how the next right weeks are going to go).
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mamaslearning
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| Posted: July 26 2011 at 12:05pm | IP Logged
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I happened to read these last week and thought they might help. Spiritual Survival and physical survival. (not a Catholic blog, just FYI).
When I was sick with my third pregnancy, I utilized the TV - A Lot. When I can barely lift myself up to get to the bathroom, I'm not too worried about letting my kids be entertained with the TV. I also enlisted the help of friends and family and hubby did most of the work around the house for awhile. Dishes, laundry, and dinners were all we focused on for several months.
Get a play box together each evening with things that can occupy the kids when you can't think straight - crayons, paper, special toys or dvds. Have an area that is childproof where you can rest and not worry about them getting into anything harmful. Maybe a bedroom? Close the door and just lie on the bed while they play around you (put the bed on the floor to avoid falls).
My fourth pregnancy was even more difficult, but my oldest was able to help by then (she was 6 at the time).
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jawgee
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| Posted: July 26 2011 at 12:29pm | IP Logged
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Lots of movies. 
Prayers for you as you go through. My last pregnancy was especially challenging because my older daugher was only 15 months when she was born. Thankfully, my sister helped with cleaning and laundry quite a bit when I was pregnant.
Can you hire a mother's-helper (a teenage girl, maybe) to come help from time to time?
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Kyra
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| Posted: July 26 2011 at 1:01pm | IP Logged
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I'm trying to. My usual babysitter is gone for six weeks to summer camp.
We're borrowing videos from the library, but my littlest one is too young to pay attention. I've currently got the older one mesmerized with Chugginton.
I'm drinking milkshakes with peanut butter in them and a lot of Coke. Unfortunately I can't stand water right now- bubbles are necessary.
To complicate things a little more, right now we have an international student staying with us, and I have to feed him, too. We've been eating lots of macaroni and cheese and frozen pizza. Right now I can't predict when or what I can eat, which makes takeout tempting and food shopping difficult.
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Kyra
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| Posted: July 26 2011 at 1:03pm | IP Logged
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I've got a midwives appointment on Thursday, and I'm going to talk to her about nutrition. Right now I'm most concerned with getting calories, any form, and keeping them down. I can't eat all the time- if I mistime it I just end up throwing up more.
Thank you for the links.
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mamaslearning
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| Posted: July 26 2011 at 1:14pm | IP Logged
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I kept food bars in the house so that I always had a quick something to eat. I particularly like Lara Bars, Oskri cashew bars, Kind bars, and I'm sure there are others out there that are tasty and protein filled. I got hooked on sausage biscuit sandwiches one pregnancy and ate them throughout the day (popped them in a toaster oven). Not the healthiest, but satisfied me. I also ate a banana upon waking with a glass of milk. That seemed to allow me enough time to prepare a breakfast of protein and get the kids' breakfast.
My third pregnancy I craved plain Wendy's hamburgers. My Midwife told me to go ahead and eat them if that was all I could choke down. I eventually transitioned to better food, but those hamburgers got me through a really rough patch. Protein shakes were also a mainstay this last time around.
Praying for you.
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kristinannie
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| Posted: July 26 2011 at 1:21pm | IP Logged
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I know how rough that can be. You need to do whatever you can to get through the day. If the house is too messy, oh well. If the kids need to watch A LOT of TV, it won't kill them. The first trimester is definitely rough and it is harder when you have other kids. I was put on bedrest for the last 2.5 months of my 3rd pregnancy and I really learned to ask for help. We ate a lot of take-out (which partially explains the weight I gained  ), my mom stayed with us for a couple of weeks, DH took extra vacation days and my MIL was a huge help. Lean on family, especially if they are willing to help. I will send some prayers your way. Offer up your suffering to Jesus so at least some good can come from it. Best of luck! Luckily it is temporary. God bless you!
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Kyra
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| Posted: July 26 2011 at 1:22pm | IP Logged
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Thank you!
Our oldest has diabetes, so food has to be strictly scheduled. We're doing lots of larabars and peanut butter sandwiches, and a friend took my older son to the farmer's market this morning and got a lot of early fruit.
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JodieLyn
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| Posted: July 26 2011 at 2:08pm | IP Logged
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slightly cheaper than eating out is eating heat n eat meals.. one pregnancy for instance I found I couldn't even really think about food if I wanted to be able to eat it.. so I'd get up and toss a bean and cheese burrito into the toaster oven and then not think about it until it dinged and I could eat.. after I had eaten it was easier to do food for others.
plain water can be really hard on your tummy.. smart water has electrolytes which helps.. you can use a pinch of salt and a few drops of lemon in some water and that can work sometimes.. you might be able to avoid the sugar crashes if you can get away from the high sugar drinks.. BUT I know sometimes that's not possible.. I've found gatorade tends to help me more than bubbles.. and there have been pregnancies where it was ALL I could drink for weeks.. but it helped with the electrolytes and the sugar actually helps with nausea.. that's why so many things for upset tummies (pedialyte etc) are sweet. It just gets old real fast when you're not used to drinking that much sweet stuff. But if that's the case.. you can keep the drinks on hand and keep sipping at them and that can keep you from the crashes.. sure protein will help that balance more but when you're dependant on the fluids with sugar anyway.. you might as well use it to your advantage.
I usually find sour or sweet/tart or salty things help the most to calm my tummy down.. probably why the heat and eat things work well being higher in sodium and other stuff you normally avoid. 
And spicy things.. those calm my tummy down too.. often the upset tummy and heartburn and such is from digestion slowing down.. so the opposite actually helps.. the high acids and the spicy foods.. rather than more bland things.
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Kyra
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| Posted: July 26 2011 at 3:09pm | IP Logged
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I'm finding water with lime juice is sometimes palatable, but most of the time it seem to be bubbles that help. I'm trying to get fat and protein in me as well as sugar (I know quite a lot about managing blood sugar!), but it's the sweet/acid/bubbles in Coke that seem to be helping. Normally I drink lots and lots of water, so this is hard.
Yeah, anything not cooked by me is easier. I went to Costco a couple of days ago and got frozen pizza and chicken cheese taquitos, and chicken fingers. They seem to be going over well with the troops.
A lot of women I've talked to agree- the more processed a food is, the easier it is in first trimester. So fast food is much, much easier to eat than a nice kale/broccoli stirfry. It seems so counterintuitive.
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JodieLyn
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| Posted: July 26 2011 at 3:49pm | IP Logged
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Quote:
it's the sweet/acid/bubbles in Coke that seem to be helping. Normally I drink lots and lots of water, so this is hard.
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This is me too.. I HATE not being able to drink water.. I crave it and can't have it.
But from experience.. the more I drink that which helps the nausea early on.. the faster it calms down overall and I can go back to most of my regular food habits. When I fought it and tried not to drink the sugary drinks.. it took weeks and weeks and I felt really awful. When I gave in and only drank the gatorade (or whatever sat real well on my tummy) it was like my body could make the adjustment and while the first trimester ickies didn't go away until the end of first trimester.. I did go from being really sick and only drinking the gatorade to getting rebalanced and able to drink and eat normally with only normal to mild levels of nausea.
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juststartn
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| Posted: Aug 08 2011 at 4:57pm | IP Logged
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Would it help to try drinking some club soda or something like that, with fruit juices added?
I found that I *had* to eat/nibble on something before I even got out of bed (we're talking about an hour before I would normally get up). I kept slimfast bars (the full meal ones) by the bed. Some nutrition, some calories, not complete junk. I could eat half, go back to sleep for an hour, eat the other half when I woke up "for the day", and then slowly get moving.
Also, try adding some Biotin to your diet. One of my friends with HE swears by the stuff. She's only just found out she's expecting dc#10, so she's in the early stages.
If there is someway that you can get some mass cooking done on weekends or evenings when DH is around (or maybe your mom?), and put the spares into the freezer...makes getting something nutritious on the table MUCH easier than starting from scratch. Even just having someone brown 5lbs of ground beef with onions and garlic mixed in, for someone to reheat and season/add to later on, would be a step in the right direction.
The first trimester plus of my pregnancy with the twins was awful awful AWFUL. Seriously, I cannot remember if I left the couch most days. The nausea was what got me, and the fatigue (didn't get sick that much, though...whodda thunk?  )...My sister with HE (who, like my friend on dc#10, suffers from HE, and just found out she's expecting #3) downed Slimfasts (the drinks). Sometimes we can handle liquids better than more solids, and even though they aren't ideal, its better than a lot of choices out there. And honestly, if it is going to have to maybe see the light of day again, I'd rather it be liquid to start with...
Many hugs and prayers...
Rachel
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Kyra
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| Posted: Aug 19 2011 at 2:57pm | IP Logged
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It's getting better, with the help of lots of Diclectin, but there still a strong 'negotiating-with-angry-toddler' feel about what I can and can't eat, and when.
I've found out I'm very very very sick this time because we're having... twins! So I'm on twice as much anti-nausea stuff and feeling very queasy still at ten weeks.
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kristinannie
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| Posted: Aug 19 2011 at 3:05pm | IP Logged
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Twins? Congrats!!!!!!!!!!
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| Posted: Aug 20 2011 at 7:48am | IP Logged
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Oh, Kyra!!! Congratulations!!!! 
I used to drink Boost shakes instead of Slimfast, they taste good, and they have extra protein, especially important with twins. Boost even sells a variety that has extra protein.  I lost weight for a while during the twins preg. I wasn't eating enough, and din't know I was having twins until the usual 20 wk. ultrasound. Adding you to our expectant mother's list for prayers.
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Servant2theKing
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Twins!! Congratulations on your double blessings Kyra!! You will be in our prayers!!
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juststartn
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Kyra, congratulations!!! Do you know yet if they are identical or fraternal?
Now for my words of advice...
Double your vitamins and supplements. In the last trimester, increase your intake of Omega oils dramatically. Make the most you can of the "in between" stage (between morning sickness and losing what room you have in your abdomen). High quality, nutrient and calorie dense foods. ESPECIALLY if you are having identicals.
I know with my twins (identicals) they were induced once they reached a combined total of 10lbs...the then-current knowledge pointing a degradation of placental function for both babies after that point--not as much a concern with fraternals, given the seperate placentas. They were right at 34 wks when they were pulled (I ended up having to have a csec, but let's not go there). So if you are having identicals, you'll need to ramp up the food intake as soon as you can stomach it, since you'll likely have less time than with fraternals to get the calories in there.
(I found out I was having twins at my 21 wk what are we having? ultrasound...seriously. Midwife had heard one heartbeat, and the way they were lying, it wasn't surprising in the slightest, lol). At the time I had my boys, they wanted you to gain 24lbs by 24 wks, since you would have less time than with a singleton to put the calories into motion for the little ones. Of course, I had lost so much weight the first trimester (thank you, Mr Nausea!) that I had just that day gotten back to my pre-pregnancy weight. Much less gained anything else above it! No way I was going to do 8 lbs a week for the next three weeks, lol!
All of that being said, I only gained about 16 lbs with the pregnancy (my usual pregnancy weight gain, believe it or not, singletons or multiples, it seems), but the boys were 4#11, and 5#2. So just a hair shy of 10lbs, but healthy. They were in the NICU for two weeks with relfux apnea. Assuming you will want to nurse, be forewarned and look at the nipples that the hospital nurses will use while the children are there (just to cover your bases==they may come home with you, but then again, they may not). The hospital we were in, the nipples were the old school ones, and the boys NEVER got re-taught about nursing, since I could not be there 24/7, and they were quite definitely NOT going to do it when they got home (yes, I had a LC attempt to help, but it went no where). I pumped for the first three mos, but supply issues (not to mention exhaustion) made me quit at that point.
I will pray that things will go wonderfully smoothly for you, that there are no concerns, snafus, etc. If you've got any questions, let me know...I'll see what I can remember...
Rachel
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juststartn
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Oh, and Kyra, you need to see if you can afford to have a responsible teenager or middle schooler come in after school some days during the week. Because you definitely need the rest, they can wear the children down/out, and you may end up on bedrest (I did 6wks of "strict, but modified"--2 hrs vertical a day...PERIOD...for the last six weeks of my pregnancy)...if you can manage a crockpot meal, set it up and get it into the pot first thing in the am, then you won't have to worry about dinner prep. Maybe have DH help you arrange some simple foods (sliced fruits, cheeses, meats, etc, for you and the children to snack on during the day, so that there isn't the "oh crud, what are we doing for lunch?" feeling) to put in the fridge each evening...that way everyone gets fed nutritionally sound meals with the least amount of fuss and bother on your part...
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Kyra
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I'm joining the local parents of multiples group, and they told me that since in our area teeanagers are required to do 40 hours of community service to graduate, I can probably get FREE help for some of the time after the babies are born.
I've read about increasing calories, and I'm starting to work on it as the nausea gets a little better. I can't take prenatal supplements but my midwife okayed three chewable kids vitamins per day. I'm being tested for anemia and all the other fun stuff.
I'm really tired a lot, more than I was with the others. I'm trying not to assume it's laziness or acedia- I think it's making the babies.
We're thinking seriously about putting our oldest in preschool a couple of afternoons a week, closer to winter. He's extremely extroverted, very very high-energy, and although we're still definitely planning to homeschool we think things might go more smoothly for him if he had more supervised time with other children, and I had more time to rest.
Twins changes lots of things- we're going to have to buy a car! A minivan! I'm going to probably be on bedsest and transferred to an OB instead of the midwives. Lots of changes.
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Kyra
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| Posted: Aug 25 2011 at 11:11am | IP Logged
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Oh, and I think they're fraternal, according to the ultrasound. That's better for birthweight etc. and there are generally fewer placental problems.
Any suggestions for nutrient-dense foods? Besides BOost and larabars.
Right now I can't stand the smell of anything cooking all day, so I can't use the crockpot   , which is too bad because normally I'm slow-cooker-dependent. We're eating eggs, takeout, and things that cook quickly.
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4Real Forums : Mothering and Family Life
Topic: Surviving the first trimester
