What I Eat to Manage Pregnancy Symptoms Like Nausea and Fatigue
Key takeaways:
Being pregnant can be an exciting and rewarding experience, but it can also come with its fair share of discomforts.
A more bland diet may help some pregnant people combat symptoms of nausea and indigestion.
Iron-rich foods may help some pregnant people fight symptoms of fatigue.
As a small business owner and mom to a busy toddler, Kristen Patterson has plenty of reasons to feel tired at the end of the day. Factor in her current pregnancy — she’s now in her third trimester — and sometimes, she can feel downright exhausted.
With guidance from her doctor and experience under her belt from her first pregnancy, Kristen uses a combination of nutrition and supplements to help her stay more comfortable while pregnant.
“Overall, my first pregnancy was a lot harder than my current pregnancy,” says Kristen, who’s 35 and lives in Savannah, Georgia. While she attributes some of this to different symptoms, the rest may be because she knows what to expect and how to better manage symptoms through dietary choices.
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What to keep on hand in case of nausea? Crackers
The nausea and vomiting Kristen experienced during her first pregnancy lasted all three trimesters. So, when she and her husband were trying for a second baby, she expected the same thing.
“As soon as I missed my period, I stopped drinking soda and coffee, and switched to a more bland diet to help things go down easier,” Kristen says. “I also called the doctor to see what anti-nausea medicine was safe to take early in pregnancy so that I could be able to function for work and for my 2-year-old daughter.”
When she’s feeling “super nauseous,” Kristen reaches for a classic comfort food: mashed potatoes. She finds that eating — rather than avoiding foods — helps her manage nausea. She acknowledges it sounds counterintuitive, but that if she waits too long between nausea arriving and eating, it’s “too late.”
That’s why she keeps a pack of crackers handy at all times, usually in her daughter’s diaper bag, and snacks for whenever nausea arises.
When heartburn keeps her up at night, she sticks to bland foods
Sticking to a bland diet has also helped Kristen manage another unpleasant symptom she’s experienced with both pregnancies: indigestion.
“It’s not worth enjoying [heartburn-causing] foods during the day to be kept up all night,” she says.
Still, she hasn’t completely renounced the food she loves. Rather, she’s made simple tweaks to help her stay more comfortable. For example, Kristen loves chocolate ice cream but knows chocolate often triggers indigestion. She’s switched to vanilla ice cream for a sweet treat that also keeps her cool during a summertime pregnancy (she enjoys this in moderation and has not experienced gestational diabetes in either pregnancy).
Staying hydrated helps keep her energized
Kristen is on her feet all day, an occupational hazard of her dual roles as a mother to a toddler and an owner of her family’s estate sale business.
She’s also experienced restless leg syndrome, which coupled with indigestion can sometimes keep her up all night.
To help keep fatigue in check, Kristen consulted her doctor, who prescribed magnesium oxide to help her muscles relax. She also makes a concerted effort to stay hydrated.
“I don’t drink soda or coffee during pregnancy, and neither taste good to me [while pregnant], which is crazy because I love them otherwise,” she says.
Her preferred substitute is one half sweet/half unsweet tea per day to give her a subtle energy boost. More likely than not, though, you’ll catch her “chugging water,” she says. “The doctor says it will help keep me going.”
A good excuse to have steak and broccoli for dinner
Anemia is one of Kristen’s more concerning pregnancy symptoms.
Toward the end of her first pregnancy, she was diagnosed with anemia and began taking iron supplements. Still, she ended up hemorrhaging during her daughter’s birth, requiring an iron transfusion.
Although she so far has not experienced anemia during her current pregnancy, Kristen says her doctor added iron pills to her regimen as a preventative measure. She also aims to consume more iron through foods like leafy greens and meat.
“I am trying to take every measure to make sure I’m eating what I need to eat to keep my iron up,” she says. “More steak and broccoli in my diet this time around!”
When she’s not pregnant, Kristen loves eating deli meat, but “the fear of giving my baby listeria from even one bite keeps me away from it all,” she says.
To curb that craving, and add iron-rich meat to her diet, Kristen orders a grilled chicken sub and adds all of her favorite toppings.
“As soon as I give birth, I’ll be ordering a ham sub to be delivered to my room,” she says, laughing. “I cannot wait.”
Keeping a positive attitude
Although some of Kristen’s pregnancy has been uncomfortable, she is eager to stress how lucky she feels — even amid symptoms of nausea, indigestion, and fatigue.
“As unfun as these symptoms all sound, I would endure it all 1,000 times longer just to have my daughter,” she says. “And I’m sure I’ll feel that way about my next. If anything, it reminds me to be thankful for every moment. The good, the bad, and the ugly.”
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