33 Weeks Pregnant and Having Trouble Eating/Drinking

Hi Guys! :)

I just have a quick question for you. I haven't been using a doctor since about five months pregnant because of medical bills and the limited income with this damned economy, so I just want to ask a question. I do realize we're not doctor's and I won't take anything too seriously, so please don't be too worried about me asking for advice instead of from a professional. :) I'm a nurse so I can kinda put things together, I'm just stuck on this one.

For the last two days I've had trouble eating or drinking, because I get bad cramps in my stomach. It's not low, like baby low, but up in my own stomach. From cold ice tea to hot soup, everything either cramps up really tight or aches for hours. Yesterday I made myself get food down, since I am pregnant, and just went to bed so the cramps would go away but I gained over a pound alone last night. I went out on my bike today but that gave me leg cramps, lol, so, of course, I stopped. Today I've only gotten down 270 calories but made sure to get down 64 ounces of water and green tea so I don't become hydrated. I used to have this problem once and I had to take a combonation of muscle relaxers, pills, and antispazmatics, also pills, that are not pregnancy safe. They've just been sitting in my cabinet for over eight months.

Can anyone besides me maybe think of some soothing foods I could get down? :) My baby needs more nutrition then 270 calories, definitely.

Original Post by escalina:

Hi Guys! :)

I just have a quick question for you. I haven't been using a doctor since about five months pregnant because of medical bills and the limited income with this damned economy, so I just want to ask a question. I do realize we're not doctor's and I won't take anything too seriously, so please don't be too worried about me asking for advice instead of from a professional. :) I'm a nurse so I can kinda put things together, I'm just stuck on this one.

For the last two days I've had trouble eating or drinking, because I get bad cramps in my stomach. It's not low, like baby low, but up in my own stomach. From cold ice tea to hot soup, everything either cramps up really tight or aches for hours. Yesterday I made myself get food down, since I am pregnant, and just went to bed so the cramps would go away but I gained over a pound alone last night. I went out on my bike today but that gave me leg cramps, lol, so, of course, I stopped. Today I've only gotten down 270 calories but made sure to get down 64 ounces of water and green tea so I don't become hydrated. I used to have this problem once and I had to take a combonation of muscle relaxers, pills, and antispazmatics, also pills, that are not pregnancy safe. They've just been sitting in my cabinet for over eight months.

Can anyone besides me maybe think of some soothing foods I could get down? :) My baby needs more nutrition then 270 calories, definitely.

UPDATE:

From dinner I was able to get down some more. I got down a total of 575 calories today. I guess that's better then 270 for the day.. :/

I know it stinks to not have heath insurance but go see the doctor, you know that as a nurse you should. 

As to the baby and weight, I had a terrible time with both pregnancies with the baby growing.  It's called intrauterine growth retardation.  I would gain the pound a week but the baby would gain nothing.  I was burning way more calories than I could eat.  So I had to go to eating small frequent meals which were very high in calories, think avocados and steak.  I actually have the note the doctor wrote telling me to eat an egg, Ensure, ice cream sundae, candy bar, and a small bag of potato chips in additon to all the meals everyday.  I also was restricted to no exercise.  If you are not eating or gaining you can't burn any calories that should be going to the baby. 

It worked my first baby had been on track to weigh three pounds at birth when we discovered the problem. She was born at exactly five pounds and perfectly healthy but the skinniest baby you ever saw.  When I got pregnant the second time I went on this diet as soon as I knew, I gained over 45 pounds and she weighed exactly seven!

I am not a doctor and this was only my experience.  You need to see your doctor to find out the right solution for you.  But I can tell you that by not feeding yourself you are not feeding your baby.  I hope it all works out for you and I am sorry it's so hard for you.

I'm in a similar boat, though not so far along in my pregnancy (18 weeks).  I have had little to no appetite and trouble eating because of it.  My doctor told me to just eat anything high-calorie that I was capable of getting down, and to actually drink a little less water.  (She was worried I'm filling up on water and not able to eat because of it.)  On the upside, my baby is big and happy and perfectly fine.  I haven't gained a pound since I got pregnant, though.

On another note, would it be possible for you to visit a free clinic or women's health center?  Even if you have to go somewhere that requires a little out of pocket, this far in the pregnancy I would definitely want someone checking that baby out, especially if you are having trouble ingesting anything.

I see from your profile that you are in Carson City, NV. Most states have a program that offers insurance (Medicaid) that covers pregnant women with no health insurance. Here is the website for the Nevada Department of Health and Human Services: http://health.nv.gov/MCHL.htm

That website has a phone number you can call to help get some medical attention because that's what you truely need.

Best of luck, girl!

Definitely time to seek some medical care.  Are you a practicing nurse?  Is it possible for you to call in some favors?  I'm highly concerned about your calorie intake as 600 calories is not nearly enough for a tiny woman to maintain weight let alone for a pregnant woman to get sufficient nutrition for herself let alone the baby.

Original Post by robynready:

I know it stinks to not have heath insurance but go see the doctor, you know that as a nurse you should. 

As to the baby and weight, I had a terrible time with both pregnancies with the baby growing.  It's called intrauterine growth retardation.  I would gain the pound a week but the baby would gain nothing.  I was burning way more calories than I could eat.  So I had to go to eating small frequent meals which were very high in calories, think avocados and steak.  I actually have the note the doctor wrote telling me to eat an egg, Ensure, ice cream sundae, candy bar, and a small bag of potato chips in additon to all the meals everyday.  I also was restricted to no exercise.  If you are not eating or gaining you can't burn any calories that should be going to the baby. 

It worked my first baby had been on track to weigh three pounds at birth when we discovered the problem. She was born at exactly five pounds and perfectly healthy but the skinniest baby you ever saw.  When I got pregnant the second time I went on this diet as soon as I knew, I gained over 45 pounds and she weighed exactly seven!

I am not a doctor and this was only my experience.  You need to see your doctor to find out the right solution for you.  But I can tell you that by not feeding yourself you are not feeding your baby.  I hope it all works out for you and I am sorry it's so hard for you.

 There should be some free pre natal clinics in the area. I would get horrible leg cramps with both my pregnancies, so it could be a calcium deficiency. Tums are the best OTC calcium supplement out there. Are you still taking your prenatals? I know its not calories, but it will help with the vitamins and nutrients. 

Try to add high calorie things to whatever you eat. If all you can handle is crackers and tea, then glob some cheese or butter or something like that on the crackers and put sugar in the tea. Could it be a touch of stress too? A few years back I had to get a Lower G.I and an Upper G.I because my parents thought I had ulcers, but it was just stress.

If and when you get to see a doctor, confirm that the medication for your digestive problems can pass through the placenta, and if there are any substitutes you can use.