Along with a body image post, intuitive eating during pregnancy was the most requested blog topic after I shared our news a month ago. I hope post helps you cultivate a peaceful relationship with food and nourish your body while pregnant. And no matter what life season you’re in, I hope this post helps you nourish your body when body signals are confusing. Stress, exercise, illness, lack of sleep, etc can all cause our body signals to become confusing and hard to read. I want to be as sensitive as possible around pregnancy posts and write more from an educational and helpful place for women. If reading about pregnancy in any form is hard for you, my hope is that you’ll skip over these occasional posts if you need to, be kind and compassionate with yourself and know that I’m thinking of you <3
An intuitive eater is defined as a person who, “makes food choices without experiencing guilt or an ethical dilemma, honors hunger, respects fullness and enjoys the pleasure of eating.” There is not one right way to be an intuitive eater. It can look SO MANY different ways depending on your body and the variety of environmental factors that could exist at any one time. Our body’s needs change and environmental factors change. So if you identify as an intuitive eater, the way you eat will therefore change over time. If I hadn’t already spent the last 4+ years letting go of food rules and diet culture and building skills to become an intuitive eater again (we are all born intuitive eaters) I would have probably had a hard time figuring out how to feed my body while pregnant. Food would have been stressful. So if you’re pregnant and feeling any level of distress around food, I hope this post is helpful for you.
I feel like I had a pretty textbook first trimester. What I mean by textbook, is that I wasn’t on the extreme of throwing up daily and battling exhaustion to the point of barely being able to move from the couch (I have so much empathy for those women) but I also wasn’t part of the small handful to escape the constant nausea, food aversions, fatigue and overall blahhhhhh-ness. Around 7-8 weeks I started to feel “morning sickness” but it was all throughout the day – by evening it usually lifted. Vegetables were out, although I did find romaine lettuce, bell peppers and cucumbers refreshing so on occasion I’d eat those. My version of a salad was romaine, feta cheese, cucumbers and creamy dressing. I remember being in client sessions feeling overwhelming nausea and hoping I didn’t yak on my keyboard. I felt tired, but nothing that was all consuming. A lot of days I took an afternoon nap. Walking outside always made me feel better so I did that often for daily movement. I couldn’t fathom the idea of exercising inside. So while thankfully, I feel like my symptoms could have been much worse…I did feel pretty crappy. But to receive the gift of growing a human, I’d do the first trimester for months on end even if I had the worst symptoms ever.
I’ve been pregnant for almost 25 weeks now so I can only speak to what I’ve learned so far. Perhaps I’ll have more to add by the end of the these 40 weeks. Here’s what I’ve learned so far:
1. let go of expectations
Figuring out how to feed myself during pregnancy was a whole new learning curve – particularly during those first 15ish weeks until the nausea went away. I felt so unlike myself and most of the time I was hungry, but didn’t want to eat anything. Food sounded gross. But what kept nausea at bay was eating. It was a catch 22. There were a lot of atypical body signals happening. Being pregnant has given me so much more gratitude for intuitive eating. If I would have still had expectations to eat veggies at lunch and dinner, crave my normal foods and still want to engage in exercise like I did pre-pregnancy I would have been stressed out and unable to enjoy and embrace pregnancy to it’s fullest. For me, it was all about flexibility. There was no “normal” and I just tried to listen to my body and make the best decision I could given the moment’s circumstances.
I remember thinking in the beginning, around 6ish weeks, before the nausea set in, that I could just drink veggies in smoothie form if I felt nauseous. Cover up the veg with peanut butter and chocolate and I’ll be good to go. OH NO. I gagged at the thought. There was nothing going through a straw and into my mouth that involved vegetables or protein powder. Most days I didn’t eat any vegetables – as long as I was taking my prenatal vitamins, I was 0% worried about the baby getting enough nutrients. I was eating carbs, proteins and fats and that’s what mattered most – giving my body the major building blocks it needed to grow a human.
Coffee was gross. Chocolate was gross. Nut butters were gross. Anything spicy or heavily seasoned was gross. I ate what sounded good and moved on. I’m positive I’m not the first pregnant woman to subsist off carbs and cheese and ice cream for a couple months and I won’t be the last. Carbs are readily available energy. During a time when you are growing an entirely new organ (hi, placenta) and all of baby’s organs …it makes total sense to me that a woman’s body would crave carbs all the time.
2. The glory of cheese + pepperoni + bread
I ate so much pepperoni pizza in the beginning and I still eat pizza quite frequently now. Whole Foods sells huge one topping pizzas for $15 and I can’t tell you how many of those I bought, brought home and told Nick, “this is what’s for dinner.” Bless him. We ate pizza for nights on end. Doughy bread always sounded good. And pasta with olive oil and sea salt. The pizza train is still going (now with toppings other than just pepperoni) and I’m finding it quite convenient to be craving pizza all the time since each slice has carbs + protein + fat. Gang’s all there.
3. Just because your body signals don’t “feel” normal doesn’t mean they aren’t valid and trustworthy
Normal means a lot of different things when it comes to eating. What is normal for me might not be normal for you. But everything is relative, so compared to what you are used to, your eating patterns and body signals might feel all sorts of “not normal.” Letting go of expectations on what I should feel or what I should crave or how many naps I should or shouldn’t take really allowed me to just do what was best for me. Easier to write than to actually do. Just because my body signals felt out of the ordinary didn’t mean they weren’t valid and true and normal for this season of life.
4. Your body is the pilot, your mind is the co-pilot
Intuitive eating is bridging head knowledge with body knowledge…because sometimes body signals are confusing. Pregnancy being one of those times. I like to think of my body being the pilot and my mind is there as the co-pilot when my body needs some extra assistance. That might mean it’s been 4ish hours since my last meal and I don’t really feel hungry, but I know I should eat something because my blood sugar and GI system do best when I’m eating every at least every 4ish hours. That might mean I have zero appetite and the only thing that sounds good is popsicles, but I know(sadly) that I won’t be satiated on popsicles. So I piece together a meal of fried eggs, roasted potatoes, and if I’m feeling it, some roasted veggies because those foods combined give my body the carbs, protein, fat, vitamins and fiber it needs to function best.
For me, after years of working through the IE principles and coming to a judgement free and full permission place with food, the head knowledge piece means implementing some gentle nutrition. Like choosing whole grains most of the time when all I want it to eat is white pasta with butter all day long. I know the whole grains will still be carby and satisfying, but will keep my blood sugar more stable and help me poop. Constipation in pregnancy is real. If I wanted pizza rolls or sour candy or mac and cheese, I tried to pick up Annie’s over Totino’s, or buy candy from TJs or the Whole Foods bulk bins most times vs skittles and starbursts or pick up a box of 365 brand mac and cheese over Kraft. As regularly as I was eating some of these foods, I did my best to avoid preservatives and unfamiliar additives. Would they have killed me? Of course not. Are these foods “bad?” No. Food is not a moral thing. But it was an easy swap that was a bit more wholesome and just as satisfying.
5. Stay present
I didn’t care what happened prior that day or what may happen tomorrow. I tried to ask myself, “What does my body need RIGHT NOW?” That’s what mattered and still matters most. And I think eating based on the present is how we settle into a rhythm of eating that is satisfying and nourishing. Of course, there were times when dinner was going to be ready in an hour so I’d eat something small to tide me over, but not fill me up. Or I had a lunch break at work at a certain time, so I had to eat lunch then. That will always be the case – pregnant or not. Sometimes there are logistical things we account for. But overall, I tried to stay present. This weekly eats post is a good recap of what food looked like for the first half of pregnancy. Now, there might be some roasted veggies thrown in there, but overall I’m finding carbs in the form of pizza, pasta and sandwiches, fats (except nut butter, which I don’t crave often), fruits/cold veggies and dairy on a daily basis are foods that often satisfy me and give me energy. That’s a little different than before pregnancy where I craved salads for lunch more, peanut butter with almost every breakfast and other foods that just don’t sound all that great right now. I’m rolling with it.
6. It won’t be perfect, but it will be one big less in curiosity.
There have been plenty of times that I’ve eaten what feels like a normal sized breakfast/lunch/dinner and felt fine right when I finished, but then 15 minutes later felt stuffed. Digestion slows, the baby takes up more room as the weeks go on and things just don’t work exactly like they use to. That’s okay. There will be plenty of times when I eat past fullness even though I tried my best not to. My body is trying to managing digesting food and growing a human in the same small space. Pregnant or not, I’m trying to stay curious over being judgmental. Lately though, I have found myself frustrated with food because nothing sounds good, but if you put something in front of me that I didn’t have to cook myself I’ll probably eat it. Food just doesn’t feel that exciting anymore and that’s sad because I love food. But it’s all par for the course I think.
Our bodies will go through so much change in our lives, pregnancy being one of those possible seasons. Intuitive eating doesn’t look one way and I think there is a zillion different ways to nourish and care for your body during pregnancy. The last thing women need during pregnancy (or anytime) is more judgment or “should haves.” I’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments!
Loved this. Thank you.
I’m actually four months along, but nausea is something I still battle constantly. I love your balanced approach, & honestly- cheese has calcium, vitamin D, a smattering of B vitamins, pepperoni has iron & B12, tomato paste is a great source of antioxidants- pizza is basically a super food.
All food has worth, & healthy as you say is always changing depending on where you are in life.
Also- that ‘nothing sounds good, food seems unappealing, but I’m starving…’ thing is something I struggle with all the time. Porridge, toast, digestive biscuits, gummy bears, also soup (I’m in Australia, it’s cold here) are usually my staples when that feeling strikes. And with you on the pizza. Loads & loads of pizza. Just call me Mrs. Margherita.
So many blessings to you & Nick, you guys will be such great parents 🙂
Keep taking care of yourself – I think you are doing a fantastic job of honoring your cravings and nourishing you and baby 🙂 Congrats Olivia!
I loved this post even though I am only 18 and definitely not pregnant! I would love to hear more about the comment you made about choosing the more “natural” brands of the food you crave instead of the conventional options. I am in recovery from an ED and I go towards the more organic, no preservatives, no additives, types of foods. What is your experience and opinion on this topic when it comes to challenging fear foods? Do you recommend your clients to eat the generic brand or if they want the more natural and organic brand, is that okay as well? I find to go to these brands because I can trust customer company!
I also relate to the idea that I am hungry but nothing sounds good. Maybe another idea to explore in terms of recovery for a future post? It can be challenging to get out of my food routine!
I always love your thoughts and ideas on these topics, big thanks and much love.
Hi Hannah! Glad you enjoyed the post even in a totally different season of life. A food choice is really so much more than the food, rather its the thoughts/feelings behind that choice. For me, I could eat “conventional options” (and do) and feel the same towards that food. I’d eat it, enjoy it, and move on. No fear or lingering “should” thoughts. That took me YEARS to get to. That’s the morality and permission piece of IE that one must work through before implementing the “gentle nutrition” principle – the last step of IE. I would do a lot of work and have a lot of conversation with a client around their thoughts/feeling/beliefs around food so we could work together to get to a point where they can eat ALL foods without morality or judgment. I hope that helps.
Thank you for sharing this! I’m 7.5 weeks and struggling with eating all carbs. It’s all I can stomach. I have been working hard to recover fully from my ED and carbs have always been “scary.” I’m finding that pregnancy is forcing my to come face to face with a lot of my previous food rules and thoughts around what’s “acceptable” to eat and what’s not. Trying to reframe – It’s ok to eat all carbs if it’s all I can handle. This is temporary! I will be back to craving fruits, veggies and meat again before I know it. For now, I need to just listen to what my body is asking for.
I’m glad pregnancy is that nudge to really move through ED thoughts – thinking of you HC! Carbs = energy. Keep those healthy thoughts coming!
Great post, Robyn! I’m currently 7 weeks pregnant and definitely on the all carb diet right now, haha. I too have a hx of disordered eating but in the past few years have grown into an intuitive eater and having a healthy relationship with food. (thanks to my husbands help and also reading a lot of your posts!) I know this season (of nausea/nothing sounds good/vegetables are gross) will pass, so just trying to listen to my body every day. I appreciate your honest posts.. thank you for sharing!
So glad you enjoyed the post and it resonated Amy! Congrats on your pregnancy!
“I remember being in client sessions feeling overwhelming nausea and hoping I did yak on my keyboard.“
Do you mean *didn’t* yak, or did yak so you could go home and lay down? Either way, I think we can all relate to feeling nausea at horribly inconvenient times! Glad to hear it’s settled down some.
“Just because my body signals felt out of the ordinary didn’t mean they weren’t valid and true and normal for this season of life.”
I think this is so important for everyone, pregnant or not. In fact, it resonated so much with me that I’m going to screenshot it to return to as I need it. (And I’m not and have never been pregnant.) Same with the part about eating in the present – sometimes I overanalyze what I want to eat for lunch based on what I expect to want at a restaurant for dinner, or what I had over the weekend, but it really is easier to go with the flow of what my body is saying most times.
P.S. If you ever need somebody to help post or proofread blog posts, I hereby volunteer as tribute (Hunger Games reference for the win). I hope you take that as intended and don’t take offense – just an offer to potentially help ease your workload while pregnant or afterward.
I’m good on the editing front, thanks though – I’m just human and sometimes things slip 🙂 I went back and fixed it so thanks for pointing it out.
Glad those thoughts on being present and the validity of our body’s sensations resonated with you!
I agree that you should get a proof-reader, no offense intended. It’s not just here and there – it’s a lot – and if this is a professional platform for you, you should want others to take your writing seriously.
For example: you constantly say “suppose to” instead of “supposed to”
Hi Robyn. I’ve read your blog for a long time but never commented. I’m 34 weeks and struggled with an eating disorder in my early 20s. While I’ve considered myself in recovery for a few years now, being pregnant has helped me continue to work on letting go of food rules I may have been holding more tightly than I realized. I remember talking with my RD who is trained in intuitive eating and her challenging my fear of eating pizza, describing as you did how the components of pizza can fill so many of my nutritional needs. In that moment I could never picture giving myself full permission to enjoy pizza and to see it as something that could nourish me in comparison to something that I had deemed “healthy.” Just last night we needed to grab a quick dinner before our childbirth class and my husband asked me what sounded good. Pizza was the first thing that came to mind and for a moment I thought I “should” consider something else. The eventual choice? Pizza! And I felt good after knowing I had honored my hunger cues and let go of the expectations I have of what meals must look like to be “healthy.”
Thank you for writing so boldly and honestly on your blog. Reading it regularly has been a huge support to me in my recovery journey.
So glad you were able to make a choice in line with your healthy, wise self even in the midst of thoughts coming from the “unhealthy” side of your brain. That’s fantastic and sounds like the healthiest choice you could have made. Congrats on your pregnancy! Thinking of you in these final weeks!
I love point 3! The new feelings are “trustworthy” – that felt so good to ‘hear’ and be reminded of. Both of my pregnancies so far were pre-IE, and I remember being very overwhelmed, particularly in the third tri, by the extent of my hunger. If there’s ever another pregnancy, I’m thankful to be have this little nugget stashed away in my memory to repeat to myself.
So glad that piece resonated – you can tuck that away and use it now too!!
Hi Robyn!
I’ve been reading your blog for years, but have never commented before. So, first off, thank you for your wonderful recipes and meal ideas! Your writing is extremely wise, sell-aware and kind. I’ve been fortunate to have never had an issue with an eating disorder, etc., but still love to read your thoughts.
I have a question for anyone who may have some insight. I don’t eat vegetables…and I’m not pregnant. Unless, are we currently classifying potatoes as a vegetable, lol? I consume a wonderful amount of fruit (fresh, dried, juice, whatever) and root veggies (mostly potatoes, yucca, etc.), but can count on one hand the amount of green veggies I eat annually. No, that’s not a typo…I eat like 4 servings of green veggies every year.
I’m wondering what you suggest for someone (if any suggestion at all) who’s eating what makes them feel best and what they love, but, for all effective purposes, is missing an entire food group.
Thanks, Robyn–a big congrats on your growing family too! (Also, thank you for seemingly being a gem of a HCP.)
Reeva! I love when I see new commenters and thank you for reading for so long! I really appreciate it <3
I'm wondering if you could do some exploring around tasting different veggies cooked different ways. Try adding different spices etc etc. I do think that LONG TERM, a diet of the major food groups (carbs, protein, fat, fiber (aka fruit and veg) and dairy if one can tolerate) provides us with all the vitamins/minerals and macronutrients. So I'd encourage you to explore your tastebuds!!
Thanks, Robyn! I should’ve mentioned that I LOVE the taste of green veggies (well at least most of them, lol). They simply don’t make me feel quite as good as I do when I eat other things. They don’t make me feel poorly…I just feel more awesome and vibrant when I don’t eat them. It’s a funny thing from an intuitive eating perspective. With that said, it certainly couldn’t hurt to explore more recipes! Hope you’re having a great week!
I loved this post! I’m 11 weeks along with my second, and I found myself nodding along to all of this. I laughed out loud when I read your sentence about drinking smoothies because I stupidly thought I’d just drink them to get my veggies in, but even looking at one makes me stomach turn. I remember having random waves of nausea with my first, but I was able to eat pretty normally and exercise how I did prior to getting pregnant. But this time around has been a totally different ball game. Food in general makes me want to die, unless it is in the form of cereal, sandwiches, pizza, soup, or something else involving carbs and cheese. And I’m lucky if I can drag myself out the door to take a walk. Every week I try to meal plan and go to the store to buy ingredients for a few dinners, and…then we end up ordering pizza or eating mac n cheese from a box because I can’t stand the thought of cooking whatever I bought. It’s maddening. But, like you said, I just keep reminding myself that this is a season of life and it won’t last forever. And to just embrace it! So, that’s my long-winded way of saying thank you for this posts. It’s helpful to know that I’m not alone (and the struggle is real!).
Be kind to yourself. You are doing the best you possibly can and that is what matters <3
Was so lovely to read about your experience, found myself nodding all the way through it, especially the part about thinking you could eat vegetables. I actually tried just once and they came right back up, so that was that! Just replace the insane pizza cravings with ramen noodles (literally ate them maybe 2x in my life before pregnancy) and this could have been written by me! I’m just 3 weeks ahead of you and now finally finding a sense of humor in everything 🙂
Hahah, glad you could relate 🙂
I relate to a lot of this post. I’m currently 29 weeks on my second pregnancy. I had nausea and vomiting for the first sixteen weeks or so of my pregnancy and some days I subsisted on potato chips (!) and sour candy because that was all I could keep down. After those sixteen weeks, the foods that used to appeal to me pre pregnancy appeal to me again but my body definitely feels wonky lots of days. My belly grew a lot in a two week period recently (presumably a baby growth spurt?) and I was much more tired and hungrier than usual. I just try to go with the flow and give my body what I think it’s telling me in terms of sleep and nutrition. Pregnancy, labour and delivery and the post partum period are all one big season of trusting your body.
Going with the flow is certainly a theme over here too!
Such great information and insight in this post regardless of whether one is pregnant or not. Just curious to know what type of prenatal vitamin you use. Thanks!
So glad it was helpful in either season of life! I’ve been taking the Garden of Life Vitamin Code Prenatal – I buy it off Amazon and have really liked it.
Good to know; thanks! Any recommendations on what specifically to look for in a prenatal vitamin?
Loved this post! I’m 35 weeks pregnant and I can relate so much to what you wrote about. I’ve craved more carbs than I ever have in my life during pregnancy and I’ve just learned to accept that it’s what my body seems to need right now and that’s okay. It’s great to hear that I’m not alone and think about a shift in mindset during pregnancy!
It makes total sense to me that the body craves carbs most! Congrats on your pregnancy 🙂
You don’t need to apologize so much for being pregnant! It’s nice to be sensitive to those undergoing fertility struggles, but it’s okay to talk about it and be open without qualifying it every time, especially when it relates to your area of expertise. Just a gentle suggestion to be yourself without apology! Thanks for the informative post.
I don’t think I’ve apologized at all – that wouldn’t be healthy for me to do nor for people on the receiving end to hear. It is very important for me to be sensitive and considerate. I work and have worked with many women 1:1 struggling with infertility and have clients/family/friends who have lost babies – I appreciate your thoughts but I’m going about it in the way that feels best.
Oh thank you, thank you, thank you! I came onto my computer to search for “IE During Pregnancy.” This was so helpful. Your blog is one of the few blogs I read… so I didn’t even have to search!
I am 12 weeks now and was feeling good recovery-wise before pregnancy. Unfortunately, the first health care provider I saw told me some bogus things about the benefits of gaining minimal weight, etc. during pregnancy and didn’t recant her advise even after I told her about my history of eating disorders. It was frustrating – and it got into my head more than I’d like to admit. Thankfully, my health care provider now was so awesome and sensitive to my history (trauma informed) and asked if I wanted to not know my weight. She even told me outright that no one would make an issue of my weight during this pregnancy. I told her the previous advice I received and she said she didn’t think our bodies could even control the amount of weight they need to gain during pregnancy and that everyone is different. (Thank you!) I share all this because I hope to encourage others to find a supportive provider in such a sensitive time.
It feels like, even if you’re in a good spot with food + body during pregnancy, it is a time when you are bombarded with unsolicited and potentially harmful advise from every angle about nutrition, movement, weight, etc.. I didn’t realize how much it had worn on me, until some unhelpful thoughts started to creep in. I realized it was a good time to look up some encouragement in this area. All of this to say, thank you for such an informed and sensitive post. It felt affirming and comforting. I hope many women can feel better after reading it, as I did.
I am so so glad you’ve found a wonderful provider. Congrats to you Emily!! I am so glad the post resonated with you <3
Great post! I only wish I read it 6 months ago. My first little girl will be a month on Friday and food choices and body image consumed way too much of my time and energy when I was pregnant. I know you’re not there yet, but I would love if you did a post on IE/ appetite/ body image and postpartum body/ breastfeeding. The hunger is real, no energy for cooking, etc!
Congrats on your baby girl! I’ll write this topic down on my list 🙂
What a great post! Thanks for this, Robyn.
I’m not pregnant, but I think what you wrote is really helpful to anyone on their IE journey. All your advice here really shows how you are living out the IE principles, and it’s amazing to see a really in-depth view of how someone cares for themselves in that way, even when body signals are different for normal and confusing. Because, as you say, body signals can be confusing at any stage of life and they change too, and it can really throw you off.
I love love LOVE this -> “Your body is the pilot, your mind is the co-pilot” That is such a clear, spot-on summary of honouring your health and I want to write it out and stick it on my wall! I also love what you said about body signals still being valid even when they are unusual. It’s so easy for me to think “Oh, that’s a weird thing for my body to be saying, it must be wrong so I’ll ignore it”. Lol! My body is smarter than that! Thank you for such an amazing, insightful post, I really enjoyed reading it!
Hope you and Bebe continue doing well ^_^
I’m so glad it was helpful for you too Rachel not being pregnant – yet having confusing body signals. That is my hope!
Have a great weekend!
I am 16 weeks pregnant after 8 years of not having a period due to HA.
I couldn’t agree with this sentence more: “f I hadn’t already spent the last 4+ years letting go of food rules and diet culture and building skills to become an intuitive eater again (we are all born intuitive eaters) I would have probably had a hard time figuring out how to feed my body while pregnant. Food would have been stressful.”
Im so glad I put in over a year of work regarding my relationship with food and bodyweight before getting pregnant. I can’t imagine imagine trying to eat perfectly when pregnant, how stressful.
Oh man, never been so grateful for all that hard work.
Hi everyone!
Robyn, great post! Resonates so much! After recovering from ED and HA I definitely find myself craving things that used to be on my restrcited list. One of the things I initially enjoyed was being able to eat out and have my favourite Pad Thai but now I am obsessing that anything I eat in restaurants will harm the baby….How do I cope with similar fears about hygene and correct preparation of foods while ordering a take away or eating out!
I would encourage you to probably get outside support from a therapist or RD – those thoughts are so tough! CBT skills can be really helpful. Remember, stress isn’t healthy for baby. Sending you lots of love!
Great post! Having thrown the scale away years ago and come to a healthy relationship with all foods being pregnant and getting weighed is difficult, especially that first time when the paper work said my BMI indicates I am obese. Yesterday at the doctors office though I was complimented by the doc. and when he asked what I was doing I said nothing different when I should have said I have a healthy relationship with all foods. And yes the 12 to 16 weeks of all the carbs is real, but at least it is getting the calories in!
Thanks for putting this message out there! ❤️ I can definitely relate and took comfort in much of what you had to say, (currently 19 weeks along). As someone who considers herself an intuitive eater and as a fellow dietitian guilt set in when veggies were a no go, carb (aka bread) cravings were rampant and I didn’t want to cook. Plus, I had to grieve a sense of loss around food since I too love to eat. Most of this has started to subsided thankfully but I think it’s great for other women to know what can play into the process and to let go of expectations and do their best. Love that you bring up the idea of listening to your body and using some nutrition wisdom as guidance as well as different seasons of life not always looking the same, aka perfect.
Robyn!!
This is Kristie’s friend, Kim. I am now 23 weeks along with a little baby boy! I saw this in my Facebook news feed, and thought I’d stop by. I loved this post so much!
I have definitely learned to show myself some grace during this season of life. I never truly understood how difficult that first trimester could be, and it seems I am not alone in that I could only tolerate carby foods in the beginning. The thought of chicken was disgusting – for months! The only thing I have forced myself to ingest each day is a prenatal vitamin. I stuck with gummies in the beginning due to the nausea. Now, I can take the regular pills (they have iron, unlike the gummies) as long as I chase them with a pickle (or 5!).
Thanks for all that you shared. You are going to be a great mother!
Thank you for writing this! I’m 9 weeks and for some reason all I can eat is fruits and veggies… no one else seems to have this same experience and it’s tricky because I LOVE breads and complex carbs but can’t seem to stomach any of them. Like you said… I miss food! I’ve been practicing Intuitive Eating for two years now and it has been really great for pregnancy because I’m much more flexible than I was ever willing to be before. Thank you for writing on this subject!
Great read! Thank you for sharing!
Dear Robyn. THANK YOU FOR THIS HONEST POST. Here I was thinking… am I the only weirdo who planned to have a pregnancy full of greens and nuts and is only craving bread and cheese? What is wrong with me! And slowly but surely I a finding out I am not alone in this crazy and amazingly beautiful change that my body is going through nourishing a whole new life and organ. Your words give me solace and I find a bit of peace hearing that there is no “right” way and that we will be fine. Baby and me.
I remember reading this post back before I event started TTC. After 13 months of TTC, we are pregnant with our first! I’m a little over 8 weeks now, so know I have a long road ahead of me, but found this post so comforting – definitely what I needed right now. I’ve been practicing IE for 2.5 years and pregnancy has definitely tested me in this. Thank you <3
Thank you so much for this post! It helped me feel more comfortable where I’m at and also consider what my body might be needing over the nausea aspect of cravings. Plain Cheerios have been life saving for me! I also find the peach all fruit popsicles are great for taking away nausea so I can eat something but not being too sweet.
Thanks so much again! I will definitely continue
to reflect on these principles you shared
Thank you for this… I went to the doctor today and was concerned about my weight. I was frustrated that I had an overweight nurse tell me to eat healthy snacks every 2 hours and not full meals. I don’t eat full meals every 2 hours. Hardly at all, and yet I’m gaining a lot of weight, while simultaneously not eating enough. It is super stressful and I am trying not to eat fast food chicken nuggets, although sometimes it seems to be the only thing that will satisfy.
Thanks for this post! The first trimester vegetable aversion is so relatable for me, but the part I’m even more glad you touched on is the later pregnancy overfilled feeling. I’m 25 weeks along and will eat “normally” then feel uncomfortable. Then feel guilty when I want a cookie later. My body signals feel so mixed up right now!?
Hi – I just wanted to say that I’m on my phone searching ‘is it okay I’m still eating badly at 14 weeks’ or something thereabouts and this blog came up. So I just wanted to say thank you. It has been exactly what I needed to read. I just ate pizza (again) and am usually such an intuitive eater but have really struggled with the guilt of I’m not feeding my baby well etc etc. My first pregnancy with my son who is now 3 was such a doddle and I ate well throughout so this time round I feel ill-equipped and that silly critic in my head pipes up a bit too often about what I should be eating. So thank you. This has been enormously comforting, encouraging and useful. So important to tell our stories and reach out to others.
I’m so glad you have found comfort here Harriet <3 Please give yourself grace upon grace. That second pregnancy with a toddler running around is a DOOZY. I feel ya. You're doing great!
I literally felt like I was reading what I would write about my own pregnancy experience. I’m only 7 weeks in and I’m not joking when I say everything you said was spot on for me!! Like I know I’m not alone in this but man does it feel super encouraging to read your words. I’ve also been on an intuitive eating journey for the past year and I believe God just prepared me for this baby to not be so in control of food and exercise. So thank you for sharing and for encouraging women like myself that pizza and pasta is ok. Think I’m having Mac and cheese for dinner now thanks to you 🙂
Couldn’t have said it better!
This entire article is EVERYTHING. I’m only 9 weeks pregnant- the nauseated, carbs and fat craving, occasional veggie and mood swings portion of pregnancy. I searched into Google “how to stop feeling so much pressure to eat perfectly while pregnant” and this article came up! So much pressure I put on myself to eat the leafy greens every day, which the thought of makes me sick, to eat the beans and rice cakes. Gross. I want pizza and crispy chicken sandwiches. Don’t get me wrong I eat the oatmeal and fruit daily with the chicken salad for lunch but dinners really have me craving delicious food! Struggling to find the mental balance of “should I be eating this?” Or “should I have the baked chicken and veggies?”- which again sound gross! After reading your article, you are so relatable and need you to know how much better I feel! You are a gem! Thanks for being so open and honest!
This entire article is EVERYTHING. I’m only 9 weeks pregnant- the nauseated, carbs and fat craving, occasional veggie and mood swings portion of pregnancy. I searched into Google “how to stop feeling so much pressure to eat perfectly while pregnant” and this article came up! So much pressure I put on myself to eat the leafy greens every day, which the thought of makes me sick, to eat the beans and rice cakes. Gross. I want pizza and crispy chicken sandwiches. Don’t get me wrong I eat the oatmeal and fruit daily with the chicken salad for lunch but dinners really have me craving delicious food! Struggling to find the mental balance of “should I be eating this?” Or “should I have the baked chicken and veggies?”- which again sound gross! After reading your article, you are so relatable and need you to know how much better I feel! You are a gem! Thanks for being so open and honest!
Wow, this is exactly what I needed to hear! So many pregnancy resources say to “eat as many vegetables as you can” and “focus on getting lots of lean protein.” Which is so hard when all I want is crackers, baked potatoes, and popsicles!
I’ve been exploring and learning about intuitive eating for the last year and a half, and at 7 weeks pregnant, was trying to figure out how it all fits in with the constant nausea and fatigue. Everything you wrote makes so much sense and gives me a sense of relief…EVERY pregnant woman should read this! Thank you!!