Q&A: Morning Sickness, Birth Fears, and Postpartum Realities

Answers to the questions you've always had: how to beat morning sickness (or, all-day sickness more like!), face your fears of giving birth and discover what reeealllly happens after birth with your hormones and body. 

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Transcript

Q&A: Morning Sickness, Birth Fears, and Postpartum Realities

[00:00:00] In this special Q and A episode, we are addressing your burning questions on how food can ease morning sickness, strategies to conquer the fear of childbirth and the sometimes surprising truths about hormonal and body changes after giving birth. I'm Hannah Eriksen, your host and New Zealand registered dietician, obsessed about all things fertility, babies, and maternal health. Here to help you get your dream family faster. 

[00:00:23] Today's questions are great for anyone who hasn't conceived yet or given birth. Or any mama's who didn't quite have a great time the first time round, whether it was during pregnancy or in the postpartum stage. By the end of today's episode, I hope to have given you more food for thought, things to help shift your expectations or sense of your own capacity. 

[00:00:42] My hope is that this empowers you, encourages you and ultimately gives you the freedom to be you. 

[00:00:49] Let's get into it. 

[00:00:51] One listener, Jasmine asks "can diet help with feeling good through pregnancy and prevent sickness and nausea?" and the short answer. [00:01:00] Yes. I'll explain some of the proven strategies in a sec, but I just want to know that nausea and vomiting in pregnancy is common from around five weeks to 15. Though some women can experience it much longer. Even the whole length of their pregnancy. And this can range in severity. So just nausea or some vomiting or full on inability to hold anything down. In 1% of pregnancies, this can lead to a condition called hyperemesis gravidarum: where dehydration and electrolyte imbalance caused some women to be hospitalized for theirs and baby sake. 

[00:01:33] Supposing, you don't have that level of extreme, but you just want to make it easier on yourself because no one enjoys being nauseous. Here are some proven ways food can help. 

[00:01:44] The most basic principle is to have small regular meals. Eating large meals when nauseous is out of the question for one, but it's more because the nausea gets worse when our tummies are empty. So if your typical prepregnancy pattern is say to eat three times a day, you might actually find that nausea hits you [00:02:00] harder. 

[00:02:00] Uh, then if you added in some substantial snacks in between and had smaller main meals. So instead of eating three times, you might be eating six times and that can really help reduce the amount of sickness that you feel. You would have more opportunities also to get better nutrition in because when you feel like puking, the sort of any kind of food can put you right off. But if you're eating small and regular, chances are you're going to be getting more goodness for your baby. 

[00:02:24] Avoiding hot foods and choosing cold ones instead is another great suggestion. Hot foods tend to be more odorous and your sense of smell becomes particularly sensitive, triggering nausea and vomiting. Whereas fridge cold foods have less off-putting flavor and smells. Although on that note, be really careful when opening the fridge as it has been known to make a woman retch. For sure. 

[00:02:47] Studies of pregnant women, struggling with nausea found that sweet, crunchy and fresh products tended to be more preferable. So I'm thinking things like capsicums or bell peppers, sugar snap peas, apples. They're crunchy. They're [00:03:00] sweet. And they're fresh. Citrus, while not crunchy, is sweet and fresh. And the zing can often be enough to stave off the nausea as well. 

[00:03:08] When having meals avoid high fat ones instead go for more protein rich. And the thinking behind this is that fat delays gastric emptying, which is the time food takes to be removed from your stomach. Increasing the likelihood of actually throwing it up. Whereas protein is slowly digested in the small intestines and keeps you feeling fuller for longer. Instead of the French fries or pastries go for pasteurized cheese or yogurt. 

[00:03:36] Dry, salty and crunchy foods can also help if you can't stomach anything else. Crackers, dry toast, nuts can also help keep your energy levels up while not making you retch. 

[00:03:47] Two other additional strategies you can try, are B6 and ginger. 

[00:03:52] These tend to be recommended together and they show about the same level of efficacy in reducing nausea. Uh, but not so much vomiting, [00:04:00] unfortunately. B6 it's a B vitamin and it's found in non citrus fruit, things like beef, chicken, and grains, and to combat nausea it's best taken in a capsule or supplement form at a dose between 10 to 40 milligrams per day. 

[00:04:15] Now I would meet with a client and decide how much they needed to dose with depending on their symptoms, like how severe the nausea was and and if they're getting enough B6 through their food or not. Ginger can either be ground powder, it can be raw, it can be in capsules, or it can be steeped in water as a tea. 

[00:04:35] About one gram of ginger per day, broken up into four doses can be really helpful in alleviating nausea. My go-to is a ginger tea. Where I add about half a thumb size piece, chopped or grated, put into a liter of hot water. And drinking a cup of that across the day, it makes a really big difference. 

[00:04:54] Our next listener question is how can you manage fear around giving birth?[00:05:00] I speak to women who have given birth, who are dreading it as much as those who've never experienced it. And usually this is because of a previous experience that was unpleasant mismanaged or traumatic. 

[00:05:11] What I'm saying is: this is a question each woman answers for herself if it's the first or the fifth child that she's having. Fear can be managed. And when it is the whole birth experience can be an incredibly positive one. 

[00:05:24] Let me ask you a question. How do you feel about giving birth? There is probably a mix of emotions for many, but if fear is the predominant one, I have a second question. 

[00:05:35] Do you know why you feel that way? Knowing why can be a powerful determinant of changing things from fear to empowerment. Take some time to think. Do you feel fear because of what you've heard from others? Do you hate not knowing or being able to control things and that makes you afraid. Do you tell yourself you have a low pain threshold and the thought of pain makes you scared. [00:06:00] 

[00:06:01] Do you wonder if you'll even be able to do it? Do you listen to horror stories of birth and they freak you out. Once you identify your why you are in a great position to do something about it. For example, if your why is that you've heard so many horror stories it could be your mental diet needs changing. 

[00:06:20] Instead of listening or reading just painful, traumatic birth stories look for inspiring stories of birth, positive ones, which trauma was overcome. For some people, it might just be deciding not to listen to those kinds of stories at all. Because even if the stories are positive, your brain has a way of making you nervous that being positive, won't be your experience. 

[00:06:38] Or as another example, if you're afraid of not having control over how the birth will go, you can reframe the dialogue in your mind. Saying something like "I don't have control over exactly how the birth will go, but I have absolute control over how I approach birth and my response to what happens". 

[00:06:56] Or what about if your fear is based on pain? This [00:07:00] is a nuanced one, because fear makes our experience of pain, much worse. And a little bit of pain can cause more fear driving the cycle. Truths like "my body is designed to birth the baby" "it is more capable than I realize" "I can do hard things" or my personal favorite "I can do anything for 60 seconds" speaking of contractions. 

[00:07:19] It may sound weird, but changing your mindset can change your outcome so that you have a birth where fear is not the predominant emotion. And you can change your mindset by changing the words you use, either internally in your head or out loud. 

[00:07:36] I would Google some birth affirmations and pick ones that resonate with you. Some you'll laugh at, some you would like to believe, but deep down know that you don't. So pick the ones that you can truthfully say to yourself. 

[00:07:50] I wrote a list of affirmations for my labor. And it was so helpful in the beginning stages. I read them out myself, had others read them out. And it was one powerful tool I used [00:08:00] to support my body and quieten my mind so that I was not acting or living out of fear as I watched my body do something it had never done before. 

[00:08:10] Our final listener question for today is related to afterbirth. "I go on Instagram and I see these amazing post body transformations. And I wonder what is the reality post-birth when it comes to hormonal changes and body changes?" Oh, it's at goodie. 

[00:08:25] Let's talk hormone changes first. To set the stage I want you to know that your brain is undergoing change comparable to when you were a tweenager with all the acne and small tits. It was awkward and emotional and you raged for no particular reason. Since those years that shant be talked about again, you have been a fully competent, rational, responsible woman. 

[00:08:48] And to now feel that same way can often leave women feeling there's so much less grace for themselves when they've just given birth, and for the several months or years afterwards. Now this less grace can come from [00:09:00] external pressures, but most often it comes from women themselves. And not embracing this very different looking, but equally valuable and loved new mama-self. 

[00:09:10] When you become a mum for the first time, you will feel like a completely new person. Truly. And you're not sure who this new person is. You're not sure if you like them, or if the old you that you loved will ever come back. 

[00:09:22] Hormones are doing this. Estrogen, progesterone and going back to pre-baby levels. 

[00:09:27] Prolactin is dominating your milk and regulating supply. It's also helping you get into a deeper sleep faster. Oxytocin is bonding you to your baby and changing your brain structure to enlarge the nurturing capacity in your brain, often at the expense of your short term memory and rational thought. 

[00:09:43] And that is okay. 

[00:09:45] Women who are going through this will post say on social media about their experiences, some of it you might found helpful or hilarious. Most of it though will make you feel insecure as you try to navigate who you are, but confronted daily with all these other postpartum woman who seem to be figuring it [00:10:00] out faster than you. 

[00:10:02] I think it pays to mention the mental diet again. What is filling your mind, re: the hormones. And how do you feel about yourself and your journey as a result? Is it encouraging you and making you feel good? Have more of that kind of stuff. If it's not making you feel good, consider a social media sabbatical. Plus you actually get more sleep, right? 

[00:10:23] Now some women experience a stronger and longer than normal dip in hormones, and this can lead to postpartum anxiety and depression. It's very real and it's very common. As a dietician, I am obligated to tell you that nutrition can be a huge ally for you in this season. Commonly, deficiencies in vitamin D, iodine, omega-3, and an overall lack in calories can leave women feeling extremely depleted. 

[00:10:48] The mood suffers, routines go out of the window and unprocessed traumas can linger. It is my privilege to help new moms have more energy, have the space to learn about the new self, as I coach my postpartum clients to [00:11:00] nourish their bodies. 

[00:11:02] In terms of body changes though. Let me be really honest here. 

[00:11:06] Your body will never be the same again post baby. Never. You can't go through the most significant human feat in your life and have nothing to show for it. Stretch marks, saggy tummies, flabbier skin, wider hips and back. Extra pounds that won't budge, having to buy new clothes because the old wardrobe just won't fit.

[00:11:27] I do know people who lost all the baby weight almost immediately, and then some, but I also happen to know it's because they were under eating and their body was eating itself, basically to produce the milk for the baby. Once they ate more appropriately, their weight loss was much more gradual. 

[00:11:43] Body shape changes can depend on many things. Some of what you can control. Genetics, you can't control. Ah, your shape pre pregnancy, how much weight you gained in pregnancy, these are things that you can control with expert guidance. 

[00:11:57] If you start off well it will make it [00:12:00] more straightforward on the other side of birth. And that is just one the reasons i recommend you chat with a prenatal dietician before conception and during pregnancy. 

[00:12:08] Are you taking care of your body or are you telling it "I wish you thinner here, rounder here flatter here?" Are you telling your body now how much you appreciate it? Can i nudge you to practice that? Doing it now before you're pregnant can help you on the other side when it really does look different. 

[00:12:28] And one top tip I'll give away for free: High-waisted everything is your friend. Actually notice that in the instagram pics, like how high waisted are their leggings, what's the angle that they're using and what's their lighting like? Honestly. You can make anything look pretty fine.

[00:12:46] Thanks to all who sent through questions this really is the juicy stuff. If you want more information about working with me you can read and book via my website ognutrition.co.Nz and make sure you follow me on instagram at ohgoodness_nutrition [00:13:00] Chat soon, you baby makers.