Cooking for sdil with Hyperemesis

[Babysharkdoodoodoodo]

Hi,
Sds, sdil and toddler are coming for a week before Xmas. She's really suffering with morning (all day) sickness and is currently surviving on soup. She super fussy anyway about food, hardly any veggies and no spices. So I'm really struggling with food ideas. I get the Morrisons fresh soups for my lunch anyway, so would it be reasonable to get a few in just for her?

I feel guilty for not cooking specially for her but I don't get home from work until around 6pm and tbh I can't be arsed with faffing around cooking multiple meals after a stressful day. It's bad enough having guests for over a week when I get up for 5.30am anyway. (Sorry just stressing and venting, I do like them all really) I just don't want to be faced with the nose wrinkle again, when I've just spent the best part of an hour or so cooking. Last time it was picking the kidney beans out of the chili, and being told she didn't like peas after I made a lovely pea and ham soup. I keep asking about like and dislikes and getting vague answers. It's generally driving me mental.

I guess what I'm asking is what bland , tummy friendly, easy to cook recipes are there? Whilst I cook normally for the rest of us?

[kateandme]

heres a few that helped or was managed.
chicken in white sauce.so a really basic white sauce with chicken in and rice.surpisingly tasty but very comforting for her.
scrambled egg.
toast.
rich teas
fish fingers
brwad sticks.
a few nuts to snack on
foxes creams
porridge
cornflakes allowed to go soft.same with branflakes.so id come and put milk on half hour before we had breakie.
warm custard with sponge.or dgiestives gone soft in it.
rice pudding or those muller rice pots.
ribena
rice krispies.
she managed the shephard pie but just the topping really with more gravy than the mince.
jackets with just some cheese on.
mashed carrot and sweet potato.
it changes.
I got her a litte box of comfort.some fluffy socks and pjs.some pringles.hot water bottle.mug with hot choc in.one of those kids size selection cereal boxes.packet of rich tea and bourbons.and a loaf of bread for toast.magazine and chick lit.and a dvd.she really
appreciated it.
tyr and help her eat regually and empty stomach is trigger for vimit and nausea small and steady.

[timeisnotaline]

How is it going op? How is your poor sdil?

[TeddyIsaHe]

When my HG was severe I couldn’t eat or drink anything, even my own saliva without throwing it up 2 minutes later. My dr dismissed me as being paranoid until I said I hadn’t had a wee for 36 hours and then an ambulance was called.

When I was slightly better (ie had 45 minutes in between throwing up rather than 5) I ate plain crisps, sour jelly sweets and apple tango. And that was it.

Please be accommodating to your SIL - it’s just a week and you not cooking pungent food/having air fresheners everywhere/ washing bedding in strong smelling fabric softener etc etc could mean the difference between her having an ok week and being made to feel the illest you could possibly imagine.

Also fuck whoever suggests ginger.

[BusterGonad]

Wheatabix is great too either as a snack or for breakfast.

[BusterGonad]

I have never had HG but I have got crohns which can often make me feel really sick, I tend to go for soups cream of Tom or chicken, jelly sweats are a real winner, plain biscuits like digestives and rich tea, lots of squash, Coke and lemonade to reintroduce sugars. Crisps like plain pringles and lightly salted are always good. Ice lollys is an amazing suggestion as they rehydrate and taste good.

[ElfOnTheShelfAteMyJoy]

Not wanting to be dramatic but it's gone 2am in UK and am still up as we've been talking about baby no2 but the level of HG I had was so awful and this thread has triggered so many memories- OP am so hoping you accept HG is a medical condition and not just your sil being faddy!

[VimFuego101]

If there's something she can eat - even if it's canned soup or plain toast - I would just make sure you're stocked up with the exact brand, try to block off cooking smells from wherever she'll be sleeping (maybe a fan in her room) and be clear you won't be offended if she doesn't feel up to sitting at the dining table while others are eating. It must be tough staying at someone else's house while you feel so rough.

[timeisnotaline]

I’d get some junk food- fizzy drinks, haribos, sour jelly sweets, individual packets of potato crisps, and fruit & crackers , ice lollies and sorbet and just see if anything works. Basically you can’t win this week except by stocked bathroom as pp said, understanding plenty of time in bed
And having no pressure options. She may not be able to answer, I couldn’t give any answers to what I would want to eat because there is no right asnwer and just thinking about food hurts. I didn’t use Pinterest or pick up a magazine for months because the pictures of food made me feel ill. When I was recovering so starting to think I might eat x or y, I suddenly thought I could actually eat a burger one night. By the time we’d thrown coats on and walked 200m to the burger shop and ordered I couldn’t any more. Is there not a step son who can give as much helpful advice as possible? Can you not ask him?

[ElfOnTheShelfAteMyJoy]

Most of my nutrition from my pregnancy came from the 'yellow bag' of parbinex IV... Just get her to come to you prepped for that and you'll have no bother!

[JassyRadlett]

Trouble is with the no pungent fumes is that just about all my cooking relies on spices. I'm not good at bland.

Couldn’t you try, just for a week, if it meant easing another person’s misery a bit? I’m speaking as someone who couldn’t go into the supermarket for four months during one of my pregnancies, because of the smells. It’s awful.

I guess I could always pop a chicken breast or a pork chop in the oven whilst I'm doing the rest and give her some boiled pots to go with it. Or some basic pasta with cheese?

Seriously, please don’t prejudge what she will and won’t be able to eat or that ‘bland’ nursery-style food is the answer. The answer is different for every woman.

[Kardashianlove]

It’s the medical equivalent of suggesting a drink of hot water and lemon to someone with pneumonia.

^This is so true!

OP, please don’t ‘get a stock’ of ginger biscuits in as suggested by pp.
HG is so individual and what you can/want to eat can change daily. The best thing you can do is just let her eat what she wants, when she wants and don’t make a big fuss over it if she can’t eat at the normal meal times or be in the same room for meals as smells can really affect HG.
Please don’t suggest ginger biscuits/ginger lollipops/ginger in hot water etc to her! If ginger works for her then I’m sure she’ll let you know but otherwise don’t mention it

[thomasthecheekyone]

I lived off cheap ice lollies. I couldn't drink fluids as it's come back up, food was awful but these were a happy medium. Any smells made me sick.

I'd ask her, if she isn't forthcoming tell her when you have planned so she can sort herself out.

[Plasticgiraffe]

I'm 18 weeks pregnant and my HG is only just starting to ease. I really really feel for her it's awful, especially having to stay at someone's house for a whole week. I have been practically housebound since September so it may be really hard for her. Don't be surprised (or offended!) if she spends a lot of time in bed. You'll have to ask her/her partner what she wants to eat as its so specific to each person. This may even change by Christmas. I find it a bit easier for someone else to cook and definitely can't cook anything due to food smells

[NeverTwerkNaked]

@Thedukes it’s pretty much the worst thing you can say to someone with hyperemesis. Ginger does nothing (expect make the vomiting more painful). I was vomiting blood I had torn my throat from so much vomiting. Believe me, it makes people who have had hypermesis feel violent when those who haven’t suffered it suggest idiotic cures like ginger biscuits. It’s the medical equivalent of suggesting a drink of hot water and lemon to someone with pneumonia.

[theSnuffster]

Totally agree with regards to smells. My children are now 9 and 6. There was a pasta dish my OH ate during my first pregnancy and even now I can't cope with the smell!

[theSnuffster]

Only she can answer this really. It's different for every woman. Could you perhaps ask her to write a little shopping list so you can get things she likes?

When I had HG the foods I could manage varied. Once I'd found something that stayed down I'd stick with it for a little while before that became a no-no, then I'd have to find something else. Other times I'd suddenly really need to eat a certain food immediately 😂 not always with success unfortunately!

[ElfOnTheShelfAteMyJoy]

I still can't even cope with the smell of ginger given the amount of it that l foolishly tried... The only thing l coped with was croissants - light and easy to throw up, hairbo (other jelly sweets are available...) And toast with scraping of butter then soy sauce- always wondered if body was craving salts given that l was throwing up 20+ times a day! Your poor sil, l spent most of my pg in hospital as HG had me so ill!

[rainbowgrimm]

Nope, not going to chill, though I truly appreciate the advice from someone who has never &will never experience HG. Advice such as ginger biscuits will help is an old wives tales & is actively harmful to women as it can delay appropriate treatment. I make no apology for challenging it.

[Babysharkdoodoodoodo]

@NeverTwerkNaked Not at all. I love having them to stay, especially the little one. It's just a stressful time of year in my job and having guests just adds to it. I just don't want to get it wrong again.

They can't go home or use the nhs as they are ex-pats and just coming over for an extended Christmas visit. They're only here for a week though so I'll just try to get to bed earlier or I'll be on fumes by the time Xmas week rolls around.

Trouble is with the no pungent fumes is that just about all my cooking relies on spices. I'm not good at bland. I guess I could always pop a chicken breast or a pork chop in the oven whilst I'm doing the rest and give her some boiled pots to go with it. Or some basic pasta with cheese?

[Thedukes]

I would also ask her if there is any particular cooking smell that induces vomit and avoid cooking that while she's there.
She's a brave lady trying to get on with things while vomiting.
During my treatment, I never left the house as I couldn't depend on not just spewing everywhere in front of people.

[JassyRadlett]

HG is so deeply personal that there isn’t any advice anyone can really give about what’s good/not good. (I agree not to suggest ginger. You hear it all the bloody time. I had it from a midwife once - have you tried ginger biscuits? - when I was being sick 20-30 times a day.)

Ask your stepson what she can currently stomach shortly before they arrive, and try to minimise cooking smells if possible.

I’m impressed she’s coming at all.

[Racecardriver]

Buy some of those juicy water lemon flavoured drinks. They are brilliant for dealing with nausea.

[Thedukes]

The simplest thing op is to ask her for a list of what foods she's tolerating now and buy them in for her. I would not attempt really to try to preempt what may may not make her vomit. I'd be going on what she knows she can tolerate. Same with drinks. Water on its own can induce vomit albeit something nicer to vomit than food, so she might be tolerating coke at the moment or something.
Just ask her.

[Thedukes]

Rainbow, chill, I wasn't suggesting force feeding her them!

[megletthesecond]

You need to check with her. She may only be able to tolerate small amounts of bland food.
I'm surprised she's out and about with hyperemesis tbh, it's debilitating. Maybe her medication allows her to go out and eat.