How on earth am I meant to consume the vast quantities of food and drink my midwife is insisting on?

[Cattleprod]

I'm 10 weeks pregnant and yesterday I was told off by my midwife for not eating enough.

This is my typical diet....
Breakfast - chocolate muffin with custard
Lunch - 2 slices of bread with either cream cheese, avocado, ham, lemon curd, marmite etc. (not all together obv!)
Dinner - medium plate of 'normal' sort of dinner - meat & veg or pasta, jacket potatoes, spag bol etc.
Snacks - fruit, cake, biscuits etc. (afternoon only usually)
Drinks - 1 pint orange juice in evening, and maybe 1 glass during the day (don't really get thirsty in the daytime)

She wants me to have....
Breakfast - large bowl of porridge(boak), rice pudding (double boak) or savoury rice
Mid morning - cereal bar
Lunch - 3 sandwiches, fruit
Afternoon - muffin and custard
Dinner - large plate food rich in complex carbs and iron
Drinks - TWO LITRES of drink!!!!!

It doesn't look that much of a difference written down, but actually it's nearly doubling my food intake and almost tripling my fluids!

I feel like I'm on an episode of 'Supersize vs Superskinny' and I have no idea how to eat and drink these enormous quantities without feeling bloated, uncomfortable and nauseous. I particularly hate having large quantities of fluids sloshing around inside me, as it makes me feel really sick.

I have never had any issues with food and have always eaten what I want. My BMI is only 17 so I know I need to eat more while pregnant but I'm really not sure how to do so without feeling awful. I'm currently struggling through a bowl of savoury rice and a large glass of juice and not looking forward to the other one-and-three-quarter litres I have to somehow snaffle before bedtime!

Does anybody have any experience or advice about increasing food and drink intake?

Cattleprod - you should try some "fancy" squashes. I'm a total sucker for Lemon Barley Water at the moment, but there are some lovely things you can get that are "fancier" than that.

I had a BMI of 17 when I was pregnant with my first and was never told to eat more or what to eat, to be honest the further you get into the pregnancy the more your appetite will increase, well it does for me. I am now on my 3rd pregnancy and have a BMI of 19.

I spent the first few months only being able to drink Robinsons No Added Sugar Orange Lemon and Pineapple Squash. Anything else tasted wrong and horrible. I can't drink water either on its own. Tastes funny. Most people insist it doesn't taste of anything but they are wrong. Don't drink milk either.

Do you like hot chocolate? I replaced my usual coffee with hot choc as something nice and warm. Or do you drink milk?

Just a word of advice, if you're already taking spatone then don't add another iron supplement as you can overdose on iron, it's basically poison if you take more than the recommended dosage.

It does sounds as though you're not drinking enough but really 2l is nothing, don't drink it all at once obviously, just take small sips all day. You don't want you or baby to get anymore dehydrated than you probably both are already.

3 sandwiches seems really excessive to me, is that SIX slices of bread?! At 10 weeks??! You need to be eating sensibly, about 2000 calories per day until your last trimester when you can up it by 1-300 calories.

If you have to up your fluid intake, 'll just sound a word of warning..... be careful about the fruit juice! I am 29 weeks with baby no4 and have craved any kind of real fruit juice throughout all of my pregnancies - apple, orange, pineapple, strawberry and vanilla smoothies, mixed berries and ice, anything fruity, juicy and liquid(ish) and Im there. I also have +++ glucose in my wee every time I am checked, leading to Glucose tolerance tests and numerous blood tests ( which have all come back fine - touch wood) and they decide I simply have overspill due to all the juice I consume; but the guidelines state you have to be checked! I try to dilute it with water as much as possible but sometimes it just has to be pure.... Good luck and don't worry too much about your food intake - eat regularly and often, thats my advice FWIW :)

Where is your doctors? In the 1970s???

I think in her own misguided way that she's just trying to help you improve your diet, as you have a lot of refined sugar and carbs. You definitely do need to drink more, especially as your kidneys will be working harder whilst you're pregnant and you don't want to risk an infection. Once you feel thirsty, you're actually already dehydrated and that's your body's way of telling you to sort it. Rather than 3 heavy meals, would you be able to graze? Maybe a boiled egg with a piece of wholemeal toast, pick on cheese, fruit, yoghurt etc. Introduce a bit more protein into your diet as you're lacking it and it does help keep you full for longer.

Thanks for your advice everybody!

I've been doing ok so far I think - couldn't manage the 3 sandwich lunch as feeling full up and nauseous, so I had a couple of ginger biscuits in an attempt to feel less sicky, then an orange. I've just had my mid afternoon cake as instructed, and in the oven baking are 3 sweet potatoes for my ...erm.....is it called high tea? Sounds frightfully posh but the snacky food that some people have before dinner. I'll have my proper dinner when DP gets home later.

I've drunk just under a litre I reckon, and the half pint of milk was best for avoiding stomach sloshiness!!

If I ate either of those menu's I'd be vomming for England, I can just about manage a slice of toast, a small sandwich and a jacket potato with butter for tea on a good day and I'm 28 weeks. My ob and MW have both said this is fine, just eat when and how much you can. The body is extremely good at surviving on very little food, pregnant or not.

I have hyperemesis and wasn't eating or drinking hardly anything at 10 weeks. Your MW sounds very old school.

Drinking water will keep the skin hydrated which is supposed to be good for warding off the old stretch marks!

I would try and get some fluids down if I was you

I have had a BMI of 17 in both pregs. Due to this, I had extra growth scans but no advice on changing my diet/eating more as I am naturally v thin. I was eating healthily and drinking 2l of water a day. Both babies weighed 6.4lb.

Oh my goodness me! I couldn't eat that lot and no way could I manage all those sandwiches :(

I would just suggest getting some/more protein into your breakfast and lunch. Your uterus is a muscle so if you want it to work well during labour protein is a must as well as supporting your body of course.

Milk is very handy for protein, calcium and extra liquid too.

Other than that, I'm sure your body will tell you when you need to eat more and at some point you will be eating chocolate like it's going out of fashion become ravenous.

Savoury rice for breakfast - seriously??! I'm 34 weeks and surviving on breakfast cereals at the minute, - only thing i fancy and certainly not stressing about it!