Feeling guilty about food

[Dollybird86]

Hi,
Im almost 21 weeks and am feeling VERY guilty about what I've been eating while pregnant. Pre-pregnancy I had a really healthy diet no processed food other than what I couldn't help ie pasta milk bread cheese but now I eat utter crap! Still having lots of fruit and veg but I hardly cook anything from scratch now, I still cant cope with food smells after awful morning sickness. Today I eat a McDonald's something I've not eaten in years and I feel so guilty! And Ashamed!

Oh dear!

It's ok IMO because your body tells you what it needs (to some degree).

After also suffering bad morning sickness, I appreciate what it means to actually be able to eat something.

I wouldn't worry too much, but if it is bothering you, maybe try to limit junk food splurges to once a week and be healthy the rest of the week.

Hope this helps!

yes cooking smells are horrible for you atm, I lived for ages on dark chocolate, peanut butter on toast (until someone told me that was bad!) apples, bags of rocket and ribena....
just remember that whatever you eat now your child will have a taste for!!

One McDonalds is fine! It's Better than not eating at all
When I was pregnant with my first ds I was an absolute junk food addict along with fizzy drinks, I was absolutely terrible but he is a perfectly healthy 4 year old now. The odd junk will do no harm, just relax and enjoy ur pregnancy, theres far worse than the odd naughty food

Hi OP. I have heard time and time again that your baby takes what it needs from your body, regardless of what you eat (or don't eat). Just think of the poor women who have terrible morning sickness for 9months, their baby doesn't starve. Your baby will get everything it needs whether you eat McDonalds or a salad. Relaxation, minimal stress with the right amount of activity is what you need to concentrate on the most. Everything else just magically happens!!

I usually have a healthy diet but I splurge more when pregnant.

There's nothing to feel guilty about or ashamed off. I'm sure you'll be back to eating normally after PG. Don't stress about it.

I've had hypermedia both times now. In my first pregnancy I was hospitalised at 15wk, dehydrated and 3stone lighter than my pre-pregnancy weight. I was so upset that the baby would be suffering. My amazing consultant asked me if there was anything I could stand the idea of eating. I told him rocket lollies and cheapo plain crisps. He said: fine. Live off them for the next 6 months if needs be. The baby doesn't really take in your actual food. Just nutrients via the placenta. And most of those come from your own body: calcium from your bones, not milk you drink iyswim. Literally all I ate for months was lollies, crisps and occasionally some chicken nuggets. Ds was born perfect, a bouncing 9lb 2oz and these days won't touch crisps but asks me for cucumber and grapes and his favourite food in the whole world is pickled gherkins.

Please don't be hard in yourself. Your body probably wants starchy carbs and salt (very common pg wants, especially if you spent much of the first trimester vomiting) and a cheeseburger just seems to fulfil that need in one hit, is all. If you can eat other healthy things and take a vitamin, a few burgers aren't going to hurt you, or the baby, I promise :)

Typo: I've had hyperemesis. No idea what my iPhone thinks hypermedia is lol :)