Terrible digestive problems first trimester. Is this normal???

[Rosamond35]

Hello,

Really hoping some of you nice ladies can offer some reassurance. I'm pregnant for the first time, currently 9 weeks, and having an absolute nightmare with nausea and digestive issues! Ive only been sick a couple of times, but almost constantly struggling with either major bloating, burping, indigestion, crazy hunger pains which also lead to heaves, or a combination of any of the above! I'm having to eat every 2-3 hours or I feel terrible, but having loads of food aversions which is making eating a real chore and most of the time I'm trying to shovel something down purely to stop the waves of nausea. Even drinking a glass of water makes my tummy swell up like a balloon. Toilet trips have slowed right down which probably isn't helping either. I know hormones can affect digestive transit at this stage, but am really taken aback by the extremity of how I'm feeling. Is this normal? I do sometimes have issues with indigestion and bloating anyway, particularly when eating lots of white carbs, but at the moment white carbs are some of the few things I can eat so cutting back really not an option.

Is this something I will have to put up with for the next couple of months or should I be discussing with my doctor? It's been going on a few weeks now and I'm so fed up with it. Any advice would be massively appreciated.

I had the bloating, I drank A LOT of water to help, as well as fibre like weetabix and bran flakes.

I have discovered I can eat weetabix at the moment so perhaps that will help! I honestly feel like water is making it worse - it's definitely food related rather than water retention. My stomach feels like it does when I've started taking antibiotics...

Yep. Been there. Nothing worked for me except for actually having the baby.

Christ - was it constant across all trimesters? Hideous.

Yup, normal.

Also check to see if you're lactose intolerant now. I was as a child but mostly was alright as a late teen/adult. As soon as I got pregnant, it came back worse than ever - have to take lactase pills if I consume any more dairy than the milk I put in tea.

I had this really bad from conception until about week 14-16. Now I just suffer from bloating after eating but that's much more tolerable.

When I was suffering I found it very frustrating because my MW kept on telling me that it was a stomach bug!

Yes all normal. It's such a magical time.

The only things I want to eat are bread, chips and supernoodles. Bread makes the bloating a lot worse though. I can live on supernoodles for another month or so right?

Last time it all eased off at about 14 weeks and I was fine for the rest of the pregnancy.

Yes it can be unfortunately. Also if you're taking pregnancy multi vitamins it can slow you down a bit. I know it's hard to work around food cravings/aversions (believe me I do!) try and eat and more veg. The less bloated you feel the less sick in my experience. It usually gets better in time.

Thanks everyone. I never thought that morning sickness would be like this but weirdly glad it's not just me! I am actually starting to go off bread so will try and build more veg and salad into things.

I was the exact same. Except with the runs too. Still being sick at 28 weeks with my first. 16 with my second. I found that cold water or cold juice really made me nauseous. Still struggle now. Fuzzy water really helped for some reason and every so often, bizarrely a can of full fat coke. Think sugar and fizz just settled my stomach. I found eating little and often worked. If people put food in front of me I could generally eat it but if I had to think about it it made me heave. Lots of white rice and lemon & pepper chicken, those cracker crisps, Oatcakes & cheese crackers, i second noodles/pot noodles. And I am a person who lived fruit & veg pre-pregnancy. Good luck OP

Fizzy not fuzzy!

Also ginger snaps & digestive biscuits. Toast & butter. Pita bread and butter toasted. I found the drier a food the easier my life. Also ended up sucking on hard boiled sweets throughout the day as this seemed to settle things a bit.

Yup, I had it my whole pregnancy unfortunately!

Ive had hyperemesis in all my pregnancies and awful toilet troubles all the way through the only cure for me is giving birth

PREGNANCY IS AWFUL.

yeah, I just hated all food. The food I could eat wasn't actually high calibre or recommended. For me got better as pg went on.

I became lactose intolerant which wasn't really fun.

For me it was the dreaded heartburn, for all three pregnancies, for the whole duration.

I normally love food. I never imagined eating could be such a chore. I'm actually wondering if it will change my relationship with food forever. I can't picture the day when I can smell toast again without wanting to heave.

I also keep craving ice cold beer which is annoying. I'm not even a big

....drinker.

Yeah I want beer too. Thanks, body.

Don't worry, you'll recover once the baby's out. You'll have no genitals left to speak of, but you'll be able to eat toast.