8 Weeks Pregnant

Pregnancy week by week

Your baby is now officially called a foetus, measures about 2cm and has fingers and toes. Your waistline may be starting to expand, and you may be feeling sick and tired, but fortunately, there are ways to cope with the discomforts of early pregnancy; we help you find the ones that work for you.

This week, we take a look at

• Dealing with indigestion
• Eating little and often
• Eating well on a budget
• How to cope with pregnancy sickness
• Eating well as a teenage mum-to-be

Heartburn or indigestion
Many women get heartburn in pregnancy. It’s a burning feeling in your stomach, sometimes rising up into your throat, and it has nothing to do with your heart! Eating little and often can help. If heartburn keeps you awake at night, eat early rather than late in the evening. Antacids can help too. Ask your midwife or chemist to recommend an antacid, and take them separately from a meal.

How to eat ‘little and often’
In early pregnancy, several small meals a day are often easier to cope with than two or three large ones. Try these ideas, which will help you make every meal count in that they provide good nutrition for you and your growing baby:

• Well-cooked scrambled egg with grilled tomatoes.
• Wholemeal bagel with cucumber and yeast extract and a side salad.
• Fruit salad with bio yogurt and a sprinkling of muesli.
• Sandwiches: try hard cheese and slices of kiwi fruit, beef and horseradish, cheese and onion, canned salmon and chopped fresh dill, pilchards and a squeeze of lemon, ham and cherry tomato.
• A slice of pizza with salad.
• Cheese, crackers and grapes.
• Hot chocolate with a wholemeal scone and jam.
• Ginger or digestive biscuits with cheese spread.
• A toasted sandwich with mozzarella and tomato.
• Mashed potatoes with Cheddar cheese and baked beans.
• Home-made soups with plenty of vegetables and pulses (peas, beans, lentils).
• Breadsticks and houmous.

Cool drinks
If you can’t face solid food, mix up a fruity cocktail made with orange, apple and mango juice; enjoy a glass of milk or fortified soya ‘milk’, sparkling water with fruit juice, or tomato or vegetable juice.

Budget beaters
Eating well on a budget can be done. Making meals ‘from scratch’ works out cheaper than buying convenience foods or ready meals, and is better for you.

• Choose supermarket own-brands instead of big brand names as they tend to be cheaper, and keep an eye out for special offers.
• Look for foods reduced in price, near the sell-by date, but never use out-of-date foods.
• Get to know the best-value supermarket around.
• Plan ahead and buy only the ingredients you need and only in quantities you will use.
• Make meat go further by adding pulses (peas, beans, lentils) to casseroles.
• Choose seasonal vegetables and fruit; they are often cheaper... and tastier.

Pregnancy sickness
This can affect you at any time of day, but is common first thing in the morning. It’s horrible feeling ill, but try to eat what you can, when you can. Sometimes you feel worse when you’re hungry, so nibbling small amounts of food often, can make you feel better, and resting before you eat may help keep food down. Avoid situations that make you ill. If cooking makes you feel sick, try eating salads or fruit for a while. If you cannot face food, stick to nutritious liquids such as fruit smoothies and clear soups. As long as you’re keeping fluids down, you’re probably okay as your body has stores of most essential nutrients to draw on. About 70% of mothers suffer from pregnancy sickness and most babies are absolutely fine.

Five ways to cope with feeling sick

1. Try eating little and often as hunger can make it worse.
2. Eat a plain biscuit or piece of toast before you get out of bed, and get up slowly.
3. Ginger helps some women; try ginger biscuits, tea or tablets.
4. Sucking peppermints, eating peppermint-flavoured chocolate or drinking peppermint tea may help.
5. Try acupressure bands (first developed to help with seasickness). You can find them at chemists and health food shops.
   
   

Hyperemesis gravidarum
This is an unusual form of pregnancy sickness that can cause dehydration as a result of excessive vomiting. See your doctor or midwife if you feel very ill and are being sick several times a day for more than three days.

Young mums need to eat well
If you’re a teenager, you need good food for yourself and your baby because you’re both growing. When you’re out with friends, it’s tempting to eat foods like burgers or crisps. You may think it’s hard to afford ‘good’ food, but eating bread, cereals, cheese, lean meat, canned fish, fruit (fresh, dried, canned or frozen) will help you get the nutrients you need, especially calcium and iron. And it needn’t cost more than filling up with chips and fast food. Not eating to try to stop gaining weight (or because you think it will stop your bump showing) won’t work. The best thing you can do is eat well, because both you and your baby will benefit in the long run.

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