Pregnant with a biteplate - I can't eat!!

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#1 Post by **Daisy Farland** » Mon Jul 02, 2007 7:08 pm

Help! I'm new to the board, and am having the worst time eating with my biteplate.

I've had a fixed biteplate behind my upper teeth for 6 weeks now, and I still can't eat 50% of the foods I used to eat. I LOVE fresh salads, veggies, and fruits, and for the past 6 weeks I've had to cook all foods until they're mushy, and have doubled my intake of potatoes and starches. Have basically stopped eating meat and chicken, as I can only chew ground beef (eg hamburger) and fish. Going to restaurants is a nightmare since I can't order most things on the menu. The lack of diversity in my diet is making me depressed.

To make things worse, I'm 5 months pregnant, and I need to be eating well. Instead, I've lost 2 pounds, when I should be gaining a pound a week.

Has anyone here been pregnant with a biteplate? I saw one poster talk about this, but it was just a brief post.

Also, to those who've said that chewing gets easier - are you saying that you can actually eat salad and carrots and steak, or do you mean that you simply learn to adjust your diet?

I am so depressed about this.

Please help!!

Thank you,
Daisy

#2 Post by **KatK** » Mon Jul 02, 2007 7:22 pm

Hi Daisy,

I have not experienced either pregnancy or a bite plate... but I still wanted to write in and say hi. As far as not being able to eat veggies etc, I have had the hardest time as well. (I had an applicance for about 6 months making it almost impossible.) I have found that stir fried veggies go down SO MUCH easier! I don't know what type of oils your allowed to eat when you are pregnant... but Sunflower oil is a great alternative to Peanut oil when it comes to stirfry. I hope this helps and congratulations on the baby :=)!!

-Cathy

#3 Post by **starryeyedfairy** » Mon Jul 02, 2007 8:15 pm

i dont know much if any at all about what you're allowed to eat during pregnancy.

but how some sort of protein or nutrient supplement type shakes?

they seem to pack on the pounds.

#4 Post by **cally** » Tue Jul 03, 2007 3:06 am

Hi,

I have a bite plate *10 weeks now* and I also have a severe neuromuscular disease which makes chewing and swallowing difficult, so I can relate to your issues, as I've also had some impressive weight loss.

I will add that in the last 3-4 weeks, things have improved considerably as the molars move closer together, allowing some "grinding chewing" to happen. In the meantime, I'd encourage you to make smoothies with all sorts of fresh fruits, eat homemade salsa on tortillas, grilled veggies, etc. As for meats and other "sturdy" foods---MINCE them! I have minced chicken breast, pizza, even a burger! I simply use a steak knife and fork and chop up the food, so very little chewing is required. I will add that I usually do that at home, but not always.

There's no excuse for you not to get adequate nutrition, and no need for you to depend solely on mashed potatoes, mac n cheese, etc. Just be a little creative and give some forethought to your meals. And rest assured, it will only get better as your molars move and become more functional. I've had the additional problem of inability to swallow due to my disease, and that has really made things interesting, but all is much better now since I started a new drug therapy for the MG.

That being said---I STILL HATE MY BITEPLATE!!!!

Cally

#5 Post by **strugglebuggy** » Tue Jul 03, 2007 5:06 am

Ugh- the biteplate. I've been in braces almost 2 1/2 years now and I have had these 2 clumps of glue behind my top two teeth from the day the braces went on. At first, and for a long time, my molars didn't touch and it made eating hard. A friend of mine gave me a recipe for delicious fruit smoothies. They had plenty of calcium (good for pregnancy) and had a lot of fresh fruit added (fresh fruit- yum) along with honey, at times. Surf the web for a good nutritious smoothie. I know it's not real food, but it will help with your pregnancy by providing you with the calcium you need and will help the craving for the fruit? Hope it helps.

#6 Post by **iBorg** » Tue Jul 03, 2007 9:15 am

Being a bite plate survivor, I can't really say I found it that difficult. Keeping it clean did pose certain issues. I don't understand why you can't eat. Yes you can't fully close your teeth. Think for a minute what are the function of your molars. They smash and grind food that's tore into smaller pieces by your other teeth. You can achieve the same function with a knife and fork. Yes it takes more time, but its possible. I found I could also use my tongue with my teeth in conjunction with the bite plate. Time consuming but it worked.

While many view the weight loss associated with reduced eating ability, that's not an option for you.

If all else fails, go to Meryaten's links and find recipes for after jaw surgery. These issues add to your situation, but the important thing is the health of you and your child.

Mike

#7 Post by **artsyalice** » Tue Jul 03, 2007 11:33 am

I'm 10 weeks pregnant and have to wear the joy we know as the bite plate too. I found it really difficult to figure out what/how to eat with it the first couple of weeks, but now I'm doing better.

Protein shakes were a great help at first for keeping calorie intake up. I've been eating more soft foods than usual still, and I find that I don't like things already in small pieces (like rice for instance) since they don't break down much more than that when I chew. That is more of an avoiding nauseousness thing than anything though.

I wasn't eating enough when I first had my bite plate. I soon realized that I wasn't eating enough not because "I couldn't", but because I just didn't want to have to deal with the bite plate. Custard style yogurts are great in those cases as you can mouth them without the bit plate in. I found the break welcome at first.

I'm a vegetarian, so meat is out for me. Fruit is pretty easy to eat. Tater tots and french fries are good...hhmmm....avocados in a bean salad worked really well for me. Pad Thai the other night....again, more soft foods than usual.

Good luck!

#8 Post by **Daisy Farland** » Fri Jul 06, 2007 6:55 am

Thanks to everyone who responded. I'll take some of the advice posted here. Whoever said that part of the problem is "not wanting to deal with it" is probably right. I've started planning meals better in the past couple of days and using the blender more creatively. It's still a royal pain in the neck though. We'll see how this goes...
Daisy

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Pregnant with a biteplate - I can't eat!!

Pregnant with a biteplate - I can't eat!!

Thanks to everyone!