On Eating for Two

If any of you live in the tri-state area and have been looking for fresh pineapple, don't bother.  It's all in my fridge.  Some people think pineapple can encourage labor (something about the bromelain in it, or...I don't really know), so I've bought approximately 500 pounds of it and have been eating a cup or two at each meal.  Spicy food is also in heavy rotation on our dinner menu, whether ordered in or made at home (the slow cooker is especially good for a good vindaloo or curry or Cajun-spiced something-or-other).  And I have walked a total of ten miles this weekend (no exaggeration), which is actually a doctor-recommended activity (among, ahem, other things) to help move things along in the baby delivery department. 

Basically, we're doing everything we can (short of ingesting castor or cod liver oil, which is where I draw the line, because:  GROSS) to help biology do its thing.  Of course we know that the baby's going to show up in her own time, but at the very least it's better than sitting here staring at the walls and crabbing for things to hurry UP already (though, truth be told, there is a little of that coming from my general direction as well). 

This brings me to Alyce's question about food cravings and eating habits during pregnancy.

At the very beginning of this bodily adventure, I had an unstoppable craving for cherries -- white ones, to be specific (at least, they're called white cherries, although they're a pleasing yellow and red).  I ate loads of cherries for a week or two -- and they had to be ice-cold -- and then that was over and I don't remember, other than a passing fancy here and there for cheese or avocado (there was definitely a cheese-heavy phase in the early second trimester), having any more Must-Have-Right-Now-Or-ELSE moments. 

Throughout, I have been HUNGRY, that's for sure, in the same way that I am always hungry when I'm running a lot.  It's the type of hunger where you're minding your own business and suddenly, WHAM!  If you don't eat something within five minutes, you feel like you're going to go into multiple system failure.  I've made it a habit to always have a protein bar or similar within arm's reach at all times, and I make sure to eat something every two hours to avoid the dreaded blood sugar plunge of doom.  And, by the way, for the first trimester or so, my senses of smell and taste were amped up a great deal, so everything I ate seemed like a revelation, like a FLAVOR EXPLOSION, if you will.  That subsided by midway through, which was in part a blessing (at least in the case of the superhuman smell, which made me aware of odors I would rather not know about) although I was a bit sad to lose that head-exploding awesomeness that accompanied every meal.

I'm the type of person who can happily eat the same things from day to day (except for dinner), so my breakfasts and lunches haven't varied much and aren't all that different from my pre-pregnancy routine.  When I get up, I take my prenatal vitamins, which I learned early on MUST be taken with food or there are Unpleasant Consequences; so right away, I drink some water and eat a Balance Bar to keep everything settled.  Then I'll do my daily exercise, whether it's a walk, the gym, the Shred, my prenatal workout or just some stretching and whatnot.  After that I'll have a banana and/or cereal bar to fuel me through my commute. 

When I get into the office, I have my Second Breakfast of a Greek yogurt, often with some cereal mixed in (for fiber -- I cannot stress the importance of fiber enough) and more water (I am virtually always toting around a 1-liter Evian bottle or my Camelbak; I'd say on average I must drink at LEAST five liters of water a day and that, my friends, is a lot of peeing). 

My midmorning snack is usually an apple, which I think is one of the greatest pregnancy foods in the world.  This fall, it was the Honeycrisp that rekindled my love for the humble apple -- again, it had to be really cold and REALLY crispy -- and now that they're out of season I have gone back to Granny Smiths, which have the perfect tang and crunch for my needs.  I credit apples for providing me with sufficient roughage to keep things, you know, in order in my digestive tract; thankfully, I haven't suffered some of the grosser side effects of pregnancy in that arena.  If you know what I mean.

That tides me over til lunch, which is usually something carb-y (PB&J on whole grain bread, instant oatmeal (so easy to throw in my bag for an office lunch), hummus on a whole wheat wrap, etc), plus a snack pack of cottage cheese, some baby carrots, maybe a string cheese, and another apple (sometimes with peanut butter -- I try to keep a little jar of Skippy in my desk for protein hits). 

Especially at this point, when my stomach is compressed to about the size of a dime, I can't eat that much at once unless I want to have heartburn so bad it makes my eyes water, so I'll stretch my lunch stuff out through the afternoon, which also wards off the vending machine snackies (although from time to time I'll still hit the machines if I've run out of lunch before 4 or 5pm -- usually I go for the Fig Newtons or a granola bar, although at times Cheez-Its are still ever so satsifying and a crumb cake or two may have made its way into my belly over the months). 

Dinner is where we have the most menu variety, especially since Christmas with the arrival of the slow cooker.  During the fall, we ate a TON of salads (our Big Salad usually consists of baby spinach, grape tomatoes, carrots, corn, peas, chickpeas, olives, feta, hearts of palm and balsamic vinaigrette), but in winter that's not so thrilling to come home to, so I just try to add veggies or a side salad to whatever warm and comfort-y thing we're having.  And we ALWAYS have dessert, whether it's brownies or ice cream sandwiches (the ones from Whole Foods are SO good) or some special thing I've whipped up over the weekend. 

(As a side note:  fruit is not a dessert in my book; it can be a COMPONENT of dessert, but not the dessert itself.  At least for adults; I do plan to dupe my child into thinking that fruit is a treat.  And then after she's in bed I'll bust out the brownies.  Bwah ha ha!  Oh, I kid.  Sort of.)

I'd say, in general, that pregnancy has made me a bit more conscientious about the nutritional properties of what I'm taking in, in the sense that, for example, I'll think to myself that I haven't had a leafy green veggie in a few days so I need to have a salad or heat up some frozen spinach to go with whatever main dish is on deck, and I've definitely amped up my dairy intake to kowtow to the baby's calcium requirements.  

The thing is, I haven't really FELT like eating much junk food (even the relatively healthy stuff I'd eat before, like pretzels or Wheat Thins); for a while toward the beginning I was definitely putting away a lot of starchy foods, including snacks, which seemed to help keep The Yuck at bay, but once I was past that stage (and after the doctor eyebrow-raised at my early weight gain), I found that I really only WANTED to eat veggies and fruit and lean protein and dairy (and, yes, protein/energy bars, which are something of a crutch but awfully convenient and do keep me full for a decent amount of time between meals).  But I also haven't stopped my long-standing habit of treating myself on a regular basis (everything in moderation, etc).  Plus the stuff I cook for dinner isn't chosen for being light by any means (see:  Pioneer Woman's meatloaf, OH MY GOD) but more for flavor, variety, balance, blah blah blah. 

Really, on the whole -- aside from the verboten foods that I've had to forego, like tasty, tasty medium-rare cheeseburgers (which will be my first meal when we come home from the hospital, I'm telling you right now) -- my eating habits are pretty darn close to what they were before.  I think I became a more conscious eater when I started distance running years ago, and while I've never been one to subsist on flaxseed and agave nectar (not that there's anything wrong with those things, but you know what I'm saying), I've always been reasonably aware of food choices, so pregnancy probably took that up a notch but wasn't a sea change for me.

My GOD, did I really just spend that much time and space on my day-to-day eating habits?  Sorry, Alyce, that was probably way more than you wanted to know! 

We'll wrap up with 36- and 37-week belly shots.  The latter was taken with my shirt down because I think the unclothed belly is starting to push the bounds of decency.  Or, I don't, know perhaps the contrast actually helps you see it better.  Something. 

Next up: your Montessori questions, answered!  And coming soon, a Lawyerish guide to New York City.

Comments

[Marie Green]

It was at this point in both of my pregnancies that I would suddenly be struck by HOLY SHIT, there is a FULLY FORMED HUMAN in my body RIGHT NOW. And then, my mind would be properly BLOWN. Does this happen to you?

I loved hearing about your food habits... I think the art and science of living with just one other adult for years on end (ie: marriage) (vs. college, when lots of peers were around) makes us all a little curious about what is "normal" in someone else's kitchen.

And finally: have you tried Pink Lady apples? I'm thinking you will love them. They are Honey Crisp only BETTER.

[Alyce]

I loved reading this. I have two girlfriends who are pregnant and two MBA classmates whose wives are pregnant, so we've been all pregnancy all the time around here. The detail was great. Thank you for sharing.

Of course it also made me hungry... I hope JB is making something wonderful while I am glued to E! watching Oscar arrivals.

[beyond]

oooh, i love this pregnancy food post. honey crisp apples are like the crack cocaine of apples, aren't they? terribly addicting. unfortunately, also twice as expensive as all other apples. in new york city, anyway.
have you investigated nettle or raspberry leaf tea to move things along? (i don't know anyone who has tried these teas. i do two people who have successfully used castor oil.)
your big salad sounds delectable!

[nonsoccermom]

It sounds like you eat a lot of the same stuff that I do. (Except for pineapple, I have a raging Texture Issue with that.) At any rate, now I'm hungry.

I think your belly is very wee, especially for being so close to the finish!! Mine was YOOGE. Of course, it also housed a 9 pound, 11 ounce baby girl. May you not have to deliver such a monster. Amen. :)

[Carla Hinkle]

Really, I know you FEEL huge, but let me assure you, that is a lovely, very petite nearly-full-term belly you have going on. I don't think mine (holding 7, 8.5, and 8 lb babies (separately of course, my God!)) would have even fit in the camera frame. However. My sympathy for the Good-Lord-can-I-get-any-BIGGER? phase, as well as the When-is-she-going-to-get-here? phase. Soon, hopefully!

[Ris]

I love reading stuff like this. I find it fascinating what other people do/eat/etc. I'm a huge fan of pink lady apples--honeycrisp's cheaper cousin, but just as delish.

[glenna]

Beautiful baby belly!!
Loved reading about the food. :) btw, I definitely think Evan sees fruit as a dessert. woohoo! Just last night she asked if she could have apple and banana bites (otherwise known as: cut up) in the bowl for dessert. score!

[Lawyerish]

Marie -- I have totally been having that thought lately, and it DOES blow me away. Like, she's in there and is completely ready to survive on her own, and in a few weeks she'll be OUT HERE. It's really, really weird. Sometimes it makes me sweat a little.

As for the pink lady, I am so picking up some of those this weekend! Yum.

Beyond -- I have some raspberry leaf tea but I haven't used it yet. I think this week it may have to join the arsenal. :)

[elz]

We tried ALL the old wives' tales, local foods, exercise, etc to encourgae labor. And the only thing that worked? Pitocin. Good luck!

[Karen]

OK, my weird thoughts as pregnancy approaches are usually along the lines of noting the due date of the milk in the fridge, and realizing that the milk could STILL be fresh (!) when I am home from the hospital with a newborn (!)

My mother (who delivered babies years ago) always swore by a very very funny movie to get things moving. And hey, even if it doesn't work, a good belly laugh has to be good for everyone, even bambina.

[Penny]

Those thoughts about missing pregnancy and so forth are maybe hard wired, because it seems like most, if not all women go through them. All for the sake of preparing the brain (which means, amnesia, baby!) for the next child.

The good news is, the second pregnancy can be better! Mine was. Partially because it was also my last, and so I spent so much more time enjoying the moment and trying to hold on to all the memories and thinking about how good I had it. And also, because the last reminder you had of pregnancy was the hell that is the 9th month, those early months seem much easier. Like: wow, all I have to do is feel nausea? Sign me up! I can still bend down for crissakes!

I say: go buy yourself a nice dress. It'll make you feel good, I bet.

[Penny]

Oh whoops - posted in the wrong thread. Sorry! Meant the most recent one (as of April 2)