The Sarcastic Journalist is a freelance writer and mother of two living near Houston, Texas. She has a degree in journalism and an addiction to magazines. She is hoping never to experience the "joy" of pregnancy again. You can find much more of her home-grown snark at: shenuts.com
In addition to recounting 40 not-so-glowing but hilarious weeks of her pregnancy for our pregnancy calendar the Sarcastic Journalist used her sarcasm super-powers to help make our new edgy sarcastic pregnancy tickers. Check 'em out!
Week 21 : What to accept when you’re expecting
It seems like everyone loves to ask a pregnant woman if she has any weird food cravings. I really think they want you to tell them “Why, yes. I do. I eat a can of sardines every night before I go to bed. Sometimes I cover them with grape jelly.”
Really, I went for “comfort food” (cheeseburgers are comfort food in my book) and sweets. I think I personally kept Betty Crocker in business during both of my pregnancies.
It always started out innocent enough: I wanted a cookie. Next thing I knew, I had gone through an entire bag of Oreos and a gallon of milk. Then two candy bars and a sandwich.
When I first got pregnant (this was during my first pregnancy, when I read those books) I read the “What to eat” chapter in What to Expect When You’re Expecting.
These people had what I should or should not be eating down to an exact science. I wanted to get my pregnancy off to a good start, so I’d eat all that “good for you” food while really wanting to high tail it down to the corner store to pick up a cupcake.
I’d pat myself on the back, all high and mighty like, because I made myself delicious meals that would make my baby smart! Those greens? They’re getting my baby into Harvard! All that fruit? She’ll be President!
It didn’t take too many lunches of trying to eat cottage cheese before I gave it all up. I tried. I really wanted to be a good Mom and somehow, that book had me convinced that I wasn’t a good Mom because I chose chocolate over cheese. She’d be lucky if she’d get into community college with the way I was eating!
Get over it. You’ll be a good Mom. Just consider all the eating good practice for when you have a kid and you’re so tired of all the whining that yes, you let him have ice cream for breakfast.
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Oh man! I hate those sections in ALL books. But, What to Expect was by far the worst... I felt like a horrible person for wanting to eat something that wasn't on their food chart. There are definitely worse things pregnant women can be doing that eating the wrong foods.
The way I see it - in the first months, if I could keep it down, it was good. Now, I try and eat decent meals, but if I don't have the exact amount of fruits and veggies, this is one pregnant lady that won't lost sleep over it!
Comment on 18th Sep '06 @ 11:16 pmThis comment is 1
im always told to eat what i wanted, but try and make sure i didn't eat a lot more bad than good. its not too bad i guess, i love my vegis and fruits, but i love love love chocolate, ice cream, etc.
i drink a lot of water, water has always been my thing though. my first born turn out healthy and very happy. im always making sure she's checked up and made sure she was going good on the weight and height change, and im always told she is perfect.
im having a son this time and my eating habits are worse, so i understand when women just eat junk, cause thats all i crave, nothing weired, just junk food. but now i try to substitute a sweet fruit to anything i crave. and turns out just fine for me.
i totally understand when you say people like to ask you "what do you crave?" tell you i feel like asking them what does it matter? i don't crave dirt or clay if thats what they want to hear. well, yea, it drives me crazy...especially my mood swings this time is really bad, so i just try and ignore it. act like i don't hear it.
Comment on 28th Sep '06 @ 11:08 pmThis comment is 1
haha, i loved this.
you always read about "what you should eat" as to "what you want to eat!" how many pregnant women really want to sit down to a salad? i know I dont. pass the mac and cheese, give me that chocolate! haha.
this was great. =]
Comment on 6th Oct '06 @ 7:57 amThis comment is 1
In my first pregnancy , 3 years ago, i found myself with 20 kgs more at the nineth month.I was eating for 3 - not even for 2- I was always hungry and tired, if i eat light, i feel fainting and dizzy.So i had to go through a ceasarian as the baby was big .Now I am pregnant, I m so scared to eat, it was very difficut to me to lose the extra kilos and heal after the c section.
Please advise me.
Thanks
Comment on 14th Oct '06 @ 6:44 pmThis comment is 1
That book!!!! What I want to know is if you have bad morning sickness, how are you supposed to cook all those meals? If the look of something in a blender etc makes you green recipes do NO good.
I tried a few. I didn't actually get to finish cooking them before vomiting.
Comment on 17th Oct '06 @ 12:50 pmThis comment is 1
LOL!! In all the books I've read, I specifically skipped through those sections. I already felt guilty because I wasn't "eating right." I'm so glad to see that I'm not the only one who gave in :)
Comment on 23rd Oct '06 @ 12:22 pmThis comment is 1
I feel like shit half of the time cause I want fast food. But I do have fruit and all that crap. I make sure I have at least a veggie every day. I hate it when people tell me how junk food is unhealthy for the baby. If you pour sugar down your thought I could see that but I like my candy and sweets. My doctor told me I was to heavy and needed to go on a diet. I have gained 30ibs and Im due in Feb. I think that its wrong for people to tell you what to eat and all. You eat what you crave cause your body is telling you to. So dont listen to anybody else. Do what feels right to you. You can gain as much weight as you want while you are prengant. I just want to have fun while I can. I like to give in and have my treat and forget about every pain in my body and not think about anything.
Comment on 17th Nov '06 @ 3:23 pmThis comment is 1
I love this article! People really do want you to come out with some crazy concoction when they ask what you are craving! My sister asked me and when I told her I am craving apples her exact word were " you are so boring!" I couldn't believe it! And about the 'what to eat' sections... they're great to flip through for suggestions but I by no means have a problem running to Burger King when I get the yearning for it!!
Comment on 2nd Dec '06 @ 3:54 pmThis comment is 1
I love this article. I don't feel so bad for giving in to chips for breakfast now. Being pregnant with my 3rd child and having a 3.5 year old AND a 2.5 year old makes for some very interesting chemistry some mornings. So, the other day I had had it, they'd both been up all night for various reasons and I'd been up emptying my bladder inbetween their episodes SO, when the protested the nutrient rich oatmeal I offered I threw the chips down almost without thinking and Ahhhhhhhhhhhh the 5 minutes of peace was very nice. :)
Comment on 3rd Dec '06 @ 1:21 amThis comment is 1
I used to read those food charts and eat carefully, I avoided fizzy drinks, peanuts, chocolates and spicy dinners. The food manuals kept saying I should eat stuff like cheese but since my 4th week of pregnancy I went completely off cheese. I found myself feeling hungry and missing chocolate so I started eating it again. I've been eating sweets, spicy dinners and drinking fizzy drinks. I've also had plenty of vegetables, fruit and cooked over meat. Also the food manuals tell pregnant women not to eat fish but there are women who live on coasts that have fish as main part of their diet. Generations of women have eaten fish and they didn't stop because they were pregnant when food manuals didn't exist. Some of these food manuals are too strict and not for everybody. They assume that we all eat bad food anyway.
Comment on 6th Dec '06 @ 3:51 amThis comment is 1
I have gestational diabetes this time around so I don't get to just eat what I want or crave. What's worse is I've read those What to Expect books with my first child and again with my second...all they do is make you feel like crap or worry you to death. I very rarely give into my cravings with this baby because of hte diabetes, but I really miss REAL chocolate. Not that sugar free crap that Hershey's has. That stuff is just plain nasty.
Comment on 12th Dec '06 @ 2:13 pmThis comment is 1
oh my goodness! Grow up ladies and quit your gripping! It is okay to indulge once in a while, but Rachel, it definitly is not a good thing to gain as much weight as you feel like while prego. Don't you want what is best for you and the baby? You can satisfy your hunger with healthier foods and liquids. And you shouldn't always go for what your body is telling you to eat. If you want chocolate, have some chocolate milk, if you want fries, get some salty BAKED potato wedges. So, please, quit your complaining and just enjoy being pregnant.
Comment on 17th Jan '07 @ 10:25 amThis comment is 1
Hey, I'm Ang, and this is my first pregnancy. I really don't think I have much for cravings, but I do find it hard to eat right. Not because I don't want to, but because most of the fruits, veggies, juices, and what not that I like make me sick. Ever since I've become pregnant I can't drink milk, eat apples or drink apple juice and what not. Most milk products are okay, but I do find a few that make me sick. I have never been like this before and it feels really weird, because it seems I can't eat what I like. I haven't read those what to expect books, and from the sound of it, I'm glad I didn't. But I do think shurbert and pizza are things I crave more than others. But with everything, I've come to the comclusion, that as long as I'm getting my baby and I the vitamins and what not it shouldn't matter too much what I gain because they didn't have all those books that freak us out like 20 yrs ago. Our mothers and their mothers did just fine. Eat what you want, just do it in moderation.
Comment on 17th Jan '07 @ 12:05 pmThis comment is 1
Come on lady's! Eating right when you are pregnant is the most important time of your live's to do it. You think baby's grow from icecream?
Comment on 18th Jan '07 @ 5:00 pmThis comment is 1
OMG. Before this pregnancy i was a healthy eater. Absolutly no candy, soda, or chocolate. I thought i was so set for a health wieght gain and everything.
Little did I know, that idea flew out the window the moment i saw a Coke and any sort of candy in the grocery store.
I am still trying to hold back because while it may not be "horrible" for the baby, my pre-pregnacy thighs are screaming for mercy. :)
Comment on 18th Jan '07 @ 5:12 pmThis comment is 1
Thank you SO much! This is my first baby and I've tried hard to "eat right" during pregnancy, but thanks to those books every time I mess up I feel like I'm going to be a terrible mother.
My husband tells me that if I'm craving it, there's a reason. My mother tells me that even though I'm trying hard I'll never get everything I'm supposed to eat in one day--that's why we take the vitamins. Luckily, I crave salads and greens usually, so that helps, but I also love my sweets and junk food. I try to satisfy sweets cravings with healthier food when I can, but sometimes there’s just no replacing chocolate cake.
As for the health fanatics out there, it’s not fair to say that just because a woman indulges herself during pregnancy that she’s going to raise unhealthy kids. Of course it helps to give them a good start, but if a woman messes up she shouldn’t be made to feel criminal. Women have eaten the way they wanted to for hundreds of years, and *gasp* the human race has survived so far.
Comment on 29th Jan '07 @ 11:08 amThis comment is 1
"Come on lady's! Eating right when you are pregnant is the most important time of your live's to do it. You think baby's grow from icecream?"
i suppose if you ate ice-cream 24-7 and refused anything else this MIGHT be a valid statement... but the human body is amazingly apt at reproduction...
just read stories of women with severe morning sickness.. the poor women who end up giving birth weighing 10 or 20 pounds LESS than their prepregnancy weight... their kids didn't come out looking like starving ethiopians, or having 2 heads... obviously the body is pretty amazing..
another thing, if you gain 50 pounds while you are pregnant, YOU are the one that has to deal with said weight, not someone else...
i too will admit feeling guilty about not eating by the "pregnancy diet" that the books describe but i'm not eating bonbons all day either... i truly believe that moderation is the key, as someone mentioned before... no you shouldn't live off of cheettos, pie and ice cream but that doesn't mean you should have to avoid them like the plague either..
just my pregnant rant, sorry
Comment on 29th Jan '07 @ 7:58 pmThis comment is 1
Every woman's different during their pregnancy, and as someone said before I know people who have weighed less, and its not because they don't eat right their body is just different. Every (pregnant)woman is going to have that "basketball" look anyway, just depending on how you take care of your self or how your body is depends how you'll look afterwards. please just stop bickering at each other
Comment on 30th Jan '07 @ 9:36 amThis comment is 1
You know, I read these articles and they did make me feel really bad. I generally eat very healthy and always have, geez, I don't think I had a candy bar in 5 years until I was pregnant and saw a commercial on TV for the New Reese Peanut Butter Crunch (I had to have it - and you know what, it was heavenly). As a rule, I don't eat fast food, but sue me, I've had 3 McDonald's French Fries since I've been prego. Who cares. I generally eat healthy for me and my baby - we are all sacrificing here (something) for the health of our babies - a little cheating isn't going to hurt our babies or make us bad mothers. Listening to all these articles about food and other things while pregnant would force you to live in a bubble. Give me a break - as long as you follow your gut and do your best to keep healthy, your baby will be fine! Enjoy being pregnant - go ahead and cheat from time to time!
Comment on 12th Feb '07 @ 1:09 pmThis comment is 1
I absolutly love you articles. I share them with my aunt who has twins and we get a kick out of them on our way to my OBGYN appointments.
Comment on 13th Feb '07 @ 7:54 amThis comment is 1
i would love to abide by those books but i have been so sick with both my pregnancies that i feel fortunate to keep down a cookie. so mostly, i eat junk food and whatever sounds good. like seriously, WHATEVER.
14 weeks to go!
Comment on 20th Feb '07 @ 3:42 amThis comment is 1
I am pregnant for the third time and the clinic I go to for this one recommended the What to Expect when you are expecting and I read about eating... it said something about not having sweets or desserts on a regular basis?? yeah, right!! NO ONE is taking chocolate away from me NOW!! I ate GREAT before I was pregnant... the only fast food I ate was Subway but once I got pregnant this time, even water made me sick!! My husband brought me home a whopper and it was the first thing in weeks that didn't make me feel sick!! so we ate burger king A LOT in the first few months... I feel bad and I wish I could have kept eating as good as I did before but now I am 21 weeks and feeling better so I am able to eat more fresh fruits and veggies again but I STILL EAT CHOCOLATE!!
I love these articles!! I really liked the one about caffeine... wasn't it the same book that says no sweets, also said no caffiene?? my doctor for my first two said that his wife went through a pot of coffee everyday with all of her pregnancy and her kids were perfectly healthy... obviously pregnancy isn't a time to start drinking that much but a little now and then isn't bad!!
thanks for reading!! and I read someone say that there are worse things we can do!! that's right, I don't smoke, drink, do drugs, I take my prenatal pills everyday and the only drugs I take our Rolaids... so if I have dessert after supper, I know my baby will be just fine!!
thanks again, this was just what I needed to read!!
Comment on 20th Feb '07 @ 8:47 pmThis comment is 1
how to make baby healthy and fair what to eat
Comment on 10th Mar '07 @ 10:55 amThis comment is 1
I think that the books just publish the food diets because there are alot of people who really want to know, but I do know there are certain books *COUGH COUGH* That have been mentioned that do make you feel like you're going to kill your baby if you don't eat right. Well I'd like to say I have never eaten better in my life than I have when I've been pregnant. I actually eat healthy, but I crave it! My body tells me what it needs and I eat it. I do eat chocolate but I also love salads, they're my favorite so far. And I do snack and junk food but it's a pretty healthy mix. I wouldn't feel too bad if you can't keep their diet and sometimes the food on those lists will make you sick to even think about. I think you should go with what your body craves. A cheeseburger gives you carbs, protein, and dairy AND your vegetable serving as does a lovely veggie and meat pizza. And the fat that is there actually helps to digest the carbs better. So don't feel TOO bad. I sure don't because I get a healthy mix of what I need because my body tells me what that is by what I crave.
Comment on 10th Mar '07 @ 9:23 pmThis comment is 1
I read this article as i chowed down on potato chips and french onion dip! It is just what i needed to be reassured of... even though this is my 5th baby, every pregnancy has the same basic worries, and food is always one of them.
As of now i am just glad food tastes and smells good, so whatever it may be... EAT IT!
Just keep it in reason, its not a license to eat a gallon of ice cream for dinner, or an entire bag of chips for a snack, but it really is okay to eat a cheeseburger over a lean grilled chicken breast.
Comment on 17th Mar '07 @ 12:16 pmThis comment is 1
Man, just reading this made me get up to get a piece of chocolate. hehehehehe
Comment on 18th Mar '07 @ 3:08 pmThis comment is 1
I know what you mean that does seem to be everyones favorite question. And when i tell people that i had chips and dip or crackers and cream cheese for dinner they tell me to eat healthier that i'm not being a good mom to be. I have tried to eat healthy all the time but its just not enough i need what i want to eat at that moment!
Comment on 8th May '07 @ 7:11 pmThis comment is 1
I was a horrible eater for my first pregnancy, near perfect for my second... and now my third? Well, horrible again. If my husband buys a box of donuts he better hide them or they'll be gone by the time he gets home from work!
Comment on 9th May '07 @ 12:35 pmThis comment is 1
Great article, very funny and true!
Comment on 3rd Jun '07 @ 8:20 amThis comment is 1
i have that book and i'm a worrier to begin with that book had me in tears when i first read it . i was scared of every lill thing what i was eating what i was feeling i thought for the first month befor my first op appiontment that i was haveing a topical pregnatcie! it puts every thing in to a way that if you don't do this and everything thats in this book your baby will not be good enoughe and you'll be a bad momi hated that book , it has some good pionts but just don't most if your a new mommy to be take any of it to heart most of being pregnat i have found is all down to how you feel and doing things that seem right to you , they'll still come out just fine if you don't do everything right .
Comment on 8th Jun '07 @ 1:17 amThis comment is 1
I hate those parts. By the time I finshed that chapter I was in tears scared to death that my strawberry jelly sandwichs will kill my baby. But I started to think What about my mom? What did she eat? And you know what my great grandmother used to smoke when she had my grandmother and she turned out fine. I don't think it will kill me or the child if I have my snacks. And this is my first
Comment on 9th Jun '07 @ 11:36 pmThis comment is 1
This is true.The book made me very nervous but aware about all the things that could go wrong.And as far as the diet goes I pretty much follow it to a t.This is my first baby and I dont want to jepordize anything.My friend on the other hand ate all the chocolate she wanted and ended up with gestational diabetes.Now she cant eat nothing.So it doesnt hurt to give up what you like for a couple of months for the safety of your child.And as far as the cravings go my b/f doesnt really go for all that nonsense.So I had to suck alot of my cravings up shit you cant always get what you want.And I didnt keel over cause I couldnt have a whatever the hell I felt like at the time.
Comment on 13th Jun '07 @ 9:52 amThis comment is 1
All I have to say is A M E N!!!
Comment on 18th Jun '07 @ 11:25 amThis comment is 1
No i won't let her have ice-cream for breakfast. so sick. If you really love them, give them healthy stuff and cook every day. Ice creams and all that sugar is an exception, not the daily basis. That's why there are so many kids fat or get sick all the time, poor nutrients and a lot of sugar.
Comment on 18th Jun '07 @ 2:14 pmThis comment is 1
I wouldnt say i dont eat right, the only thing i really dont eat right are veggies and ill eat some with cheese! I read all these articles and woman have cravings and im 21 weeks and still no cravings. When i go out to eat its hard to find what I want.
Comment on 20th Jun '07 @ 2:05 pmThis comment is 1
I've been craving fruits and veggies! I was told if you crave fruits its a girl and veggie means its a boy so a friend of mine mentioned this to me and I told her I must be having a hermaphodite cause I want both!
Comment on 28th Jun '07 @ 2:51 pmThis comment is 1
LMAO I tried so damn hard with my son to eat what was "right" and didfor the most part- but then after I ate the right food I would go straight for the wrongs ones. It was like I couldn't help myself, I was a machine that was craving a cookie! Like you said though, one cookie ended up being a whole box, even though I wasn't even hungry because I had just eaten. Now I realize in this pregnancy if I eat a little of what I want BEFORE I eat the "good" stuff I am less inclined to over eat at all because my craving was already satisfied :)
Comment on 17th Jul '07 @ 6:06 amThis comment is 1
That is awesome to read. I read all those books and was so freaked out by certain foods that I would spend most of my time thinking about what to eat than actually eating and then wound up with a headache. I don't go overboard on the sweets, and I do try to eat my veggies and fruits, but I don't let what I am eating or going to eat worry me anymore. The number one thing to remember is just to eat, your baby needs food and so do you, the baby isn't picky!
Comment on 14th Aug '07 @ 9:50 amThis comment is 1
This is so true! With my first pregnancy, I stopped eating fried foods. I still had to have my chocolate. But I ended up losing 42 pounds while I was pregnant! I always felt hungry and never satisfied. So with this pregnancy, I'm taking it easy and relaxing a little more. I'm 22 weeks along and have only gained 8 pounds. The way I see it, I'm the one having the baby, let me have my cake and eat it too!
Comment on 12th Sep '07 @ 8:25 pmThis comment is 1
Oh goodness. I agree up there with Rebecca! No one is saying you're totally in the clear if you just shovel truckloads of fatty, sugary, greasy foods in your mouth at 9 months pregnant! This was clearly just an article to put those mom's minds at ease about not being "perfect" when it comes to the basic doctor prescribed pregnancy diet. I'm almost in my 6th month and i've got a bag of cookies in my desk drawer for when i'm literally ready to kill my boss because I want something chocolate! That doesn't mean I don't go home and have a can of asparagus when i'm craving it as well! Your body is created to do wonderful amazing things and I beleive as long as you stay on the guidlines of what is still "safe" in a completely realistic way you will have no problem pushing out that bouncing bundle of joy you've worked so hard for.
So ladies, please! Listen to your bodies and do what tastes right! (everytime I hear that I head straight for wendy's!)
Comment on 25th Sep '07 @ 9:05 amThis comment is 1
I never read the "what to expect when expecting" book with my first pregnancy,and my son turned out great. Now, me and a couple of my girl friends are pregnant at the same time, and when i tell them about the foods i ate with my first son ( cookies with half a container of frosting on them, chips, ect.) they are sure to quote me from that dumb book. This beeing their first pregnancies, i can understand wanting to be perfect, but lets face it, 50-60 years ago woman were not eating so strickly, and their kids turned out fine.
Comment on 25th Sep '07 @ 2:47 pmThis comment is 1
I was so extremely hungry my 1st trimester, and no matter how many fruits and vegetables I ate, if I didn't have carbs, I literally fainted - no joke! I remember eating 7 (yes, 7) oranges in a row one night and I was starving, yet, I'd eat in general and would get hungrier. Make sense to you? Didn't think so. I'm in the dark about that one. I managed to gain a whopping 12 pounds in the first 4 months alone, although it's slowed down now that I'm not as hungry anymore and I've gotten over my weird food cravings (I'm 21 weeks). But yeah, those books really didn't do anything for me except tell me what I absolutely NEEDED to stay away from. (Sushi, feta cheese, etc..etc..). I haven't weighed this much in years!
Comment on 30th Sep '07 @ 5:46 pmThis comment is 1
This is my first pregnacy and that helps me not to stress a lot because i tend to do the same thing and my boyfriends is always on me about following the food pyramid.LOL!
Comment on 3rd Oct '07 @ 12:25 amThis comment is 1
Well, I haven't read the What to Expect . . . book, but I do know that the better you eat, the better you will feel and the healthier your baby will be--not just at birth, but throughout their life. My first I ate a lot of chocolate (Peanut Buster Parfait was a regular dinner for me) and sweets. He ended up with lots of allergies. He's 17 now and still has trouble with it. My second I ate chocolate ice cream every night and he had all kinds of problems from 3 weeks on. Plus I had braxton hicks contractions 1 minute apart for like a week at the end of the pregnancy. That was really annoying. During my 3rd pregnancy I ate perfectly. She was born a good healthy weight and it was a quick (2hr) labor and delivery. She continues to be a very healthy girl today at age 13. I won't go through each pregnancy because I ate differently with each one, but I will say that the closer I followed a healthy diet, the better *I* felt and the healthier that particular child still is today.
So does that mean that now that I'm pregnant with #10 I eat perfectly? No. We're all human and we'll fall to temptation now and then. Sugar is very addictive ladies. But if we shoot for a good diet, we're going to do a lot better than if we just decide it doesn't matter. It does matter.
And besides, who wants to gain a bunch of weight that you can't lose later? By eating right, I have maintained a good weight even after having 9 kids. I'm always getting comments on how I don't look big enough to have had so many children. I'm always either pregnant or nursing (since 1989) so I can't diet. I just have to rely on eating healthy. It works!!
Comment on 15th Oct '07 @ 8:47 pmThis comment is 1
My husband decided that he would be supportive and make fresh veggie juice for me in the mornings. That lasted a sip. I threw up instantly- lol. Poor guy.
I am eating a well balanced diet and am maintaining my weight to date- though my regular portions aren't as filling. I'm trying to incorporate more fiber and yogurt instead of high fat/sugar foods.
Perhaps now that I'm in my second trimester I can try the juice again. Good luck ladies.
Comment on 19th Oct '07 @ 3:58 pmThis comment is 1
I love this site because people are being real about what they're experiencing during pregnancy. I am in my 30's and I have spent the last 15-20 years dieting, trying to eat right, exercising 4-6 days a week & keeping myself slim and fit. I thought i would be one of those beautiful, slim, glowing pregnant women with a big belly that they show in the magazines.. That has not been the case.. :( When i got pregnant everything went out the window (including my metabolism!!). all the low fat diet foods i used to eat tasted like crap to me.. yet, if i didn't keep my stomach somewhat full at all times, i felt VERY nauseous. all i wanted to eat was cheese, red meat, baked lays, salads with lots of italian dressing, yogurts and either OJ or dried apricots. so, that's what i ate (and continue to eat). I hate half the foods that the "what to expect when you're expecting" type books tell you to eat.. And, many of the foods that i previously ate that were healthy - sushi and seaweed salad for example - i'm not allowed to eat while pregnant!! So, I find the things that I like that have a decent amount of nutritional value and i take my pre-natal vitamin every day.. and, i obviously cut out the things that they say are seriously bad for the baby.. alcohol, cigarettes, brie (yummm), deli meats, etc.. I never ate fast food, so that's not really an issue for me..
Besides, I honestly believe that the stress of making pregnancy an unpleasant experience for myself by forcing myself into a narrow list of pregnancy perfection do's & don'ts is worse for my baby than the few chips or the one small cup of coffee that i allow myself on a daily basis.
Just because you're not doing everything perfectly, doesn't mean you're doing it wrong either, right? pregnancy is a crazy emotional and physical ride. I'm doing my best to enjoy it and take care of my growing baby at the same time.. Until my OB/GYN tells me something is wrong, then I am considering myself a success at being the best pregnant me i can be.. :)
Comment on 8th Nov '07 @ 1:04 pmThis comment is 1
How are you supposed to make all the good for you meals when your so tired and have a four yr old who makes you twice as tired as you already are and have a husband who can only cook spagettie??? we eat out a lot more than I like but isn't there an easier way?
Comment on 13th Nov '07 @ 11:27 pmThis comment is 1
I have had a really weird craving in most peoples book. At least when I tell them what it was. I craved raw potatoes. I'm pretty sure if I had had one at the end of my second pregnancy then I would have had an 8 lbs. baby. She was 7 lbs. 13 oz. When I told my family they thought it was pretty gross and funny. Oh well. Let's see what this one is going to have me craving.
Comment on 5th Jan '08 @ 1:55 pmThis comment is 1
I've always hated the cravings question. I'm nearly at the end of my first pregnancy and about the only thing I craved was cheese and meat...rare red meat dripping in blood. No weird combinations here. It's just annoying that people think that as soon as you get knocked up you're going to automatically indulge in weird combinations.
But the other stuff? Well, I've eaten kinda healthy and because I've been so picky and careful my doctors are worried about my weight gain. So those manuals aren't always the best because I try to eat healthy but now lose weight. Stupid salads...I just hope I gain enough weight so the doctor doesn't look at me like I'm stupid. Not my fault I can't gain weight...it's not that bloody easy.
v.v
Comment on 26th Jan '08 @ 2:32 pmThis comment is 1
ahahahaha you said innocent and oreos and i was laughing my brains into my gut. i am the same way. everyday i work with food and everyday a customer comes in and tells me oh your gonna get fat like that, im like oh this huge ass stomach, you mean itll get bigger! OH NOoO! i mean im only 5mths. almost. lol that made me laugh though because i know exactly what your talking about, everyone asks me about cravings.
Comment on 1st Feb '08 @ 6:28 pmThis comment is 1
I liked this article and all the supportive comments! I'm fed up with all the books I've seen, including What to Expect. While some of the advice is good, they are written as if being pregnant is a full time job, and we can all afford to spend all our time monitoring everything that goes into our mouths, every mandatory minute of sleep or rest, and every move we make (including toning every part of our bodies individually and doing "20 sets of 10 kegels" per day - huh??!) If I took this stuff seriously I would never work, go out, talk to anyone, etc... The advice is so overwhelming that it makes you feel like giving up and doing none of it. We can all do without the guilt and the sugar/fat/exercise police!
I'm just taking a 'moderate' approach - trying to stay active but not going overboard, eating healthily most of the time but not depriving myself of things I crave (especially vachon cakes). Women have been having healthy babies for centuries while eating a zillion different kinds of diets, doing heavy labour, looking after 8 other kids, or lying around being pampered by servants, you name it... Be sensible and pay attention to any serious problems, but all in all we're not that delicate.
Comment on 4th Mar '08 @ 3:05 pmThis comment is 1
That book is scary! I think that book should be taken off the shelf! I don't believe in depriving yourself of anything. Moderation is the key. If I fall off the wagon one day...I make up for it the next. Or...if I've been really really good, I reward myself!
Comment on 7th Mar '08 @ 12:32 pmThis comment is 1
Oh yeah....the only thing I really crave is chocolate soy milk. Yummy!
Comment on 7th Mar '08 @ 12:37 pmThis comment is 1
WELL IM 21 WEEKD AND 4 DAYS.... I DONT REALLY HAVE ANY CRAVINGS...AND MAN HOW THERE ARE SO MUCH RULES ABOUT WHAT TO EAT..... I THINK YOU CAN EAT ALMOST ABOUT ANYTHING BUT JUS IN A SMALL AMOUNTS.... I LOVE ALOE VERA JUICE,CEREAL,WENDYS,AND CHOCOLATE SOY MILK.... ITS JUS SO GOOD....
Comment on 13th Mar '08 @ 1:25 pmThis comment is 1
Hi..
i just had to share the strangest piece of advise two moms just gave me. I am on week 21 and i wear heels still. i don't know if you can call them heels since we are speaking for only 3 inch heels. Anyway the first mom (her daughter will be 3 years old in June) asked me if i was sure that the heels will not damage my baby. I couldn't answer to that, i had to stop myself from laughing. The second mom which also has a 3 year old son just informed me that during pregnancy it is much easier to break a leg or suffer from ankle injuries, much more then before. My eyes wide open to such claims left them both without a clue on what i was thinking of replying...
Comment on 18th Mar '08 @ 5:28 amThis comment is 1
Bravo once again ona wonderful article!@!!!!! I tell ya, Most of the time I try to eat like a healthy champ cause most of the time I lived off of chips and what ever else was easy to snack on at work, and then there's everyone saying you shouldn't eat that that's not good for the baby.. But you know what it doesn't matter what you eat as long as it's not like wood chips or what ever other weird things they talk about.
And the ice cream for breakfast, That's great!!!! Many of times have my children gotten away with sweets or with cupcakes or something cause I just did not have the energy to deal with it.
I love these articles, They help me understand I'm not the only one doing things "not by the book"
Comment on 18th Mar '08 @ 6:26 amThis comment is 1
Eating excessive junk food and packing on too many pounds during pregnancy is harmful to you and to baby. This can cause gestational diabetes and/or preclampsia. If you develop GD your baby can be too large to deliver vaginally and have lasting blood sugar problems. If you have preclampsia your Dr. may have to induce or perform a C-section early to save yours and baby's life.
That said I know what it's like to only be able to keep mac-n-cheese down thus gaining wt too quickly. The best advice I can give is once the nausea subsides put forth every effort to make the best food choices.
The whole high heel thing is a concern, but not for the reasons given. Since your center of gravity is different when prego wearing heels throws off your balance increasing your risk for a fall. High heels also interferes with circulation at any time in life increasing development of varicose veins, which you are also more suceptable to while prego; so, it's a double whammy.
Comment on 18th Mar '08 @ 12:08 pmThis comment is 1
I swear people get so made when I tell them I crave coffee like no other. and chips. But I also eat pretty healthy and get out and walk all over. But they just act all disappointed that I don't crave like a huge buffet of things.
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