Eating while pregnant

[JPW]

If you really want to have some fun, post this question on the urbanbaby.com expecting board and watch the floodgates open.

Yeah my wife has looked through their stuff.

The level of discourse there makes a certain other food site look positively educated and civilized.

[JennyUptown]

My best wishes to you and Mrs. JPW - when I saw you guys, the Peanut was still, well, peanut-sized.

How did your healthy snacks go over with the group? I know one couple thanked you, but did the rest of them indulge or turn up their noses.

I think laziness is definitely a factor here. Good for you, though, taking such good care of yourselves!

A fruit, granola and yogurt parfait might be nice too... hmm, that sounds good right about now.

[JPW]

My best wishes to you and Mrs. JPW - when I saw you guys, the Peanut was still, well, peanut-sized.

How did your healthy snacks go over with the group? I know one couple thanked you, but did the rest of them indulge or turn up their noses.

I think laziness is definitely a factor here. Good for you, though, taking such good care of yourselves!

A fruit, granola and yogurt parfait might be nice too... hmm, that sounds good right about now.

Peanut (aka our as-of-yet unborn child) is decidely no longer peanut-sized. At this point, Peanut is more the size of a big pork tenderloin. However, "Pork Tenderloin" doesn't quite have the same ring to it for a nickname as "Peanut" does.

I saw maybe half of the approx 26 people (about 12 couples and 2 signers for the deaf couple) eating the fruit salad. Our tupperware container was pretty well licked clean. It totaled 5 kiwis, 2 apples, a quart of strawberries, and about 1/2 pound of grapes. The equivalent of about 2 oranges (in wedges) was also consumed.

Thinking about it this way does incline me to take a slightly different view of the eating habits of those that were there. However, all of the other stuff was gone as well.

Perhaps laziness or lack of time is indeed the reason. But at some point a lack of time becomes a matter of priorities as well. My wife and I both work relatively time demanding office jobs (that I'm obviously slacking off on today) and have all the other things to do that other people do.

As with the earlier poster, I did not necessarily want to bring anything, it is kind of a pain in the ass. Not that buying extra fruit and slicing it into a tupperware container took a lot of time or money, but I guess I just felt disappointed that others didn't put the same thought into it as we did. It seemed to me to be an interesting discussion piece for eG which has taught me so much.

Cheers.

[Cleo]

Interesting topic since I am 5 months pregnant. And lemme tell ya, during the first 3 months, when I was feeling like hell, that last thing I wanted to eat was fruit or vegetables. Luckily that passed and now I eat a relatively balanced diet (including the occasional cheeseburger or potato chips).

Anyway, I definitely think it’s a little strange that the instructor showed up with cookies and potato chips since you would think that he or she would want to promote healthful eating.

However, I completely agree with the Elion_84’s theory that it’s cheaper and easier for most people to pick up a bottle of soda or a bag of chips rather than go through the effort of making a nice fruit salad. Especially for a bunch of strangers. And especially since most people are coming straight from work.

I’m not saying that I wouldn’t go out of my way, but most people won’t and don’t.

It's nice that you put the effort into bringing a healthy option.

[scottie]

Well, salad comes in bags these days for $2.99.

It may not be baby arugula but it's better than a $3 bag of Ruffles.

Juice comes conveniently packaged in bottles, maybe slightly more expensive than soda but still under 5 bucks.

My mother was a Lamaze teacher back in the 70's and early 80's. She encouraged everyone to eat lots of liver.

Of course, now liver is verboten for pregnant moms, unless it's really super clean.

I like to blame my stunted height on mom's excessive liver consumption.

Here's one thing she told me:

She never ate sweets while pregnant with me. I do not like sweets.

But she ate lots of sweets while pregnant with my sister, who now has a sweet tooth. Coincidence? Hmm...

[bleudauvergne]

I'm not sure how relevant the pregnancy issue is here. 

It's really why I posted this.

It's more important to eat healthy when pregnant than at any other time. While the mother only needs an extra 300-500 calories per day to properly account for the energy that goes into the growing fetus, it has to contain the correct nutrients to allow for the proper development of the fetus. ...

I think to set the record straight - for a developing fetus, if they need nutrients they aren't getting from what the mother intakes through her mouth, they come from the body of the mother, the fetus just goes ahead and takes what it needs. So it would be highly unlikely, unless this mother were consuming something that crosses the placenta, that even frequent indulgence in this kind of stuff would hurt a growing baby.

The mom, however, will really have a hard time later, though, if she eats this way all the time during the pregnancy.

[Cleo]

Juice comes conveniently packaged in bottles, maybe slightly more expensive than soda but still under 5 bucks.

Just for the record, pregnant women are not supposed to load up on so much "juice". Although people perceive it to be healthy, it has loads of sugar.

According to the nutrition info on Mott's website, an 8 oz. glass of apple juice has 28 grams of sugar.

According to the nutrition info on Pepsi's website, an 8 oz. glass of Pepsi has 27 grams of sugar.

I'm not saying go ahead and drink Pepsi, I'm just stating the facts. I more or less only drink water with the occasional ginger ale or Sprite mixed in to settle my stomach.

[memesuze]

not exactly on point, but the instructor showing up with cookies and potato chips reminded me of the defensive driving instructor who suggested that, after we took and passed the class-ending test, we should all go out for a drink!

[JPW]

not exactly on point, but the instructor showing up with cookies and potato chips reminded me of the defensive driving instructor who suggested that, after we took and passed the class-ending test, we should all go out for a drink!

<spit out coffee>

Now I need to call our PC people for a new keyboard!

[hjshorter]

I wouldn't call attention to other's eating habits, but getting the instructor to mention it might be a good idea.

Chances are good that they already know what they are supposed to be eating, since pregnancy brings out the unwanted advice in everyone.

[JPW]

Chances are good that they already know what they are supposed to be eating, since pregnancy brings out the unwanted advice in everyone.

Ain't that the f*&%ing truth!!!!

Back to food, we actually quit reading any of the pregnancy books. They could drive you into an early grave.

"Don't eat canned tuna or your kid will have three arms"

"Don't eat (insert your own food) or your kid won't have a liver"

Granted there are certainly things to avoid, but these books will just make you paranoid, ESPECIALLY that damned "What to Expect when You're Expecting".

On the other hand, I did pick up a cookbook with recipes specifically designed to address the nutritional needs of pregnant women. Nothing fancy, but there are a couple of good things in there (an egg casserole for brunch, a nice flank steak marinade). I'll have to look up the name.

[hillvalley]

This is a good first lesson for Peanut. His parent's are food snobs and s/he will therefor eat better than most of his friends. It may not be easy to be different than the rest of the kids, but it certainly tastes better

[monkeymay]

Remember - you can't be righteous or condemn other people for what they're doing just because you think YOU'RE doing the right thing. You can only do the best you can and hope others will follow by example. I learned that lesson at my kid's preschool when I was in charge of snacks.

It's a hard lesson but a very useful one.

[claire797]

We dodged that issue. Our class wasn't ever asked to bring snacks.

We did have a couple that scarfed down fast food during every class. They sat in the back by themselves with their sack of Taco Bell or whatever and tried to cram it all in before the class became interactive. I just remember feeling really sorry for them for not having enough time to slip in a quick snack or meal before class.

JPW -- I'm right there with you on What To Expect When You're Expecting. I liked that book until I got to the food chapter, at which point I shoved it under the bed and moved into the world of Dr. Sears. Maybe they did me a favor.

[Rebel Rose]

But I think that the instructor missed a chance to make a positive contribution to the health of moms, dads (or other partners), AND baby.

JPW, pregnancy is the key issue here, because for many couples this could be a critical turning point, nutritionally. I'm amazed the instructor didn't start with a discussion on proper nutrition. Many people are brought up in households where these eating habits are considered normal and healthy, but they'd be happy to try something new for the sake of their baby, and themselves, if they were given a nudge.

For the sake of the mother's comfort alone, the instructor should advise her to lay off potato chips and white bread buns. As you probably know, hemorrhoids are a BIG possibility here, and less than optimal, uh, digestive efficacy, will result in some painful and perhaps recurring discomforts!

Also, the extremely high salt content in fast and processed foods will contribute to water retention (and who needs those bowling ball ankles?) and hypertension, which will not only make mom uncomfortable, but could threaten the baby--and make it much harder to lose the weight afterward!

It would be cool if the instructor not only discussed nutrition, but handed out a bibliography of good books and websites on natal nutrition, so the couples can continue their education and enjoy the excitement of discovery, practice, and community!

[ruthcooks]

My first trimester of my first pregnancy I lived on small amounts of 7-Up, soda crackers and Life Savers because I couldn't keep anything down. (And to this day, I don't touch any of the three.) I suffered from dehydration. My body hurt so much I couldn't stand to wear a nightgown or even have a sheet touch me. I just lay in bed and prayed to die. A Big Mac and a coke would have been much healthier than that.

It's only snobby if you look down on the other people because of your superior knowledge--but it's righteous if you tell them about it, and that's much worse.

[iguana]

... pregnancy brings out the unwanted advice in everyone.

Too true-- I'm stuck between relatives telling me to get another slice of pie and others telling me "my manicurist gained 100 pounds with her pregnancy". Ugh. Of course, at 11 weeks, I can barely stand the smell of food, so I'm self-limiting now.

I think you did the right thing leading by example-- if something yummy and healthy, like fruit salad is offered, a lot of folks will scarf it right up and maybe come back with a craving for it. My staff used to love doughnuts for our meeting snacks, but once I brought yogurt, fresh strawberries, bananas, and homemade granola-- now they clamor for that.

Good luck with the little one!

[JPW]

So here's the update from the last class on Saturday.

Unfortunately for Rachel's plan of getting to the class early, Mrs JPW's aerobics class ran a little late and we were unable to arrive early. She's toned down and made adjustments to her exercise program to account for pregnancy, but still goes to an aerobics class or two a week, jumps on the elliptical trainer once or twice and takes a pre-natal yoga class. Don't know how much longer she'll be able to keep it up, but I'm exceedingly proud of her.

Breakfast snacks brought by class members were - 1 fruit salad, 1 big bag of bagels, and a few dozen Dunkin Donuts. Lunch provided by the hospital was pizza and salads.

I waited until almost everyone had left to talk to the instructor. I mentioned that I was concerned about the snacks that had been brought in and mentioned that I thought that even a few seconds spent on addressing nutrition and health would probably have been helpful to us all, as there are so many open questions around the subject as you move into the end stages of pregnancy and delivery.

We also wrote in a few notes on the issue in our post-class evaluation.

The instructor mentioned that she used to attempt to set the stage by providing more healthful things like carrot and celery sticks for the first class' snacks, but people just didn't eat them. She also pointed out that all of the lunch pizza was gone, but that there was a fair amount of salad left. She had ordered 4 or 5 that weren't too big, and there was basically a whole one left.

After reiterating that we thought even a few seconds on overall health and nutrition issues would be greatly beneficial to future couples. We thanked her and left. I don't know how much our suggestion will bring about in terms of discussion within the hospital teaching staff, but at least we brought the issue up.

Thanks everyone for their comments on the issue. You've given me a lot to think about.

Thanks also for your good wishes towards Mrs. JPW and Peanut as we enter the final stages.

Cheers.

Joe

[kellycolorado]

JPW,

I don't think you're a snob for noticing the instructor's snacks and the contributions of everyone else. I think that pregnancy is the time to eat healthful foods more than ever. Of course it doesn't have to be a 100% perfect diet, but what you listed was so way far from perfect.

I have heard at the Bradley childbirth classes the parents are much more into natural living so you'd probably see a lot healthier snacks there. It sounds like your class was pretty mainstream and that is what mainstream Americans often eat.

I didn't really crave junk food during my pregnancy so it's hard for me to relate to the others.... for me it was spicy Indian and Thai.

oops, I missed the last 10 posts. off to read.

[kellycolorado]

Yes, it would be very nice if the teacher started out mentioning healthy eating and diet (even just laying off the processed foods and caffeine a bit and trying to get more protein, veggies and fruit).

If she said it, it wouldn't come across as condescending or superior, just as instruction.