Pregnancy and Food

[daniellewiley]

So here I am, counting down the dwindling moments til c-section on Friday.  First trimester seems a long time ago!

Of course, somewhere into third trimester I shifted into dessert mode.  Ate healthfully for meals in general, but have had plenty of ice cream and cookies and such.  Trying to ignore the number on the scale...ugh.

Good luck to everyone!

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Good luck Friday!! And don't worry about dessert mode - I did the same exact thing. You can just come join me on the Weight Watchers thread in a couple of weeks.

[jphilg]

I just had my first two months ago.....first tri, our house was under DEEP renovation, so we had no kitchen. The only take out I could handle was a baked potato from Wendy's, plain. All my husband had to do was SUGGEST Boston Market, or Thai, for dinner and I went running for the loo.

I never had any food cravings, but I had serious drink cravings. I drank gallons and gallons of unsweetened iced tea, and constantly thought about Sauvignon Blanc and this specialty cocktail made at a local restaurant called a Cardinal. I think it is brandy and Grand Marnier...anyhow, I indulged in the former, in my last tri, but not the latter.

Now that the baby is here, I have a crazy sweet tooth that I never had before. I've been baking up a storm.

[kellycolorado]

I haven't had as much of an appetite the first trimester, maybe because it's the heat of summer this time... All these beautiful CSA vegetables coming in and no energy to prep and cook them into something interesting half the time... Maybe the appetite will come with the fall weather.

Funny, sometimes I feel like I could just eat out every night, whatever sounds good at the time. The only thing keeping me from that other than the budget is that everything tastes so darn salty lately!

-Kelly

[LindaJ]

My MS lasted from week 9 to week 14. Ginger ale, those Altoids ginger mints, and naps helped, but I was completely miserable the whole time.

As soon as I couldn't drink, I had cravings for scotch. The wee one is 10 months old and come to think of it, I still haven't had scotch. And oh my gosh, I wanted sushi so bad. That's another thing on the "don't" list. I loaded up on that as soon as she was born and I was mobile.

An old wives' tale is that you crave dairy with a girl and that sure was it for me. I NEEDED soft serve every day in the 2nd and 3rd. Not hard ice cream, it HAD to be soft serve. One day, I even went to the Dairy Queen drive through twice.

[Malawry]

I'm trying not to think about sushi. I absolutely love chirashi sushi and it's clearly out of the question right now. I'm also not eating medium-rare ground beef. I had a salade nicoise for dinner--my only tuna fish this month. But hey, it was a full dinner with plenty of protein what with the fish and hard-boiled eggs.

[rosebud]

Odd (wo)man out here. But I came across a factoid some years ago in reading about a woman who spent nine months mostly throwing up everything. The baby was perfectly healthy, BTW. It seems that Ireland has the world's highest rate of Spina Bifida, which, we now know, is caused by a folic acid deficiency. However, that deficiency is exacerbated by something to do with an ingredient in potatoes and nobody eats more potatoes per person than the Irish. Bottom line, Malawry, is to take your folic acid supplements and don't overdo the potatoes--as in making them the basis of you diet. But, you knew that.

Barbara (Yes, the one in DC)

[hjshorter]

I skipped the raw fish, but pretty much ate whatever I had an appetite for each time I was pregnant. The thing that made me the most nauseous the first time was cheese, and I developed an intolerance for garlic. Even the smell of cheese wiped me out.

The second time morning sickness was very mild, but I was on a strict diet for much of the time.

Edit to say that for my first pregnancy I couldn't handle cooking for about 2 months, so no helpful suggestions there. Either he cooked or we made do things served cold, or with takeout.

Edited August 24, 2005 by hjshorter (log)

[Rinsewind]

Kid #1: Could not abide the smell of coffee or tuna fish out of a can-- both favorites of hubby. Shrimp, one of my all time favorites, tasted like sand to me. Wound up with gestational diabetes, and therefore craved all the stuff I couldn't have (simple carbs). When my son was born, my husband surprised me with a chocolate cake-- in the delivery room! The docs and nurses all thought it was a great idea, especially since they could have some.

Kid #2: Lots of evening sickness, so I ate nothing or cereal for dinner for several months. Couldn't stand the smell of coffee again, but strangely I craved tuna fish. I wound up craving the stuff you're not supposed to eat (shushi, margaritas, and tuna fish to name a few), but was also slightly more lenient with myself on this (well, no sushi or alcohol, but I did have the occasional tuna fish sandwhich). I stayed away from sweets for the most part, even though I didn't get gestational diabetes this time. I got another chocolate cake in the delivery room, which was definitely yummy! We put a "0" candle on the cake and sang happy birthday to my daughter.

[daniellewiley]

I'm trying not to think about sushi. I absolutely love chirashi sushi and it's clearly out of the question right now. I'm also not eating medium-rare ground beef. I had a salade nicoise for dinner--my only tuna fish this month. But hey, it was a full dinner with plenty of protein what with the fish and hard-boiled eggs.

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I'm allergic to fish, but love going out for vegetarian sushi, and thus was able to do so throughout my whole pregnancy. There are some really yummy vegetarian options out there, if you find a sushi chef willing to work with you. My husband loves chirashi sushi - the vegetarian doesn't really compare to that, but at least you'll have something!

My favorites are:

Spicy tofu maki (just like spicy tuna, but with "raw" or tempura fried tofu)

Sweet potato tempura maki

Sunshine roll (avocado, cucumber, lemon)

OK, now I'm starving for sushi! We'll have to bring Dylan and the baby there this weekend!

Incidentally, with Dylan, I stayed away from all the food no-no's. With Max, I ate Medium Rare beef, soft cheeses (even raw milk) and had a couple of glasses of wine throughout. I really missed the alcohol, but only broke down those two times. My husband brought beer to the hospital for me - that was a fun toast!

[newbie]

For Baby # 1, I had difficulty with all seafood and beef. Whenever I tried it, it tasted "off" to me. As a born and raised east coaster, I found the no seafood part quite hard. Not too much of a surprise when I became anemic later in the pregnancy.... Didn't experience any cravings.

For Baby # 2, there was nothing that I wasn't able to eat and actually craved beef and sweets. Was never a big sweets fan before that. Still not a huge sweets fan but do get the occasional craving now and then.

I also experienced "morning" sickness during both pregnancies, though I'm not quite sure why they call it morning when it lasts all day..... ate lots of saltine crackers for the first month or so of both pregnancies.

[melmck]

Hi y'all!

It's been a while, so I thought I'd catch you up on the latest for those who followed my blog, Mel's New Bakery. I am pregnant! It is a complete miracle (and surprise) since I have been told for 10 years that I can't have kids. I worked the holiday hell season, the 14-18 hour a day bit, for weeks without knowing I was pregnant! In this case there's no martyrdom, I didn't know! After Christmas, I was SO TIRED, and kept falling asleep everytime I sat down. I kept thinking, damn, did Christmas really wipe me out this bad??? turns out it wasn't just X-mas....hee hee! I am due in August. right in the busy pie season...family and friends are VERY excited, since everyone knew it probably wasn't in the cards...

Crazy changes happening everyday, physically, mentally, etc. Other than being super tired I feel great and have little to complain about. My sense of smell is now as powerful as my Labrador Retreivers! It has become so sensitive, especially to bad smells (such as others' BO, bad breath, or rotting funky food. oh and stinky cheeses, unfortunately) I can smell things from 2 rooms over! I am starving, and then after I take 2 bites.....uuugghhhh. don't want it. Craving eggs, and other smooshy soft foods. However, overnight , my attitude about what I am eating has shifted dramatically. It's such a trip, to go from hedonistic tendencies, of, well I just want to shove yummy food down my gullet all the time, and damn the consequences, to wait- it must have NUTRITIONAL VALUE! whoa! I have to THINK about what I am consuming. (and now even more so concerning organic) it is quite a different attitude to think, the food I am eating is fueling the life growing inside of me. mmmm, but homemade mac-n-cheese, the baby will surely like that! dairy, right? ah, the justification begins! if only I could justify my beloved coffee...sigh...

I now want to wrap myself into a little cocoon, and sleep...I am limiting my hours and trying to get as much rest/sleep as is possible, and just take very good care of myself. I admit it is very hard to focus on exciting new products and desserts at the moment. I am not stressing too much about my bakery, and well, what am I going to do? Whatever I need to. It is running smoothly enough- with a great, responsible staff who has already made things much easier for me.

So that is the latest news folks!

My best to all,

Mel

[jgm]

CONGRATULATIONS!

There's a story in the New York Times this week, about how many chef's kids eat very sophisticated foods. I'd put a link to it, but I don't know how to do one that will last more than about a month. Cool story, though, and proof that kids don't have to be raised on junk food.

Maybe on this thread you could keep us apprised of your cravings. I just love to hear those stories. One former co-worker's husband was good enough to drive her 300 miles to get some sort of Asian fruit drink she couldn't find here; they also scoured the town a couple of times for wonton soup. I still tease her about the trip for the fruit drink.

[Trishiad]

I used to wait tables at a restaurant that was new and was owned by a woman who had never run a restaurant before. A few months in she found out she was pregnant. It wasn't easy but it all worked out beautifully. Baby Elle came to work often, was passed around, carried out to the floor to visit the regulars and eventually claimed one of our bussers as her nanny. Elle is in second grade now and her momma sold that little restaurant for a profit.

congratulations. motherhood is insane, you'll feel right at home.

[Rhea_S]

Congratulations! It's good to read that you have reliable staff and do not have to worry so much about your business.

[JeanneCake]

Congratulations! Wishing you all the best - motherhood is a blast. Although a perfect fresh peach is close.

[melmck]

bakery business, palates & olfactory senses,(helloooo-this should be priority #1 to all chefs) food cravings, and being a woman pastry chef, and juggling personal/family life with pastry & baking career, hmm the list is endless of things to discuss on this here forum!

maybe if I spray-paint the baby with colored pink & blue chocolate & mycryo, and nestle it into a foamed emulsion bed of lychees and star anise...

ha ha, she hasn't lost her sense of humor (or mind) YET

[jackal10]

It will certainly change your life.

A baby is incredibly time and energy consuming. It is impossibly tough to run a difficult business like a bakery, and care for a baby. One is going to get shortchanged.

You almost need to choose, and give up one or the other. If you really are determined to go with both, and you have an understanding bank manager you need to get help now, while you still can, probably both to manage the bakery and seperately to manage (or at least day care) for the baby...

However, I'm just a crusty male that dislikes babies and childern..

[sugarbuzz]

Congrats Mel! I know very well what you're going through. I just went through it last year.

My son Rylan was born last month & now I'm back to finding a job. It wasn't easy but I managed to work up until a month before I gave birth.

As for the cravings..I couldn't get enough mashed potatoes!

[Malawry]

It's a long road to the last trimester. Only now am I starting to get uncomfortable in my own body. (My EDD is 10 April.) My baby demands lots of FRUIT, especially grapefruit. I've been trying to limit my juice intake (I think juice is mostly empty calories), but can't resist the lure of pineapple and cranberry. Yesterday I got a craving for Corn Pops of all things. I also crave and eat a lot of red meat--I guess it's the iron or something. I made a rack of lamb last weekend for some friends and it tasted amazing. Resisting a big fat medium-rare cheeseburger has been difficult, but I'm still avoiding things like ground beef done less than medium-well (and who wants a medium-well burger??).

One thing about being pregnant: food tastes REALLY good once you get past the nausea. At least in my experience! It's like somebody sharpened my taste buds on a diamond steel or something. A good thing too, since eating is about the only acceptable vice during pregnancy.

[lesfen]

My husband and I are getting ready to start trying for our second and I have to say that I cannot wait for the pregnancy buffet to begin!!

[SobaAddict70]

Folks,

I'd like to remind everyone to stay on topic, as we've had to remove a number of posts within this thread that contained no content relating to food.

Thanks.

[Susan G]

I need to tap into some collective wisdom here..........I'm just a few weeks along, and the all-day-sickness felled me like a tree. I was told to try bland foods, but even the scent of oatmeal cooking had me fleeing from the kitchen. All my usual comfort foods have turned on me. For a food-loving person, this is doubly distressing. I'm *losing* weight.

So far, it's a diet of vitamins, soda crackers and ginger tea......

What have you done to get through this, or what has your partner found successful?

[nicolekaplan]

gingerale, doublemint gum, crackers

it will pass, you'll eat for a while and then the massive indigestion will set in

good luck, it's all worth it

[K8memphis]

...What have you done to get through this, or what has your partner found successful?

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Baby sugar! You have my compassion and congratulations.

The first thing that popped into my mind is, give birth. Ok, yeah, that's not funny.

The soda cracker thing is good--you could add chamomile tea and pretzels. Oh yeah, umm, ice chips too to calm down the nausea. Not a tremendous amount of protein there. Cottage cheese?? Boiled eggs--but don't slice them open when they're hot--peel them, let them get room temp or refrigerate if you must--but if you slice warm you will be hit with a smell.

Umm, what about something like a peanut butter cookie??? You got a little protein there and not much smell--maybe you could nibble those. Salads, with canned beans added--maybe even just eat some canned beans--no real smells and great protein--umm, canned beans have a nice mild pleasant flavor Like maybe garbonzo, kidney, black beans--ones with no spices. Easy. They are not all gorpy & thick they are distinct and cooked perfectly.

Blessings on you!! Hopefully this will pass soon. ((({{{Susan}}})))

edited to add: wonder if you put a clothespin on your nose if that would affect anything. Or kept yourself from smelling the food somehow.

Edited April 5, 2006 by K8memphis (log)

[therese]

So far, it's a diet of vitamins, soda crackers and ginger tea......

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Plain baked potatoes got me through a lot of meals. Tofu's a good source of protein, and can be used in both sweet and savory preps (or virtually no prep whatsoever, which is great because you are so tired you're likely to fall asleep at the stove).

Note that vitamins can upset your stomach a lot, so make a point of taking them with food (after the meal, in fact).

Don't worry about a bit of weight loss at this point---the baby's not really using appreciable calories and you'll have plenty of time to put on your fat stores and grow an enormous baby later in the pregnancy.

While pregnant with my second child (a daughter) I gained almost no weight the first half of the pregnancy, and was still wearing regular clothes (and small clothes at that) through my fifth month. But by the end of the pregnancy I'd gained the usual 35 lbs and produced a 9 lb 6 oz infant.