.10 pounds. Most women would be thrilled to hear this is all the weight they gained since their last visit to the doctor. Well, not if you're well into your second trimester. According to one of the books I have but don't like to read, "What to Expect When You're Expecting," a woman is supposed to gain an average of one pound a week throughout her pregnancy. As a former perfectionist, I read this and knew immediately, I would put on 1 pound/week. If anyone could conquer this simple task, it would be me! Well, I've gained 3.1 so far, for an average of .1722 per week! FAIL. This freaks me out for two reasons, 1. Is my babe gaining enough weight? Getting all the nutrient he/she needs? and 2. Does that mean I have 22 weeks left to put on all the weight? (Yes, obviously it does!). My nurse practitioner didn't seem concerned about the slight weight gain. She actually said many women lose weight. Then she proceeded to ask me questions about nausea, vomitting, etc. I replied to all of her questions with, "No." She again reassured me that this was normal and at this point in the pregnancy the baby really only weighs about 5 ounces and needs 200 extra calories a day.
Well, that was reassuring. Then I asked her about protein as I mentioned I don't enjoy preparing and eating meat. She asked me where I got my protein, I told her mainly dairy, but occasionally chicken and Taco Bell. (notice how I was too embarrassed to say bacon. I'm sure she'd love the hot dog I'm having tomorrow even more!) After listing my limited protein sources, I listened to the NP talk about how protein is the building block for baby's brain. My thought went to "THEN MY BABY ISN'T GROWING A BRAIN!" Then after thinking on it, I realized the baby must be getting all the protein for it's brain while not a bit of the protein is going to mine! This explains the fact that today- mid-sentence, I had to ask a coworker what day it was!
As you can see, the appointment freaked me out a little. After leaving, I headed to the grocery store to buy my 18 week pregnancy kit. Behold: bananas, protein powder, and (because I like to keep it real on here) prunes.
These are all new buys for me. I haven't bought bananas in over a year because as the URL suggests, I'm a wanna be locavore. Fruit grown in Ecuador isn't exactly local fare. However, I'm chowing down on them now for the potassium. Then we have protein powder. This stuff is also out of my comfort zone. The ingredients list is basically in a different language because it contains so many things with unnatural names! However, adding one heaping tablespoon to a smoothie adds 8 grams of protein, so I'm in. (Although I seriously cringe at the ingredient list : / ) Then, well, prunes. The most amazing thing to me about prunes is the serving size on this container is for 4 prunes. Seriously!? 4!? How could you get anything else done in the day if you've eaten 4 prunes?
Now, that I have those three items to add specific nutrients to my diet, I've got to figure out how to eat more. My first thought turned to chips. I could eat chips for breakfast, lunch, snack, dinner, and then again for another snack. I love them all and happily ignore nutrition facts. So naturally, I thought I would eat a ton of chips to gain my baby weight. Unfortunately, the NP and everything I've read up on the pregnant lady diet, insists that 'every bite count.' Meaning: every bite should have some nutritional value. UGH, where's the fun in that? I already ate that way, why can't I grow my baby on brownie sundaes and garden salsa Sun Chips? Oh, here's why, according to that book I really don't enjoy reading:
"but don't try to add pounds by adding junk food to your diet- that kind of weight gain will round out your hips and thighs, not your baby." (p. 159)
It's obviously good advice, but it makes me want to punch a kitten. I've been trying to follow the advice, but it's really tough. I try to at least eat a healthy choice with a non-nutritious choice. Like tonight for a snack, I had a banana and a brownie sundae with cookies and cream ice cream and chocolate sauce. I'll admit the sundae was a little smaller because I couldn't help but think as I was making it, "Every bite needs to count!" It was a time when I wished I could rationalize ice cream as a serving of dairy.
There you have it, I'm stuck in mid-Missouri trying to eat all the nutrients this baby needs each day. It's not as easy as I thought it would be.
I just ate bigger portions of the healthy meals we made. Oh, and lots of cereal and baked potatoes :)
ReplyDeleteYes, protein is crucial. We learned about it in our Bradley class too how it helps with labor and keep your blood pressure lower later on. I was craving buffalo burgers like crazy and all other protein. I wonder if you're having a boy, since I have heard with girls you crave a lot of protein. Hmm...also, check the protein powder. The one we had from whole foods said not to take while pregnant. But if the NP is cool with it go for it!
Don't stress, you'll start gaining weight soon enough! Everyone is different and you were small to begin with! Mine came on later, in the tune of 40 pounds total :)
I am so into baked potatoes right now! They're easy to make and absolutely delicious. The protein powder doesn't say anything about not taking while pregnant. ( I've read the container three times!) I'll prob. bring it to my next appointment though just to double check. : )
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