Pregnancy Symptoms
23 Jan 2012 Leave a Comment
in baby Tags: cravings, food aversions, fun, pregnancy, symptoms
More specifically cravings and aversions. Soooo much fun! not…. When I first got pregnant, I felt so silly. I mean- I shouldn’t have been feeling so…. pregnant….. yet, right? Even the books reassuring me that the hCG being detectable in my blood stream also meant feeling pregnant weren’t enough to keep me from feeling silly. I mean, sure, I could understand bloating, some nausea, a heightened sense of smell and feeling a little tired, because those are supposed to be “normal” early pregnancy symptoms. I could even understand the food aversions because of the sense of smell. But the cravings were a little more confusing. When I picture pregnancy cravings, I picture the movie standby scenes of heavily pregnant mothers to be standing in their kitchen in the middle of the night with a bowl of cookie dough in one hand and an egg roll in the other. Or the classic scene from Father of the Bride Part II where Steve Martin races in with takeout from 5 or 6 restaurants for his wife and daughter.
That is what I think of when it comes to pregnancy cravings. So imagine, how I feel being 3 months pregnant and having serious cravings that started nearly from the beginning. At first it was pineapple and mangoes, then mashed potatoes and green beans, tacos from Taco Bell (which I can barely type without gagging) a sub from Blimpie’s (I cooked the meat and ate that with toppings as a salad, no bread). Lately its been tostadas and Chipotle’s burritos. Mexican food in one form or another seems to be a constant. None of these cravings really make sense, but they are undeniable nevertheless and they drive me crazy. I would give so much to know what I wanted to eat and know too that the food I cooked for dinner was not going to make me sick the next day when I went to heat up leftovers for another meal.
Yeah for all of you who’ve never been pregnant, these things and more are coming to you when you reach this stage. And if you’re a man, then maybe your partner has this to look forward to and let me tell you, if she says she wants it or needs it, please just say, anything you want honey like my husband does and she will adore you like I do him.
Body Image
23 Jan 2012 2 Comments
in baby, my life Tags: baby, beautiful, body, body image, changes, gain, health, loss, thankful, weight
Over the years that I’ve had this blog, I’ve talked before about my weight some and how I wished I could get into shape. When Jarell got sick back in August, we both renovated our lifestyles, started taking some supplements to fix some issues, and began being healthier in general. It was discovered that I not only had an issue with hypothyroidism (thyroid slows down production of certain crucial hormones, causing weight gain, hair growth, and a ton of other fun stuff), the IBS that I’ve discussed in the past, but also a gluten allergy. When I began addressing these issues, the weight started melting off even though I was eating more than I usually did. It wasn’t a fast weight loss, but, I am proud to say that since the end of August last year, I’ve lost about 25 pounds. I’d been hovering at just over 200 (yes I’m short and round, but I know a lot of it is muscle, as I wear comfortably the same size as several of my friends who are my height and weigh 30 pounds less than I do) for a long time, and I was okay with that. Then, I got pregnant and my weight at my first doctor’s appointment was up several pounds which came as quite a shock since I’d only weighed myself 2 days before. I was okay, but it did seem off. Then two weeks, and a bout with food poisoning later, I went back in and they were shocked to see me sitting 10 pounds lighter than the previous visit. This made more sense to me considering both the food poisoning and the fact that it lined up with where I should have been. Since then I have ignored my scale, only getting weighed again last week when I went in to see my OB one last time. Again, my weight was where it had been before (I have a sneaking suspicion that I lost quite a bit in the month between the two appointments but finally started to put some weight back on when I was able to eat again and everyone else has commented on it as well) and I was thankful for this fact as it meant I wasn’t losing or gaining weight in an unhealthy fashion.
You might well wonder where I’m going with this rambling diatribe about my weight, but your patience, if you’re still here, is about to be rewarded. My weight right now at 3 months, 5 days pregnant is 197 and I’m perfectly okay with that. I have fought my weight for years and in one of those supreme ‘go figure’ moments, I am at my thinnest I’ve been for 4 years at least, while also 3 months pregnant. I look in the mirror and don’t see a body that is gradually gaining back the pounds I’ve worked so hard to lose. Instead, I see a body that is being transformed into a temporary home and safe harbor for the infant I am growing inside me and what I see is beautiful. The swell in my belly that is more than just flab left from problems with the gluten allergies and a faulty thyroid is amazing to me and my breasts that are growing slowly to enormous proportions (and I was a 36 DD before the baby started making its mischief there) are not alien to me, but merely a much needed and quite conveniently free baby accessory that is going to make my life so much easier when the little one makes their arrival.
I find it amazing how one simple change in the weight gain formula can so easily affect how I see my body. For the first time in a long time, I am happy with what I see and although I still have concerns about the various issues that go hand in hand with being overweight while pregnant, I know to that I have the tools to avoid most of those pitfalls in the form of better nutrition, a healthier diet, and the willingness to get out and move when I have the energy. (which is supposed to be coming back any day now… right?) I am thankful for the first time for my wide hips and stocky muscular build that will help me lift this child and carry the weight of it through pregnancy and infancy.
What are you thankful for?
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