Tomorrow starts the beginning of my fourth month, but I'm still in my first trimester which is really confusing. According to my brain, the first trimester should be the first three months, not the first three months and one week. That week, that one week, is keeping me in limbo, peeps! See, for people like me (neurotic, freak-prone people) the first trimester is the sketchy time, the uncertain time, the time when Things Can Go Wrong.
NOT THAT ANYTHING WILL GO WRONG! NOTHING IS GOING WRONG!
(See that? Just a touch, a taste, of what goes on in my brain on a daily basis.)
I must admit, this first part's been a relative breeze. Aside from some strong-ass food aversions (hot dogs, I'm talking to you) and some even stronger-ass cravings (more on that later), I've felt pretty damn normal. Well, I've felt pretty damn normal ever since I added back caffeine. I know, I know, caffeine is bad. It stimulates the baby! It leads to early miscarriage! It crosses the placenta! (I'm not sure what that means, but I guarantee it's bad.) Don't think I haven't wrastled with the guilt. I tried, believe me I tried. I went six months without it before I got knocked up and let me just say, those six months suuuuucked. Even so, I managed to make it a few weeks post-knock up without it but for the sake of my sanity (not to mention my marriage), IT NEEDED TO COME BACK.
And I am so, so glad it did.
Don't worry, the doc okayed it. I only drink one cup of tea a day. I figure that little pleasure makes up for all the things I can no longer eat. The short list:
- Hot dogs (which is fine by me)
- Deli meats (also fine)
- Soft and/or unpasturized cheese (Noooooooooo!)
- Sugar (wha-?!)
- Salt (WHA-?!)
- Sushi
- The aforementioned caffeine
- Booze
- Peanut butter
- Undercooked eggs
- Undercooked egg whites (so long, cookie dough)
- Artificial sweeteners
And the list undoubtedly goes on, which is just too depressing to contemplate. Speaking of food, the cravings? They are ridiculous. Again, the short list:
- Almond butter on burnt toast
- California rolls
- Baked beans
- Eggo waffles
- Chicken In A Biscuit crackers
They say you crave the stuff you ate when you were a kid, but if that were the case I'd be consuming Spaghetti-O's and Kool-Aid by the truckload.
That said, I can no longer be trusted around a pot of mashed potatoes.
4 comments:
Why no peanut butter? I know it has been a while since I lived in the land of pregnant people but I did not remember that one as a no-no.
I am also saddened and worried about the peanut butter. Because seriously, if I can't have peanut butter when I get preggers (not that I'm planning on doing so in the very near future), then I'm not sure WHAT I'd eat. I may have to go get some peanut butter now, just to store some up in my system!
Honestly? This is part of the battle that doctors have to fight against the general American tendency to over-indulge on EVERYTHING.
A *reasonable* amount of pretty much anything (with the exception of alcohol*, sure) is, honestly, fine. Kaylee's doc's said as much.
The problem is, there's a vast (both literal and figurative) percentage of the U.S. population who find something they like and eat FUCKING PILES of it.
A little bag of peanuts? Fine. A PB&J once a week? Sure. Some Tea or Decaf coffee? G'head. (And nice to know your doc is reasonable.)
The problem is, when told "some caffiene is okay," a lot of folks will proceed to drink a pot and a half a day. Ditto peanut butter or whatever.
And that doesn't factor pregnancy cravings in. :)
Speaking specifically, the peanut-based stuff could result in lifelong peanut allergies for the kid, which suuuuuucks.
Is also why you're not supposed to give the kid peanut butter until they're at least a year old. A lot of the stuff on Ali's list looks like the same list you have to keep in mind once the kid's out in the world.
(* - God bless Firefox browser's built in spellcheck. :)
Actually, a number of the items on the list are all related: the idea is to avoid foods that can potentially harbor the listeria virus (deli meats, processed meat products, soft/unpasteurized cheese). Nasty thing, horrible effect on fetuses. Oh and you can add soft ice cream to that list. Sorry!
As to the sugar, salt and peanut butter, unless your doc thinks you're going to go insane, you're probably fine. The main reason to avoid caffeine is because it interferes with calcium uptake. However, we're talking about a LOT of caffeine to have that effect. Alcohol is always a hot button, so instead of just suggesting women limit themselves to a specific amount per day or week, doctors take the easiest route: NONE.
Peanut butter, while it is heavily allergenic, it has not shown up as something to avoid on any list I've seen over here. Besides, allergies, while inheritable, are not directly inheritable. Potentially useful info here. I have an allergy to citrus, my daughter's version is to nuts. Fortunately for both of us, it's not the anaphylactic shock version of an allergy.
Blah blah blah.
Good luck! Get some good books - avoid "What to Expect". That thing is so full of issues...Oy!
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