One thing no one told me about the pregnancy thing (and let me tell you, people will tell you LOTS about pregnancy. For the most part, I appreciate it).
Insomnia.
I get up in the middle of the night to go to the bathroom. Suddenly, I’m up for a while. This is happening to me about once a week now. It’s almost to the point that I’m debating getting up in the night to go to the bathroom because really I just want to sleep. But, you know, it’s sorta bad to hold it in.
So anyway, I’m up. I thought I’d share a thought… about pregnancy. Ha!
Part 1) The weight gain (Part 2 will be the fitness, for another time). I knew it was coming. I read about it. I saw my friends go through it, gaining 25, 30, 35, 40 pounds. But boy was it difficult to grasp when it started happening to me. First, I feared I was gaining weight too fast. Doctor quickly calmed my fears. For my 12-week appointment, I was basically the same weight I was when I saw her the previous year (I managed to shave off 5 or more pounds in that year, but she didn’t seem to care much about that). So, to her, I hadn’t gained any weight the first trimester. Oh, I thought. So then, suddenly I feared I was gaining weight too slowly. In the end, I’m right at the rate I’m supposed to be at, one pound a week. The diet hasn’t changed dramatically, but a few things:
a) Burritos. I ate a lot of burritos in the beginning. The cafeteria at the firm has an Ooba’s. They make a good chicken burrito. I was eating one of these a week, at the cost of nearly $9 a meal (considering I bring my lunch to work 4-5 days a week, $9 is steep for lunch for me). I know burritos are high in calories. Five or so years ago I had to swear off TDM when I found out how many calories are in one of their fish burritos. But then, there I was, happily eating a ginormous chicken burrito, with chips & salsa on the side. Mmmm… while the Mexican cravings haven’t really died off, I have taken a break from Ooba’s.
b) Mochas. I’ve had more tall-nonfat-with-whipped mochas in the past 2 weeks than I’ve had in the past 2 years. Really, I think it’s just the whipped cream that I’m after. The mocha fascination started with the aforementioned insomnia. I found myself with less than 3 hours of sleep in me, having to make it through a day of work. So I treated myself with a mocha (full single shot. no decaf for this girl). Mmm. That tasted good. So I got one the next day. And a few days later. At $3 a day, this is another habit I’m going to stop. Soon.
Speaking of the caffeine, I did stop drinking coffee daily, which was my habit for a looooong time. I had gone from full caffeine, to a half-caf/decaf cup, to one day I went to the coffee machine and just looked at it. Sort of lost my taste for coffee. I moved down to a decaf latte once a week. That was in my first trimester. Just recently (that mocha binge last week, to be exact), I returned to a full caffeine single shot. Not every time I order a drink, but more than before. One shot, or one cup of coffee, once a day, ain’t going to do any harm. I looked it up and Nurse confirmed.
c) Vending machine candy. In the past I’ve allowed myself a trip to the vending machine no more than once a week. Usually it falls on a day when I’m freaking out, stressed, tired or just need something to make it through the afternoon. That something is usually salty, like Chex Mix, Baked potato chips, pretzels, once in a while Snack Wells cookies. Once in a great while those crazy Rugers.
Last week it was $1 for Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups (king size). This week it was a Chocolate-covered Payday. What’s gotten into me? This definitely has to stop. I’m sort of a miser when it comes to spending money on this stuff. Especially because I just don’t need it. Weeks ago, the husband, knowing of my penchant for bad foods, and knowing what it does to me (See “Garbage In, Garbage Out“), sent me to work with healthy snacks: peanut butter & crackers; almonds; buffalo jerky, oatmeal… Well, this week, my stash dwindling, the vending machine won the war.
Healthy snacks. Thanks, dear
So, back to the drawing board. I try to eat well 75% of the time. The husband insists that needs to go up, to 85-90%. It’s his kiddie, too, so I suppose I should pay attention to what he has to say.
But if I want a cupcake. By golly, I’m going to have a cupcake!
