Eating While Pregnant...

Hi there,
I swam all through my pregnancy. It was great! I could just float and stretch out all of my aches and pains. I also tried not to give into all my cravings... only one or two a day and watched the portions. In my experience I was 3xs more hungry after I gave birth and was breastfeeding. I had never been so hungry in my life!!! But all the weight came off - except those last pesky 5 pounds. Good Luck!!

Hee, hee! I love Mamasource, too!

I'm not a dietician or anything, but I can tell you my experience. When I got pregnant with my son I got gestational diabetes (and it didn't go away after he was born so I'm diabetic now). I was thin to start out with and gained 45 pounds during the pregnancy. He was born at 7 lbs. 15 oz. I continued the diabetic diet and weigh less now than I did when I first got pregnant.

To me, a diabetic diet is "healthy eating," although I had to be diabetic to force myself to eat this way. So I wish you luck and great willpower.

I was taught to count carbohydrates to control my blood sugar. Carbs seem to be the culprit in weight gain. Almost everything you eat is converted to a form of sugar your body can use for energy. For the purposes of a diabetic diet, everything except meats and most vegetables are considered a carbohydrate. In other words, when you are hungry, fill up on meat and vegetables.

Of course you need the carbs, too. You just have to limit them. Since you're not diabetic, you have all kinds of leeway, but I'll describe how my diet was set up.

1)Eat often, but eat smaller portions. If you eat regularly throughout the day, you won't be as hungry and won't eat as much at mealtimes. Believe me. And small meals means you don't get hungry and that = less morning sickness. Even though you are eating more often, don't sit down to a meal. A snack is something like an apple and a handful of nuts.

2) Limit your carb intake. A snack is 15 carbs paired with protein (an apple and a handful of nuts). I needed the protein to regulate the blood sugar rise caused by the carb, but I suggest it to you anyway. I was told that I was the only one in the maternity ward without anemia. A meal is 30-45 carbs (remember your protein).

a) 15 carbs is like 1 small or medium apple, one small orange, a half banana, 1.25 cups of watermelon, one pear, 2 apricots, a handful of berries, one piece of bread, 1.5 sheets of graham cracker, etc. I think there are lists you can find online and in nutritional books giving more examples. I got one from a Kaiser health fair. One cup of milk is almost 15 carbs!

b) When you have to follow this diet you realize that you have little room for unhealthy eating choices. "Hm, do I want to eat an apple which will fill me up better than 1 single cookie, which will leave me starving for the next two hours?" The apple always wins.

c) Because I was diabetic, I was limited to eating a snack every two hours between meals. That doesn't sound bad, but I was STARVING. I was not allowed to graze. I mention these points because I think you can refer to them as a non-diabetic person regarding weight gain. For example, to avoid gaining weight, eat a small snack every two hours or so and choose healthy foods. Don't mindlessly graze, especially on empty calories like chips, cookies, etc.

3)LEARN TO READ NUTRITION LABELS!!!!!!!!! I can not emphasize this enough. Every packaged food has a nutrition label on it in the US. All you have to do is read "Total Carbohydrate" and find the serving size. The amount of sugars, fiber, etc. doesn't matter (listed under total carbohydrate). This is what my doctor told me for the purposes of being gestationally diabetic. There are finer points to this that I won't discuss right now. If "Total Carbohydrate" says 15 g or less, eat the serving size for a snack. If it's more, avoid it or eat it for a meal when you are allowed more carb intake.

a) This is a really important concept!! Don't forget to look at the serving size. Just because something says 15 carbs doesn't mean it's OK to munch. The serving size might be tiny. If you eat the serving size, you go hungry. If you eat more, you gain weight. For example, I've seen cookies that were 20 g. I thought that wasn't so bad. Then I noticed that was for ONE SMALL COOKIE.

4)Keep in mind that drinks can be a significant source of carbs. I wouldn't suggest to you to stop drinking milk even though it has a lot of carbs, although I have pretty much stopped drinking it (as much as I love it :-( Be aware of soda intake, smoothies, flavoured drinks, icees, etc. If you can't live without flavoured drinks, try to find sugar-free 0 carb drink mixes. I drink water and that's pretty much all I drink. (I avoid caffeine in tea and coffee.)

5) DO NOT DEPRIVE YOURSELF. You can be "good" for only so long. Then you binge and undo it all. Have a treat!! I count out my carbs all day and then indulge in a cup of ice-cream. That's the thing I can't live without :-D This is where you have room to maneuver in your diet since you aren't diabetic. Geez, you could even have the fudge topping, whipped cream, and cherries on top!

6) This is a helpful hint. Shop around the edges of the grocery store. I've found that's where the staples like fruit, vegetables, bread, and meats are. The inside aisles are usually filled a billion and one variations on carbohydrates wrapped in pretty packaging that make you want to eat it really bad. I don't even walk down the middle aisles if I don't have to. The temptation is staggering.

7) Another helpful hint. You might want to compile a binder of "healthy" recipes of food you enjoy. It's something to turn to when you are feeling hungry, tired, and uncreative and it's easier to grab carb-laden food. Carbs are so easy and so cheap to get compared to good food. Also, you can turn to it after the baby is born. Healthy eating is a lifestyle. Once you get the hang of it, it's not bad. Why stop?

a) I was required to keep a food journal. I wrote down everything I ate and drank (including serving sizes). This might help you. First, it makes you aware of what you are eating and how much. Second, you might identify patterns in your eating habits. Third, it's helpful when you think you'll throw up if you eat another graham cracker with peanut butter again, but you just can't think of anything else to eat. You look back on your food journal and remember, "Oh my God, I love strawberries and cottage cheese! I'm going shopping!"

8) Because you are pregnant, DRINK 64 OUNCES OF WATER EVERY DAY! That's a lot of water to me and one reason why I drink only water. I don't have room for other drinks if I'm to meet that goal :-D Seriously, the fetus needs it and it's great for your body.

9) You're pregnant. Take a break. Get some sleep. The less sleep you get, the more you eat. Well, at least I do. If you are well-rested, you'll feel less hungry in general. Hey, and if you are sleeping, you can't be eating at the same time ;-D I used to be a night owl.

A sidenote on protein. I hate meat and tofu. I've found that some good protein sources are cottage cheese, cheese, yogurt (but that has too many carbs for me), peanut butter, and nuts. Beans are considered a carbohydrate.

Well, I hope this isn't too long or overwhelming. I tried to simplify it. I've been eating like this for about 2.5 years now. I have to admit, I feel way better than I ever have in my whole life previously.

I don't know of pregnancy exercises, but exercise is SO important to managing diabetes. I'm not into exercise all that much. So what I do is walk. I take a walk after lunch and a walk after dinner. I try to walk at least 15 minutes twice a day. If I don't have time, then I do more strenuous exercise like running or jumping around like a crazy person -- whatever makes me sweat.

I'm not sure about if you should carry your son or not. I guess it would depend upon how you feel. I felt fine throughout most of my pregnancy with my son, but I noticed that toward the 7th month it just HURT to pick anything up! My belly would cramp up and leave me breathless. At that point I quit trying to pick up heavy things.

It sounds like you guys are creating a beautiful family. Congratulations on your pregnancy! I wish you the best.

I gained the least during my third pregnancy because I had gestational diabetes. It was controlled by diet. I had to east 3 meals and 3 snacks a day. From what I remember snacks could have no more than 15-30 carbs and meals were 45. Eat LOTS of protein. I had to try and have protein with every meal. I also had no sugar, that means no juice, sweets, or even ketchup. Milk is quite sugary, so I couldn't have much milk. It was hard in the beginning but I knew I was doing what was best for my baby and myself so it was worth it. I weighed less than my pre-pregnancy weight right after I had my baby. She was also my smallest baby.

Hi M.,
Good for you for being proactive! Eating healthy while pregnant and in general is a great way to live. After all this is our body our whole lives, we should take care of it, especially while a baby is growing inside of it. :)

I think you will get TONS of responses and great meal ideas. My suggestion would be to eat when you are hungry. That doesn't mean a full course meal each time you feel hungry. You will feel hungry more often obviously, you are busy making a heart and lungs and arms and legs! While pregnant i think it is better to eat more often, not neccesarily more. There is the old saying "you are eating for two", i disagree and believe you don't need to eat MORE. when you are breastfeeding, that is a whole different story because you ARE eating for two and you do need more calories. So back to eating while prego...i would say eat a good meal in the morning for example: an egg, toast, cottage cheese, fruit etc. then mid morning eat a snack like string cheese, yogurt and an apple. then eat lunch, a sandwich or salad maybe some veggies and another snack and then dinner. just because you are pregnant you don't need to eat more, just more often to keep your blood sugar up and energy going. I think where many women go wrong and gain so much weight is the idea they NEED to eat more and they are hugry more often so it is an excuse to eat all the time. my friend would make a batch of cookies and eat them all. that is ridiculous...she figured why not, i am hungry and pregnant...not a good reason. I don't believe in depriving yourself of sweets, just don't over do it more than you would. i still ate pretty much everything it did before. including a bowl of icecream at night here and there or a few cookies after lunch... i would also recommend drinking more fluids, people often mistake hunger for thirst.

In terms of excercise while prego, i would suggest walking often. and pick up the pace a bit to get the heart rate going. if you don't normally excercise i wouldn't recommend starting a major routine...just get stretch while playing with your son on the floor or watching tv and take walks.

good luck, i hope this helps!

I think as far as carrying your son it would be ok if you can do it carefully. Mostly it is that dead lift of weight from the front that would strain your tummy muscles. I think piggy back rides would be the safest, especially since he is old enough to get up on a chair or something first. It sounds like it won't be very often and as long as you are careful it should be ok.

Eating healthy while pregnant is hard, especially when you are on child #2. I was on a low sodium diet for both my first, and second pregnancy (the first I was on bed rest for 5 months, second for 6 weeks). My oldest is now 7 and my yougest is 14mo.
Here is something to think about. In my research I found that you really only need 300 aditional calories to support a growing baby. Its not a whole lot more food. Its only a couple of extra snacks per day really. If you break it down into 5 or 6 mini meals per day, its actually all around better for you in general, pregnant or not. The key to eating healthy is trying your best to stay away from processed foods (really high in sodium!!!). Its near impossible to cut out processed foods all together, not to mention expensive. Just try to be creative. For instance... if raspberries are on sale, and you are having a sweet attack, get some raspberries and put a little bit of whipped cream on top. Please feel free to contact me if you would like some more ideas. It would take too long to list them all.
By the way...if you plan to nurse, your body only needs an additional 600 calories per day. In either case the baby (internally growing, or nursing) will get what nutrients he or she needs. Its your body that is deprived if you dont eat right. One major indicator while nursing is hair loss. Believe me I nursed for almost 1 year. In pregnancy its a little more dificult to recognize. But if you are overly tired, its something to address. (1st and especially 3rd trimester you're tired anyway) Good luck! and CONGRATS on your second!!!!! You're going to love it!!!

Congratulations on your pregnancy! I developed such a love of fast food during my first pregnancy (helloooo, Colonel Sanders!) and gained 75 pounds. Oddly, it all came off in 5 months with minimal effort on my part. Probably because I put down the chicken wings and exercised once the baby was born. With baby #2 I did not crave fast food at all and only gained 35 pounds (that stayed with me FOREVER! Ok, not really but this last 5 pounds is KILLING ME!)

I think the trick for eating healthy is to eat like you always do. You only need 200 extra calories a day to grow a healthy baby, and everything else goes straight to your thighs. Who needs that?! So basically, eat your usual meals plus a few crackers to stave off morning sickness, and you'll do great!

It is safe to carry your toddler around unless your doctor says otherwise. I carried my 2.5 year old around until I was in labor, practically. Those women in Africa do it, along with a heavy basket on their heads, and seem to do fine, so I figure it's perfectly safe for me.

As far as exercise goes, I would highly recommend maternity yoga. It's safe all the way up until you're ready to pop (I did my last class 2 days before my 2nd daughter was born), and you don't need experience in yoga. I was always one of those gals who would get kicked out of normal yoga classes, because connecting with my inner self just seems sort of comical to me. Anyhow, somehow during pregnancy it was exactly the right kind of exercise (mental and physical) for me and it made labor MUCH easier the second time around. They teach you a lot of coping strategies for labor which, incredibly, I found useful. I did get an epidural but the baby was "sunny side up" which is darn painful even with an epidural. Big thanks to my yoga teacher for teaching me to go somewhere else in my mind! Super helpful!!

Good luck with baby #2! I hope everything goes great for you!

During my first pregnancy I gained 65 pounds because I craved and gave into fast food, sugar and devilish evil yummy things! I was told in the beginning of my pregnancy that I needed to gain some weight because I lost 15 lbs in the first few months from morning sickness...and I did!

My second pregnancy I craved fruits and veggies, I ate alot of ff cottage cheese and yogurt cause that's what I wanted. I couldn't touch raw meat or smell chinese food or I would feel sick. I only gained 28 lbs.

Every pregnancy is different and you will crave different things. You know what is healthy to eat, and don't diet but just watch what you eat and eat it in moderation. In terms of excercising...the advice that I got was to not start something new. If you have been excercising it's fine, but you will want to talk with your doctor about your heart rate I think you are not supposed to go above 140 bpm. But walk! Walking is a great excercise and if you walk for 30-40 minutes a few times a week and eat well you will be fine.

The weight will come off! I couldn't lose the last 25 lbs after my first but after my second I lost all baby weight from both pregnancies plus a few pounds! Good luck! Let me know if you have any questions! Don't stress about the food and while you eat well remember that your little one needs food too and the occasional scoop of ice cream won't hurt!

You have already gotten lots of great advice, but I just want to chime in and say that another great pregnancy exercise is Prenatal Yoga. I have a great DVD with 3 women that represent modifications for all 3 trimesters of pregnancy. It is a really great way to get a little "strength training" without lifting weights, and the stretching and core support is perfect for pregnancy.

As far as picking up your son, talk to your doctor, becuas eI have heard conflicting reports. I too am pregnant with my second (about 11 weeks) and my son is younger and likes to be held more. I hold him a lot right now, but I don't have much choice and I am woring on training him. Again, I would say talk to your doctor...I believe it is sometimes in the second trimester that we have to stop carrying them around.

Good Luck!
M. P.

Hi M.,
Congrats! As to eating healthy, I was told to eat 3 meals a day plus 2-3 snacks in between meals. My doctor (also my uncle-in-law) suggested more protein and less carbs to control weight gain and produce a healthy baby. Snacks should be no more than 15 grams carbs plus some protein and meals should be 15-30 grams of carbs with protein. Protein is SO important during pregnancy. I ate peanut butter, string cheese, along with meats as a source of protein. I tried to avoid processed foods and refined sugars. Good luck!
Sincerely,
L.

Hi M.. First of all you can eat healthy- just watch your portions. You can do your normal exercise pretty much thru your whole pregnancy (not sit ups or laying on stomach type exercises). Make sure you're taking your prenatals. And yes you can pick up your kid-- I think a lot of that is old wives tale.--I held my son my entire pregnancy (my kids are 2 years exactly apart) and my son is not a small kid -- (he's 3 now and weighs 55lbs.!)... If I could do it all over again w/ my 2nd pregnancy I would be at the gym all the time!! But you can always just go the gym after having the baby as well.. I lost 40lbs after doing that! Good luck, you've done it before, you'll be ok!!!

I only gained 22 pounds while pregnant. The trick is to eat balanced SMALL meals throughout your day. We should be eating this way anyways. When you want to snack.. grab the carrots. You want something sweet... grab the fruit. Eating fast food is NEVER a good idea... pregnant or not. I worked out until my 9 month mark. I lifted weights until my 7 month mark. HOWEVER!!! I was doing that all before getting pregnant. If you haven't been doing any exercising before getting preggo then you're pretty much relegated to walking. Why wouldn't you want to eat completely healthy? That's what your body wants.

Hi M., congradulations on your new pregnancy. I also am prego with number 4 and my husband is a deputy sheriff. you have a special role in life when married to one who risks his life everyday for the safty and protection of others. So about your question, I have found that it dosn't seem to matter what I do I gain the same weight. My body seems to be programed for 30 -35 pound weight gain. Now with each baby I've kept 5 of those pounds.So with this 4th pregnancy it started 15 pounds heavier then the first. yikes! I want to gain less this time but I can tell nature is taking it's course. Just try to make your calores good ones. Eat enough protein and enjoy a little indulgance now and then. After all we do have an excuess. I wasn't eating enough protein and was getting really tired. Now I try to have some with every meal. It's hard to cook nice dinners because my husband works swing shift so I am alone with the kids.But I am trying and since I am feeling better now in the 2nd trimester it's gotten easier. Stay away from the fast food places they are really bad for you . When you don't know what to do for dinner grab one of those roasted chickens and some corn one the cob and salad. I've started eating cottage cheese and that has been a good pick me up when I am hungry between meals. And of course this is a great time of year with all the fruit. Yummm. As far as picking up your little one I still carry my 2 yr old and several times I've felt something pop like a spring in my belly. A friends mother told me I shouldn't be picking up my little one anymore that I'll ruin my stomach. I've never heard of this but I need to ask my doctor. I am trying to pick her up less and helping her learn to do more things like climbing into her car seat, walking to bed.She weighs about the same as your son. Best wishes to you and enjoy this special time. R.

You can eat healthy in pregnancy and not go overboard- listen to your body and do not give into every craving but eat what you crave. Your body will need and want healthy foods so if you listen you will eat healthy- lots of fruits and veggies, grains, nuts, seeds, dairy, soy. try not to be too hard on your self and eat ice cream or frozen yogurt, or fast food occasionally, so that you do not feel deprived. Weigh your self once a week to plot your weigh gain and adjust accordingly, you want to gain weight but over 2lbs in a week will be excessive so you will know to cut out some higher fat or sugary food for the next week. Also a BIG help is to walk and hike daily- put your little one in a stroller and walk in your neighborhood for a few miles every day- walk to the park or walk laps at a local high school track while your son plays in the center, Try a yoga class at night or a gym with a child care center
you will be fine
good luck

Hi M.,
You need to eat plenty of food while you are pregnant. Your appetite will be a good guide. Instead of focusing on how much you eat, focus on the quality of your food. Eat lots of veggies, fruits, meats, dairy, nuts, seeds, etc. Avoid fast food and junk food. If you are feeding your body nourishing food according to your appetite, your body will gain just the right amount of weight--regardless of how many pounds that might be.

I know it is hard in our culture to let go of the need to always worry about eating too much and being thin. However, it is most important to do this during pregnancy. That can feel impossible, but you can do it!. And remember also, that your fetus will be prioritized over you, so if you are not getting enough nourishment, you will end up very depleted. Every child needs a healthy energetic mama!

I hope I have offered some encouragement here!

Best,
E. Bender, MA, NC
www.nutritionforthewholefamily.com