My God! Instead of using cutesy titles for pregnancy books, why don’t they just title them 101 Ways You Can F— Up Pregnancy? Or 101 Things That Can Go Horribly Wrong during Pregnancy? Or 101 Ways to Harm Your Baby, or 101 Things You Can’t, under Any Circumstances, Do While Pregnant, or 101 Ways Your Body Will Never Be the Same?
— Rebecca Eckler, Knocked Up: Confessions of a Modern Mother-to-be, 2004
I think I ate a bug this morning. I found one in my cheese-tomato-lettuce-on-wholegrain-bagel sandwich. So, there were probably more in there that I didn’t see, right? Ew. Josh (the hubby) says it’s good protein. I, on the other hand, am thinking, "Is it okay if I eat a bug when I’m pregnant? Should I call Motherisk? WAAAHHH!"
Eating. SUCH a big issue for me in pregnancy. Am I eating too much? Am I eating the right things? Am I eating any of the wrong things? How much fish can I eat? Feta cheese okay? To go organic? And, the major question: can I have my FAVE Chai Tea Latte EVERY SINGLE DAY? …with a muffin? Blueberry? …with that YUMMY crumble on top? Huh? Can I? Is it okay if I…? Will it make me…fat? Should I ask Motherisk?
I suppose I can indulge in my chai-tea-and-muffin addiction if I want…. But, DUDE, I’m HUGE. No, really, HUGE. I know you think I’m a BIG LIAR because I said I was HUGE last week, and those professional pics of me showed a rather average size preggo belly. But, LET ME REMIND YOU! I was ONLY FOUR months (not even) when those pics were taken. Here’s me now, at FIVE months, ‘kay? Check it:
See, I told you…. HUGE for five months. So, question: what’s going to happen 4 months from now? Like, how much bigger can I get? I mean, really? Can you even imagine?
Hee. At least it’s funny. And, at least I get LOTS of (the good kind of) attention from my big tummy: people hold doors for me, offer to carry my grocery bags, smile and say hi when I waddle by — soooo nice. Except when I went to the Ballet at the Four Season’s Centre with my mom last week; people were NOT preggo-friendly there — no one even SMILED at me. How rude!
Anyway, I digress.
In my first pregnancy, I gained a ton of weight in the second half of pregnancy. It was crazy. And, then, I gained MORE weight breastfeeding. Again, crazy. I want to avoid all that this time. If I’m going to have an UNIMAGINABLY HUGE tummy, I should probably try to limit the fat I gain all-round starting now (as I enter the second half of pregnancy). Otherwise, I probably, like, won’t be able to move…. So, my goal: to curb the unnecessary weight gain NOW, and to develop good eating habits NOW (despite crazy cravings) so that I can prepare myself to actually lose weight after pregnancy.
Despite the fact that the wonderful people at Motherisk and my doctors and my prepartum depression therapists have ALL STRICTLY FORBIDDEN me to read pregnancy books (because I had a nervous breakdown in my first pregnancy when I took all the GAZILLION things they said you’re NOT TO DO in pregnancy a little LOT too seriously…), I bought myself a couple of pregnancy nutrition books to get me going on my goals:
(Click on the above images for deets on the books….)
Both of these books have been instrumental in motivating and teaching me to eat well and cook well for the remainder of my pregnancy and beyond. Here are some of the meals the books have inspired:
Sweet Potato Soup with Multi-Grain Roll
All the meals I’ve tried in these books are super fast and tasty…. And, I’m learning a ton about balanced eating. NO FADS FOR MOI!
Healthy balanced eating, with an emphasis on whole foods, is what you want during and after pregnancy. ‘Cuz, trust me, it’s very easy to "eat for two" during pregnancy. Everyone tells you, i.e., "You MUST eat an ENTIRE ROBERT’S CAKE at least once in your pregnancy," or "Who cares if you eat a lot of muffins, you’re pregnant — when else will you be able to indulge like this?" IT’S NOT TRUE! THEY’RE ALL WRONG! You CANNOT eat like crazy during pregnancy, or you’ll REALLY look like the WHALE you often feel like, AND, you’ll pay for it with saddle bags, a really big butt and flab after the baby comes….
PLUS, the more nutritiously you eat, they say, the better it is (not only for you but) for baby, too.
While I’m on a roll recommending books…. The BEST yoga book/program for pregnancy out there is, HANDS DOWN, this one (and, I’m telling you this as a certified yoga instructor, m’kay?):
(Click image for book deets.)
So, with yoga, walking, NIA classes and eating better, I’m going to LOOK and FEEL FABO — but inevitably HUGE and probably SWOLLEN from the summer heat — throughout the remainder of my pregnancy. Yeeahh!
Gotta go — going to pick up my brand new capris! Later!
HEALTHY MUFFIN RECIPE!
Here’s a healthy banana-nut muffin recipe that I adapted from Better Food for Pregnancy (p. 153). I altered the recipe by using only whole-wheat flour (for extra fiber), by adding walnuts (for Omega 3s), by using Canola oil instead of butter (to eliminate saturated fat), and by adding dried fruit (for my dried-fruit-obsessed little monkey…). One of these muffins plus a glass of milk makes a GREAT, HEALTHY snack (whether you’re preggers or not)! Try it! It’s deelish!
INGREDIENTS:
3/4 cup oat bran
1/2 cup quick-cooking rolled oats
1/2 cup natural wheat bran
1 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 cup lightly packed brown sugar
1 tbsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp cinnamon
Pinch salt
2 eggs (lightly beaten)
1 cup mashed riped bananas (about 2-3 bananas)
1/2 cup skim milk
1/2 cup canola oil
1/2 cup walnuts (optional)
1/2 cup raisins, dried cranberries, or dried blueberries, etc. (optional)
INSTRUCTIONS:
1. Preheat Oven to 400°F (200°C).
2. In a large bowl, combine oat bran, oats, wheaty bran, whole wheat flour, brown sugar, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, salt, walnuts, dried fruit.
3. In a medium bowl, whisk together eggs, bananas, milk, and oil.
4. Add wet mixture to flour mixture and mix with a wooden spoon until just combined.
5. Spoon mix evenly into lightly-greased muffin cups.
6. Bake in preheated oven for 20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the middle of a muffin comes out clean.
7. Let cool for 10 mins.
8. ENJOY!
You can freeze some of the muffins if you want, too, of course! Otherwise, leave them out for up to 3 days in an airtight container. Let me know how you like them!
TIME FOR YOU TO PARTICIPATE!: I’d LOVE to see pictures of YOUR preggo bellies (even if they were taken, like, 10 years ago)! We all wanna see what YOUR belly is/was like! Send your pic to me at cheaty@urbanmoms.ca, and I’ll post them on this blog next week! If you want to remain anonymous, no biggie! You/I can crop the pic so that only your belly shows. What do you think? We could have a celebratory collage of TUMMIES. FUN! And, PLEASE do send in a pic; I don’t want to look like a total loser, like, if no one sends anything!
Want more Cheaty? Check it — at The Cheaty Monkey!
Hungry for celeb gossip? Check it — at Cheaty’s Celebrity Gossip!
xo Haley-O!
Ok, so did it take you 2 hours to bake those muffins with the photography too? Hehe! I remember making those exact muffins when I was preggers–I have to say, you can tell they are healthy by the taste–but good for you 🙂 My hubby wouldn’t eat those whenever I made them.
You are doing such a great job of eating healthy–I’m so impressed!
ummm preg weight gain, I did the same balloon in the beginning with my first… it tapered out… I had excess fluid around her, so my tummy was huge! just eat healthy and get daily excercise, and you will be fine… stick the lil one in the stroller and hit the pavement every day for a bit… but you are looking soooooo pretty!!!
oh and meant to say you look beautiful belly and all! I need some of your boobs though, seriously.. lol NEED BOOBS BAD!!!
Hey Haley, want me to mail you an amish starter kit? I make amish bread every 10 days and it produced 3 starters I can give my friends. THIS BREAD IS SOOO YUMMY and has tons of recipes you can make from the one starter. I got mine from my friend in California! she snail mailed it to me.. so I figured I could snail mail you one if you’d like. You basically mash it for 5 days.. then add flour, milk, sugar.. then mash it some more, on the 10th day add to it and make two loaves.. its so good! email me if your interested.
and those muffin sound so good, going to have 2 come back for those.
And I think the reason your may be rounder is because your so tiny and seem short (like me!) maybe a boy? 🙂 hehehehe. Widdle Gorilla! no monkey, boy boy?! yay!!!
Belly pics? Eek! Will have to check and see (we’re currently renovating and have a lot of stuff in storage)
I quit smoking right before I got preg and think that may or may not had a role in my hmmm. 132 starting weight…196 final weight – so that’s a 64 pound gain! In the 20 months between babes I got down to about 150 and then went up to 198. Almost four years later I’m hoping to see that 150 again…it’s not a size 5 but I’m okay with that!
You look fab! Loving the belly! It totally looks like a boy belly – does anyone else think so?
I’m currently obsessed with this website/service. Check it out http://www.sparkpeople.com — it helps you track what you eat. Can keep track of your calories, fat, protein, carb intake ratios, but that’s not the cool part. It tracks your vitamin and mineral intake with the food you eat so you can see what you are lacking and what you need make an effort to eat more of. It was eye opening for me. I don’t even make half my calcium or iron requirements for the day. I think there is even a program for the pregnant folk.
I can’t believe how big your belly is for being only 5 months. When i look at those pics i thought you were more like 7 months, but you still look great, just VERY preggos!
Well like everyone has said…you look great and yes like you said you are providing a nice home for your little one. It’s great that you are trying so hard to take care of yourself…but you don’t have to be fanatic about it. It’s okay to splurge a bit.
with my one & only pregnancy I had to put rubberbands in my button hole at 4 months, wear only stretch pants at 4 1/2 months, wear prego pants from 5 months on. My DH called my prego pants “clown pants”, it didn’t help that these were the cheap ones that were denim at the bottom but had a HUGE white band that covered my belly at the top (you hid that under the tent like shirts). As I was getting closer to my due date they started advertising the cute prego jeans that looked like REAL jeans. *sigh*
hi haley,you look so beautiful.when i was preggers with # 1 i gained a massive 68 lbs.with #2 i gained 34 lbs.and because last 2 babies were high risk i only gained like 15 lbs.i hated that it scared the sh– out of me.i was gestational diabetic and had to portion out food and no sugar and walk after i ate.and insulin.eww i hate needles!any how i think its fine within reason to eat what you want. and yoga is great.i did yoga when preggers with the changeling.and just some walking.don’t stress too much.i’m sure it will all come of in time.
You look fab, who cares if you get bigger although it may effect your balance…kidding! 😉
Muffins look good, might just try them.
Do you know I do not have a single belly photo? Quick I need another baby…
i’m of the belief that women are predestined to gain a certain amount of weight. i had three babies…ate and exercised completely differently all three times and gained exactly 24 pounds exactly all three times.
Haley, enjoy your pregnancy. don’t stress about the foods you are eating. it’s the one time in your life no one looks twice if you take a second brownie (mmm…brownie).
i sent you my 38 week shot of me pregnant with isabella 🙂
I want you to read up on the Brewer Diet. It’s likely the healthiest diet for baby AND for mom (no swelling or high-blood pressure with this diet!) I followed it with my pregnancies, had very moderate weight gain and didn’t even have to remove my wedding band, as I had NO swelling. Seriously…not even my feet. Check it out: http://www.blueribbonbaby.org
BTW – you look gorgeous!
Laura
Okay – so when I had Matt I gained 87 pounds! (about 80 of those pounds were from my bizzaro craving for poutine and KFC – neither of which I can stomach now) I really refused to weigh myself. And, I ate my way through it all – and also gained weight breastfeeding.
The best analogy I ever heard (after of course) is that you have to think of the 10 months as preparation for a marathon – eat healthy and exercise to prepare for the birth.
Next time this is what I will do. And you are and that’s great.
You ARE big for 5 months, but I hear it’s cause that happens the second time round. I bet you’ll just even out. Anyway, you look great. So yay you!
I will send you a preggo pic – but I have to dig one out…
You are beautiful. I’m big too for my size, at 4 1/2 months. I also gained a lot in the first 14 weeks, and now seem to be leveling off – which kind of sucks, because I love my pregnant belly, and like you, the good attention it brings.
Good on ya for the healthy eating – I figure if I can eat a majority of very healthy foods, I do not have to give up my daily frappucino. So enjoy your chai.
At least you can pull off the big belly! (A lot of people can’t ;])
And BTW, totallyyyy off-topic, but your hair looks great :]
Hale, you’re totally doing great!!! Your belly rocks and you’re eating SOOO much better then I ever did (make that do).
I agree about the pregnancy books though – even for people that don’t suffer from Pre-partum Depression… they are hard to get through without feeling like you’re failing somewhere.
Keep it up, and I LOVE the pics! You’re so cute!
way to go with the healthy eating Hayley! I really had to keep carbs in check with my two pregnancies, carbs=sugar and I was a gestational diabetic. I feel ya! I gained over 70 lbs with my first. They didn’t diagnose the diabetes til the last month!! eek!! I was on a very controlled diet with my youngest and weighed less in my last trimester than I did in my first! Still have weight to lose now but I can’t imagine how big I would’ve been.
I love the muffin recipe, I’d cut some of the canola oil out and add coconut oil (more omegas). Keep us posted with more food ideas!
oh…btw, the good news about the big belly is that your boobs look totally small!
Haley you rock as a pregnant woman!!!
Ohh those pregnacy books can drive anyone crazy.
Its all too much for me too. So much conflicting information. I love that your Drs have banned you from reading them, that is hilarious.
Great new blog. I look forward to more of your journey.
I do second what Jen says though. It pretty much worked out the same for me in the weight gain category too. The Girlfriends Guide concurs on that one.
Still it looks like you are eating very healthfully so that is always good.
what a great post! kind of making me nostalgic about my pregnancy days. i’m with you on those books – they made me sick with worry and were too much information in a bad way. i’m going to try those muffins…
I sent in my 5 year old GIANT belly pic!
Not only is my mouth watering from the pics of the food (and I am not pregnant…thank GOD) but I can NOT believe how big your belly is since the photo shoot!! Being so little (aka “short” says the tall chick!) I guess the only way to go is out. Were you this big with the Monkey?
Good luck with your healthy eating, Haley. Just so you know, I ate like a PIG in my first pregnancy and gained 47lbs. I ate healthy and really worked hard not to gain weight in my second…I gained 47lbs. 😉