Pregnancy: Week 11
I dub thee “light at the end of the tunnel” week!
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Best change of the week: focus hydration on the morning and afternoon and stop by 8pm. This allowed me to sleep through the night again. Though I don’t expect that to last long!
This week, I also felt a surge in energy. It was not as high as my pre-pregnancy energy, but I was able to get in full work days without even thinking of a nap. I took advantage, and started working out daily. Nothing intense, but I am currently aiming for 30 minutes of strength exercises and stretching 4-5 days a week, and 30 minutes of brisk walking 2-3 times a week while planning to increase this as my energy returns to normal.
Third, I feel like the overwhelming miscarriage fears are plummeting. Sure I still have fears that something will go wrong (though I assume fearing for my child’s wellbeing is now a constant in my life), but it doesn’t occupy my every thought and I am allowing myself to plan for the future as though this baby will actually be here in January. I am now able to say “we are going to have a baby” and “when this baby gets here.” HUGE steps for me. Just a few short weeks ago, I couldn’t even bring myself to say “I am pregnant.” I also think seeing my parents talk about helping us get the home ready for baby, taking steps to make their home more baby-friendly, and my mom discussing more details about her pregnancies with me has me feeling so great. Enter uncontrollable sobbing.
However, this week I traded mild nausea for mood swings. A welcome trade, but I was just as likely to cry over a baby in a commercial as my husband leaving a wrapper on the counter (seriously though, the trash can is right over there). I tried to keep it together and save the tears for the happy thoughts, but I wasn’t always successful.
I also started to feel pains in my lower abdomen when I was sitting in an awkward position or in a position for too long. My midwife said they are most likely round ligament pain, and they weren’t that distracting – just switch positions and they go away!
My digestion is still rather slooooooow. I lived with constipation from ages 13-28, so this almost doesn’t feel like a pregnancy symptom to me and I have ways to help. Now that I can stomach vegetables again, I made sure to eat a lot! I also added chia seeds to smoothies, hydrated, ate enough fats, and used this magnesium spray before bed (2-8 sprays depending).
I just make sure to hydrate and eat enough fats. Now that I can eat vegetables again, that will help and I will be adding this magnesium spray to my nighttime routine.
Cravings: GRILLED CHEESE, specifically sharp cheddar on sourdough, crusty good-quality sourdough bread, rice chex cereal with ice cold milk. This week I found my cravings were also centered on just wanting to increase the variability in my diet. I am a person who can eat the same thing for lunch Monday-Friday and be fine. I also cut a lot of foods from my diet in an effort to resolve my IBS, feel optimal energy, and prepare for pregnancy (gluten, dairy, nightshades, non-sprouted grains, vegetable oils, pork, turkey, legumes), but on top of my tree nut sensitivity, pregnancy food rules, and aversions, I was getting boxed into a VERY small corner. So I decided to start adding in different foods that I have previously been avoiding.
Aversions: Chicken, it seemed I preferred fattier proteins like grassfed lamb, eggs, bacon, and fish.
What I Actually Ate:
Eggs (2-3) scrambled 1 tablespoon of ghee
Roasted sweet potatoes (added some to breakfast to help with the carb cravings)
Sprouted quinoa bowls with chicken (when tolerated), vegetables and avocado
Sunflower Gomacro bars
Sunflower butter chocolate cups (though I wish I had Eating Evolved Keto Cups because those have better ingredients)
Ground lamb bowl with sweet potatoes, kale, coconut milk and cinnamon
Bulletproof no-coffee lattes (water, coconut milk, MCT oil, ghee, cacao powder)
Ground pork with tomato sauce and zoodles
Sprouted cinnamon raisin toast
Salads (when tolerated) with butter lettuce, avocado, lightly steamed veggies, and chopped chicken thighs
Homemade turkey breakfast patties
Bacon occasionally (pastured, sugar-free, uncured)
Workouts: I got several strength-training workouts and walks in this week!
