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Before I got pregnant I'd always heard about the crazy cravings and unpleasant food aversions that seem to plague the majority of pregnant women, and now after 16 weeks of pregnancy, I can confidently say I know what these women are talking about. When a food craving strikes you need it NOW...there is no waiting and there is certainly no trying to reason with your husband in the grocery store aisle. Up until recently, I think I had mostly been experiencing food aversions rather than real cravings thanks to the 1st trimester sickness that so fondly stayed with me for 9+ weeks. I've gotten a few questions from friends about my cravings, so here's a look at what I've been craving in case you're curious:
- Strawberries (one weekend I polished off TWO cartons of strawberries in one sitting!)
- Apples (but they have to be Granny Smith)
- Salad
- Crackers + Cheese Slices
- Cereal (for awhile I was craving only Cinnamon Toast Crunch, then it went to Cheerios, and now it's back to Cinnamon Toast Crunch again)
And now for a few cravings I am not so proud of...
- Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Chocolate Milk (this is the only way I can get milk down, so I suppose it's not such a bad craving)
- Spaghetti-O's (I mean, are you kidding me?! I cannot believe I actually want to eat these things!)
- Mozzarella Sticks (I had this craving around the holidays and made Rob take me to Sonic more than a few times)
- Buffalo wings (although, I do have to be careful about hot sauce now that heartburn lurks around every corner)
- Chicken Alfredo (I ordered this for lunch the other day at Olive Garden and I cannot stop thinking about it...so yummy!)
And my last set of cravings are unfortunately ones that I cannot give into due to the many food restrictions placed on pregnant women :(
- Deli Ham Sandwich
- Hot Dogs - I want a hot dog on the grill SO bad that words cannot even describe it!
My cravings seem to change weekly (sometimes daily) and I can no longer plan my meals in advance it seems. I never know what I want to eat until right before, which makes grocery shopping a huge challenge.
Now, let's talk about my food aversions. When I say food aversion, I mean I literally cannot even look at it without my stomach turning.
- Mexican Food (this one breaks my heart because I am normally a huge Mexican food fan...Before I was pregnant I could literally eat it every night of the week and not even think twice. That is no longer the case.)
- Provolone Cheese (especially melted...GAG!)
- Ground Beef (again...GAG!)
- Actually, most meat in general just turns me off unless it's chicken and is in some sort of format I am specifically craving (i.e. buffalo wings, chicken alfredo, etc...)
I'm sure I'm forgetting some things on this list, and I'm also quite sure that this list will continue to change as my pregnancy progresses, but I thought it would be fun to document some of these foods before I forgot. After all, I'm learning that "pregnancy brain" is actually a very real thing ;)
This post is a little overdue, but I'm SO excited to say that we've finally made it to our 2nd trimester! Woohoo! While my nausea and morning all day sickness are still somewhat hanging around, I am slowly starting to feel better day by day. I'm also happy to report that I'm gaining some of my energy back too (I no longer require daily 2 hour naps)! Oh, and I should probably mention that I am now proudly sporting an official baby bump : ) I'm not quite ready for maternity clothes, but I did purchase a Bella Band in hopes I'll be able to extend the life of my current pants just a little bit longer.
Over the past few weeks we've been plugging along and are slowly starting to cross things off of our "Baby To Do List". The main "to do" we are working on right now is nursery preparation. We are currently working on clearing out the furniture in Rob's office, which is becoming the baby's nursery. We're just about finished with this project with the exception of clearing out the closet. Since we originally painted Rob's office a very neutral tan (and we both love the color), we have decided to keep the nursery walls the same, so that is one less thing we have to worry about. I'll of course be adding color accents throughout the room with bedding, wall decor, window treatments, etc... but the more I think about it, the more I like the idea of neutral walls.
Our latest check mark on the list was picking out/purchasing baby's crib + nursery furniture. Rob and I were deciding between two furniture sets and ultimately decided on a set at Babies R Us. While I won't bore you with all of the minute details of the challenging fiasco we had at Babies R Us over the weekend, I will say that we were finally able to order the furniture (minus one piece, which we are still waiting for the manufacturer to release to the warehouse) after visiting 3 stores within a 24 hour period. Side note: Babies R Us has provided us with some of the worst customer service both Rob and I have ever seen. I now understand when I hear Mom's and Dad's complain about the store...I definitely get it now. It's quite unfortunate, but from talking with other Mom's who have ordered furniture through the store, it seems to be quite common that there are always loop holes to jump through. I have yet to decide if I'll be registering through Babies R Us, but the more problems we incur, it is looking like we may go another route for our registry. We've definitely decided to register on Amazon, in addition to 1 other store...whether it's Babies R Us or Target, that remains to be seen at this point.
Ok, enough about Babies R Us...on a happier note, we scheduled our anatomy ultrasound for March 21st where we will (hopefully) get confirmation on Baby Schmitt's gender. I'm so anxious to see if our last ultrasound was accurate in predicting baby's gender. Only time will tell, but we'll be thrilled either way.
For those that have asked, I will try to get a baby bump photo up on the blog sometime soon :)
Until next time,
This past weekend was baby's very first photo session, and I have to say that it was amazing. Truly incredible. We saw baby kicking, stretching out, hands moving, and even witnessed a few rolls/flips! We went in for a basic 2D ultrasound, and we're treated to not one, but TWO surprises during our visit.
The first surprise was a quick glimpse of Baby Schmitt in 3D, which is not usually done until much later in the pregnancy, if at all (recommended at 25+ weeks for optimal viewing). Our ultrasound tech was kind enough to offer us a 3D screen shot of the baby just for fun (we even got a 3D pic to take home!).
The second surprise was really quite unexpected. Since Baby Schmitt was enjoying a few flips during our session, the ultrasound tech was able to capture quite a few detailed shots of baby's legs, which allowed her to predict the gender quite early. Of course, it is still very early, and while she said not to go out and buy gender specific baby clothes just yet, she did say she was fairly confident and that we should start discussing names ;) We'll of course know for sure once we go in for our anatomy scan at 18 weeks, but in the mean time, it's fun to think about the possibilities. I have to say that both Rob and I are thrilled with the gender prediction, and even if baby's gender was predicted incorrectly, we will still be thrilled either way. I just have to throw it out there and say that I've had an intense gut feeling regarding the gender of Baby Schmitt since very early on in my pregnancy, and so far, that gut feeling is correct!
At the end of our session we were given several photos along with a 6 minute DVD to take home. To be honest, the profile sonogram photos we got in 2D weren't all that clear (baby was moving a lot, and it probably didn't help that I kept giggling when I saw baby moving around!), but the video footage is incredible. I have it saved on my computer, and I watch it every few hours it seems :)
Since my 1st trimester is soon coming to a close, and I am (finally!) on the verge of seeing my 2nd trimester, I thought it would be fun to share some of the things that helped me get through these 1st few months of pregnancy (aka my 1st trimester "essentials").
Let me preface this post by saying that the 1st trimester was certainly no walk in the park for me, but I don't feel like it was terrible either. I know some women have morning sickness 24 hours/day, 7 days/week, and mine was not that bad. Nevertheless, I wouldn't call it fun either. I try my absolute best not to complain though, because I know that every one of these yucky symptoms ultimately serves a purpose. I always remind myself that it will all be worth it in the end.
With that said, let's talk about some of my essentials that helped to ease the not-so-nice symptoms of the 1st trimester:
B-natal Pops - I didn't discover these until I was 10+ weeks pregnant, but I have to say that I think these little pops helped to ease some of my nausea. I know they don't help every woman, but for me, these seemed to do the trick. Since these pops have vitamin B6 in them, you do have to be careful to follow the recommended dosage on the box (not to exceed more than 3 pops in a 24 hour period).
Salty Snacks - I'm sure we've all heard of the age-old adage of keeping Saltines by your bedside at night to help curb morning sickness, right? Well, for me, I can barely stand the sight of a Saltine cracker, let alone the taste, so I opted for other salty bedside snacks such as popcorn, pretzels, and even nuts. These salty snacks helped me ease that awful "empty" feeling in the pit of my stomach that I frequently was awaken by in the middle of the night. They also helped me before getting out of bed in the morning. I soon realized that if I moved around too much first thing in the morning without eating a few bites of food, that I would be running for the bathroom to be sick. It wasn't pleasant. This wasn't a perfect "cure" for morning sickness, as there were certainly plenty of mornings where the nausea was just too strong to even think about eating a pretzel, but for the mornings where I only had mild-nausea first thing, the salty snack trick seemed to help!
Pregnancy Pillow - I know most women don't start using a pregnancy pillow until they are much further along, but in the first few weeks of pregnancy I suffered from terrible insomnia and could just never get very comfortable. Rob asked me if I'd like to get one, so we did some research together, and I picked out a "U" shaped pillow that is contoured to fit both your back and belly. It definitely helps me sleep better and is incredibly comfortable + cozy! The only downside to this pillow is that it is rather large, and even in our King size bed, it takes up a lot of space.
My iPhone - You're probably a little puzzled by this "essential" right now, but let me tell you...this was great to have around for days/weekends when I basically just laid around in bed/on the couch all day. It's nice to be able to check in with friends on Facebook and play with all of the baby/pregnancy apps while you're bored out of your mind...not to mention, keeping your mind occupied does take away some of the discomfort (at least it certainly did for me). The real reason why this is an "essential" to me, is because I can keep up with client emails while laying in bed on a day that I might not have been feeling so hot. To me, my iPhone was a great tool to have during my 1st trimester.
Love + Support from Rob - I know, I know...cheesy, right?! But, it's the TRUTH! Simply put, if I didn't have my husband around to take care of me, I would have likely gone insane. He's been a life saver around the house these last few months taking care of everything from household chores to grocery shopping to making sure Teddy is well taken care of. He's also been super awesome at random grocery store runs when I get a craving for something! :) Love you, babe! xoxo
Oh, and I can't forget a good ole' pair of comfy pj's or sweatpants. While I am not quite showing yet (and my regular clothes still fit), there is just something sooo satisfying about changing into a pair of comfy pj's after a long day.
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