As this pregnancy progresses, it is becoming more and more clear that I am just going to be eating constantly throughout the day. Baby B has gotten much more demanding about being fed, and is growing like a weed. So, being the good gestating woman that I am, I'm more than happy to oblige. However. As the uterus gets bigger, all the internal organs above it get squished upward. Meaning my stomach now competes for space with my lungs (more or less anyway). This means that it really doesn't take much to fill me up, as the whole breathing thing totally takes precedence over digestion and my stomach seems to be smaller.
So, instead of eating regular sized meals at meal-time, with light snacks in between, I have to pretty much eat continously throughout the day. Because the minute I eat too much, Evil Bloat arrives and makes Mama Katie EXTREMELY uncomfortable and irritable and a general pain-in-the-ass to be around. But Baby B isn't going to cut me some slack on the caloric intake required for him/her to grow properly! Ah, the joys of mother-to-be-hood. Now you know why pregnant women are hungry and eating all the time. We really don't need that many more calories per day (they recommend 300-500) than the average Josephine, there's just not enough room in there with a growing baby to digest 'regular' meals properly!
Thus, I'm known around the office now as the girl with food in her mouth.
So, instead of eating regular sized meals at meal-time, with light snacks in between, I have to pretty much eat continously throughout the day. Because the minute I eat too much, Evil Bloat arrives and makes Mama Katie EXTREMELY uncomfortable and irritable and a general pain-in-the-ass to be around. But Baby B isn't going to cut me some slack on the caloric intake required for him/her to grow properly! Ah, the joys of mother-to-be-hood. Now you know why pregnant women are hungry and eating all the time. We really don't need that many more calories per day (they recommend 300-500) than the average Josephine, there's just not enough room in there with a growing baby to digest 'regular' meals properly!
Thus, I'm known around the office now as the girl with food in her mouth.
4 comments:
It's healthier to eat that way anyway. Plus, your digestion slows down when you're knocked up. Smaller meals will help with heartburn later too. Just go with it. I like to try to fit every mini-meal into a nutritive category. Fruit, vegetable, protein, dairy, or fiber/grain. If it doesn't fit, I try not to eat it. Ice cream counts as dairy. :o)
What's Baby B's favorite food? My babies (in utero) liked Mexican food! It made them kick their little feet and say "Ole`!"
Hmmmmm....what nutritive category do tacos fall into?
cjh and I were just marveling about the organ compression at the Body Worlds exhibit last Monday. There really isn't much room in there for anything, much less an eight pound baby.
(We were also amazed at how small the uterus is pre-babe - like a small plum.)
No worries my dear aunt,
Baby B will soon start heading more south, for he is lying vertex (hopefully) and he will come to rest on your bladder, making you run to the bathroom instead of the fridge. Good news is you will be able to breathe again! DRINK PLENTY OF WATER!!!!!
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