So this post is going to be all about mememe

[ste_noni]

I'm worried that I'm not eating enough and that somehow this will be bad for the baby. It's sort of the fault of the ultrasound tech from last week. When i told her I was at 18 weeks, she said the baby looked small. Later, after she'd talked to the doc, she said it was nothing, but of course, the first part of what she said stuck in my mind.

The thing is that I have had almost no appetite since about 14 weeks (before then I was eating out of necessity as food in my stomach was all that kept the nausea away). I get hungry - like I feel my stomach rumbling, but when it's time to actually make and eat the food, I'm just not interested. I force myself to eat three meals a day and I thought I was doing fine. I've gained 10 lbs so far (@19 weeks). I've seen the baby and she's moving around like she should be.

Maybe once you stop worrying about miscarriage, you start worrying about stuff like this.

Comments

[amy37.livejournal.com]

Not to worry. The thing is, whatever you *do* eat nurtures the baby first, and you second. Nature has the baby covered pretty well. And your appetite is going to keep changing as the pregnancy progresses.

Because of gestational diabetes (and insulin use), I had to be much more scrupulous about my diet when I was pregnant. With our second baby, I *lost* weight in the beginning, but the baby was fine.

Maybe once you stop worrying about miscarriage, you start worrying about stuff like this.

And this? Very true. Even when you try not to.

[ste-noni.livejournal.com]

Thanks - it's nice to know I fit into *normal* even if that's not what I think it should be.

[cindywrites.livejournal.com]

Some women seem to fly through pregnancy, enjoying every moment, and feeling well, besides. I wasn't one of them.

During my second pregnancy (Julia), I had appetite issues. At one point, I even lost a little weight, and didn't gain nearly as quickly and steadily as I had with the first. That said? Julia was 21 inches long, and weighed in at a healthy, normal 7lbs, 13 ounces, which was 8 ounces more than her big brother Ben, who was also 21 inches long at birth, and with whom I had gained pregnancy weight in a very textbook way.

What helped me when I had no appetite was eating small meals/healthy snacks, every few hours (so maybe eat something 6 times a day). That said, remember your doctor said it isn't a problem. If your doctor said that, it isn't, as doctors love to cover their asses.

I know that late in each pregnancy (much further along than you are) I didn't have much of an appetite, because there was just too much baby in there, and not enough room for my stomach to comfortably expand when full. Maybe that's just happening to you a little earlier. Also, maybe your tummy just shrunk a little, from not feeling like eating while you were in the nausea period.

When people are dieting to lose weight, they tell them to eat only at the table, and not to read, watch TV, etc. Maybe the opposite can work for you? Maybe you can distract yourself while you're taking in your food? They also tell dieters to drink before they eat, to fill up their tummies. Again, maybe you can do the opposite? Another thing they tell dieters is not to eat at night. When I was trying to gain weight during the Julia pregnancy, I ate a bowl of cereal every night while watching TV. Make sure you eat whole dairy products, as opposed to low-fat, too. It's an easy way to add calories, while not increasing the amount of food you have to put in your not-so-hungry stomach.

Another thing that might be going on with you, and I hesitate to mention it, is that maybe you're a little depressed. It is hard to have a husband on the other side of the globe, in a war zone, and even harder while pregnant, and harder still, when you're studying for the bar. You've also recently moved to your area. Are you spending time with people in a social way? If not, can you change that? Are you getting a little sunlight every day? Are you doing anything to pamper yourself?

[ste-noni.livejournal.com]

Thanks to everyone for making me feel *normal*. I've struggled to be okay with gaining weight and so sometimes I worry that I'm secretly sabotaging my efforts, even though I don't really see that happening.

And, cindy, I'm glad you mentioned depression as a possibility. I think I'm ok for now, but I do worry about leaning to far in that direction. I haven't been so worried about Joe, exactly, but this past week I've been abnormally worried about my dogs getting hit by a car or attacked by wild North Carolina country dogs (there's story behind that...). I have noticed that when I'm feeling more down, I am more bothered by little issues - the dogs, the dead animals on the side of the road, etc. (Sort of an animal theme here).

I do get out to walk the dogs twice a day. I think that helps because it's pretty around here. Also, while I do have very few friends here (a few buffistas, 2 people at law school, 1 in my neighborhood, and 2 from the Army) I have gone beyond my normal comfort level in asking them to do stuff with me.

I recently switched to 1% milk (from skim) and I've been eating ice cream. Meat has just been so unappetizing to me, but I have been eating fruits and vegetables. My brother sent me a "fruit of the month" thing, so I always have really good fresh fruit that I feel obligated to eat.

Thanks for making me analyse and actualy *write out* how I've been feeling. it's an issue I like to avoid, so it's good for me to be asked about it. :)

[susanw.livejournal.com]

Your weight gain sounds fine to me. I was the same way with meat through most of my pregnancy--especially during the first half, I was getting most of my protein from peanut butter, frozen yogurt, and the occasional Jamba Juice smoothie with protein boost. And Annabel turned out just fine.

If I ever do this again, I'll obsess a lot less over what I eat.

[gchick.livejournal.com]

I have gone beyond my normal comfort level in asking them to do stuff with me.

I know it's uncomfortable and hard to reach out to people -- heck, I can't even bring myself to pick up the telephone half the time -- but I had a fabulous time meeting you the one time we actually managed it. Any time you want a little buffista contact, I'm sure a bunch of us would love to be there.

[casperflea.livejournal.com]

The advice you have received is all good, and I second it. My mother hounded me about slow weight gain (sent me cookies in the mail!) but my midwife was not concerned at all. Your pattern of hunger will vary over the course of the pregnancy, as will your pattern of weight gain, and this is normal. There may be times in the next couple of months when you are RAVENOUSLY hungry all day long.

I would say, be sure you are eating regular, healthy meals, but don't feel the need to force yourself to do more than that unless your doctor is worried.

[ste-noni.livejournal.com]

I think part of what is adding to my doubt/worry is that I've seen a great nurse at all my appointment, but I have yet to actualy meet any of the midwives. I'm sure the nurse knows what she's doing, though.

And you are right - over Christmas, I felt starving.

[minim_calibre]

Argh! Bad ultrasound tech for worrying you. Mine have been very good about not making any worrying comments thus far.

Your gain sounds like it's just where it should be. At 20 weeks, I'd only gained 1.5 pounds from my first weigh in--heck, I lost three the first week I was on bedrest, because I couldn't eat enough--but the baby seems to be growing just fine.

Try stocking some healthy food bars in the house for mid-meal snacks, if you're concerned about not getting enough food.

Maybe once you stop worrying about miscarriage, you start worrying about stuff like this.

This seems to be the case. I now worry about every other possible thing that could go wrong!

[fabby.livejournal.com]

I know nothing about pregnancy stuff, but I wish you all the ~ma in the world. It sounds like you're getting very sound advice.

Also, I LOVE your QaF icon.