Pregnancy and Low Carb lifestyles

[MaryKay]

OH Congratulations!!!! I hope it goes very well and you have a wonderful little bundle of joy in several months.

[DebbyH]

Thanks, Mary Kay! The due date is probably somewhere between December 31, 2004 and January 3, 2005. But we all know how accurate those are!

[EmilyAnne]

So Debby,
I guess all my size 12's I'm saving for you will have to wait a little while longer

Congratulations again!

[cowgirl1973]

Hi Debby, I am sooo happy for you! Congratulations!!

I am doing fine, I just went to my Dr. this week, things are going good. They moved my due date up a week goin by my ultrasound that I had, and then, cuz I can't give birth naturally, my C-section is scheduled for the 8th of November, which is the day before my birthday. I told him that I wanted the baby on my birthday, and he said the baby deserves it's own day, and besides, he doesn't operate on Tuesdays! LOL!! He is funny.

Which take us the the next venture of this adventure....shopping! We have been looking at baby items and maternity clothes. OMG! Have you seen the fashions for this summer! A few of them have given me nightmares and eyestrain all at the same time! But the capris are cute....yeah I liked those!

As for eating.....hmmmm, I have been a bit naughty, but not like I was for my other pregnancies. The only bad thing is that I have an aversion to meat! Not eating it, but it makes me nauseated looking at it while it is raw, and I can't handle the smell of it cooking. Eggs are the worst. DH actually had to take over cooking them while I ran to the bathroom. Isn't it funny how our bodies react!?!?!?! Then there are the days that I can't hardly eat because i am not hungry, then there are the ravenous days. Oh, how I wish my body would make my mind up for me!

Well, there is a brief update for you Debby. I hope all goes well for you and that you have a safe, happy, joyous, and healthy pregnancy. Remember to get plenty of rest...you won't get it in a few months! LOL.

Take care.....

[DebbyH]

Kimberly,

Glad you stopped by and thanks for the update! Sounds like you are doing well. Sorry about the aversion to meat and egg thing. That's a bummer! How far along were you when that happened? I remember last time all of a sudden not wanting my morning coffee (decaf, of course) any more... and not even being able to stand the smell of it brewing. Such a strange thing for me! But, I can't remember how far along I was when it happened.

I did pretty good with my eating this week until Thursday. Friday wasn't much better, but I plan on doing better today.

About the sleep thing... I know I should probably be sleeping right now. DD is at G&Gs house so noone to take care of... but, I just can't sleep for some reason (even though I'm dog tired). Maybe I can get in a nap today.

I am trying to get my house in better order before this baby comes, because I know there'll be no chance of that once he/she is here.

Are you going to find out the sex of the baby? Just curious. We didn't the first time, but right now I'm leaning towards finding out. But DH probably won't want to. Haven't had a chance to talk about it yet.

Just made my first OB appt. They don't want/need to see you until 8-10 weeks, so I go in on May 28th and see a Nurse Practioner the first time (don't ya love Kaiser). I did request for my OB to call me to discuss diet/nutrition. I know how I want/need to eat (I think), and I think I'd be okay, but I would like to talk to him about it. Even though you've been naughty, on the whole are you trying to follow a particular plan?

Well... better go get breakfast made.

Take care,
Debby

[cowgirl1973]

Debby,
I was about two months along when it happened to me. I made steaks last night (boy was that hard), i took two bites and I couldn't eat anymore. But I did eat all my veggies .

Isn't it weird that doctor's don't wanna see you until you are 10 weeks along? What about "early" prenatal care? LOL. I guess that that is their way to make sure that everything is still there. Who knows! I got to go in in 3 weeks for more blood tests, and get my fundus measured, and hear the baby's heartbeat. YAY!!! I am so excited!!

I know what you mean about getting the house in order. I married a packrat!

We do want to find out the sex of the baby. I have a boy and a girl, and he has a son from his first marriage, so we wanna balance. It's terrible to be surrounded by testosterone every other weekend! Plus, he turns into goo when it comes to my daughter....brushes her hair, wrestles with her, tickles her....it is wonderful. So, we want a girl.

As for my eating plan....it was Atkins, but I have upped my carbs up, so I know that 1) I am not in ketosis and 2) I don't lose weight. I have had a miscarriage, so I am not taking any chances. That baby would have been 5 this year. So, like I said, not taking any chances....but I do not stuff my face with junk; more like berries, LC breads and cereals, air popped popcorn, cheese and the like. My hubby is still of the mindset that I am "eating for two" so he tries to give me bigger portions....GRRRRRRR!!! I keep telling him that means better choices, not more food. He is being very attentive...but when it comes to the food, he is too attentive. LOL

Keep us posted!

Take care....

[Lawbooks]

Hey Debby! I replied to your PM but thought to add a couple more notes here... Like Kimberly, I used popcorn to increase my carbs and I ate a LOT of berries. I'm surprised I didn't turn into a strawberry! LOL!
Also, I exercised the entire pregnancy.
I swam laps the first 3 months, then I started walking with my husband for an hour each evening.
It is the BEST decision I have ever made -- both for my health and for my marriage!
We are still walking! Raisha is 5 weeks old now and we bundle her up in a sling or put her in the stroller and take her along! My older girls shoot baskets or ride their bikes while we walk, but we still walk every day that we can.

Oh, and the food aversion thing hit me around the 2nd month, too! All of a sudden I couldn't stand eggs. I also completely lost my appetite, but craved salads (and, ahem, *other* things THAT I DIDN'T GIVE IN TO!!! )

Anyway, congratulations again! And Kimberly, glad to hear things are going well for you! Keep posting. I'll pop in when I can...
{{{hugs}}} to all!

[DebbyH]

Well, girls... just thought I'd let you know I got the go-ahead from my OB to stay on CALP... although I didn't really tell him CALP, I just said protein and veggies for breakfast, protein and veggies for lunch, and a well-balanced dinner. Told him I might add in a snack of the same, or some yogurt w/high fiber cereal. He said that would be fine. I think/hope that this will make it mentally easier to stick on plan... that this "permission" will help to keep me focused. At least if anybody gives me any grief, I can say that my OB said it was fine.

When I asked him about Kaiser recommending 6-7 servings of bread, he just said "that's our general recommendation, but I'm not sure it's necessary." Interesting, isn't it?

Kimberly, don't know if we'll find out the gender or not. Asked DH about it tonight and he said he didn't want to, so we probably won't. We'll just see how I feel as we go along.

Also, I understand the whole hubby thing... not really sure that my DH gets that I'm going to be eater better this time around. He still thinks (like I did the first time) that I can eat whatever I want. Not going to work this time.

Summer, thanks for all the tips! Still drinking my water (about 80 oz) and trying to get more walks in. My DH has weird hours right now, so I just put DD in the stroller and go. She keeps me pretty busy chatting while we walk!

Did good w/my eating today and got a 35 minute walk in. Feeling good about things.

Better go finish up some laundry and then get to bed.

Take care everyone,

Debby

[angelndskies35]

I have a question about whether it is safe for the baby to use splenda during pregnancy. After dong low carb for so long and getting use to splenda in everything, I find that I can't tolerate anything with real sugar in it. Some of the books that I've read say it's ok and others say that it's not. Any info would be helpful. Thanks, Angel

[Lawbooks]

Hey Angel,

Well... I know how you feel. When I got pregnant last year (my baby is 6 weeks on Saturday), I had been following this woe (way of eating) for almost 2 years. I had become VERY dependent on Splenda! But like you, I had concerns. I mean, it just hasn't been around very long, yanno?
I avoid Aspartame (Nutrasweet) COMPLETELY when pregnant/nursing, but with Splenda I just REALLY cut back. I mean WAY back -- just to be safe.
I don't think there is an *official* point of view on this yet, so you will just have to do what you feel in your gut is right. For me, that was limiting ALL artificial sweeteners. Yes, that meant eating *SOME* real sugar, but I avoided that a lot, too. I just ate a lot of fruit to satisfy my sweet cravings.
Hope this helps!

[sizzlingseven]

Hey everyone! I've been AWOL for a while. I guess since I've not been eating low carb that I haven't been coming to the website - guilt, unnecessary, etc. - but after reading your posts over the last couple months, I see that it may have been a good idea to keep in touch - just to stay motivated!

Summer - Raisha is beautiful! You're so lucky! I'm glad you're feeling well, and all your family are out there enjoying the new addition. I like your sling - did you buy that on ebay?

Kimberly - I was the same with the meat and eggs - after eating chicken breasts and egg beaters for three years, I think my body just said "look, enough is enough - pass the bagels, FINALLY!"

Well, just to update everyone.... I'm into my 27th week now, and my total weight gain has been 58 pounds. People look at me and say it doesn't look like I've gained that much weight, but my back would argue otherwise. Still feel good, but can only walk for about 5-10 minutes before having to give my back a break. I'm going for another ultrasound today, because last week when I went for my checkup, at 24 1/2 weeks, they measured my uterus, and normally it should be a centimetre for every week you are, and the first nurse got 28-29 cm, then the doctor got 26-27 cm, which is still bigger than it should be, so we're going to take a look at baby again and see if she looks bigger than scheduled.

Oh, by the way, its a girl! We've decided on Sydney Lauren.... which was totally sub-consciously influenced by the show 'Alias', for any of you that watch, we tossed the two names around over the course of a few months, loved them both so just stuck them together, then I was watching the show, and realized the two characters are Sydney and Lauren, and I thought "oh man, we're total losers! naming our daughter after a prime time show" but it was too late - we had already started telling people, and plus we really do love the name, so we're just going to buy the DVD for this season when it comes out and give it to her at some point.

I've already started buying clothes for her, which is totally fun, but this weekend is going to be crib and dresser shopping - or at least registering and hoping that my friends donate to "the greater good".

Baby is kicking now, which is fun, but not yet into my ribs, which won't be fun.

That's about it - will let you know how the ultrasound goes today. Already, I can't wait to have the baby. Sick of being here at work.... just daydreaming about my maternity leave....

Take care everyone!!!
Niki

[sizzlingseven]

Hi Ladies!

I've attached my two ultrasound pictures of Sydney. She's 26.5 weeks, and already looking like a cutie! One picture is just of the side of her face, and the other is a picture of her yawning. During the ultrasound, I saw her open her eyes and blink a few times, then stretch and yawn. It was amazing.

On a sadder note, my husband and I got into a fight over spending too much money on baby furniture, which escalated into the truth being told that for the last few months now, he's been thinking about moving out, and he doesn't think he can be married to me any more. He says we fight too much, and I'm driving him crazy. I had no idea he felt that way. It turned into a three-hour heartfelt discussion about where we're at, and what we want, and why we're not getting it. Tears poured from both of us. It was terrible. What timing, to be six months pregnant with a beautiful healthy baby girl, and to have my husband tell me he loves me, but he's not in love with me any more. Thank god I'm a very strong person emotionally, but no-one can go through something like this without pain and stress. And, excess stress can lead to a pre-mature birth, which is not what I want. This issue is too important to compartmentalize and ignore, but if I let it consume me, it could harm the baby. A conundrum, to say the least.

Can anyone attest to this type of experience with their husband/partner? I'm just wondering if its baby jitters that's making him think he can't deal with the whole situation. Obviously, there's more to it than that, and I absolutely refuse to let him go without a fight. We've been married for seven years, and this is supposed to be the beginning of a wonderful new chapter in our lives, not the end of one. He's agreed to see a marriage counsellor, and I've ordered four books on how to save the marriage, but I'm scared he's going to lull me into a false sense of security and pretend like everything is fine or getting better so that I'm not stressed during the pregnancy, then leave once the baby is here. I have three months to get this mess turned around. Any advice?

Niki

[MaryKay]

See the marriage counselor. I nearly walked out on my husband about 3 years ago. Had spend several years thinking about it, and several months even looking at apartments. Then when I finally told him (had barely been speaking to him for about a year, and was letting it fester terribly) - the first thing he said was 'but you are my life' - and we both cried for a long time, saw a counselor, and finally started talking. You need to talk!! Make sure you both listen to each other and understand.

Things are not perfect - but we celebrated 25 years last august. I'm in for the long haul now. Where 3 years ago I couldn't see spending any more of my life in this marriage, now I intend to stay. We have become friends again, at least. We talk, we do things together.

Some men do have problems with a pregnancy - if he was the focus of your life before, he may have trouble dealing with sharing that focus. Make sure you are not so involved with the pregnancy that he is feeling neglected. And make him a part of the decisions you are making - the furniture and everything else.

[sizzlingseven]

Thank you Mary Kay for that advice - it was very valuable and encouraging. My friend, who is a psychologist, is giving me two names today of marriage counsellors for me to call. My husband internalizes everything and makes his own decisions without talking to me, and its time he starts talking to me, and we start communicating. I hope this works. I love him and adore him, and I can't believe that in his mind our relationship has dissolved to the point of leaving. I feel badly that I've made him so unhappy and frustrated all these years that he feels its in everyone's best interests, including the baby's, if he were to live somewhere else. It breaks my heart.

Will let you know, and thank you again. This website is such a wonderful source of encouragement, because it draws women of all backgrounds, ages, and lifestyles together. I knew I would find a listening ear. Thank you again.

Niki

[DebbyH]

Niki,

I think seeing a marriage counselor is a good idea. You too need to talk about things. Just make sure that you are comfortable with the counselor... if not, change.

Also, don't know if you pray or not... or if your husband would be up to this... but praying together would be a good idea, if you can get him to do it. Some men just aren't up for that, especially if the two of you have never done it before.

Know that I will be praying for you, your husband, and your baby. I certainly hope you can work things out.

Debby