Yeah, so all that excitement and happiness and joy that I expressed in the previous post - that all comes to a screeching halt when you realize the following:
I drink. I smoke. I love coffee. I have a trip planned to Canobie Lake next month.
OH. SHIT. I'm pregnant and my life is about to DRASTICALLY change.
Let's start with the obvious. From the moment I found out, I knew that I would never ever smoke another cigarette. I would not wean myself off, I would be quitting cold turkey. I wouldn't have 'just one more' and say goodbye. That last cigarette, whenever it was, was the very last.
That last drink? That was the last too - at least until I'm safely into my second trimester. And even then, let's be honest, although I truly do love the taste of wine and pumpkin beer (not together of course) - I drink to feel the effects of alcohol. One measly glass of wine from time to time is just going to be a tease. Also, I plan on breastfeeding (further extending my period of sobriety.) I probably won't be drunk again for another year!
WHOA. Is this pregnancy or rehab!!?? Wait, they let you smoke cigarettes in rehab :-) *sigh*
Now, don't get me wrong, I wouldn't change my situation for the world... I was still REALLY happy and excited. I was just coming to grips with my situation (and my nicotine withdrawals.) And this would last a few weeks. If I'm honest with myself, I'm still adapting to the situation a month later, but it's much much easier now.
Ok - so we covered the obvious - booze, done. Cigarettes, done. But WAIT. There is a list of foods that I can't have either!!?? Food is all that I have left right now! No deli meats!? No feta cheese!? What is this craziness that you speak of!? And what the hell constitutes 200mg of caffeine a day. There's hidden caffeine in chocolate!? How much!?
Over the last month I've gotten more comfortable with my dietary constrictions. I'm not going to be a slave to this list. I'm an adult and I can make my own choices. I've given in to drinking decaf coffee so I don't have to give up soda completely. I've gone to my favorite sub shop and asked them to verify that their feta cheese is made from pasteurized milk and I'm happy to be eating greek salads again. I won't eat sushi but I'll have a ham and cheese calzone...
I'll be skipping that trip to Canobie Lake but I'll go visit my niece and nephew and do something fun with them and will enjoy my day regardless.
Basically - you learn to adapt, and as you adapt you grow to love the little lima bean growing inside you more than you could possibly ever imagine. These things no longer feel like sacrifices, but more like temporary adjustments on the road to creating the greatest gift I could ever imagine. <3
love to you both - if you are mamamidd now then I guess that makes me nanamidd- :-) ... love "little bit" already
ReplyDeleteAfter two healthy kids I can tell you that feta was like a gift from God and a glass of wine in my seconds to last month during a bath kept me sane, my doc forced it on me because I was an insomniac and the baby would not come out. I was however ill during the first 3 months with both pregnancies and had to eat BOILED plain chicken, saltines and toast and that was stretching the menu, I told Sean I would divorce him if he cooked anything in the house with seasoning. The fourth month is like rainbows and unicorns showed up at your home and gave you a winning lottery ticket, you feel great can eat anything and you get all tan and of course the always talked about "glow". I got the cravings, 3 oranges a day, 2 mango's and at least 3 other orange things, the cravings are AWESOME, food never tasted so good!
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