Week 31 & 32: Food Cravings, Yoga Moves, Thanksgiving and Doctor Shaming
My new craving is peas and jalapenos. I think it makes total sense as a pairing and tastes delicious, but others are not so appeased by the pairing. I have been eating a ton of oranges too. I have been craving sweeter treats in the mornings, rather than my normal veggie scramble. My favorite breakfast right now is oats, chia seeds, cinnamon, maple syrup, raisins, boiling water and apples. I am slowly starting to eat salads and hummus again. I don’t know why the raw vegetables are so difficult since becoming pregnant. The raw fruits are something I crave with almost every meal. Pregnancy cravings are so strange to me!
I had a doctor appointment the day before Thanksgiving for a check up and I was seen by an alternate doctor since mine was gone on vacation. So many things went wrong at this appointment. First she measured my uterus and said I was measuring at a 23 week uterus when I was at 31 weeks. She then scheduled and emergency ultrasound to make sure the baby was growing at a healthy rate. The ultrasound determined Dillon is completely healthy and growing at a healthy rate. After she had done that I told her my all natural birthing plan, how I do not want myself, husband or child getting vaccines. She proceeded by telling me that my baby could end up handicap in a wheelchair the rest of her life, or worse, dead if I didn’t get the flu shot or vitamin K shot when Dillon is born. It was the worst experience I have ever had. I asked her to please stop shaming me and my decisions, and that I understood this was my responsibility of what the outcome of my choices were. She consistently pushed my to get all the shots. Finally the resident doctor on staff at the time came in and discussed it all with me. After more shaming of my choices they proceeded to tell me that I would be a great candidate for the hospital’s new wing for low-risk delivery and natural birthing. Talk about making a pregnant woman’s hormones go haywire! I had so many highs and lows during that appointment that it made me never want to go back to a modern medicine hospital.
Thanksgiving was a total feast for me. I ate so much turkey. I woke up with a craving for turkey and I ate at least 6 oz at each family gathering I went to. It’s hard to go to Ryan’s family functions for the food most times because there are such few options for me to eat that are gluten, dairy and sugar free. I don’t mean to be inconvenient or rude at these events, but I would rather go hungry then eat something that will make me sick for days after. This is something I have had to deal with since I became gluten free in 2011. I can ignore it for the most part when people take my eating habits personally, because I remind myself that my choices aren’t meant for anyone but me. I have to let go of others taking my choices personally. I think that the emotional part of eating healthy is the hardest part for myself. I have had many experiences where staying true to my choices have made me feel shamed from others around me. Now I don’t care as much about how others feel about my eating habits.
The day after Thanksgiving my wonderful husband and I got to put together Dillon’s nursery. We had taken the time to paint the room gray and pale yellow for a soft Mizzou Tiger theme. Ryan and his Dad put up new white trim on the top and bottom in the nursery the weekend before. It is so bright and soft. We hung the white letters that spelt D-I-L-L-O-N over the crib that we put together. Her video monitor is now hung on the wall, strategically placed to oversee her in her crib once she has arrived. We put together all of her baby gear together, from the bouncer to the pack’n’play. I love to go into the nursery and just stare at what is to come. I don’t have thoughts of exact moments but more of a warm feeling of getting to be with my baby and husband. The feeling of a whole heart.
Happy Food Cookbook sold out in stores here in Columbia, as well as on my website with all the black Friday and cyber Monday sales. I never would have thought that would happen in my first year of publishing. I am so grateful and humbled by this experience. I love my readers and those that want to make a healthier lifestyle for themselves.
With all of these going on on top of my catering business, yoga classes, cooking events in store, book signings, public speaking events and growing business it is hard to see where the time for my baby will fit in. Luckily I have great clients that are happy to have me back after maternity leave and some even want Dillon to come back with me. I am so lucky to have the people in my life that I do. I look forward to the next 7 weeks and the arrival of my little girl!