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It’s My Pregnancy, And I’ll Enjoy Carbs If I Want To
By Jamie Morgan
Updated: Oct. 23, 2017
Originally Published: April 19, 2016
“Are you consuming a lot of carbs?”
This innocent question came from my doctor during my 32-week check-up about a week and a half ago when she informed me that I was carrying a (already!) hefty baby weighing in at 4 pounds and 13 ounces.
She’s great, truly, and I appreciate her straightforwardness. After years of practice, she seems unfazed by the possibility of offending a very pregnant woman who might take offense at being referred to as large.
In that moment, I felt like a child caught with their hand in the cookie jar. As I stammered through my response, I tried to explain that my petite mother carried four babies, all of whom were over 9 pounds at birth. “It’s in our genes,” I attempted to justify. My husband chuckled in the background, and her unyielding expression made me throw my hands up in defeat.
Alright, you know what? I’m fully embracing carbs right now.
Let me elaborate. While I’d love to have every meal packed with quinoa, kale, and free-range chicken, the reality of caring for a 21-month-old means that meal prep is often rushed and low on my list of priorities.
To my surprise, nausea has decided to stick around for the third trimester, but only during breakfast. “Why not try an egg-white omelette?” she suggested casually. Oh, sure! I absolutely have the time and energy to separate eggs, chop ingredients, and cook to perfection while also juggling the demands of a small child. Sounds fun, right?
Most days, I forget about lunch entirely. Once my toddler falls asleep for her afternoon nap, the hunger hits hard, and suddenly, fast food becomes a tempting option on my phone. If luck is on my side, I might delay dinner long enough for my husband to offer to pick up groceries and prepare something more nutritious that my doctor would approve of!
But hey, you know that unpleasant bloated feeling you get after overindulging in carbs? Well, since my belly started expanding at 20 weeks, I haven’t experienced that at all. So, I’m going to enjoy this moment of carb bliss while I can. After all, I know it will all settle back to normal once the baby arrives. So, please, let me revel in this a bit longer!
The kicker here is that I indulged during my first pregnancy without a second thought, gained weight like it was my job, and still gave birth to a perfectly healthy, smart, and beautiful child — no chia seeds or flaxseeds required. Breastfeeding then helped me shed those extra pounds with ease, and I’d like to keep that momentum going!
So, please don’t give me that look and say, “It could be different the second time around.” I’m not in the mood for your reality check right now. I’d rather experience this journey as it unfolds; after all, how much bigger can this baby possibly get in just five weeks?
Plus, my mom told me that the women in our family tend to gain significant weight during pregnancy and lose it quickly afterward. It’s just part of our genetic makeup. We’re meant to create big babies, and then we’ll transition back to our pre-baby selves — it’s science!
Now, if you’ll excuse me, I need to head to my yoga class. By yoga class, I mean the grocery store to grab some frozen yogurt — we just ran out!
Catch you next week, Doc!