How Many Am I Supposed To Be Eating For?

So, I’m just going to come right out and say something that most women don’t like to admit: I eat. A lot. I mean, a lot, a lot. Like, I’d eat almost constantly if my hands were ever not holding a child. When they aren’t, I eat. To avoid eating again, I try to spend my evenings playing mah jong reading blogs facebooking folding laundry or doing embroidery, or keeping my hands busy in some other way. And then I’ll put whatever I’m doing down, and go eat something because, holy heck, I realize, I’m hungry. 

But, y’know? Here’s something else I’ve realized: for the past 4 years and 2 months straight, I have been pregnant and/or nursing. I have been nourishing two bodies with my one for the past 50 months. No wonder I always need a goddam snack.

Eating while pregnant and/or breastfeeding is a tricky and important business. A pregnant and/or breastfeeding woman has specific nutritional needs, as well as a general need for increased calories. Building and feeding people takes energy, but it takes good energy. Smart energy. That means that just because it’s ok to eat a lot more doesn’t mean that I should eat a lot more sour cream and onion chips. But, like everything else, eating well while chasing your 3 year old and nursing your 9-month old takes a bit of planning and a bit of prep.

But I’ll do it. Because, although my body has been (literally) sucked dry by my babies for over 4 years now, one day it will be mine again. And when it is, I will be so very proud that it has helped my babies grow and thrive, oh yes of course I will, but I also want it to look smokin’ good in jeans and a tank top. And for that, I’ll pass on the cookies and head to the carrots.
Most of the time.

Kgirl’s Must-Have Snack Requirements for Insane Women That Have Spent Over 4 Years of Their Life Pregnant and/or Nursing*

Keep at least some of these on hand at all times. For an increased chance at success, skip the crap aisles at the grocery store altogether, even if you are kidding yourself with the ‘It’s only for my husband’ line.

- Dried fruit (apples, raisins, apricots)
- Raw or Tamari almonds
- An assortment of raw organic veggies mixed up in a Tupperware (baby carrots, cherry tomatoes, mini-cukes, whatever)
- Grapes, strawberries, blueberries, bananas (so easy to eat with one hand)
- Whole wheat fig newtons to beat the sweets craving
- Whatever dried cereal you like to snack on (I eat mounds of plain ol’ dry cheerios)
- Homemade muffins, muslix pitas or just some good whole-grain bread for a quick carb fix or out-the-door snack
- 100% juice popsicles

*Cravings not included. I do not deny a pregnant woman her cravings, even if it means she drinks a tall coffee frappucino every bleedin day. Ahem.

*SoundBITE*
Ask any nursing woman, and she will tell you that she is totally parched the second that the lips hit the nips. Staying hydrated while pregnant and nursing is mucho important – a new mother needs to drink about 12 cups of water per day simply to compensate for the breastmilk leaving her body! Getting enough water will also help stave off or reduce morning sickness, dizziness, fatigue and well, thirst. 

Comments

[Don Mills Diva]

The scary thing is I stopped nursing two years ago and I am still always hungry. If I allowed myself to just go ahead and eat whenever and whatever I felt like I would be massive. I LOVE food.

[nomotherearth]

My current snack is Dove chocolates (dark) or dried organic raspberries. Oh, and coffee, lots and lots of coffee. (Does that count for the water intake??)

[Liza]

At the peak of my nursing/pumping with baby #1, say when he was from 4-8 months, I was drinking an average of 125 oz/day. My preferred beverage was a mix of ~25% juice/75% water.

I recently asked for "one handed food" suggestions at LLL (baby #2 is due next weekend). A few items not on your list that seemed like good ideas to me were veggies or baked chips with hummus or bean & cheese dip, edemame, crackers with some kind of nut butter, and granola or cereal bars.