Pregnancy is an exciting time for parents-to-be. Pregnancy also means letting go of some of your favorite things. The nine month journey can be quite limiting, and the following piece is not about sunshine and roses; the next few paragraphs are all about my whining, so if you aren't in the mood, I suggest you stop reading now. This piece is all about the fun I am missing out on, while waiting on the most precious little nugget to arrive. I'm sure most expectant mothers would say they miss a good night's sleep (meh), a rigorous workout (LOL), or caffeine at will (doesn't bother me). Not me. Nope. Here's what tops my list:
1. Alcohol
I miss alcohol.
That is the honest truth. I am not above admitting that alcohol was probably the toughest to give up. And by 'toughest' I don't mean I hide in the closet day-drinking, I mean being sober on a daily basis has made me crankier. OK— settle down; I don't have a drinking problem. I'm just saying: pregnancy itself takes a toll on one's mental state, and not having the liberty to have a real, 150-calorie filled brewski, after a long day is definitely something I miss. Perhaps the most exciting thing early on was thinking that since I won't be consuming the extra calories from alcohol, I'd lose a bunch of excess weight, leaving me with a cute all-belly bump that everyone will adore. Yeah, right. The bump is very much there, along with more bump in the trunk and in other places, too. I have now opted for non-alcoholic beer, which I find decent-tasting, with half the calories of real beer and less than 0.5 percent alcohol. Occasionally, I sip on a little red wine, and virgin Bloody Mary's don't taste horrible. Of course, consuming large amounts of alcohol while pregnant can have serious health effects on your baby, but having NA beer or a little offering of wine once in a while is safe, and yes, my OB [and ACSH] approves.
2. Oysters
It's a well-known fact that eating raw or undercooked fish or shellfish can results in illness — sometimes severe enough to cause a blood infection that can be life-threatening to the unborn baby. This one I wouldn't play Russian roulette with. And I miss oysters so bad I could cry. The next best alternative? Char-broiled or baked oysters. They don't quite have the same effect as gooey, raw, sriracha-sprinkled savory oysters, but hey, beggars can't be choosers. And speaking of hot sauce, let's talk about this forbidden pleasure — at least for me.
3. Hot sauce and all things spicy
I have always been prone to heartburn, but since getting pregnant the problem has become worse. Nowadays, Tums and Zantac are like my family. Typically, heartburn in pregnancy doesn't appear until late in the second and third trimesters, when baby is crowding your insides and digesting food becomes more difficult. But for me, heartburn came around week 8 and has overstayed its welcome. This unruly guest is undoubtedly fueled by my love for hot sauce and all things spicy. What can I say, I'm a Balkan immigrant. My mother used paprika and chili peppers in everything, probably even dessert. I swear, homemade rice pudding had a little kick to it. While there is no good alternative I can offer to hot sauce, I can say that sometimes, I cheat. And when I cheat, I premeditate my cheating. I wake up, pop a strong 150mg of Zantac and prepare for the feasting of spices during the day. Sometimes it comes back to bite me in the behind — literally and figuratively — but it had all been worth it.
And so is this nugget I am carrying; despite my rant, he is definitely worth the bland food and sobriety.
