The Pregnant Diaries - Week 13

Feelings of nausea are, for the most part, gone. However, I think the nausea bestowed upon me super awful gag reflexes. When I brush my tongue, I gag. When I smell something stinky, I gag. When I take my prenatal vitamins, I gag (and almost regurgitate them). I also still have some lingering heartburn here and there. However, the cool part is that my nose seems to pick up a lot of smells. I suppose this is a curse as well as a blessing. If you are hiding chocolate, beware. I will smell it out.

This week pretty much rocked because Chelsea, a friend I've known since middle school, offered her glider and baby car seat to us.....FOR FREE! Yes, that's right. Free. That's how awesome she is. So we spent all night Thursday to borrow my mom's truck, pick up the glider and car seat, drive them home, drive the truck back, and then drive home again. It took at least 2 or 3 hours (crazy huh) but we survived and it was definitely worth it.

On Wednesday Paul took me on a date to the Temple. It had been a long time since we had gone so it was about time! We made a pinky promise that day to go every Wednesday so that we wouldn't slack off like we had been doing.

Now for a lesson in Nutrition for all those of you are are pregnant or are looking to have kids sometime in your life. I learned all of this through the textbook called, "Nutrition Through the Life Cycle" by Judith E. Brown. Kristy gave it to me, bless her heart. (textbooks are expensive, I don't recommend buying them)

1. Your baby is NOT a parasite. Your mom may call it that, you may call it that, your doc may call it that, but it's not. What does this mean? It means that nutrition will first be supplied to the mother to support maternal nutrient needs for her health and physiological changes. Then the excess will go to the baby. Make certain you are taking your prenatals and getting all the nutrients you need. It doesn't hurt to get excess nutrients, with a few exceptions.

2. Drink a lot of water. It helps carry nutrients to your baby. About 8 or 9 cups a day should suffice. You'll know if you are drinking enough if your urine is light colored and does not smell. Beware though, you may have to go to the bathroom often!!

3. Folate (Folic Acid). Make sure you get your folate! Take extra, it doesn't matter. Folate is water soluble, meaning you will pee out the excess. Just make sure you get enough. I believe most all cereals have folate (or folic acid) in them. Make sure your prenatal vitamins carry folate or folic acid. It is recommended you consume 600 mcg folic acid a day when you are pregnant.

What might happen to Baby is you don't get enough folate and folic acid? You baby could develop Spina Bifida, Anencephaly (the absence of the brain or spinal cord), or Encephalocele (brain protruding through the skull).

4. Vitamin A. This vitamin is not water soluble, so make sure you get enough for you and baby, but don't get too much. Deficiency of Vitamin A is rare in the U.S., but it's not as rare to get an overdose of it. Deficiency can product malformations of fetal lungs, urinary tract, and heart. If you take too much Vitamin A in the form of retinol or retinoic acid, your baby could develop retinoic acid syndrome. This includes small ears or no ears, missing or abnormal ear canals, brain malformation, or heart defects.

Make sure to get at least 770 mcg Vitamin A per day, but no more than 3,000 mcg.

5. Iron. Take about 30 to 60 milligrams daily. Iron helps carry oxygen to your baby.

6. Calcium. consume about 1,200 milligrams daily. This helps with breast milk as well as the growth of your baby's bones and teeth.

7. Protein. Make sure to get about 71 grams of protein daily. This is usually easy for those of us who are not vegetarian or vegan. If you are vegetarian or vegan, please read up on how you can be sure you are getting enough protein. Make sure you are only getting protein from food sources. Protein supplements can lead to nutritional imbalances.

8. Fats. Omega 3 fatty acids are the best fats you can get. Major sources are flaxseed oil and fish. There are supplements for omega 3, but beware. You may be burping up fish if you take them during the morning. My doctor recommended taking mine before bed, which I like better. I don't like fish breath. :( I recommend sunflower seeds or any other nut as your secondary source. They provide unsaturated fats.

Also, be careful about the supplements you take for omega 3. There is a risk that they could contain mercury, which is very very bad for you and baby. Either take your doctors advice or just buy fish and eat it.

9. Vitamin D. If you aren't getting enough Vitamin D through sunlight, you can buy milk rich in Vitamin D. Not enough Vitamin D can cause poor fetal bone formation. You need at least 5mcg a day.

That's not everything having to deal with nutrition, but hopefully that helps you out if you aren't sure what you should be getting. :)

Okay ~ that's enough jargon for the day.

How Big Is Baby?

Baby is as big as a peach!

What's Icarus Up To?