What did you miss while pregnant?

[flagger]

Ms. Flagger says the first thing she wants after delivery is a margarita. She is so craving one so much she can barely stand it. I have given up something else in support during the pregnancy, but I won't mention it in a public forum. I will say I would like to have that as well after delivery.

What did you miss most and wanted during your pregnancy? And did you actually have it after you delivered and how long before you had it?

[anna lisa]

I'm not really missing anything yet.

But a girlfriend of mine missed Dunkin Donuts coffee so bad! She gave up all caffine and decaf during her pregnancy.

Her DH had to bring her a HUGE cup of coffee right after delivery.

When I went to visit her the next day, I asked if I could bring her anything - Yes, Dunkin Donuts Coffee please.

So be prepared to bring that margarita to the hospital! :)

[Annette_C]

LOL Flagger!!! I'm laughing because a Margarita is all I ever wanted and couldn't have! I told DH and my kids to bring one in the hospital because I wanted to have it right after delivery.!:)
Of course, they didn't (not that I wouldn't have had it) and I didn't get a chance to drink one until a week or two later.
The other thing I gave up was having a glass of homemade wine (my dad makes it) with dinner.
I think it got more difficult for me because DH (who only drinks socially) decided to have a drink every night before going to bed during my pregnancy. I was SOOOOO mad at him (especially with those hormones flaring)! He said he was so nervous that he needed a drink to relax so he could get some sleep. Guys!! Go figure!!:)
Please tell Ms Flagger that I totally understand how she feels.

Annette
SAHM to Sabrina 6/24/02

[flagger]

Our OB has said it was fine after 12 weeks but other than a couple of sips of mine she has sworn off of them completely. No wine at our anniversary or her birthday either. She cannot wait.

[stillplayswithbarbies]

What I have missed most is brie cheese. We bake it to melt it and spread it on french bread (hubby) or on strawberries (me the low carber). So yummy! I can't wait to have it again.

And tuna salad, of all the silly things to miss. (I know we can have a certain amount of it while pregnant but I decided not to take a chance at all on the mercury thing)

But what I miss most right now at 40 weeks pregnant is being able to tie my own shoes.

...Karen
Mom to Jake age 12 and expecting Logan Elizabeth or Garrett Logan, EDD March 21

[JMarie]

All I wanted to do was run. I wasn't allowed to exercise after 12 weeks, so stopping cold turkey was horrible for me. Although, I do recall telling DH that I wanted a magarita as well. Straight up.

JMarie
Mom to Aidan Christopher 01/28/03

[August Mom]

Well, this is rather lame :), but I wanted a turkey sandwich on wheat with lettuce, tomato and cheese. It was very specific in my mind. LOL I had given up all deli meats due to the risk of listeria. I had my sandwich the day after we came home from the hospital. It was delicious!

[himom]

Great topic!

I missed:

tunafish on Ritz crackers
greek salads with feta cheese
raw fish (I love sashimi)
ordering steak & prime rib medium rare
turkey sandwiches
roast beef sandwiches
bleu cheese in my spinach salad
standing/walking for more than 15 minutes (I had this thing where my leg went numb and died if I didn't sit down every so often)
running
climbing (yep, at the age of 29 I'm still a bit of a tomboy)
Subway (I swore off all deli and "reheated meats" on advice from several baby books)
Mexican food (I had horrible heartburn)
rides at Disneyland

Of course, my little sweetie was well worth the sacrifice. :)

Jodi
Mommy to Joshua Keoni, 2/8/03

[nohomama]

I'm right there with you on the soft cheeses. I love dairy, especialy goat cheese, brie, feta... (you get the picture). My partner is a microbiologist and though he let many things pass without comment during my pregnancy, soft cheeses were not among them. Though Listeria isn't statistically all that common, it seemed so to him since he pours over scientific literature all day long. Soft cheeses, red wine, and a good beer were all on my list of missed things.

[flagger]

Ya know Ms. Flagger has eaten TunaFish since getting pregnant. Not in huge amounts, but she really hasn't given it any thought.

[mama2be]

I missed nothing...not a thing...I ate what I wanted and knew nothing (thank god) about listeria becasue I eat Greek Salads like they are going out of style, and I ate sushi, and craved turkey sandwiches big time too!!!...and even had about 5 drinks the whole pregnancy and drank caffeine...

I did find that my body didn't want a lot of this stuff (like the coffee) so I think it protected me more than i did...and I also craved little alcohol. But I could see why she wants the Margarita becasue I too craved those and lemonade (fruity things)...

Have you ever made the Margaritas in a bucket from Sams club...yummy and last forever...yummy!!!

My OB was not too conservative and I respected his decisions he let me do what I wanted intake wise :)...

[Karenn]

Dr. Pepper, and Salads with Gorgonzola cheese! I even got so that I was craving a hot dog! It was a couple weeks after delivery that I had the salad, but I'm still reluctant to drink anything with caffeine. I know it probably doesn't make a difference, but I don't want to risk even the slightest possibility that the caffeine might interfere with Colin's sleep! I had my first Dr. Pepper with my migraine a couple of weeks ago, but that's it.

[jubilee]

I miss pants that zip! And tucking in shirts.

[SASM]

MARGARITAS all the way!!! I found myself eating frozen margarita mix and frozen limeade with salt!!! May sound disgusting but NOT to a pregnant woman!! My DH tried to make non-alcoholic margaritas for me but it just didn't work ~ there is, however, a mix in a bucket called "On The Border Mexican Cafe" that you can make non-alcoholic that was decent...NOT the same but decent.

While I was in labor my OB suggested my having a glass of wine to help me relax ~ my husband interpreted that as ONE HUGE MARGARITA!!! :-) I think he was just a *little* tired of hearing me say that I REALLY missed margaritas.

Have Fun and Good Luck with the last trimester :-) You're in the homestretch!!!

I also missed, and still do, raw fish ~ oysters and spicy tuna rolls!!!

[zen_bliss]

i'm silently anti-alarmist on all the 'don't you dare' diet items. we should all be more worried about the cumulative effects of all those 'safe' burgers & hot dogs we've eaten over our lifetimes. and oy, think of what our parents did (or didn't do) while we were in utero.

one big change for me was that the smell of coffee turned me right off of my former 'cup to start the day' dependency (it was absolutely a dependency!). i still can't believe i quit it so fast. i went with the 'trust and listen to your body' theory.

thanks for posting, neve... i didn't suffer denial either. i was getting increasingly nervous as i read this that i'd be excommunicated for having had, in small but satisfying doses: sushi (yep, including tuna. my OB's opinion on sushi was "well, what do you think pregnant women in japan eat?" i adored her instantly.), brie (one big ol' craving), feta (never even heard about this one), 2 half glasses of wine (driven by SERIOUS craving), shellfish, occasional sodas, one espresso (figured it was the better option than tylenol for my one prego migraine), and three or four frappucinos i forgot to order decaf (they actually did make me jumpy and miserable not long after). i've had the healthiest happiest pregnancy ever -- and i was prepared for the worst having heard/observed just about every misery known to womankind -- which i, in grateful awe, attribute to a meatless, soy, low dairy diet (no milk but ooooh i love cheese) and some yoga. so I don't sweat an occasional indulgence.

flagger, it's very thoughtful that you gave up something in solidarity ; )

right now i miss being able to bend over. if it can't be picked up with toes, it stays on the floor. even the dogs are now used to going up a few steps and sitting still on the stairs for putting the leashes on.

[egoldber]

Wow! I am bowing my head in shame. The only thing I craved was sushi, because that's the only thing I really did NOT eat/drink when pregnant. I cut back SERIOUSLY on total caffeine intake and it's not like I was boozing every night. But when my OB said 2 cups of coffee a day and an occasional glass of wine were OK, I took her at her word! She said tuna was OK (no more than 2 cans a week), never said anything about deli meats and I completely ignored the soft cheeses advice. I even went to France when I was pregnant and ate all the unpasteurized cheeses! I guess my philosphy was that they don't give women in Europe all these restrictions and if anything, their babies are as healthy or healthier than ours!

Oh and Flagger, if your DW should end up with a C section, she won't be having that margarita for a few days after delivery! But the first place we ate out as a "family" was a sushi place!

[anna lisa]

I was not aware of the no-no regarding deli meats.

[ctsiouts]

The only things I missed were
being able to fit into my old fashionable wardrobe
sleeping comfortably
NOT going to the bathroom every 10 minutes
people NOT bugging me about when the heck the baby was going to arrive

I pretty much consumed whatever I wanted during pregnancy - I quit smoking during my 2nd month but it wasn't tough at all. I also had no desire for alcohol. I ate whatever kinds of food I wanted aside from the raw fish, and there was no way I was getting through work without my diet dr. peppers and my coffee. I'm pretty much an optimist and I figured if I gave up cigarettes and alcohol for my baby she'd probably be just fine with all the other stuff... and she was!

Christy

[barbarhow]

Sushi-in a big way, brie cheese, blue cheese and every other soft cheese on earth and a giant glass of really great bordeaux. I have had an occasional glass of wine and love my occasional coca cola-with caffeine. But otherwise at my "advanced age" have pretty much stuck to the guidelines not wanting to tempt fate. Probably one of the things I miss the most is getting a full body to body hug from my wonderful husband. Not to mention sleeping in the same bed. I have been so uncomfortable for the last several weeks that I'm in the guest room. Can't wait to be able to rid myself of the seven pillows and replace them with him.
Barbara EDD 3/25/03 but hoping the contractions I'm having now are the real thing. 6 minutes apart....

[newbelly2002]

Sushi and bourbon and martini bianco.

I also had a low-intervention OB. He said I should avoid horseback riding and skiing and night-long bouts of heavy vodka drinking (and sushi). I didn't know about the sandwiches, but I've never liked deli meat anyway.

And my ped told me to avoid sushi while I was nursing too. Beth, am I reading you right that that's not the case (Yippee!!!!).

I had the occasional glass of celebratory/relaxing wine--and still do. The rough part was that I was researching for my novel which takes place in a bourbon town in Kentucky. I took a week-long research trip alone about 6 months into the pregnancy visiting a number of excellent distilleries. I didn't look pregnant yet and the master dsitillers kept offering me tastes of the fresh stuff as it was coming off the still. It killed me to refuse. And then the free bottles of super-aged, specialty stuff. They're still all sitting packed in a box. And then I spend my days writing about bourbon, isolating the taste, smell, the way it moves across your tongue. I would take a glass, sit it beside the computer, and smell it for hours on end.

Oh yeah, and my flat stomach.

Paula

[mcmorfit]

In two words: RED WINE. Well then there was also cafe au laits.

[kapow]

I miss beer. I don't miss wine, which I miss, as much as I miss beer. I figured the wine would kill me but I never considered missing a nice cold Harp *sniff*

My grocery store carries pasteurized feta cheese, thank God, because Greek salads are one of the few types of salads I like.

I haven't delivered yet, but a good friend of mine had her husband place a 20-oz Diet Coke at the foot of her delivery bed, as an incentive to push...

[sntm]

Oh, I miss so much right now!

Wine and cosmopolitans -- my husband, very sweetly but slightly midguidedly, bought a big bottle of Ketel one (my favorite vodka) so I can make a cosmo after Jack gets here. Now it just taunts me by its very presence in the house.

Sleeping on my back and stomach. I give up around 4:00 every morning and move to my back, slightly "tilted" to the left.

Have cut back on caffeine but would die working these hours with this little sleep without some caffeine.

Miss not having to wear compression stockings to keep my feet from swelling. Miss being able to paint my toenails and do bikini waxes. Miss being able to sit up from a reclined position without a huge ugly diastasis bulge in my belly.

Sigh. 11 more weeks. 7 until I start spicy foods/beets/jumping up and down.

shannon
not-even-pregnant-yet-overachiever
trying-to-conceive :)
PREGNANT! EDD 6/9/03

[sntm]

Paula,

So cool! Where did you go for research? I'm from Kentucky and my friend's family owns a bourbon distillery. Have you published your book yet? Will have to let everyone know -- I would love to read it!

shannon
not-even-pregnant-yet-overachiever
trying-to-conceive :)
PREGNANT! EDD 6/9/03

[mama2be]

I too had a great pregnancy in that I ganed 21lbs and dropped to having gained 17 by birth. I did suffer some major leg pain (and still have it) but doubt that had anything to do with diet. I also had a prety healthy sized bambino of 8lbs 4 oz who appears, looks, weighs very healthy.

I couldn't agree more those over handled burgers made by teens who don't wash their hands are a lot more dangerous in my opinion than anything I consumed in my pregnancy. Or even a Subway where they where gloves BUT they leave the gloves on for the duration of your sandwich...thus they are handling the refriderator handles etc...with gloved hands that have been touched by glove hands before...talk about dangerous!!! So as I eat sushi etc...I will demand glove changes from folks...tell people to wash their hands etc...

Cheers to a great tuna roll...with a small glass of vino :)...
Oh feta is the goat cheese on Greeks Salads...if you like the other stuff you'll love it I bet!!!

[flagger]

I will admit that Ms. Flagger has had Coke out at dinner on occasion. She just needs that carbonation and sugar sometimes to settle her stomach.

We don't want to take chances sure, but there are just some things not worth arguing over. I am very proud of her for quitting smoking completely and she does miss that sometimes.

[bluej]

All right, know one else has said it yet, but I will. I miss sex. We are having it, and it's fine, even provided a few laughs these last couple of weeks, but it's not the same. Someone mentioned earlier about missing the full body hugs, that's what I'm missing, not being able to completely wrap around each other. Sorry, probably TMI! And knowing that it's not going to return to normal after the baby arrives is not helping! In fact, as far as I'm concerned it gets worse. A fat flabby stomach will have replaced a big fat firm one. How's that for sexy? And the leaky boobs! That's what I dread the most! You BTDT's know what I'm talking about. You first timers are in for a real surprise!


Jen

Alexandra Laurel 10/8/93
Caden James 3/30/98
Baby #3 EDD 5/28/03

[newbelly2002]

Shannon--
Really? Wow. I'm always looking for help (native new englander here trying to write about Bluegrass KY) and guidance. The C'ville (and Fairfax commute) connection and now this. Bummer, I'm on the other side of the ocean. I might just ask you to read it for "authenticity" when I'm done, or perhaps pass some things by you along the way? Maybe we can email privately?

I visited Labrot and Graham, Wild Turkey, and Maker's Mark. Everyone treated me wonderfully. Now if only the writing would go as well...

Hang in there, you're in the homestretch with only 7 weeks to go! Maybe one celebratory post-birth cosmo at the Bluelight wouldn't hurt.

Paula

[MartiesMom2B]

I miss sex too. DH has it in his head that he'll affect the baby in someway or somehow she can see him (if any of you ever meet him, please don't tell him I told you!) I can't get him to see otherwise.

I miss margaritas too and beer. My favorite is a cold Harp, but I have dreams about my budget conscious friend, Miller Lite. I also miss my boots that I could zip up to my knees and my wardrobe. You should've seen the sneers that I was giving the saleswomen at Express when they asked if they could help me when I went there with a friend. And most of all: SUSHI, SUSHI, SUSHI (for those who live in the Raleigh area my girlfriends know to get me a Spiral Ecstacy Roll from Kanki posthaste after delivery)

I was strict about my caffiene intake and deli meats and tuna until I was 5 months pregnant. Now I'll drink 1 soda (not every day) but if people can drink a cup of coffee each day, than I'll have my soda.

Sonia
EDD 4/14/03

[mharling]

I'm totally with Ms. Flagger on this one. I want a margarita so badly!!! Dh and I have still been able to go out for Mexican and I just salivate at the thought of having a margarita with my meal.

I switched my lattes to decaf, but will still have a regular Pepsi every 3 or 4 weeks (and I just SAVOR it; I appreciate having one much more now). I'll also have 3-4 oz. of red wine occasionally. Dh worked with a woman whose mom is an ob/gyn in France and his co-worker had a glass of red wine a few times a week.

Non-food related; I missing being able to comfortably shave my legs, roll over in bed without effort and sleep on my stomach.

Mary
EDD 4/5/03

[stillplayswithbarbies]

Yes! I miss being able to sleep on my stomach. And I know it will be a long time before I can do that again, until I am done breastfeeding. And hopefully by then we will be expecting another one. I am YEARS away from being able to sleep on my stomach again.

...Karen
Mom to Jake age 12 and expecting Logan Elizabeth or Garrett Logan, EDD March 21

[atlbaby]

Well, at 9+ weeks I'm not there yet, but I remember being so incredibly miserable not being able to sleep on my tummy! I'm going to miss that, and I think it's worse this time because I know it's inevitably coming!

And even from 4 weeks (both times) I magically couldn't stand the smell of coffee, I still miss *loving* it! After Arielle's 1 month check up I asked the ped if I could have a little coffee even though I was bf, and when he said yes I drove RIGHT to starbucks! THAT was a *good* cup of coffee--it'd been so long!

-Rachel
Mom to Arielle Jill, 10/30/01
#2:) EDD 10/24/03

[egoldber]

I am also originally from Kentucky. :)

And no one told me that I couldn't eat sushi when nursing. I guess I did all the big nursing no-no's as well: 2 cups of caffeine coffee a day, up'ed my alcohol intake to 2-3 drinks a week, chocolate, tomato sauce, garlic, etc. None of those things ever affected Sarah. My philophy was always, if it bothers her, I'll cut it out, but until then, it's fair game!