Morning Sickness

When I first learned I was pregnant I was beyond excited.  I was even more excited by the fact that I didn't feel sick at all.  "Wow, I am so lucky," I thought.  I have heard many horror stories and couldn't believe how fortunate I was.

Ironically, one of my first jobs as a dietitian was working in a high risk OB clinic.  I can vividly remember this nice young woman and her husband coming in to see me one morning.  She looked like death warmed over and he looked scared out of his mind.  About 5 minutes into our conversation, the lady turned green and gave the universal signal (hand over mouth with eyes wide open) that she was going to be sick.  My advice?  "There's a sink!  Puke in there!" Not the best idea, but the trash can just didn't seem logical at the time for some reason.  Anyway, that day changed me forever...pregnancy is serious business.

The joke was on me though.  Around week 6 I started to feel just like that lady in the OB clinic.  Fortunately I never had to puke, but man I was I nauseated.  Now, before I start with my (what may sound like) complaining, I want you to know that I am beyond grateful for my little one and know that I am so lucky.  But here it is...morning sickness...which is a dumb name for it as mine was all day sickness...is the opposite of a good time.  If you have ever been sea sick or car sick, than you know what this type of nausea feels like.  It's like you are on a boat holding on for dear life as the waves swell and crash into you.  Sure, there are moments that you feel like yourself, but most of the time anything will set you off.  I can remember the husband eating a very healthy snack of sunflower seeds and I had to leave the room.  I couldn't even cook!  Yes, that is why there was such a cooking gap in my blog.  :)  I had to rely on the husband and I ate a lot of macaroni and cheese and crackers.

I made it though and now at week 16, I am feeling much, much better and I am so so so happy about it.  I missed enjoying food and now I am making up for it.  :)

For those of you going through morning sickness, here are my recommendations for you:

1) Don't cook!  Seriously, it just makes you feel worse.  Instead, have someone else make or get you things you can tolerate.  Trust me, it's worth it.
2) Potato chips and lemonade.  This was amazing advice given to me by my very amazing boss.  It sounds so wrong, but it totally works...try it.
3) Eat all day long.  I know, that sounds so scary, but this also works.  If you always have a little something in your belly, the nausea doesn't feel as strong.  Bland foods are great.  I personally ate my share of crackers, pretzels, bran flakes (I know, that one's a little weird), cheese and toast.
4) Give ginger a try.  I found that ginger really seemed to help with the really strong bouts of nausea.  Those ginger chews are a little wonder.  Keep them stashed in your purse or in the desk at your office.
5) Tell people that you don't feel well.  Otherwise, you will be worried what they will be thinking about you.  I knew that I might need to "step out and get some fresh air" during work, but didn't want my boss to think I was trying to manage my twitter account or something.  So, I told her the truth.  I know this isn't always an option, but at least tell them you're not feeling well...to explain your weird reactions to every smell in the office.

Good luck and hopefully you'll start feeling better soon!

Happy Birthday to my Father

Happy Birth Anniversary to my dad.  Growing up my dad was my hero and buddy.  I can remember early days of father/daughter bike rides, soccer practice (thanks by the way dad, for not letting me run too far down that field in the wrong direction), board games and just plain fun.

My dad has always been one of my biggest fans.  He never missed a volleyball game or tennis match...even though I was never that great at either sport.  He encouraged me to study hard and get good grades, but never was pushy or over-bearing about it.  Even as a crazy teenager, he allowed me to be who I was and always supported my pursuits.

As I have gotten older, I have really come to appreciate this type of support and unconditional love.  I had and still have a great father.  Someone, who to this day, continues to teach me new things and encourages me to follow my heart and pursue my dreams. 

Thank you dad for everything.  Happy Birth Anniversary!  :)

The Miracle

I have accepted that I am one of the millions of women that struggles with infertility.  I will never forget my first visit to the reproductive endocrinologist and how I felt when I left.  Never before had I felt so sad and completely destroyed by something.  Sure, I have had hardships, but this one thing...the one thing I never thought would be a struggle, had become just that.  Disappointment doesn't even begin to describe how I felt.  I was determined though, that I would beat this thing.  I prayed about it, I sought out the help I needed, and I wouldn't stop...perserverance.  Has it been easy?  Absolutely not.  Would I change anything?  Absolutely not.  You see, this is the journey I was meant to take.  Had I not gone through all of this, I might not have learned all of the amazing things I have learned about myself (my emotions, my strengths, my weaknesses, my health, etc), my husband or our relationship.  I have been cultivating myself and training myself...making the relationship with myself and my relationship with my husband stronger. 

The timing seems right then...

I am now 15+ weeks pregnant and I am beyond ecstatic to share the good news with you!  Our little one is a true miracle...conceived without any medication or intervention...a true miracle and blessing.  I have been beyond emotional...as I am sure you can only imagine. Life has changed in the most positive way possible.  Thank you to all of my family, friends and supporters...I could not have done this without all of you.  For those of you still struggling with conceiving...I offer this advice...the journey is hard and difficult, so find things that make you happy and do them.  Stay away from people that aren't supportive, instead surround yourself with supportive friends and family...and finally, don't give up hope...there is a plan for you.  One of the most poignant things I remember reading in a book about infertility is that (no matter if you have faith or are faithless), you are not in control...you are on someone else's time and it's not for you to try to change that.  Children are meant to be born when they are meant to be here on this earth.  So, while it's hard to wait, just think, your baby is destined for amazing things.

In closing, I wanted to confirm that I will continue to post on my blog...still focusing on nutrition, health, infertility and my journey during pregnancy.  Hopefully you can stay and enjoy the ride with me!

Just What We Need

On my way up to the train platform this morning I noticed an advertisement.  It was for McDonalds...nice, big and flashy.  What were they advertising you ask?  Glad you asked.  On this brilliantly place advertisement they were advertising $1 ANY SIZE beverage.

Wow, thanks so much McDonald's.  You know, 16 oz (which is a small) is just too expensive...it would be so much better if it was just one dollar!  What's better is that the caring people of McDonald's love us so much that they even made their medium size (21 oz) and their large size (32 oz) only a dollar as well.  Oh, things are finally right with the world.

So, yes, I am full of sarcasm, but it really is actually quite a shame.  I know it's not solely the responsibility of McDonald's to care about the health of our country, but they could at least think of a healthier promotion.  I mean, heck, it's National Nutrition Month (I know you didn't know that, that's why I'm telling you now)...why not capitalize on that?  Advertise free apple sticks with every meal or start making your milkshakes with low-fat milk...just some ideas.

I encourage you to forgo the temptation of purchasing an "any size" dollar beverage.  Instead, go buy yourself a piece of fruit (for less money) and enjoy the natural goodness of Mother Nature!

Chocolate Cake...yes please.

I bet you've been wondering where all of cooking experiments have gone.  I can hear you all now..."Did her kitchen burn down?  Is she on some crazy diet?  Did she forget her way around the kitchen?"  Well, not exactly...let's just say life has gotten in the way a little bit of my culinary adventures.  But have no fear, my kitchen still stands, I am not on a diet and of course I remember my way around the kitchen.

To celebrate my return, I will be making...drum roll please...ok, so the title gave it away...chocolate cake!  One of my favorite things!  What's the reason?  Well, it's two-fold really.  The first reason is because, as I just told you, it is one of my favorite things.  The other reason is that my brother and his fiance are coming up tomorrow for a visit.  I couldn't let them down!

So, there's some pressure riding on this cake recipe...let's keep our fingers crossed.  It's a new one I found on the box of King Arthur Flour and it sounds pretty delicious.

Moist Chocolate Cake
King Arthur Flour

Ingredients

2 cups King Arthur Unbleached Cake Flour Blend
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 3/4 cups granulated sugar
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, very soft
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup milk
1/2 cup brewed, cooled coffee, or water
4 large eggs

Directions

1) Place a strainer over a large mixing bowl. Measure in the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cocoa, and sugar. Sift/shake the dry ingredients through the strainer into a mixing bowl, to eliminate any lumps.

Please don't skip this step!  I promise your hard effort at sifting will be worth it.



2) Add the butter and mix at low speed for 1 minute. With the mixer running, add the oil and continue mixing until the mixture looks like sand.

3) Combine the vanilla with the milk and coffee or water, and add all at once. Mix for 1 minute at low speed, stop and scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl, then mix for 30 seconds.

Yum, looks like cake batter....

4) Add the eggs one at a time, beating well at medium-high speed between additions. (Personal note: be sure get the bottom stirred too if you are using a stand mixer.) The batter will be thin.

5) Pour the batter into the prepared pan of your choice (one 9" x 13" pan, two 9" round pans, or three 8" round pans). Bake in a preheated 350°F oven for 34 minutes for a 9" x 13" pan; 28 to 30 minutes for 9" layers; or 24 to 26 minutes for 8" layers. The cake is done when a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Remove from the oven and cool on a rack before frosting.

Check out more great recipes at http://www.kingarthurflour.com/

Ta da!

Verdict?  It's good!  :)