Today, I finally get to disclose my secret on the world wide web. I am sharing some exciting news with you all.
As of today, I am 28 weeks pregnant! Yes, my husband and I are expecting our first child (a girl!) this December.
This is of course a very exciting time for me. However, there is one thing I am really missing and I am sure you can guess what that is.
It’s been interesting to cook a meal sans glass of wine, not being as excited to check out the nearest wine bar around the corner, and checking out all of your amazing content and pictures without indulging in a glass of wine (or 2!) myself.
So I wanted to share a few tips for those that find themselves in a similar situation and that have helped me get through the process.
- Seek a signature wine taster. I’ve been leaning heavily on Clark, my husband, co-taster, and resident critiquer to help me with my tastings and Instagram posts. It’s a tough job but someone’s gotta do it.
2. Beware of Sanctimommies! Prepare yourself if you start to troll online to research drinking during pregnancy. You’ll find more rants from posters who say they can’t understand why a woman would risk the health of her unborn child vs. thoughtful articles written by medical professionals. I suggest you stick with your Dr’s advice and Emily Oster’s, Expecting Better: Why the Conventional Pregnancy Wisdom Is Wrong—and What You Really Need to Know is definitely worth the read. Oster is an economics professor that breaks down data on confusing and controversial issues that many pregnant women face. Now I am not going to lie, I’ve had a glass of wine since finding out I was pregnant, but it’s not the same. At this point I’m just sticking to ice cream.
3. Eat what you want: Speaking of, just like most pregnant women, I felt too nauseous to even think about food, let alone drinking wine for the first 3 months. As soon as the 2nd trimester arrived, so did my appetite…including my appetite for wine. Before pregnancy I was eating a mainly plant based diet, but that has pretty much gone out the window. The thought of a Kale salad…yuck! I am now at the point where sweets have taken the place of any wine cravings. I can’t wait for dinner to be over and the biggest decision of the day arrives…what dessert will I have tonight? Cookies? Ice cream? Brownies? Though, most nights I stick to only a few hershey kisses since I am mindful of gaining too much weight. Which is not good for mother, not good for baby. Needless to say, allowing myself to indulge in sweets has been very therapeutic.
4. Exercise: This is one of the only things that made me feel better in the first 3 months. Plus, now I get to do it without any hangovers dragging me down. I couldn’t believe it, but I would go for a run or do some weight training, get my heart rate up, and feel back to “normal” for at least a little while. Most exercises are safe to perform during pregnancy, as long as you exercise with caution and do not overdo it. The safest and most productive activities are swimming, brisk walking, indoor stationary cycling, step or elliptical machines, and low-impact aerobics (taught by a certified aerobics instructor).
5. Get “lost” in something: I’ve been keeping busy during the day then allowing myself to curl up with a good book or go on a Netflix binge fest (some of my favorites have been Broadchurch, Flint Town and Ozark!). This lets me just relax and I feel like I am again indulging in something rather than my nightly wine.
I am looking forward to continuing to keep you updated to of our journey. And sharing that glass of wine together once the baby is born!
Originally published at veggiesandvino.com