Protein and Momcation

I think I have mentioned on several occasions that my least favorite part of pregnancy is having to eat all the time (although morning sickness is definitely in the running especially with this one). Pregnancy has taught me that I actually don't like eating as much as I thought because most people inform me that getting to eat whatever they want is their favorite part of pregnancy. Well, I've never been a calorie counter or a person that would EVER buy fat-free anything, but during pregnancy I am a protein counter. I get rather obsessed with protein because as my good friend and Doula Lorell is known to say, "Babies are made of protein, not carbs!" Protein keeps a person fuller longer and also avoids the unwanted and unnecessary "baby weight" that many people find so difficult to shed post-baby. I'm sure you can imagine that being a person that shies away from meat most of the time, getting protein really can become an obsession in order to be sure I am getting enough and eating things that are going to be really filling.

I have to tell you though, that being only 4 1/2 months (20 weeks) pregnant, I am possibly consuming at least half of our grocery budget just on my own. I'm eating like I'm 7 or 8 months along. This past weekend I got a "momcation" in which I drove out to Nags Head by myself where my mother-in-law is on a travel nurse assignment and just enjoyed being kidless for a the weekend and getting to hang out with her. That was quite heavenly and my MIL was quite conscious of my need to eat. I got into the habit of referring to my daily meals as 1st breakfast, 2nd breakfast, 1st lunch, 2nd lunch, 1st dinner, and 2nd dinner. My MIL noticed I was always checking the protein content of everything in her fridge and planning my next meal. I did it so much that when we went to the grocery store, SHE actually started checking. A big thanks to her for putting up with my grossly out-of-control appetite. And really, I kind of feel that way a lot. I can't believe how quickly I get hungry. If I haven't consumed a decent amount of protein I am hungry within 45 minutes after eating. Even when I do eat a good meal, I get no more than 2 hours before I have to eat again.

You would think that this is my first pregnancy or something with how I feel like every experience is new but the truth is that every milestone with this pregnancy has been new. I feel like I don't really know what I'm doing this time around and I keep wondering if either A. Is this twins? or B. Am I just that much older?  Choice A seems to be what Brad has accepted but I suppose I'm kind of holding out hope that there's still just a single in there that's putting me through the ringer. But I can't ignore how HUGE my belly has gotten, how I've gained almost 20 pounds already even though I am not sure where it is, how I have felt fetal movement since 14 weeks and have been able to feel it externally since about 18 weeks, and how my uterus feels like a 15 pound bowling ball already. Oh there's other things too like how I'm eating us out of house and home and how I've been having braxton hicks since 17 weeks (usually they don't start for me til about week 25). I guess I'm just not going to believe it until I hear more than one heartbeat or actually see more than one on an ultrasound... which will probably happen if I continue with this incredible uterine growth rate.

In the meantime, I don't have a whole lot of time to stress about what twins will be like, what with taking care of my other 3 kids and trying to keep enough food in me. Eating, with each child, has been harder and harder because I have other mouths to feed before my own. I really don't know how I could possibly manage to eat even more than I eat now (which will happen if this is a multiple pregnancy). I've kind of started to hate cooking because I just hate eating. If I could afford to I'd probably order some kind of takeout for every meal. I'm sort of wondering how the octo-mom managed to carry so many babies. I mean, is one's stomach actually capable of digesting food fast enough to feed that many fetus? I guess not since all those babies were like 1 or 2 pounds and in the NICU.  Anyway, I digress. I'm hungry again; it must be messing up my train of thought.