Life at 30

Since I found out about my pregnancy I've been doing nothing but eat! I actually have to schedule when to eat because if I don't I'll faint from hunger. My usual eating time is breakfast at 9am, lunch at 11am, snack at 2 or 3pm, dinner at 4 or 5pm, snack again before bedtime. I repeat this process everyday since I found out if I don't snack in between meals I get so hungry I start getting dizzy. That's a lot of eating for one person but I have not gained any weight at all because of my eating habit. I found out from the book "What to Expect When You're Expecting" by Heidi Murkoff that's how pregnant women should eat. The book actually recommends eating 6 times a day and sometimes I do get to eat 6 times but most of the time it's only 5 times a day. The secret to this is not to eat a lot in one sitting. I used to only eat three times a day in big meals but I found out eating that way gives me indigestion. If you haven't experienced indigestion, it is painful! You can feel the food you just ate go down slowly and you'll feel this for a while until all the food go down to your stomach. When you're pregnant your body takes its time to process food making sure the baby gets to eat what you're eating before it settles in your stomach. I'm learning a lot from this book but I read it slowly so I can soak in all the information. This is what I learned so far from this book and of course my Dr:

What not to eat when you're pregnant or what to watch out for
-raw food
-veggies/fruits wash thoroughly
-seafood from the ocean (as it may contain mercury)
-dairy products and juice make sure it's pasteurized (in Canada dairy products found in the grocery stores are all pasteurized)
-deli meat (if you must cook it to get rid of potential salmonella)
-limit caffeine intake

Myth on what food you cannot eat
-spicy food (chilis, jalapenos, etc actually has vitamin C so it's okay to eat unless it gives you heartburn)
-ice cream (Chinese people are big on this and I don't understand why-my Dr and the book never said anything about pregnant women not allowed to eat ice cream)

As I'm still on my first trimester, the book says the baby doesn't need the extra calories from the mother since it's still small. I hear a lot that pregnant women should eat twice as much since the mother is eating for two but you have to remember the second person is very tiny (pea-like!) in the first trimester (1 to 12 weeks). In the second trimester, the mother needs 300 calories to 350 calories extra which is equivalent to 2 glasses of skim milk and a bowl of oatmeal (let me tell you that is not a lot at all!) In the third trimester, the mother can or should eat 500 cal extra.

I'm going to be doing more research and readings as I go into my second trimester. For now, I'm enjoying my insane food cravings :)