11.07.2013

real life. gimme a turkey sandwich.

I found a GREAT pregnancy calendar today that appears to be written by a normal human being. I can't tell you how relieving it was to find this:

"I feel like I am kind of half-assing this pregnancy, especially when it comes to nutrition. I’m just…eek. Not caring at all. I’ve forgotten my prenatal vitamin more times that I’d like to admit, and have eaten some bonehead things out of sheer absent-mindedness. This weekend we went to a very nice dinner party at a friend’s house, and I was halfway through my scallop-and-beef tartar with a raw quail egg cracked on top before I finally stopped and looked at it and went, “OH. RIGHT. CRAP.” I’m definitely more relaxed about stuff like an occasional tuna fish sandwich or some nice cold cuts from a gourmet deli, but I have to admit that I sometimes do need to wake up and pay more attention to this stuff."

When I was pregnant with Jillian, I followed the guidelines to a "t". No caffeine. No seafood. No deli meat. No feta cheese. 
I ate a lot of toast (Mostly because I would barf anything else). 
I read my What to Expect When You're Expecting book every night before I went to bed to see what my baby would be growing next and normal things for me to be feeling.
I. Was. Prepared.
I mean as prepared as you can be for your first baby (which you quickly realize you aren't at all when they actually arrive). 
I digress. 

Flash forward to pregnancy #2. I make it a point to drink a large caffeinated Diet Dr. Pepper once a week (or else I think I would fall over and die). I found out more seafood than not is completely okay during pregnancy- and I eat it. I've eaten a cold turkey sandwich more than 5 times and it was heavenly. I think I forgot to take my prenatals 3 days straight while I was on vacation...And my What to Expect When You're Expecting book is somewhere in my basement collecting dust.
And it's okay. Because now I know I'm not the only one.

It's not that I don't care as much, or care about this baby as much. Of course I do. But after having a kid for 2 and a half years, you learn to "let go" a little. You get a hefty dose of real life everyday- that starts at 7am bellowing your name. If Jillian eats a handful of dirt, it's okay. She's not going to die. Some days she probably watches more TV than she should, it's okay, her brain isn't going to rot. I don't have a dedicated parenting approach like Montessori or Waldorf or whatever, and so far she's a bright, imaginative, happy kid. It's okay.

And you if accidentally forget a prenatal vitamin one day or can't kick your caffeine habit altogether- it's okay. Your baby isn't going to grow three heads. 

I guess all of this is to let you know, that if you're also feeling this way, it's okay- me and the lady who writes this blog totally getcha.

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