(C) CRAVINGS (#AtoZChallenge)

Read AMORPHOUS

Read BUD TO BLOOM

It took me a few days to come to terms with the ongoing emotional turmoil. Now I was at peace with reality.

Today, I will write about one of the most prominent aspects of pregnancy - Cravings!

I never have experienced such huge fluctuation in my cravings. Sometimes I felt - I am not me! It is said that pregnant women should not curb their cravings as it affects their unborn child and their taste palette. I wonder to what extent this is true.

I will divide it trimester wise - 

1st trimester - 

I was repulsed by food. Only at times, I felt like eating chatpata or spicy food. During the last phase of the first trimester, I craved for cheese. 

Since I had suffered from typhoid before conceiving - restaurant food was a strict no. So I started baking Pizza and Pasta with loads of cheese almost every other day. My husband had to bear with me 😉 while I had to bear nausea and vomiting throughout these 3 months.

During this phase - My weight reduced by 3-4kgs, though this is normal for many as my gynecologist confirmed.

2nd trimester - 

My diet returned to normal but my hemoglobin reduced which was a cause of concern despite taking supplements. This may be due to lack of proper diet in the first trimester. 

So I started including pomegranate, beetroot, lots of green leafy vegetable like spinach, fenugreek in my food.  During this phase cravings for spicy and namkeen i.e, salty food increased. 

The increase in weight was steady and I gained almost 7 kgs and compensated for Hb loss.

3rd trimester - 

I started craving sweets - be it ice cream, mithai, chocolates, etc. Since I had successfully taken Glucose challenge test (GCT) twice - I was fearless of developing gestational diabetes. 

So I devoured sweets like crazy though I took care to replace sugar with jaggery or coconut sugar in the sweet dish being cooked at home.

Till now, in this trimester my weight has increased by almost 5kgs.

A steady weight gain of 12-15kg is healthy during the entire term.

Everyone said that - liking for a particular kind of food determines the gender of the baby but my cravings have extremely fluctuated. Hence, I can't say for sure, not that it matters. We crave equally for baby girl and baby boy!

Let me know your food cravings or your wives cravings during her pregnancy.

#A2ZChallenge