I am starting to need more sleep again. While my energy returned a bit after I began the second trimester, I now once again require a minimum of 9 hours sleep at night, sometimes more. I’m not really able to take naps during the day; they don’t seem to fit in anywhere. Perhaps the need for more sleep also comes from the fitfulness of the sleep I do get. My hips are extremely sore after a few hours of laying down, and I continually catch myself flipped onto my back. The placenta is at the back of my uterus, so it’s not the best thing for the baby’s weight (not that it’s much right now; just over a pound!) to be on top of it; that can slow the baby’s heartbeat. Plus I feel the weight, and it makes me uncomfortable too! The body pillow that Patrick’s parents gave me helps a lot and makes sleep way more comfortable. Once my belly gets bigger, too, it will be much harder to accidentally roll onto my back. One other thing about bed: it’s gotten way harder to sit up and get out of the bed! I currently sleep on the inside (next to the wall…our room is pretty small) but we will soon have to reverse this so I can get out of bed to go to the bathroom more easily.
The holidays are coming up, and while I don’t really have much time off work, I am for once looking forward with much ease to simply spending time with Patrick and my/ his family. Besides all the generous help with maternity clothes, my family is giving me the most wonderful gift this year, and that is no Christmas gifts between Patrick and I with anyone else. We have wanted to try this for a long time, and this seems to be the ideal year to start. Patrick and I currently have very little time apart from work to do anything but either cook dinner, do laundry, or watch the occasional movie. Patrick more so than me, as my energy level makes me call it quits on cleaning up more quickly. He works more hours than me in the first place, and has been incredible about doing dishes every single day, as my back gets sore so quickly and I simply can’t seem to muster the energy to do more than a few sink-fulls a week. So for the holidays, we are doing away with the stress of being out and about among the masses of consumers, and settling in, perhaps, to an actually clean and orderly home for some happy and quiet cooking, game playing, movie watching, reading and knitting time among our favourite people. My cousin will be visiting after a year away in Alberta, which makes things even more exciting. A wonderful holiday indeed!
I am about 115 pounds. I admit that sometimes, especially at work, I don’t take the time to snack quite as often as I should. Though I am within the perimeters of a healthy weight gain, I am still near the bottom end, so have been trying to up my calorie intake. So far today I’ve had oatmeal with dried fruit, hot chocolate made with organic soymilk, and two pieces of toast with peanut butter on one and nutritional yeast on the other. For lunch I plan to have leftover parsnip and celeriac soup, crackers and hummus, and for snacks a Larabar and a smoothie with blueberries, banana, fruit/veg juice and flax oil. I’m not sure how easy it will be to gain weight in the third trimester, as I’ve heard accounts of women both being more hungry and less hungry. Guess I’ll eat up while I can! Geez, I sound weird listing everything I’m eating! Pregnancy makes you do strange things.
I arranged for us to begin taking prenatal classes in January with Public Health. We start either on the 12th or the 31st. I really can’t believe how fast everything is moving. Have I really been pregnant for almost 6 months? This little one just doesn’t stop growing, and before I know it he’s going to be here and continuing his next stage of growth.
Almost as soon as I lay down to go to sleep at night, the baby starts kicking/poking in a weird way, near the surface, that tickles like crazy, to the point where I eventually burst out laughing, waking up Patrick, who drifts into sleep mode very quickly. Oh, that little one. Already showing signs of being funny.
He weighs about a pound now and should be getting close to a foot long… I can’t believe that! I remember when he was the size of a raspberry! That’s including his legs stretched out, though.
We had an appointment on Wednesday, the 7th, and everything still measures normal. Belly measurement is 22 cm, heartbeat was 144. I can hear the heartbeat whenever I want now, and have shared it with some family members.
We are still inconclusive about the RhoGam/WinRho injection. I wish there was an easy answer.
I wake up every morning and remember you’re in there, baby, and moving around and growing, and it brings such a wave of reality and a flood of hope. In a way it’s like a drug; it’s the ultimate reason to keep plowing through work and everyday life. I can’t forget for one minute about the small new life that’s taken shape, separate and yet inseparable from my own body.
Last night we had a veggie stir-fry with mock chicken and cashews over brown rice with a lovely orange/ginger sauce. So delicious! The recipe for the sauce was from The Everything Vegan Pregnancy Book. I always eat a lot of stir-fry when I make it. Even though it's full of nutrition, it's so easily digested that I'm hungry again in a few hours. Oh well, I never mind having a snack.
Anyway, despite my generous sized helping, we had some cooked brown rice leftover (actually this was because I forgot that Patrick had made brown rice on Sunday and refrigerated it for use this week, and so I unknowingly made another pot, hence the leftovers) so this morning I threw it in a pot with some soymilk and let it cook for awhile, and then added some maple syrup and a pat or two of Earth Balance. It brought back memories of the rice pudding my mom usually makes at Christmas. But you totally don't have to wait for a holiday to enjoy this creamy dish as breakfast any time of the year.It's a nice change from oatmeal.
Rice Pudding
Cooked brown rice, enough for however many servings you want
Soymilk
Cinnamon
Maple Syrup
Vegan butter
Throw the rice in a pot and add enough soymilk to cover the rice completely. Cook on medium low heat and stay close to the stove, as you will need to stir it often to prevent a skin from forming on the top. Let cook for about 30-45 minutes, depending on how creamy you want it (or have time for). The rice will absorb all of the soymilk eventually, and you will want to keep adding more, a few tablespoons at a time, continuing to stir, till the milk is absorbed and the rice is as creamy as you desire. Serve it into bowls, add maple syrup, brown sugar if you like, cinnamon, and a dollop of vegan butter (I have to admit this is my favorite part!).
I forgot some weird symptoms in my last posts. Nothing terrible, but my hips hurt a lot, I wake up at night feeling very stiff and sore in my hip joints and often feel like they need to be stretched during the day. I suppose it's the weight of this kicking boy babe! Another odd one is nasal congestion. I have generally sneezed a lot more than usual throughout this pregnancy and often feel like I'm coming down with a cold, but never do. Once again, vegan power!
I do miss writing! So many thoughts passing through my head but mostly I've been paying acute attention to the activity in my belly, and there is lots of it. A few weeks ago I realized that my normal clothes simply don't fit anymore. During the past two weeks or so, I've made a few trips to Frenchy's (second-hand store) and my mom has helpfully taken me to a number of stores to shop for real maternity clothes. With some amazing sales, birthday gifts from both Mom and Dad, and help shopping from my mom and sister I have gratefully stocked my wardrobe for the rest of the pregnancy. I actually never thought I would have to buy maternity clothes specifically. I guess I hadn't thought hard enough and needed to be pregnant to realize that I do, in fact, immensely appreciate that there are clothes out there made for this. I have to admit that trying clothes on to fit both me and baby felt just as special as wedding dress shopping! Not that I put a ton of effort into either. But thank goodness!
I've been feeling tired at work and am glad that my hours will come down a tiny bit in December.
No swelling to report yet!
Baby kicks a lot, everyday.
Patrick bought two storybooks, Goodnight Moon and The Giving Tree, and we've been reading Goodnight Moon to the baby every night. Perhaps he'll show signs of comfort and recognition when we read it to him after he's born! We love the book more every time we read it.
I've been eating healthy and have gained about 11-12 pounds so far. Last night we made spaghetti with lentils and portobellos in the sauce with sauteed kale on the side. So good! I'll share the kale recipe when I have time.
What a feeling! I can’t believe we’re halfway through already. On Monday the 14th we had our big ultra-sound day. The papers we were sent said to show up 20 minutes early, so even though our appointment wasn’t till 8:30am we left for the hospital at 7:50. By 8:10 we were sitting in the waiting room in Diagnostic Imaging, and good thing we were early because five minutes later we were called in by the technician. As she brought up the image (I had a terrible view, the screen was close to my head but perpendicular to the bed I was on) and began getting shots, she said “Have you felt movement yet? Because your baby moves like crazy.” I suppose having a small athlete can only be a good thing, meaning it’s healthy and energetic! And I sure have felt the movements. Ever since last Monday when I first felt that bubbly feeling, the little kicks and punches have continued to get stronger and more frequent. The baby seems to move more after I eat, which I find cute.
And speaking of cute, it is just the word to describe the little baby we saw on the computer screen. I was totally relieved to see it looked like a normal baby human silhouette snuggled in there, with a little face (on which I could actually notice some features that look a little similar to my own), a sweet little belly, and lively arms, legs, hands and feet. What a crazy feeling to finally see your baby’s picture after feeling it and hearing its heartbeat but still insatiably wanting more confirmation all these weeks!
Everything seemed to be fine, although the technician wasn’t really disclosing any information, per protocol. From the measurements she took, they came up with the same due date as we had figured out with my mom, off by only one day! They said the baby measured 19 weeks and three days, which was completely bang on.
As for the sex… ‘Tis a boy! For awhile she couldn’t get any shots to help determine the gender, as she needed it to flip over. She sent me to the bathroom in hopes that it might be inspired to do so. As much as it was moving around, though, it stubbornly stayed in its spot. After turning me on my side, she told us she was pretty sure it was a boy. I asked again later for confirmation on this, which she couldn’t give, but she said she’d be very surprised if it was a girl. I guess the strong male genes in Patrick’s family win out. I, as I said in the last post, honestly couldn’t care at all what the gender is. I am starting to get very excited to meet this tiny babe whom I feel so attached to emotionally and –obviously- physically. I have to watch my thoughts, though, or I get too emotional and start to feel run down. My thoughts start to wander way into the future and I have to just stop thinking or I stress myself out. I can’t invent any of this before it happens; being in the future or the past is my most potent source of unhappiness. All I have to do right now to feel peaceful is rapturously enjoy the fact that my baby son is still in my belly right now, in a state of pure innocence and unable to be cared for by anyone but me. Oh, geez, I am crying just writing about this so I have to change subjects.
I am starting to feel tired at work most of the time now. I worked an extra-long 8 hour day today, 9 on the clock counting my lunch break. It actually wasn’t too bad, considering it’s a full two hours longer than all my other shifts, which I feel pretty wiped by the end of.
I am also succeeding in gaining weight now, as I am ten pounds heavier than the first trimester when I didn’t gain anything. That seems to be pretty much right on target with how it should be. Not too fast, not too slow. Go vegan diet!
Think I’ll leave it there, as the news of the tiny one’s gender seems important enough to have a post to itself. We are more excited than ever, and my belly keeps getting bigger. Absolutely no denying there’s a new life in there anymore.
Approaching 19 weeks on Friday and all is well. Our prenatal appointments at my family doctor remain uneventful. Yesterday we had an appointment. The doppler lets us hear the heartbeat more reliably every time, and yesterday's attempt also showed that the baby is moving around a lot, as we kept losing the sound of its tiny heartbeat. It! I may only be able to call it "it" for another couple of days, as Monday we will very likely discover the sex! Although I'm excited to find out the news, I have grown to love feeling this little androgynous "it" in my belly and am very fond of its ambiguous identity. When it comes down to it, I have no particular feeling on which it is. When I try and think of names, girls' names come to mind the most easily. When I look at clothes, I am drawn to the boys' items. I can honestly say (and I wouldn't have predicted this- I used to strongly prefer the thought of having a girl) that although I have always gotten along well with little girls and have often dreamed of raising one, now that I have a baby in the works I am completely neutral in my desire for one or the other. The few dreams involving infants I've had so far usually didn't indicate which it was as I was still pregnant, and I've had one dream each of giving birth to a boy and a girl. In both dreams, I might add, I was unable to muster the brainpower to take care of either baby. Very bad dreams, and so I don't take either of them seriously.
Going back to the Dr.'s appointment, here are some stats, for anyone's comparison: The belly measurement she took was 17.5 cm this time, and was 14.25 or so last time (four weeks ago; 14 weeks). The heartbeat was 144, fluctuating from 156 last time. This makes my mother suspect it could be a girl, as it is said girls have faster heartbeats than boys. Who knows!? I am getting very excited indeed, especially to witness the babe in all its glorious activity on the screen.
Other than that, I have been eating quite well. I have not had as much time or energy to cook as I'd like though. Today on my day off I baked some Coconut Chocolate Chip Cookies from Sarah Kramer's Vegan a Gogo. Not as healthy a dish as I could have made, but what the heck, they tasted fabulous. We've been going out to top up groceries really often, so we are eating good food. This morning Patrick brought me breakfast in bed with tea, fresh pineapple chunks and a "McMuffin" sandwich with vegan sausage patties and melted Daiya cheese. I have been making veggie fried rice lately, a mixture of onions, veggies, jasmine rice, sesame oil, olive oil, and Braggs in a frying pan, and sometimes some World's Best Meatless Chicken Breast thrown in. Delicious indeed. Hummus and pita chips got me out of a few desperate hunger pangs this week, bought at the farmer's market.
The one vegan pregnancy book we've invested in is "The Everything Vegan Pregnancy Book". While quite a bit of this information is stuff I've already come across before, either from reading on vegan nutrition or pregnancy, it is nice to have a resource that contains both in one. With info on how much of each important vitamin I should be getting and listing food sources for them, it definitely reassures me that my diet was fine to begin with, and with a bunch of recipes at the back it gives me some great new food ideas to punch it up.
While everything is going fabulously, there is one small issue we have started talking about. Since I have an RH negative blood type, I have been told I need to get a shot of RhoGAM, an Immune Globulin treatment that would prevent my bloodcells from creating antibodies against a future baby's potentially RH positive bloodcells (not this baby). I was told by my doctor that I will need to get a dose of it at 28 weeks, and then again after the birth. We began wondering yesterday about this drug and the possible side effects, and it turns out there is a lot of controversy surrounding RhoGAM and its possible side effects on the internet, and some RH- women opt to not get the shot during the pregnancy to protect the baby. This is what we are leaning toward, but we need to do more research before making a decision, which I will cover in the next post.
Until then, sleep tight and keep kicking, tiny one! You are now the length of a mango.
I am very happy to report that I can now feel the movements of our li'l vegan, who is now about the size of a mango. I felt some little bubbly, fluttering movements in the baby spot last night when I was reading, and it's just like all the books say- it happens all of a sudden and catches you off guard. My heart started pounding, of course, obscuring the feelings for a minute, but they picked up again in the same spot. I've never felt anything like that before so I know it's the baby!
So nice to finally know you are in there from your movement!
Very exciting week coming up, approaching 19 weeks and the ultrasound on Monday.
Off to work with my hot chocolate almond milk. :)
17 weeks and counting! Wish I could have been more constant with writing but there’s been a lot going on.We moved into a new apartment two weeks ago and I spent a week or more of that furiously unpacking, cleaning, and attempting to get some cooking done, both on days off and work days. It’s left me feeling pretty tired! Slowly, we are on our way to settling in here, i.e. having a place to sit down in the living room.And the baby keeps growing, even if I don’t notice it. Sometimes a few days go by and I feel a little desperate to look up what stage the little thing is at in its development.
Two weeks until the 2nd trimester ultrasound! So two weeks till we find out whether it’s a boy or girl.
Perhaps a little cliché, one of my biggest symptoms so far has been forgetfulness. I am more than a little absentminded these days. Yesterday I was enjoying a day off, not knowing I was actually on the schedule at work, until an hour into my shift when I got a phone call (yes, I cried a little). I have had every Monday off since I began working there, though, so who knows if that mistake is really related to the pregnancy. I will walk out of the house with my keys, though, or my wallet or my phone, at any given time. At work I will start one task and quickly abandon it for another task, remembering later on what I had originally set out to do.And if you gathered from the above comment that I frequently get weepy, then you are bang on.It takes almost nothing to make me cry these days.
Appetite wise, I’ve continued to be really hungry very frequently, although I also seem to get full pretty quickly.I can’t really say I have strong cravings right now, only a very strong urge to just eat something! I do love juice these days, though, and I’ve probably had more juice (100% fruit juice or unpasteurized apple cider) while I’ve been pregnant than I drank in the last couple of years.
I have been eating pretty simply this month, without using many elaborate recipes. Usually once I need to eat, it has to be ready fast, so we’ve had rice and veggies just thrown in a frying pan a few times. I’ve also made a few different soups, and also eat a lot of sandwiches with Tofurkey and vegan mayo, which are very convenient for taking to work.I’ve been mindful of protein (not that I usually think about that but just to make sure I’m gaining enough weight) and a few times I made this very delicious side dish using beans:
1 serving canned black eyed peas (refrigerate the rest in a container)
1 tsp coconut cream, rehydrated with a little hot water
½ garlic clove, minced
Pinch thyme
Little splash of Braggs
You just throw the garlic in the frying pan, add the beans a minute later, then toss with the coconut cream and thyme. Let simmer in the pan a bit till the liquid absorbs.The coconut and black eyed peas taste very Caribbean together!
I often, as I’m sure most parents-to-be do, look at situations happening in my life and wonder what will happen and how I will deal with it when I have a little human to look after. As much as we all do the best we can, it remains that we all form habits, sometimes ones that actually hurt and stifle us and sometimes ones that hurt others, and they can take a long time to recognize and much more time to change. It’s not that I think I can prepare to behave perfectly all the time once the baby is here, it’s that I know I can’t, and so I need to continually examine my behaviour to see if I am, through acting out of impulse, hurting my ability to stay sane. I look at my own unsteady thought patterns and how quickly I lose control of my emotions, and I fear for how I might act when mentally provoked when there is a baby in my presence, there to absorb all energy waves. I can’t just go off into a thought storm. On the other hand, though, I can’t bury the negative feeling, for it will inevitably stay with me and surface again through silence and tension, as it has proven to.
I want this new impressionable human presence to be exposed to a life of openness and acceptance of natural tendencies. What does this mean? How to explain… We live in a culture that is isolating people further and further from each other, and although I’m inexperienced, I feel like the idea of parenting has become a topic of great confusion. I could read some parenting books and follow the instructions but I don’t think that would be fulfilling. There are many things that are expected of us in order to be "normal" in current times which don't necessarily come naturally. I must say I vividly remember being a child, and often don’t really feel that different from one even now. I know that in the first few years of life, they learn the things that stay with them more strongly than any other time in their lives. My posts will not always be this serious, and it has no intended references to anyone in my life, or disrespect for anyone who has parented, but if I were to make a list of things I want to keep present in my experience of watching someone grow, I suppose it would be a bit like this:
1)We must accept the forces of nature as reality. It is a mistake to create a standard that does not comply with that which happens naturally. If you drop something, I will not get mad at you, because gravity is one of the strongest forces on Earth. Things are meant to drop. If you wish to do things that defy gravity (and I know you will all on your own, like drawing a picture without losing all your crayons) I trust you will learn how. If you get sick, it will not be your fault. I will not take it personally if you do.
2)I take full responsibility for your creation. It makes me incredibly sad to witness parents who complain about having kids, or treat them with disrespect, as though they never asked for them. I have chosen to bring you, whoever you are, into the world, and I will not resent you for habits which remind me of myself or that merely annoy me. I will not blame you for anything negative that I feel is happening to me. I will teach you that likewise, you are responsible for your own happiness.
3)I will respect myself in a way that is equal to the way I respect you. You are not expected to provide me with any sort of fulfillment in return for my taking care of you, although I know you won’t be able to help doing that anyway. You should be shown how to live a life that is full of whatever you choose to bring into it, and I see it as my task to keep doing that for me as my most important way of teaching you.
4) If there is any habit I would like to instil in you as well as myself (your father is already good at this) it is verbal communication of feelings. I am learning there is little reason to end up in arguments or blowups if each of us truly knows we hold the power to getting everything we need. If you need emotional support, you will be able to tell me without thinking you have to show it in another way. If you become angry, all you need to do is to authentically say so, and your problem shall already nearly be solved. It is one of the biggest challenges I have faced so far in life, and I want you to know right from the beginning that you have nothing to hide from anyone.
5)We live in a world that tends to grade people based on things like beauty, body image, “smarts”, “academia”, and accordance with tradition. While you may, at some point, become tempted by the pressure to conform to these standards of importance set by other people, these are not things that I will expect of you nor encourage, unless these values come from your own ideas. I love you more than this, and I hope to help you feel that you are worth the freedom and authenticity of making your own decisions based on your true feelings.
6)You will be fed only food that has not been derived from killing or harming another living being, if it can at all be avoided. You will learn that all the nutritional fulfillment, health, pleasure and vitality you will possibly need can be derived from the plant foods of the world, and eating this way will let you maintain an open, caring, and healthy relationship to all other sentient beings you will share the planet with, as well as a very good relationship with food, from the very beginning of your journey.
Oh, Ravelry, what would I do without you?
As the wind gets colder and the mornings frostier, it is in my nature to want to make things to stay warm. This winter will be more fun than maybe any other I've had, with the opportunity to knit little garments for my babelet.
An opinionated co-worker not-so-politely informed me that baby clothes are pretty cheap to buy these days. While not true in the case of mainstream babywear, it is true that there are many second hand options for much less money. I will indeed be hitting up the local thrift and second-hand clothing stores, keeping my out for original and cute things. But why in the world would I want to deny myself the chance to fashion my own uniquely stylish get-up when it gives me such a huge thrill? There is something incredibly soothing about the repetitive work of knitting that satisfies me on many levels: a level of self sufficiency, being part of the creation process of the "things" I am introducing into my child's life that will formulate his/her sense of familiarity and home, and of course the pure, creative satisfaction that can only come from putting in the work to make something yourself. It's the same feeling that comes from building something that you need in your home to make it more functional, or growing your own vegetables and cooking with them. I feel like this is a growing movement among my generation; a movement stemming from a feeling of being overwhelmed by the blatent consumer culture that has been forced upon us, making us think we can have anything any time we want it. It is a throw back to the days when the hard work and elbow grease we had to engage in was for something directly related to our needs, instead of the once-removed trend of working for money, which has become the main answer to having the things one needs and wants. Meanwhile, our skills at helping ourselves to survive independently have all but dissappeared, as there are now trained professionals who have paid to go through the schooling to provide these services to everyone. What would we do if money dissappeared suddenly? I think it's no exaggeration to say that we would be in a bad way.
So while knitting is a hobby that I do purely for the love of it, it means more than that to me. It is, in fact, one of the ways in which I am a non-participant in societal practices I believe are hurting us and causing us dissatisfaction, and a way in which I am a particpant in something I believe is a positive change for the world I live in, and establishing habits in my life that make me feel whole and alive.
Here is my first baby project, one I found on Ravelry. Here is the pattern.
This one I haven't embarked on yet, but am in LOVE with it! It's perfect! Here's the link.
Note: You must be a member of Ravelry to view the pattern.
Little bitty one is the size of a small apple or a peach.
I can’t believe how hungry I’ve been! It’s magical, how one’s body works. I need to eat every two hours, at least. I have never put so much effort into diversifying my snack repertoire.
I love being a vegan. Not that I feel I can discuss it with the average individual, but inwardly, all day long, whatever I happen to be doing, I love and adore pondering over the food I eat, considering which vitamins I could use more of or how much protein, iron or fibre this and that contains. As a meat eater, I was not one to think about where I got my B12 or iron, but now I can list sources of the stuff and know that I am getting it on a regular basis from food.
Sugar cookie cutouts
Cravings have lost some extremity because I am now able to eat things even if I don’t enjoy them so much. For instance, the smoothie I made today containing strawberries, blueberries, banana, kale, orange juice, water and Vega Whole Food Health Optimizer (protein powder) made my health-food-nerd radar (and perhaps the baby)come alive with high-nutrition rapture, even though my taste buds had no inspiration to drink such a thing. That and certain other things remind me I’m pregnant, an example being a newfound preference for either salty or purely sweet foods. While my dessert cravings used to be based on a love for gooey, dark chocolate overload, I now dream instead of light, simple desserts such as sugar cookies with icing (today’s day off project) or chocolate pudding or cinnamon pinwheels. Also, having been a regular coffee drinker for several years, I have not had a coffee since the day I found out, and it has stayed that way almost entirely due to taste aversion.
One of the more exciting snacks I’ve had lately was a tofu scramble I concocted after getting home from work one evening. I’ve used several recipes for this type of thing before, and they vary, but I began this short journey knowing I had no cumin or turmeric, which is usually used to flavour tofu scramble. My mission was to create a meal that was flavourful enough to make up for not having those ingredients on hand. Trust me, there was no flavour missing from this and it is useful for me to jot it down now as I will want to make it again. One of the most awesome things about cooking like this, though, is the realization that once you have a good understanding of flavour combinations and common ingredients you work with, the kitchen is your artist’s palette.
This contains a nice dose of protein with the tofu, mushrooms, and Bragg’s; the nutritional yeast, if fortified, gives you a little helping of B12; and you can never go wrong with the handful of veggies. This makes a single serving; double the recipe if you’re sharing. I have no photo but will upload one if (when) I make it again!
Tofu Scramble
Olive oil
½ small onion, chopped
5-6 mushrooms, sliced (I used cremini)
1/4 block firm tofu, crumbled to your liking (I like to leave it in chunkier pieces)
Handful of chopped tomatoes and green peppers (or spinach; whatever you like!)
Heat oil in a frying pan over medium heat. Add onions and mushrooms, frying till onions are translucent and mushrooms are browned a little. Add tofu, Bragg’s, cider vinegar, mustard, garlic powder, spices and nutritional yeast, and let it cook, stirring occasionally, till some of the liquid evaporates, the tofu turns golden and everything smells divine. Toss in the chopped tomatoes and peppers and turn off the heat, get your toast and jam ready, and enjoy your scrumptious breakfast-style snack.
You have no idea what’s coming for you. While your tiny body and your brain are growing at an incredibly fast rate, you only know the quiet little world where you exist right now. I don’t know what you’ve been up to exactly, but from what I’ve read I can guess that you’re moving around like crazy with those little arms, legs and digits of yours, and practising your swallowing. While I’ve only known you to be in there for about 6 weeks and my belly hasn't gotten all that much bigger yet, it brings me unimaginable delight to know of your presence and I am cheering for you in your progress of growth into someone we will get to know for the rest of our lives. Maybe you’ve heard your dad’s voice lately, introducing himself to you or singing you little songs. You should get used to the songs!
There are a lot of people thinking about you with great happiness and waiting eagerly to meet you and hold you, especially your grandparents. When tiny little people are born, particularly in your own family, it’s hard not to want to hold them. There’s also a small dog who will teach you about being silly, and the color “golden”. Someday my mom, your Nana, might give you yummy treats and teach you about food and how it nourishes our bodies, and your grandfather, my dad (who doesn’t know what he would like you to call him yet) might read or tell you stories or invent imaginary games with you. Your Nanny (your dad’s mom) will love to take you for walks and sing to you, and I’m not sure about what your other Grandpa will do with you yet! It all remains an endless chain of surprises to come and all we know for sure is that you will be given infinite love, play, encouragement and protection. It is a big, big world and I am looking forward to both the pleasure and pain of watching you find your way around in it.
Thank-you for not making me very sick, I appreciate it very much. Though, while I would like to be eating lots of salads and smoothies to help you be the healthiest you can possibly be, so far you have made me want mostly bread, salty and sweet foods. Don’t worry, I am taking a multivitamin to make sure you get everything you need and will eat more and more veggies as my pregnancy with you goes on. You are my little vegan! I have heard your heartbeat and know you’re in there for sure because I have been getting more and more hungry; these days I need to eat for the two of us every hour or two! Though I’ve had more energy lately, some days I am still exhausted. Last night I had to sleep for 11 hours. I never mind any of the symptoms though, because I know the cause. However, I think we might need more water, so I will work on that. I also can’t wait to move into our new apartment (where you might live when you get here), so that I can cook whatever crazy thing comes to mind.
I have no idea what you will look like, and right now I love it like that. In only 8 weeks we might find out if you are a boy or a girl. I want you to know that it doesn’t matter; I don’t feel like I could be any more bewildered, mystified, or satisfied about the creation of you either way.
A dim, breezy world greeted me this morning as I opened the deck door to let the pup out for his business. As I sipped my hot chocolate and the orchard came into focus beneath an arrangement of dark and swirly clouds, I realized once again how magical 6:30 am is. Especially this time of year, when tree leaves get crispier and change their hues, and the wind cools down. It seems more likely than ever that faeries hide in the woods and everything breathes with renewed purpose. How fitting that it should be the first day of fall.
Keeping in theme with the harvest, the “plum” has grown rapidly in the last week, and should be 2 inches in length now, according to my research. I now like to think of it as a tiny peach or one of those big Brussels sprouts. The l'il peach knows how to swallow now, and it practises- it was my great amusement to learn just now- by swallowing the amniotic fluid. Good job, crazy little one!
How much energy it must be taking to form this little life! I find on my days off my fatigue catches up to me and slaps me in the behind, making me sleepier the more I relax. On work days I get caught up in the rush of things and notice the tiredness less, if that makes sense. Speaking of sleep, one weird symptom I’ve been experiencing lately is incredibly bizarre and vivid dreams.
As one needs to eat more calories at this point in the pregnancy, (the one and only secret to staving off any nausea, I have learned!) I have been trying to come up with breakfasts and snacks that don’t involve too much bread. It is so easy to just make toast or a sandwich when I need more food! But even though I take a prenatal multivitamin, it is important to me to avoid wheat overload and make sure I consume a wide variety of plant foods. Ideas that have worked great for me:
-Oatmeal with almond milk, maple syrup and cane sugar
The good thing about a lot of these, such as oatmeal, soups and salads is you can make them ahead and keep them in the fridge for multiple uses.
I shall now feature the recipe for the “Chickpea Melts” I made the other day. They are way more appetizing than perhaps they look (it’s a Blackberry photo). I am honestly quite addicted to this stuff.
1 15oz can Chickpeas, rinsed well
3-4 Tbs Vegenaise (vegan mayo)
2 tsp Fresh Lemon Juice
1 tsp Mustard
1 Tbs Nutritional Yeast
1/2 tsp Paprika (sweet, hot, or smoked)
1/2 tsp Salt
Fresh Cracked Black Pepper
Mash all the ingredients to form a chunky spread.
Spread the chickpea salad on slices of bread. Top with your favorite vegan cheese, and bake at 350º F for 10 minutes. Broil to finish, serve immediately.
Now seems like a great time to start documenting the overwhelmingly awesome adventure of our first petit bébé. While I set up the blog weeks ago, I have since scored employment after a summer of weathering the twists and throws aspiring market-gardeners must endure, and changed living locations in addition to the regularly scheduled fatigue of the first trimester. I would really like to make it a priority to sit down every evening or two and record this experience for both my future self and perhaps my offspring, as it could very well be our only one. And it’s true. No offense to anyone else, but I don’t think we’ll be ones to over-populate.
As far as I know, the zygote first began to divide itself into the many cells which form a blastocyst around July 15. We didn’t learn of the news until the second week of August, when I was six weeks pregnant. I remember the conversation we’d had about three weeks earlier; when we discussed the fact that a full time market garden, no house, and a baby did not mix whatsoever, and we finally agreed that we should hold off another year and focus on getting our farm together because it just wasn’t possible to do both. My husband, as he got out of the car, said, “You’re definitely going to get pregnant now, because of this.” As it turned out, I already was.
I also remember the silly argument we were having on the way back from the drugstore. It was at least a week after my period was due and I’d requested my husband buy me a test on his way back from the car appointment that morning because I was holding my pee. For some (silly) reason I don’t enjoy buying tests. Although he insisted he doesn’t care and wouldn’t have minded buying one, he conveniently forgot (that's how it seemed to me) because he didn’t hear me say I was going to wait to use the bathroom till he returned. After running late and returning from the appointment 45 minutes after I’d had pancakes ready, and after me holding my pee through breakfast (my mom was in the next room), I finally asked him if he’d remembered. He had not. We proceeded to drive back to the drug store and I bought the test. We squabbled about this the entire way home. I just wished he had remembered. I had to pee so badly! The strangest part about it all was that I kind of knew from my lack of usual symptoms that my period was not going to show up anytime soon. Obviously, the “fight” ended as soon as I took the test.
We were living at my parents’ house at the time. I told them about 10 minutes after I’d found out. They didn’t know how to take it at first because the look of shock still hadn’t dissolved from my face. We assured them we were extremely happy. How do you describe such a weird, crazy feeling as just “happy”, though? My main feeling for the first few weeks of pregnancy, and one that I still get now, is one of disbelief. Aside from the strange symptoms which included no period, an overall sense of abdominal heaviness, loss of appetite, sore breasts, peeing lots, and incredible sense of smell, how could I know that a baby human could really be forming in there? It felt weird telling people that there was when I couldn’t be sure myself. For the first two or three decades of your life, you see only other people having babies and don’t truly know that it could really happen to you. To be honest, I can’t believe how babies can seem so incredibly commonplace on the one hand, yet so overwhelmingly unreal on the other. I know this feeling has only arisen because it is now my own experience. But I must assume, then, that even though some women may seem to be veterans in the baby making practise and make it seem like it’s no big deal, they still possess the same feeling of incomprehensible awe each time. But right now I admit I am really only fascinated by first time pregnancies, and in particular vegan pregnancies. I’m sure the first time thing will change, too. Not the vegan part!
To catch up a bit on the first trimester so far:
Shortly after finding out about the baby, my appetite took a major dive. As one who is of the slightly underweight division, this dismayed me a bit, although I know it’s normal to be unable to eat and even to lose weight during the first trimester.
During weeks seven and eight I desired only fruit. Berries, peaches, dried fruit, watermelon, grapes, apples, bananas and kiwis. Salty rice crackers were also tolerable later in the day as well as miso broth, plain noodles and occasionally fried mushrooms on toast. While very nutritious, unfortunately these foods did not really last long before digesting and this was also the time that some nausea set in. Actually, the nausea was mostly coming from an antibiotic I was put on in week six for a urinary tract infection, which brought me to the ER, where I got to have an ultrasound, delightfully confirming the pregnancy visually.
After I was off the antibiotics for several days, the nausea subsided a bit, which worried me a little at first until I figured out what the cause was. During the following weeks 9, 10, and 11, I was able to eat much more, which helped me to feel way better.
One of the things I like so far is I never have any trouble deciding what I want to eat. Somehow pregnancy tells me exactly what I want at any given moment. It’s not always the healthiest choice in the world, but I’m trying to make sure my calories are high enough as well.
Cravings? While I was feeling the most sick, I will admit that the one non-vegan food I craved was cheese. The kind that goes on a junk-food type giant pizza slice. Just regular cheese pizza. Am I going to eat cheese? Heck no. I am going to be a mother. Am I going to consume the milk of a cow, a totally different creature (who is also a mother) whose body made the milk forher child, just like mine will? The cow whose baby was taken from her before it was ready and she fought and cried over it in despair? If this sounds silly to you, have you ever watched a mother cow and her baby? She is fiercely protective. So am I going to spend money supporting the production of dairy from cows who are artificially kept making milk for humans long after their babies are born and gone, just because my brain is telling me I would enjoy the taste of a past comfort food? Considering the fact that I can be healthier by choosing plant-based, naturally nutritionally dense foods…Don’t think so. Consuming cheese would most likely make me feel much worse, mentally and physically.
I HAVE been eating Daiya non-dairy cheese, which makes a mean grilled cheese sandwich. I also made a cashew cheese log which is excellent when one fancies cheese and crackers.
Once I was in week 10 or so, certain foods began to taste so much better. OMG chocolate soymilk! OMG oatcakes! OMG garlic toast! OMG, miso soba noodle soup! OMG, chickpea salad! I really must note this recipe I found through C’est la Vegan for chickpea “tuna salad”. It has become a favourite of mine over the last year, and it jumped into my mind as a great pregnancy food, full of fibre and protein (and no mercury!) and a great vehicle for tasty Vegenaise. One of the ways I used it was to make old fashioned “Chickpea Melts” with Daiya and pickles. I don’t have the picture I took right now so will probably post that and the link to the recipe soon.
Here is the recipe for my most favourite soup in the world. From Sarah Kramer’s La Dolce Vegan, this soup is so simple and can be made in about half an hour. We have this often and it never fails to be incredibly comforting and savoury. You must make it!
Ingredients:
4 cups water
½ sheet nori (seaweed), cut or torn into small pieces
2 tbsp tamari (I use Bragg's)
1 cup soba noodles
½ block firm or extra firm tofu, cubed
olive oil
2 cups bok choy (optional- I don't usually even bother with this)
3 tbsp miso
Rinse the tofu and press it with a paper towel to dry. Cut into 1 inch cubes and cook by frying in oil in a pan until golden.
While the tofu is cooking, bring water to a boil in a medium soup pot. Add the seaweed and tamari. Remove from heat and let sit 15 minutes. While soup stock is steeping, bring a medium pot of salted water to a boil and cook the soba noodles. Once done, drain, rinse well, and add to soup stock. Add tofu and bok choy and return to heat for 2-3 minutes. In a small bowl, stir together the miso with a few spoonfuls of the hot soup stock. Stir until miso is smooth and add to the soup. Stir well and serve immediately.
Note: Miso is rich in flavour, protein, and B vitamins. Boiling miso will destroy its healthy attributes so stir it into your dish in the last few minutes before serving.
By the way, the vegan baby is the size of a medium plum these days (we are nearing 12 weeks). OMG! I am already so proud of the little androgynous creature for its progress. I was excited to be able to hear a bit of the heartbeat (a major thing on my mind!) the other day at our first pre-natal appointment. Otherwise, I am savouring the stages of growth and love how teeny it still is.
