I’m 16 weeks today! Wahoo!
And the exciting news is that I have not gained weight! Although I was at an all-time low about my size two weeks ago, I am now heartened by the fact that I’ve been holding steady at 5-foot-4 and 159 pounds for at least three weeks now, maybe longer. Hooray!
Let’s be clear here. I’m not trying to LOSE weight while pregnant. All the books warn against that, and despite having grown up in L.A. where eating disorders are practically a graduation requirement for high school, I am not the least bit inclined to do anything that leaves me feeling hungry or lightheaded. That would be bad.
I eat. I eat when I’m hungry. I eat my favorite things (primarily, any combination of toast and cheese), I eat three mostly-balanced meals a day (I just don’t love vegetables as much as I should) and two or three snacks.
It’s more the other side — being one of those moms-to-be who was already just a smidge Venus-of-Willendorf-ish when the egg and sperm met, I’m relieved to know that I have not been gaining a pound a week or more, at this stage in our development.
I’ve also read that women who come into this pregnancy thing with a layer or two of stored fat are no longer encouraged to gain at the same rate as our thinner counterparts. And my doctor doesn’t seem concerned. So overall, I say, score one for the team.
And I remind myself that there’s still 24 weeks left, and more weight will come on, according to the dictates of my hormones and metabolism, this brilliant baby-making system to which I am merely a servant.
Oh, and P.S.: In other good news, the massive water retention seems to have abated. For now… Phew!