Looking Back at My Second Pregnancy: Nutrition

It's been too long since my last post here and I'm really excited to be back. A few weeks ago we welcomed our second baby girl to the family. And slowly but surely I'm getting used to the fact that we are now a family of four and are proud parents of two beautiful girls.

I thought I'd dedicate my first post-pregnancy post to my experience with the second pregnancy. In particular, I'd like to talk about the things that helped me to stay happy, maintain my energy levels, and be more in control of my mind and the way I looked and felt during those 9 month.

I am very grateful for my relatively easy pregnancy and delivery. Just like with my first pregnancy, I didn't have any complications, didn't gain much weight, delivered a healthy baby and was able to get back to my pre-pregnancy weight pretty quickly. When I think of what helped me stay fit and healthy during my pregnancies, I would not put genes to the forefront. Instead, I think it's a combination of nutrition, exercising, self-care and overall lifestyle that led to this result. I'll focus on nutrition factor in this post. I'll make sure to cover the rest in the following posts.

Not every pregnancy is the same

One thing is for sure. Despite both of my pregnancies being pretty easy, my experience with them was quite different. Even though I knew that I was able to bounce back to my pre-pregnancy weight very quickly after first pregnancy, physical changes to my body and weight gain were much harder for me mentally this time than before. I couldn't stop but compare myself and my body to when I was carrying our first baby girl. Also, there was something magical for me about the first pregnancy. I remember following the BabyCenter pregnancy tracker app almost daily and being so fascinated about the baby growing from a plum size to a tomato and then to an eggplant. I was thrilled about every little move and kick. And just mesmerized by the fact that another human being was growing inside me.

This time the feeling of novelty wasn't there. Of course, we were extremely excited and grateful, but it felt different. I didn't check the baby growth app anymore. All I cared was that the baby was healthy and developing well. I really felt as if my sole purpose this time was to provide a healthy environment for the growing baby for 9 month and then safely deliver her to the world.

Balanced nutrition is key for weight control

First of all, I would say that my diet and eating habits didn't change much during my second pregnancy compared to my regular non-pregnancy diet. Unlike the first time around, I didn't have frequent hunger spikes and didn't feel much need for snacking in between the meals. But my portion sizes grew significantly towards the end of the pregnancy. Here are some of the key diet and nutrition rules that I followed during pregnancy:

Breakfast. Breakfast has always been a big deal for me. I normally wake up very hungry and can't function properly without breakfast. My favorite breakfast options include porridges, overnight oats, baked oats or some non-dairy yogurt with fruit and nuts.
Lunch. When it comes to lunch, I usually eat a warm meal (i.e. from my weekend meal prep or dinner leftovers) or a grain salad bowl. On the weekends we also like to have some eggs with an avocado toast (I love to make them with thin rice cakes!), sliced veggies and some prosciutto or smoked salmon.
Dinner. In general, I try to consume most of my daily carbs in the first half of the day and keep them low at dinner. It is very common in our family to have some protein (mainly chicken or seafood, but also tofu or meat) with a big salad for dinner, for example. But we also enjoy all sorts of roasted veggies, stir fries or curries.
Snacking and managing cravings. Quite often pregnant women crave carbs, such as sweets and starchy comfort foods, especially during the first trimester. What really helped me was the switch to gluten- and dairy-free diet and minimal use of refined sugar after our first daughter was born. While my diet was never too heavy on simple carbs, this switch made me even more selective and eliminated a lot of things contributing to weight gain. It was especially helpful with snacks, as it automatically excluded traditional sugary snacks and desserts. Instead, I rely much more on whole fruit, raw nuts and nut butters, healthy snack bars and veggies when choosing my snacks. And if you ever count calories, you'll be surprised how much all the snacks in a day add up to.
Cheat days are OKAY! Of course, every now and then I had my cheat days and binge eating episodes during pregnancy. But I've learnt not to shame myself too much for that as that's more of an exception than a rule. Even if I did end up eating too much or overindulging some days, it was not the foods that I would consider 'bad', such as sugary snacks and desserts or highly processed or junk foods because that's not something you would normally find in my kitchen. But still, even the best and most nutritious foods are good in moderation. So it's always helpful to be mindful of what and how much we eat.

To sum up

There is no silver bullet on what to do or not to do during pregnancy as each pregnancy is unique. There are so many processes and hormonal changes happening in women's bodies during that time that affect their weight, mood, energy level, etc. With all that to handle, controlling your nutrition is easier said than done. Eating something that you've been really craving can be very satisfying and mood boosting. However, my point is that there are always healthier and more nutritious options out there to satisfy your cravings, such as homemade nutritious snacks and meals, sweet snacks without refined sugar, and whole foods that are minimally processed.

Food doesn't have to be your enemy or guilty pleasure. Food should be there to enjoy, to satisfy your needs, to give you energy and strength, and to provide you and your baby with all the nutrients during pregnancy. We just need to learn to make smart food choices, which often can be quite a journey.

In my next post I'll talk more about exercise and self-care as the other key contributors to my healthy pregnancy. What were some of the key factors that helped you stay happy, healthy and fit during your pregnancy? Would love to hear your stories!