I expected that raising a 2-year-old in New York City would be an adjustment, coming from the D.C./Maryland area. I didn’t expect that being pregnant in New York would be any different from my first pregnancy. I was wrong, oh so wrong.
I put on 65 pounds with my first son. All of our family lived near us and they assured me that they had each put on between 50 and 80 pounds and had healthy babies. I could also see with my own eyes that they had certainly lost all of the baby weight. What do you know? I had a healthy baby boy AND within a year I actually weighed 10 pounds less than I had before pregnancy.
Cut to August 2009, New York City, our first visit to my new Ob/Gyn:
Doctor: So, how much weight did you put on with your first?
Me: 65 pounds
Doctor: 65 pounds?!?! Well, you won’t be putting that on in MY office! I want you to put on 30 pounds. No juice, one piece of fruit a day – at most, no sweets… You should mostly only be eating lean protein and vegetables.
Me (in my head): I wonder if ice cream is okay? I’m sure it is. It’s more of a ‘dairy’ than a ‘sweet.’ I won’t bother her by asking. I’m sure she would say it’s fine.
The best part? We literally had this same exact dialogue at every single visit, except she would start with “So, tell me again how much weight you put on with your first pregnancy?” Her shock (disgust?) at my response was identical each time.
So, I have been pretty obedient and at 9 months pregnant I have put on 37 pounds. I know she would happier if I weighed a little less, but in my mind I can’t believe I have put on almost HALF of what I gained last time. Half! Go me!
At first I thought I just happened to pick a doctor that has an eccentric obsession with pregnancy weight gain…but then I started looking around as I moved about the city. Look at all of these size zeroes who stuffed a football under their shirt. Strange. Oh wait, she’s pregnant. And now that it’s Springtime (when all preggos apparently come pouring out of the woodwork suddenly 8 months along) I’m seeing size zeroes everywhere with basketballs stuffed under their shirts.
I actually felt upset during our hospital tour because I swear I was the only one out of those 18 women who did not have two stick legs, a tiny little butt and gorgeous toned arms. Thankfully, when I complained about this on Facebook lots of old friends and family spoke up to remind me of the world outside of NYC. In fact, it was an old friend from a Bradley course we took the first time around that sent me the Midwifery Today link below. I enjoyed an especially large bowl of chocolate ice cream that night. Thanks, Monica.
*The teacher in me says “Here’s a link if you want to learn more!” I’m not the author of the article(s) below, but it’s still decent writing, I guess… *
\”The Perfect Little Bump\” – New York Magazine
\”An Uphill Battle: Dr.Brewer’s Fight to Nourish Pregnant Women\” – Midwifery Today
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