Look, we’ve all heard it. The ubiquitous phrase ‘eating for two’ that hungry pregnant ladies have sworn by for decades.  In my first pregnancy, I couldn’t wait to get started.  Almost immediately, it became my mantra, day in and day out.

As I stalked the bakery section of my grocery store or added even more mashed potatoes to my plate in a buffet; ‘eating for two!’ I sang joyfully, licking the bottom of the bowl or snatching bites from other people’s dishes.  I would pat my eight-week pregnant belly (which you know was more beer than baby) ask for second and third helpings, and wink ‘eating for two!’ by way of explanation. As my daughter grew and my belly right along with her, I learned to use it my advantage. Anytime a friend came over I would ask them to stop and pick up a pint of Ben and Jerry’s.  If they dared to complain, I would woefully remind them that I was, after all, eating for two.

Every morning I made myself a hearty bowl of oatmeal and promptly crumbled two huge, double chocolate cookies on top and I was awarded the Scarlet O’Hara Award in a mock ceremony because her line ‘I will never go hungry again’ so suited my current state. ‘Eating for two’, I reminded the audience as they laughed and laughed. My mom came to visit and brought along a box of my favorite chocolate truffles. She watched in horror as I attacked one right after another, barely even catching my breath in between.

‘Tiffany! Think of your hips!’ she begged. ‘EATING FOR TWO!’, I wailed in reply, chocolate smeared across my face like war paint.

It went on like this, throughout my entire pregnancy, culminating in a 96 pound weight gain followed by the birth of my 11 pound baby. Ladies, it was not pretty. I felt awful and looked awful and, seven years later, when I finally became pregnant with my second baby; I knew things would have to be different. I realized that ‘eating for two’ should not be an excuse to stuff my pregnant face with everything I saw. Instead, I used it as a reminder that everything I put into my body, was going right to my baby.

Learning about The Brewer Pregnancy Diet was very helpful. It can seem overwhelming, but as I researched it, I found that it was actually so useful for me to have a guideline. I definitely didn’t follow it to the letter, and certainly there were days when the only thing I could keep down was plain white crackers, but I really appreciated having something to reference when I was planning my meals.

I used this handy chart to keep things simple. At the weeks end, I would take a look and notice what things I might need to scale back on and what I should try to include more of.  Again, not following it exactly, not stressing if I didn’t get all my boxes checked, just a low pressure guide to help me stay on track. It felt good to know that I was taking good care of myself and my baby, and eating well was an integral part of maintaining my healthy pregnancy.

And the second time around, every time I passed on dessert or asked for more kale it was with a totally different intent that I said, ‘eating for two’.

Tiffany Paul, Practice Coordinator