Fake Drinking and Dietary Restrictions

In terms of pregnancies, I would say that I have had it pretty easy so far.   No morning sickness, no food aversions, no complications to date, no heartburn, bloating or serious lack of energy.  If it weren’t for the growing belly it would be hard to distinguish between being pregnant and not.  The biggest change for me has been the dietary restrictions I had been warned about but not fully prepared for (no sushi, no soft cheese, no deli meats) and the need to fake drink my way through the first trimester. 

Thankfully for me, Martin was around for most social events to help cover my lack of alcohol intake.  At the wedding in Hawaii, Martin would order me “vodka” and soda waters or offer me “beers”.  The vodka drinks being just water and the beers being a beer bottle filled with water.  And when Martin wasn’t around, I enlisted the help of a few select girlfriends to assist with the charade…you know who you are and I owe you big time for drinking for two!

With the end of my first trimester, so came the end of my fake drinking as there was no longer a need to hide.  Begrudgingly I am still stuck with the dietary restrictions for a few more months… And with the dietary limitations, all of a sudden going out to dinner (my social lifeline and favorite pastime) is no longer the treat it used to be.   Each new restaurant menu is a minefield of issues:  raw fish removes half of the menu, no runny egg yolks kills half of brunch, if it has cheese in it no thanks as hipsters have made unpasteurized homemade cheeses cool, and a fancy salad sounds healthy, but with a house-made dressing I will have to pass. 

In the past few weeks, I have been internally tormented and torn between being the picky/snobby eater who asks about the source and preparation of each ingredient and dish and the alternative of simply ordering the most uninventive item on the menu (most likely the steak and potatoes cooked well done and please hold the spit and judgment, it is not my choice either). 

On the upside, in lieu of going out, we have started cooking more at home which is cheaper on the wallet and calories.   And Martin even bought a cookbook to help ensure the baby is getting what it needs each and every week. 

As the belly grows I feel less and less guilty of asking the list of questions or for modifications and I have gotten used to the restrictions.  However I do miss my old friends prosciutto and salami and secretly crave a sandwich stacker made of sushi, prosciutto, topped with a runny egg and slice of good cheese and washed down with a glass of red wine.  But I suppose those can wait.  I am working on something bigger and more important at the moment.