Thursday, February 19, 2009

Colace

We met with the midwives today. Everything is coming along swimmingly with our little baby. I even have an extra high fundus, which is good because nothing else on my body is extra high or tall in any way. Yay! Tall fundus!

Today marked the first day the midwives whipped out a tape measure and took note of the distance between my pubic bone and my fundus (or top of the uterus for those not in the know). There was something very strange and unsettling about being measured, as if I were buying a dress or being examined likea zoo animal. But I digress. Even though I am 20 weeks pregnant (halfway there!!!) my measurement was 22cm. Thus, tall fundus. The midwife looked at me and asked whether I have a short torso. Of course I have a short torso! I'm a short, stubby front row forward.

Anyway, my only complaint has been the same one that's plauged me the whole pregnancy: constipation. Between the progesterone and the baby squishing my works, I have been in some serious pain and had a serious slow-down. So now I have to take Colace. The only thing I know about Colace is that the crazy chicken-eating girl in Girl, Interrupted begged for it to help her go to the bathroom. It sounds upsetting and old fashioned and I fear for my bowels.

I'm also supposed to make the following modifications to my diet:
1. Stop eating bananas. Did that months ago. No sweat
2. Eat lots of fruits and vegetables of the non-banana variety. Pretty easy task for me as well.
3. Stop eating white flour. This means pasta, bread, white rice. This one makes me upset.

I was giving myself a pep talk in the car on the way home that the bread and the rice would be no sweat, since we usually buy 12 grain bread and brown rice. But then of course I ate frozen matter paneer for lunch and that had white rice in it. Already I failed on my assignment!

And what the heck am I going to do without regular pasta? I feel like the whole wheat pasta just tastes yucky, and pasta is such a staple of my diet. Pasta Roni on nights I don't have time to cook? Gone. Kraft Mac N Cheese on days I feel nostalgic? Nope. For the next five months, it's wheat or spinach pasta from the bulk bins at the Co-op for me, and that just might make me cry a little bit.

Here's hoping the dietary changes make things move a little more smoothly. Prepare to celebrate the birth of my son with a pasta party at my house. Ziti for everyone this July!

10 comments:

Anonymous said...

I'm still a believer in miralax, you should check with your doctor, i think it may be similar to colace as far as the safe factor if not safer... just sayin'

P said...

Spinach pasta is pretty good, I think.

Other fiber options: Kashi anything, bran anything, prunes. And don't forget to hydrate!

Katy said...

oh hydration was already part of my regimen. i'm drinking 80 ounces of liquid each day, minimum. i SHOULD go buy some kashi, darnit.

Anonymous said...

I have a secret suspicion that Kashi made a deal with the devil such that a kitten dies whenever a box of their food rolls off the line, b/c there is no way it can be so authentically good-tasting and yet still contain so many nutrients.

pghrugbyangel said...

Because of some mom & dad health issues, a while back my mom switched from regular pasta to the whole grain Barilla. It didn't taste "right" at first, but I got used to it.

Keep in mind that this is coming from someone who never, if it is possible, strays from her non-healthy total white-bread, bad foods cycle!! (Oh, but I do I LOVE turkey bacon.) Just sayin'

So give some Barilla pasta some love. If I can, so can you! I swear it isn't bad!!

Valtastic said...

I like the ronzoni wheat one... I don't eat any white flour anymore... well in my house... at restaurents it's perfectly acceptable. ;)

Blondie said...

I'll second the liking the whole wheat pasta after a bit. Tim and I gave up the white stuff and got a load of WW spaghetti from costco, so we have way too much to get through. But I like it now. Find some yummy sauces and toppings, no problem!

By the way, will you be in Michigan for U-23s? I'm going with our WI team!

Blondie said...

Also, why can't you eat bananas? Is it a pregnancy thing or a health thing?

PeaceLoveMath said...

Paul found a recipe for homemade pasta using masa corn flour. Could you have that?

Katy said...

bananas are actually a binder-upper. they are part of the BRAT diet, which i learned is a trick to fight the opposite problem in young kiddos. feed them bananas, white rice, apples, and i believe white toast to slow things down back there.