No wonder ...

I'm visiting my midwife every two weeks now. But last week, in-between the regularly scheduled two-week visits, I had to visit my midwife during the off-week because of some unexpected and sharp pains that just appeared out of nowhere. Everything turned out fine but per usual, I had to be weighed. I'm supposed to be gaining a pound per week now. And since I didn't gain anything last time I was there (only a week before), I fully expected to have gained a good 2 pounds. I stepped on the scale and *gulp* FOUR MORE POUNDS.

Even in pregnancy, I can't condition myself to welcome all that weight. I can accept that I need to gain weight so that the Little Man can be nourished and develop at a healthy pace, but my mind canNOT get around weight gain at such a rapid pace. I've had 37 years of conditioning myself that rapid weight loss or gain is a BAAA-AAAD thing. Naturally, I exclaimed, "FOUR POUNDS in ONE WEEK. That can't be healthy." The nurse really paid no mind, probably accustomed to this response from new mothers, and put me in a room to ponder the meaning of life after news like that.

When midwife Carol joined me, I asked her about this four pounds. She calmly said, "Let me see your ankles." So, I pulled up my pant legs and sure enough, they were cankles. Swollen almost beyond recognition. And she said, "There's your explanation. You're retaining water." I was actually relieved. Swollen ankles don't hurt anyone.

So, I told this story to a co-worker yesterday while we were on our way back from a work trip in Missoula. I was eating my usual afternoon snack about 2 hours after I'd eaten a salad for lunch. It consisted of a fruit bar and a handful of nuts. This co-worker, when I offered her some nuts, said to me, "Now I see why you've gained 4 pounds in one week."

It's no WONDER women can't accept weight gain even in pregnancy ...