I am addicted to all things sweet. I can pretty much eat any crap if there is a pinch of sugar in it. And the best part? I am not the one to be gaining weight with the amount of sugar I eat. No sir!
In fact I look like I could use sugar to gain some body mass. This is one of the blessings I got from my Mom. She was thin as a pencil in spite of having two kids. Her body remained contained in the small frame forever. People used to marvel at her lithe figure just as they marvelled at her daughter years later. People who see me eating chocolates, desserts and donuts wonder away as to how I manage to hide all that sugar in my body so perfect! They gawk at me when I tell them that I like my coffee triple triple with cream and sugar. And I have taken my coffee this way from the time I discovered Tim Hortons.
Needless to say, I felt invincible at what I could do. I mean look at the freedom of eating I enjoy? I can eat ice cream, chocolates, coffee dumped with sugar cubes, donuts, cookies, and what ever the hell I want without ever worrying about my health or figure ( not that I would care even if my habit threatened my figure but that is beside the point). I felt lucky. I realized it as a blessing to be able to indulge in something I love umm…excuse me, in this case treat my body with sweets whenever.
Alas, pregnancy put a full stop ( or tried to put full stop) to my sugar love. I was strictly forbidden from going anywhere near desserts or anything sweet due to gestational diabetes. I was on insulin and was instructed to check my blood three times a day. Not fun at all!
I felt discouraged and sad. Why oh why I am denied of simple pleasures of life at this trying time? Pregnancy is the time to keep happy. You need to satisfy your cravings. You have the freedom to go after the food you love. Right? Of course you cannot jeopardize your baby’s health. I mean, yeah I see the point.
So I was beyond thankful when I got cleared for insulin shots. I got to stock them up at home and use it when the sugar levels hiked. In a way, it worked. See, the point was to control the blood sugar level. Mine was over the roof anyway. Regardless I eat the sugar or not. So, why not eat some sugar for god’s sake and shoot the blood sugar down with my insulin ninja??!! This plan worked like a charm for 9 months. Next to my baby, insulin was the best thing that ever happened to me in pregnancy. Of course I told my dietitian that I am not going anywhere near sweet stuff. I think she believed me. Then I turned around and hunted down all the desserts I could get my hands own. I chugged them all down like there is no tomorrow.
It was just not the desserts that were taboo to my pregnant self. I couldn’t eat carbs ( good bye to bread, my favorite rice) as well. Initially, this was a shocking piece of news to hear. But with the advent of insulin, things changed and I was handling it smoothly in no time. Score one for me!
You may think that I acted reckless or I didn’t care about my baby’s health. How can she eat things that are forbidden and harm the baby in the process? If only I could make you understand the force of a pregnant woman’s cravings…
Well, turns out I was on track with handling diabetes issues. I was told this on my weekly appointments. My blood sugar was in control and I was gaining weight on schedule. Baby was in perfect health as long as I keep doing what I am doing. Oh yes, they didn’t have any idea that I was cramming up sugar when they’re not looking. They knew that I was running out of my insulin stock pretty fast, that was it. If my Doctor ever put two and two together in one of those appointments, I would have been in deep shit. Thankfully, it didn’t happen and I sailed through.
I must confess, at times I felt like a con man(or a very pregnant con woman) coning my Doctor and husband and whoever makes my pregnancy their business. But you see, it was for the best.
I needed the sanity for my own good. Sugar was the answer occasionally. And they said I should keep myself happy for the baby. Again, sugar had the solution.
So, yeah! It was for the best!
Why a post on pregnancy all of a sudden, you may think. Well, dare I say this is an excerpt from a book I am working on?! Yup. I have been writing for a few years now and I may continue to do so few more years. There is no end in sight…Writers block is my nemesis. Thought this morning, may be posting this excerpt may magically bring my Muse back. We shall wait and see. Mean while, please enjoy this glimpse from my past which will appear on a book in near future (here is to hoping). Thanks for reading friends!
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