So a little over a week ago I went in to get my 12 week check-up with my OB/GYN. In addition to the fun stuff (getting an ultrasound), I had to go through some not-so-fun tests. I had to do a glucose test, which involved drinking a little bottle of horrible tasting sugar water and then getting blood drawn an hour later. While they were drawing blood for the glucose test, they went ahead and drew blood for a bunch of other tests. As someone who really, REALLY hates needles, this was not pleasant.
A few days later, I got a phone call with my results. Almost everything looked normal, except for two things. First, my MMR vaccine that I had gotten as a child has partially worn off and I am now vulnerable to getting rubella. This is a little scary, as I am a person who usually keeps up to date with her vaccines and I was totally not expecting this. But it really isn't that big of a deal. I just have to avoid catching the disease until after I give birth, and I will get a booster in the hospital. Secondly, there was a trace of bacteria in my urine that looked like it could turn into a UTI, and I was prescribed a mild antibiotic (Amoxicillin). I was also advised to avoid dairy as much as possible while on the antibiotic.
To be honest, when I got the phone call I was way more worried about the vaccination wearing off than having to take an antibiotic. How hard could it be to go dairy free? I know plenty of people who are vegans, and they seem to like their diet (but no way am I eating tofu or soy, blech). The only concern I had was alternate sources of calcium, because pregnant women really need a lot of calcium. We went to the grocery store and stocked up on cranberry juice (fortified with calcium, of course) and some orange juice that was calcium fortified as well. What I didn't realize is how much dairy I normally consume in a given day.
I almost always start the day with a bowl of cereal. I don't even eat the sugary stuff, I tend to stick to Crispix or Cheerios. Since I got pregnant, I've been trying to add a little healthiness to my breakfast, so I will put some blueberries on top, which is delicious. I cannot abide to eat a whole bowl of cereal dry or with any other fluid than milk, so that was out. My alternate breakfast for the days we run out of milk is usually a bagel with cream cheese. I sometimes snack on a cup of yogurt, which I can no longer do. I love to put cheese on my sandwiches, but I've had to stick to the peanut butter and jelly variety.
It is amazing how many of my dinner recipes use dairy. I thought "Oh, I'll make spaghetti." What kind of sauce do we have in the house? Three cheese. You say broccoli is an excellent source of calcium? Excellent, I'll make my ham and broccoli casserole! Oh wait, I won't because it uses CREAM of broccoli soup and cheddar CHEESE. No ordering pizza, no ice cream, no glass of milk, nothing. I have been able to find recipes that don't use dairy, so we aren't starving or anything. I have just been having ridiculous dairy cravings all week.
I never realized how much dairy I actually consume. I miss it, and I can't wait to be allowed to eat it again in a few more days. Calcium-fortified orange juice tastes awful.
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