I have had two pregnancies – one filled with Gluten indulgences and one Gluten Free. During my first pregnancy my Celiac Disease was still undiagnosed so I was eating everything I wanted. I remember one trip to Chili’s I ordered a side of fries and the chocolate lava cake for my meal! There were also 11pm Dominos pizza runs. There is a reason I gained over 40 pounds during that pregnancy!
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| 36 weeks with twins |
My second pregnancy was with twins and I only gained 31 pounds. I had been Gluten Free for four months when we found out I was pregnant. There were times when it was very hard to be Gluten Free. When a craving for a particular food hits and you don’t have a safe alternative it is very hard to make good decisions. But a safe and healthy Gluten Free pregnancy is possible even without the 11pm pizza runs!
Here are some survival tips:
- Snacks – you will be very hungry so always have at least two Gluten Free snacks on you. I say two because sometimes one of the options won’t sound good to your pregnant stomach at the time. I typically had a GF protein bar and some nuts with me. Protein is good because it is a good filler.
- Be prepared – have a good stock of fast and easy GF food items available. Fill your freezer with store bought GF pizza, bagels, meals, cookies etc. When you are seven months pregnant and hungry at 9pm you don’t want quinoa and kale chips.
- Eating Out – have a list of safe places you can eat at in a pinch. If you are out and hungry you need to know where you can go and get safe food. Wendy’s baked potato and side salad was my go to.
- Junk Food – during my pregnancies I always wanted to eat junk food! Pregnancy is a great excuse to eat whatever you want. Make sure you know of some good, safe recipes for things like onion rings, baked potato skins or mug cake!
- Bring snacks – As soon as I was in the recovery room they wanted me to eat. Even knowing I had Celiac Disease the nurse was about to give me saltine crackers! Luckily my mom had brought some GF protein bars. Once in your room with your baby you will want safe foods that you can snack on.
- Communicate – Get a hold of the manager of the cafeteria and explain your dietary needs. They may have a Gluten Free menu for you to use. But be careful to always make sure they bring you the right food. During my four day stay at the hospital I had at least five Gluten meals brought to me! I cried and yelled twice!
Nice article! I’m pregnant with my 3rd and this is my first GF pregnancy. After my second child was born, my GF intolerance was discovered. I too notice that I’m hungrier more often this time around. But, I’m in my 14th week and only gained 2 pounds. So, I’m counting my blessings. Have you found your children have celiac or did waiting to introduce gluten help?
Something is odd with this story cause I am celiac and I lost babies undiagnosed eating gluten. ?
I’m so sorry for your loss! Thank you for sharing. I know many woman who lost babies in their Gluten – eating days. I pray that you are doing well on your journey now.