Listening to your Instincts

One thing you quickly notice when reading books about pregnancy is that they all have lists of things you should and shouldn't do. You must do this! You should never do that! I guess there are some people who need this--after all, we live in a society where even the cup holders in your car comes with warning labels. We also live in a society where self-reliance and intuition are seen as less valid than expert opinions and commercial messages promoting reliance on corporate products. I'm sure there are tons of people out there who need the reassurance of being told what to do during pregnancy.

An intriguing question then, is how much do you think your natural instincts tell you about how to take care of yourself and how to properly care for and nourish your developing baby?

This idea intrigues me because I've always been one to follow my instincts when it comes to caring for myself in general. (This is no doubt due to the deep-seated mistrust that I bear for the medical establishment). I tend to feel that if you know how to pay attention to what your body is telling you in other areas of life (what is safe and healthy for you), this should also hold true for pregnancy. Or maybe it's just because I tend to loathe being asked to follow long lists of rules...

When it comes to pregnancy, I appreciate hearing about other people's experiences and ideas, but when it comes down to it, I tend to rely on and trust my own intuition. After all, pregnancy is a highly individualized experience, but one that women are for the most part biologically equipped to do.

For instance, I had some definite instincts about what I've been drawn to or averse to during the course of pregnancy.

There was the feeling of immediate repulsion to sweets, caffeine, alcohol, and the like, and an almost instant craving for fruit, fruit and more fruit.

During the first trimester, I didn't beat myself up if I wasn't particularly hungry one day. I would just make up for it on another day. If I didn't do such a good job of hitting all those nutritional goals on day, I'd try to choose better foods the next. Pretty much from day one, I haven't had the slightest interest in junk food, sweets, alcohol, or fried foods.

I keep hearing about how you should avoid fish, but that's a tough one because I'm craving it. I try to stick with the types that are supposed to be lowest in mercury, but there's no way I'm avoiding sushi for the remainder of my pregnancy, no way, no how.