Third Trimester
Thirty-two grams of protein at 32 weeks…. let’s do this! I would cry at the end of each day when I had protein left and was so upset at how hard I found it to actually eat protein when I finally could. My dietitian was helpful in giving me suggestions and friends were too. I took this as a time to try foods I wanted to. This included vegetarian pizza’s, a vegetable kebab with real cheese and real cheese and tomato toasties.
Each week the protein would continue to go up, I should be over the moon but because of my never ending nausea, vomiting, the feeling of “no, I shouldn’t eat this” and no appetite, made me feel more frustrated. It was too much and I couldn’t eat all of the food I was supposed to. I needed to rely on high protein foods that gave me a large amount of protein in a small amount of food. My husband got me a freshly cooked fried rice with bacon bits in it when I had 20 grams and no appetite. I tried so hard to eat it but there was a mental block telling me “No, you can’t eat that!”. When all your life you are told one thing, it is hard to change that thought process, especially knowing you’ll be going back to your normal LP diet after the baby is born. My best advice is, if you’ve ever snuck a food and liked it, use this time to eat it. Unfortunately, it is hard after giving birth to return to your normal LP diet (but that’s another blog).
Each week I was closer to the day my baby would arrive and the time came to make a birth plan. Having a sister as a midwife meant I had someone who could help me write down what I wanted. The local hospital was willing for me to have my baby there and follow the advice from my metabolic team and the birth plan I had written with the aid of my sister. Never have a hospital tell you that just because you have PKU you can’t deliver there. PKU does not affect your labour.
Each week I was having phone calls with my dietitian, or doctor if need be, seeing the obstetrician and doing blood tests to keep the baby safe and well. Yes, I still had morning sickness that started to increase again at the end, but I was happy. I was so close to meeting my baby!
These lasts weeks I experienced normal pregnancy issues, Braxton hicks contractions, heartburn and the overwhelming realisation I would need to go through labour. Every step of the way I felt content with my medical team supporting me from Brisbane, my local hospital and my family / friends. It was wonderful to have so many people surround me and listen to my wants and needs during this time.
It took some of the stress of pregnancy away. And, when I did feel like it was too much they helped with whatever they could.
Well, as they always do, baby’s come, either planned or spontaneous. But, that is another story for another blog.
