Craving of the month : Chocolate coffee Cake

Every Sunday for the past month, I've bee making chocolate Coffee Cake. The recipe was given to me by a colleague. It took 3 trials to get a eatable cake but perseverance paid and this time it turned out good. From dough to half baked cake to a eatable one, it has seen it all. I'm satisfied this time. Every time, I make one, I have been having it all. So you can imagine what it has done to my weight!

I'm pregnant : What precautions should I take?

These are some of the precautions that I was advised to take by the Doctor and older memmbers in the family:

1. Do not lift weights. Almost everyday through teh first trimester I heard this advise from one and all. Lifting weights is known to cause bleeding or miscarriage. Women in India have a habit of lifting a bucket of water or a cooker full of rice and vegetables. It is good if these are avoided. Plan your day such that some member in the family can help you with your daily chores if you don't have a domestic maid.


2. I had this bad habit of gobbling tablets - self medication for everything without the advise of the doctor - be it fever, headache, dysentery or whatsoever. Getting rid of this habit was the most toughest one. DO NOT consume any tablets even as minor as paracetamol without the advise of your doctor. Anything that you eat has an effect on the foetus.


3. I was prone to indigestion and heartburn right from the begining. Hence, the doctor advised me to avoid eating out as much as I can. Ofcourse there were times when I gave into my temptation such as today ..the reaction was immediate. I ended up puking within 15 mins of consuming Gulab Jamun and Samosa. Fried foods from the outside are best avoided as are green salads. You can never be sure if they are washed and cooked well.


4. Do not stay hungry. My doctor said it is usual to lose weight in the first trimester and need not be a matter of concern. All she advised was to eat whatever I liked even after vomitting and not to stay hungry.

Week 6: Travel Restrictions

I was all slated to travel to Calcutta on official work for a work. I had to call in at work and cancel the trip on the Doctor's advise. It is generally advisable not to travel in the first trimester. The reason I'm told is travel - whatever be the means - by road or air causes exertion. The chances of a miscarriage are the highest in the first trimester due to which travel is not advised. Moreover, the first trimester also brings with it nausea, mood swings, depression etc which varies from woman to woman and can be best coped with at home.

Pregnancy Test - one line or 2 lines?

A lot of pregnancy tests are available in the market these days which are simple and can be done at home before meeting a doctor. Doctors generally recommend a urine test to confirm pregnancy but that can be the second step in your confirmation process. If you have missed your period by a week or 10 days that usually happens like clockwork every month, then it is time to do a pregnancy test. For couples who have been 'trying' earnestly, nothing brings more happiness than seeing 2 faint lines which indicates it is positive and you are pregnant.

One line indicates the test is negative. Physicians generally recommend that the test be done the first thing in thee morning before eating anything. However, there might be variants to this, I'm not sure. The lines are very faint until 45 days. The number of weeks of your pregnancy is calculated from the first day of your last period. For instance, if your last period fell on Jan 2nd, and today is Feb 20th, then you are 7 weeks pregnant.

Week 5 : Tiredness

I had no hints whatsoever that I was pregnant. On a vacation to Bahrain, we walked over 2 miles and I got so exhuasted that I did not budge out of home the next few days. I was exceptionally quiet, perhaps the first signs of mood swings had started to appear by then...