Mom says, "Eat Better."

I talked to Mom last night. Every week when I check in with her she makes a point to emphasize that I need to eat well.

“Are you drinking milk?” she asked me for the millionth time.
“No,” I said. “I don’t like milk. I’m eating yogurt instead. And almond milk.”
“Real yogurt, or that fake stuff?”
“Cow milk yogurt! Not soy!”
“Good. How about cheese?”
“Yes, I’m sort of eating cheese.”
“You should get those Laughing Cow cheeses,” she said. “How about almonds and other nuts?”
“Yeah, I’ve been okay with eating nuts.”
“You should eat five almonds every morning, and five every night. That’s what an aunty recommended to a friend of ours who is also pregnant. She did that during her pregnancy, and her kids are so smart and good looking. And remember that grandma recommended eating almonds, too. Have you been eating eggs?”
“No, I really can’t tolerate them…”
“Well... you should work on eating better.”

She's right.  The truth is, I have been struggling with eating.  I'm not good at coming up with tasty, healthy things to eat every two hours.  Before pregnancy, I was content to eat three regular meals on the weekdays - maybe two on the weekends - and call it a day.  During pregnancy, I get hungry every two hours - basically seven to eight times a day.  I have to eat to feel better.  And I can only eat a little bit each time.  While I'm experiencing much less nausea than even a week ago, I find the process of constant, healthy snacking stressful and cumbersome, especially when so many foods are still unappealing. 

For now, my approach is to do my best and not beat myself up or feel bad about myself for not being the kind of uber-healthful pregnant person I thought I'd be.  In my head, I thought I'd be making smarter choices than ever, including lots of greens and veggies, organic and fair-trade everything, a perfect balance of nutrients to feed the growing fetus.  Instead, I'm scraping by on a handful of this and that.  But I appreciate my mom's encouragement.  It helps, if to do nothing more than to prove to her that I can eat better.  Today I went out and bought some almonds.  And for now, I'm going to say that's the best I can do.