Obsessed with food

I am again, in this pregnancy, struck by how completely obsessed I become with food.

First, during the all-the-time nausea food is all I can think about. "What will be the least likely to make me feel worse? How much should I eat to not get too hungry and cause more nausea? When can I eat again?"

Now, I have moved on to the next stage. I am not nearly so delicate. I can eat a greater variety of foods. (I even managed to politely eat mussels for the first time in my life when served them by a kind host.) But, I am left with a constant feeling of being on the edge of being too full or too hungry. I feel that I need a constant samll stream of food input. Too little, and the queasiness returns; too much and I feel bloated, crampy, uncomfortable.

Now, I am beginning to recall the next stages from previous pregnancies. The heartburn should be here soon. I really didn't experience this the first time, but by number 3, I must have pre-loosened the muscles in my digestive tract, because I was using Tums (to only moderate effect) multilple times a week.
The last stage that I recall was strangely frustrating. Nothing tasted right. Perhaps it was a change in smell or taste. Perhaps it was the looming aura of heartburn or bloatedness. Whatever it was, I could never just sit down and enjoy a meal. I didn't really even like my favorite foods. I was so desperate for the birth by the end, but not for the reasons most women cite. I just wanted to enjoy food again!

But, oh, what a recovery! I still recall my first three glorious post-partum meals - breakfasts at the hospital. Yes, I did just use "glorious" in the same sentence with "hospital breakfast." Like a light switch turned, everything tasted right again, instantly. And, I could eat with gusto (I was famished!) with no discomfort to follow. Nausea? Never heard of it.

And so, my food obsession for the next 6 months will undoubtedly continue, but become more and more forward-focused as I look forward to the certain cure.