Surrogacy Blog

Five Pregnancy Cravings and How to Safely Deal With Them

Five Pregnancy Cravings and How to Safely Deal With Them

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Many surrogate mothers have experienced cravings during pregnancy for foods that they couldn’t have cared less about before. Some of these cravings are healthy for you and good for the baby, but not all of them – sometimes they can be actively dangerous.

To deal with the cravings, you need to remember to choose healthy options that resemble any unhealthy food you might be craving – you need to integrate some of those cravings for salty, sweet, sour and spicy foods into a nutritionally-balanced diet.

Here are some suggestions for healthier alternatives to commonly-craved food.

1. When you want ice-cream, go instead for non-fat frozen yogurt. This meets your calcium needs while containing far fewer calories.

2. Instead of chocolate, try drizzling some non-fat chocolate syrup onto fresh fruits.

3. Instead of candy, take dried fruits like apricots, or fresh tropical fruit such as mangoes or pineapple.

4. Instead of salty snacks, opt for popcorn sprinkled with herb blends. Sesame breadsticks with spicy mustard dip are also a good substitute.

5. When you’re craving something sour, try squeezing some lemon on your fish, or into a salad. This ensures regular but moderated intake without empty calories. Sugary lemonade can also help meet this need.

Occasionally, pregnant women crave non-food items such as paper, laundry starch and chalk. This is known as ‘pica eating’, and these desires are always best to resist – they can be harmful to you and your baby’s health.

Do your best to keep these pica cravings out of your mind – reward yourself with other treats for resisting them, possibly even unhealthier treats like chocolate.

Occasionally, these cravings can be a sign of other problems – if they persist and become bothersome, see your doctor.

Remember, food cravings are normal during pregnancy. It’s entirely possible to satisfy them while still providing your baby with the nutrients they need to grow. But don’t give in too much to your desire for high-calorie foods – they may translate into excessive weight gain, which in turn increases the risk of gestational diabetes and unhealthy blood pressure.

Instead, make sure your diet is balanced – it should include lean sources of protein, reduced-fat dairy foods, whole grains, fruit, vegetables and legumes. If your diet is generally good, a little bit of unhealthy food won’t crowd out the nutrition you and your baby need.

Keep these simple substitution tips in mind, and you can be sure that your surrogate baby will get all the nutrients it needs to properly develop.

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Food Cravings During Pregnancy Explained

Food Cravings During Pregnancy Explained

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While food cravings are a well-known symptom of pregnancy, surrogate and otherwise, it’s still not quite understood what causes them. Some experts believe they’re meant to indicate nutritional deficiencies in a woman’s diet, while others believe that the types of food being craved are indicative of the baby’s gender.

In a recent survey, 80% of pregnant women said they’d experienced food cravings. 40% of them craved something sweet, 33% wanted salty foods, 17% craved spicy foods, and 10% craved sour and citrus fruits.

Based on these results, the top ten foods included ice cream, pickles, tomatoes and tomato sauce, lemon, cheese and chocolate. It seems relatively common for women to want animal fats – steak and pork fat, for instance.

Some women want strange combinations – black olives on cheesecake, pickles wrapped in cheese, and eggplant on pizza have all been reported. Exclusively craving a single food is also common – pickled onions, salsa and peaches seem especially popular in that regard.

Following the birth of their baby, many women for some reason experience an aversion to those same craved-for foods.

As stated, experts are divided on the explanation for these cravings – there are several theories. The more popular ones are:

1. Hormonal changes may alter a woman’s senses of taste and smell, making her want food she normally wouldn’t have enjoyed. This theory could also explain why menopausal women often experience food cravings/aversions.

2. They’re a reaction to nutritional deficiencies. For instance, a craving for pickles may indicate low sodium levels in the blood, while a vitamin B deficiency may drive a craving for chocolate. Desire for red meat could indicate a need for protein, while cravings for peaches could be a result of low beta carotene levels.

3. Emotional changes are known to be connected with food intake – a pregnant woman may crave certain foods, consciously or subconsciously, as a response to emotional needs. Often pregnant women want foods that remind them nostalgically of their childhoods, or perhaps their cultural/religious backgrounds, particularly if they haven’t eaten those foods in a while.

Remember that there’s no scientific consensus on this – no data to prove that cravings are related to biological needs, and none to prove that they (generally) are harmful.

But it’s important regardless to watch your diet while pregnant. Find healthy substitutes for the tastes your body is craving, and never deprive yourself of food in general. If problems do arise that prevent you from eating balanced meals and gaining weight as you should, check with your doctor – it may be indicative of something more serious. As a surrogate mother, your intended parents will most definitely appreciate your taking care of yourself.

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Ideal Gifts for Your Surrogate Mother

Ideal Gifts for Your Surrogate Mother

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A successful surrogacy journey is, in itself, a gift for everyone involved. But traditionally, gift-giving is a very common custom – many surrogate mothers and intended parents have the desire anyway to give something to the other. It might be a symbol of their friendship, a memento of the experience, or just a thank-you.

The gifts don’t have to be expensive – after all, it’s the thought that counts. Here are some suggestions.

First meeting gifts

One of the ideal gifts to give to a surrogate mother on the first meeting is something personal and home-made – baked goods, for instance.

Another good gift is something for your surrogate’s children; coloring books or small toys might be a good idea.

The really important rule for gifts at the first meeting is that it should be something thoughtful, as opposed to something expensive – really, an expensive gift is only going to make the surrogate uncomfortable.

During the transfer

This is another good time to gift your surrogate. It’s important to remember that the gift should be symbolic of the embryo transfer, or the future pregnancy. Some ideas might include fertility charms, surrogacy T-shirts, maybe pregnancy test kits bundled with pregnancy-related items.

Another angle to take could be paperback novels, DVDs, or a gift certificate to a local delivery restaurant – something to keep the surrogate mother happily occupied while she’s on bed-rest after the embryo transfer.

During pregnancy

Gifts during pregnancy are often a good idea – regularly, on some occasions, or just once.

This is an area where it’s especially important to consider the surrogate’s own personality and needs – some suggestions might be gift certificates at a local restaurant, gift baskets with bath products, or a certificate for a spa treatment.

At birth

This is the best time to give something to your surrogate mother. The gift doesn’t necessarily have to be expensive – it’s more important to celebrate the occasion.

Sentimental gifts – mementos – are the best kind; ‘name a star’, bonsai trees, perhaps an album as a keepsake. Other gifts might include something for her children,or gift certificates that she could use post-pregnancy.

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What Causes Heartburn In Pregnancy – And How To Avoid It

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One of the most common discomforts associated with pregnancy is acid reflux, or heartburn. Several factors associate this with pregnancy, but they boil down to hormonally-driven bodily changes.

It’s relevant that even women who had never previously suffered from acid reflux, may experience this during pregnancy. The problem usually manifests in pregnancy’s later stages, especially once the fetus has developed into full-term.

The severity does vary between women – some surrogate mothers receive very mild, tolerable and controllable symptoms, while others unfortunately experience much worse bouts. But it may help to understand just why this discomfort occurs.

One of the factors linking heartburn to pregnancy is the hormonal change that happens then – an increase in hormonal levels can drive certain changes in how the body functions.

For instance, the lower esophageal sphincter – LES – may loosen up, causing gastric acid to flow up, or ‘reflux’, into the esophagus. The main function of the LES is to prevent stomach acid from doing this, but it’s loosened by hormonal changes.

Another factor is the simple change that occurs to a woman’s body. As the baby develops and grows, the woman’s belly expands to accommodate its increasing size and the associated increase in amniotic fluid.

This can cause some amount of pressure to the esophagus and stomach, disrupting normal digestive processes and thereby causing acid reflux.

There are several ways to avoid the problem. One is to avoid foods that tend to trigger or aggravate the system – citrus fruits/juices, spicy foods, oily or fried foods, and processed food products especially. It may also be a good idea to cut down on chocolate and caffeine.

Another tip is to eat small but frequent meals throughout the day; this helps to achieve efficient digestion. Light snacks between meals will keep you from experiencing hunger pains – the point is to avoid heavy meals that put pressure on the digestive system and trigger heartburn.

Acid reflux is definitely preventable, if you observe the proper measures. Learn what to do and make changes in your eating habits to control it – and therefore enjoy a healthier and more comfortable surrogate pregnancy.

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Understanding Surrogate Mothers

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For the most part, surrogate mothers aren’t in it for the money. They do expect to be compensated for their considerable time and effort, but it’s not their primary motivation. We’ve found that, generally speaking, the women who make the best surrogates are the ones who are in it more for the emotional rewards.

Understanding Surrogate Mothers

After they’ve delivered, we interview our surrogates. We’ve consistently found that, of the ones who want to repeat the experience, their main motivation is the emotional reward and not the money.

A medically-qualified surrogate must have given birth at least once before, so most of our surrogate mothers have their own children. They report that one of the main reasons they want to be a surrogate is because they enjoy being a parent, love their own children – and wish to help other people achieve the same happiness.

After all, it’s an amazing gift to be able to offer: helping to create a lifelong bond between the intended parents and the baby you’re carrying for them. It’s a selfless act and an extraordinary gift; most of our surrogates find that the negative side-effects of pregnancy are more than completely justified by seeing the joy and happiness in the intended parents’ eyes.

Not that the negative side-effects are such a big deal, to the women who do best as surrogate mothers. They tend to be women who give birth easily with few complications, and feel at their healthiest when pregnant.

To them, helping other couples increases their self-esteem – because they feel they’ve
given that extraordinary gift – while making them feel fantastic.

All things considered, money is the least of what drives our surrogates. It’s a common misconception that they’re doing it for the cash – really, it’s the emotional reward, the desire to help others in their own small way.

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