Well it seems even trainers make mistakes and end up in the hospital! Luckily this was just a short visit to get my contractions under control, but it was a lesson learned by me.

It must have started Tuesday morning when I was running late getting out the door and only grabbed a protein shake for breakfast and a protein bar for snack later that morning. Lunch was make shift (I hadn’t got the chance to get to the store) I had eggs, chorizo, tomatoes and cheese. Afternoon snack (worst pick of all) a few dark chocolate chips. Finally, dinner was pot roast, carrots and kale chips. Overall this may seem like a good day of food, but when you look a little closer the calories and nutrient content are on the low side.

Thus the problem began, at 7pm I began having contractions, which is typical for me. Normally I just make sure to relax, drink some extra water and they fade away. An hour into contractions, 36 ounces of water down and they were only picking up pace. By 9:00pm I called the doctor, who recommended I take a trip to my labor and delivery ward. Not fun when you have a 21 month old just barely in bed, tired husband and lets be honest no one likes to go to the hospital.

I am glad we went in as my contractions began to be almost two minutes apart, not painful, but uncomfortable for the bladder by all means. After running several test I received the lovely terbutaline shot (Nurse warned me it burned and holy crap did it!). Contractions slowed and we were set to be released. The end results determined that I was well hydrated, but I had ketones in my urine. This means that my body was utilizing fat stores rather than carbohydrates and that I was in a calorie deficit. You can compare this to a body builder right before they have a show. This could have been the reason my body was contracting when it wasn’t needing to. Turns out my glucose test also determined my blood sugar levels are low, meaning my body readily utilizes carbohydrates! Typically, a fasting glucose level should be between 86-120, but mine was well below at 68.

This isn’t a terrible thing, but it does mean I need to consume a higher number of calories to keep my body happy and that I need to ensure I am balancing my meals efficiently with protein and complex carbohydrates. Several weeks ago I noticed that I was having trouble with spinning and nausea, which I also attributed to food intake. At that point I found eating simple carbs (sugars, breads, etc.) would cause me to drop in blood sugar and become dizzy. Now I have also come to realize I need more calories during the day. This may seem like a no brainer, but the struggle is most times I don’t feel hungry in between meals. Therefore, I have started eating meals/snacks (regardless of being hungry) every 2-3 hours to ensure my blood sugar will remain stable and not drop too quickly. It has taken two days to feel like my blood sugar is at a sustainable level and to get my energy back. Obviously, no workouts for the time being, but I am hoping to get back to it this weekend.

Moral of this story is – life can take over and especially as mom’s we forget to take care of ourselves (ex: not eat enough), but when you are pregnant you need to ensure you are taking care of yourself for your babies shake. Luckily everything looked great with our little girl, but now it is time I focus on food!