I have tried not to witter on too much about my pregnancy since posting our news in December . I get that it is not as interesting for anyone else as it is for me. I do dimly remember a time when I didn’t know the terms , nipple confusion or scratch mit. I even dimly remember the taste of wine.
I now have just a few weeks to go til the estimated due date, less than 5% of babies are actually delivered on their due date, so in theory the baby could arrive at any minute, and the builders have a sweepstake going. I have made a cake and put in the freezer to take to the hospital , if One Born Every Minute is to be believed Midwives are cake fiends and I want them on my side.
So far I have loved being pregnant, all the cliches have been true. I have felt all special and glowy. Only recently has the baby begun competing for space with my lunch.
The baby is also due around my birthday, last year on that day I was enjoying the dish shown above Crab with Rice Paper Rolls and Spicy Peanut Dipping Sauce , prepared while Nick watched the World Cup and had not the slightest suspicion we would be having a baby the same time next year.
Nottingham Food Festival 2011 has also been scheduled for the 2 weeks I will probably be held hostage in the house by a newborn. There are some great offers being made by resturants across Nottingham as well as one off events , Johnny Pusztai Sausage Antipasti and Nottingham Brewery Ale Tasting and Atul Kochhar at MemSaab would definitely be on the list.
I will instead be relying on my own private chef and new father Nick, fortunately he is a really good cook and I suspect quite looking forward to some uninterrupted kitchen time. Realistically I think we will end up relying on our ever equipped stock of freezer leftovers and one of my mum’s Emergency Lasagna
Ever a control freak here are a few dishes to inspire Nick, based on my cravings and pregnancy prohibited foods over the last few months and from my June/July archives over the last 5 years
Harira , Harira is the traditional soup of Morocco, often eaten the end of the fast of Ramadan, it features small amounts of meat, rice , lentils chickpeas and plenty of spice. Nick has cooked this for me a lot in the past, it is a real fast beater.
Burgers , for my birthday , two years ago I arrived home to find the BBQ on , a bottle of Cava chilliing in the fridge and dough rising on a bowl and Nick with his hands in a bowl of mince. We ate birthday burgers in the sunshine and got tipsy. I have craved burgers and steak for most of my pregnancy, but have not had them anywhere as rare as I would like
Liver , this is banned during pregnancy apparently you can overdose of Vitamin A. Though I have has the odd sneaky taster, I would really like some BBQ Lambs Liver , it is very fine like fillet steak and should provide me with plenty of iron for breastfeeding
During the first few weeks I suspect vegebox is going to be a lifeline, as well as our tubs of vegetable growing on the terrace. These should prevent us all getting scurvy or given my first few posts overdoing on meat. I can happily munch through huge bowls of salad like this fatoush salad
or spice and crunch this Warm Thai Chicken Salad
Unpasterised cheese. I really want some stinky blue cheese local Stichelton also some Lincolnshire Poacher. In fact I am hoping to stock up at the Artisan Cheese Fair in Melton Mowbray this weekend ( 11th and 12 of June 2011) alternatively if anyone you know is shortly to give birth the lovely Pong Cheese do a New Mums Box of Indulgence delivered right to their door and packed with pregnancy-prohibited cheeses.
Finally Seafood , another sort of not really reccomended during pregnancy . I want fresh seafood of every kind, Crab, Oysters, mussels , everything ceviche. I have veered away from them during pregnancy probably because the only time I have had food poisoning was from seafood.
Anyone got an tips for what they wanted after pregnancy or during labour would be good to know 
Girl Interrupted Eating 
Haha you beat me to it. I was going to write about the the foods to avoid in pregnancy this weekend. I was I dont think I would manage 9 months without pié d’angloys, rare steak and worst of all no seafood!! You are a brave woman. As an NHS employee I think brownies would be a real hit. Good luck with your big day – so exciting!!
Oh poor you, those last couple of months of pregnancy are a real slog. When I was was pregnant with my second child, I literally could not wait to be able to have a cool sip of sauvignon blanc. It seemed like the whole world was toasting something and I was a segregated minority.
I suggest a lovely meal of everything you’ve been missing out on planned for a month after the birth. You should be feeling yourself again after that and able to really appreciate it.
Good luck with the birth, I’m sure you’ll do great!
Oh wow, I know exactly how you feel. I love seafood with all of my being, sushi specifically. When pregnant with my first in 2002 I literally had my husband pick up several cut rolls from my favorite place the day we arrived at home. My son was on formula as I did not have milk yet (phew) and I go it all out of my system. Fortunately with my second pregnancy I had a different OBGYN who allowed me to eat seafood from time to time 🙂
You’ll be back to enjoying all the foods you’ve missed so much before you know it!
Congratulations.
Best of luck on the Big Day!
I’m really intrigued by the New Mummy’s cheese selection as I have some pregnant friends who would definitely appreciate it! It might be a silly question, I’m afraid, but are forbidden things (inc. cheese) OK to eat whilst breastfeeding? Thanks!
Yes you can the risk from the unpasteurised cheese is listeriosis , which is rare but dangerous to unborn foetus . Fine to enjoy once you have given birth apparently . Think its a fab present