om-to-be and Dirt actress Laura Allen talks to The Cradle about cravings, lemon chews, and the challenges of balancing life as a working mom.
The Cradle: How would you describe your pregnancy... both physically and emotionally?
Laura: My first trimester was a breeze, for the most part, physically. Although I had nausea at the thought of making coffee, which made my husband greet me with citrus in the mornings before getting out of bed, my body adapted well to pregnancy initially. Emotionally, however, I tormented myself with “Will I be a good mother? Is this the end of life as I know it? Is this the end of my childhood?” I suffered through some hormonally charged big questions.
By the second trimester, the emotional weight lifted, the bulge began to become apparent, and I started to relish and celebrate pregnancy. My husband, Bruce, bought me a tiny porcelain sculpture of a female figurine with a pregnant belly and she is so gorgeous, full, and womanly, I found a new acceptance of the changes occurring.
Now in the third trimester, fully propped up on body pillows at night and battling heartburn, the reversal is ironic! I am emotionally exuberant, ready to fall in love with this new person in a couple months, and yet my body is no longer under my control. The baby is such a presence in my life now I can’t sleep unless he or she is settled. Sometimes the movement makes me laugh - it is so outrageous to feel something alive inside. But I can also get queasy quickly if it kicks at my bladder or full stomach. With still two months to go, I am far more physically challenged now than ever.
The Cradle: What have been your biggest cravings?
Laura: Oddly, I have cravings that last until I satisfy them, and then they thankfully go away. At first it was citrus to settle the nausea. I grossed out most people when I told them I would wake up at 3 a.m. to eat hummus on raisin toast. Then someone played some Indian music and I couldn’t get through the hour without satisfying an Indian lunch craving. Next it was a doughnut. Luckily once I satisfy an impulse I can then move on to some other odd need. I opened the pizza joint in my neighborhood a few weeks ago, knocking on their glass door in the morning to get their first slices. My cravings are dire and maniacal, and then they subside.
The Cradle: Are there any pregnancy-related products that you’ve loved?
Laura: Mommy’s Bliss products - the Belly Butter [and] the heartburn pills. I love the lemon chews made by Bellybar with folic acid and omega-3 because I have a hard time stomaching a bunch of vitamins and pills.
The Cradle: Tell us about your pregnancy style.
Laura: Oversized sundresses. Wife-beater tanks and drawstring cargo pants. Flip-flops. Nothing beats pregnancy by the beach. Hats and scarves too.
