Gluten Free Pregnancy

As my bikini waxer noticed back in May (I know, I know, TMI - but really, her powers of observation are quite impressive - my mom didn't even suspect yet) .. I am pregnant!!! At that point I was "just a little bit pregnant" - about six weeks.  But I did find myself at a little bit of a crossroads - what to do about the gluten??

For anyone just tuning in, I had been strictly g-free since Z-bug was diagnosed with celiac in January.  I have no trouble digesting plain ol' bread but in the interest of solidarity and to walk a mile in her shoes, I have eaten, ordered, and baked exclusively gluten-free.  But having survived the first three months of my previous two pregnancies by relying on saltines I wasn't sure whether to cheat or not cheat (and believe me, I had tried all sorts of organic, whole grain, and 'healthier' alternatives - but nothing seemed to beat the saltine for "morning" sickness). 


There doesn't seem to be any reason that gluten is necessary during pregnancy as long as I'm taking getting enough folic acid, zinc calcium and vitamin D which I am through supplements. And my OB said there was no reason to go on the gluten unless I needed it for my own peace of mind.  Turns out, I didn't ... I made it through the rough patches with Preggie Pop Drops & lots of hot water with lemon, some ginger tea & suckers and to sub for the plain bagels/pasta when I needed bland - baked potatoes.

Now that baby #3 is about six weeks away, I find myself wondering again - what to do about the gluten? This time once baby is ready for food.  So far E-bee doesn't show signs of celiac, but frankly neither did Z until she started complaining about tummy aches at age 4.  At home we're strictly gluten free, but E gets gluten at day care and on the occasional outing without Z.  I've seen the recent studies about timing of gluten exposure during breastfeeding so do I bring some gluten back into the house for #3?  http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2860070/pdf/WJG-16-1939.pdf Thing is, I don't quite buy it since Z-bug was exclusively breast fed until 6 months and though I don't remember the etent of her consumption I know was gnawing on frozen bagels and picking at whole wheat cereals as she learned the whole eating thing. 

Anyway, I will try to be more diligent with the posting - there have been some awesome meals we've discovered over this past year, especially at holiday time ... e.g. Sausage-Risotto stuffed Sugar Pumpkin (below - and don't judge based on looks alone, it's delish); Sweet-potato stuffed Acorn Squash (sprinkled with dried cranberries, courtesy of Z - she was right, they made it even better!); Pumpkin-Swirl Cheesecake with gluten-free gingersnap crust (YUM!) ...