Page 62 of The Village Midwife
‘I don’t know.’
‘How about something like guacamole? Or salsa? Do you like things like that?’
Maisie nodded. ‘I have those sometimes when we go to Nando’s.’
‘Eat things like that then, as long as you can get them fresh. It’s as good as plain veg.’
‘Fresh?’
‘Can you make them from scratch?’
‘I don’t think so. I don’t know how.’
‘I could give you some recipes.’
‘I don’t know if Mum would buy the stuff.’
‘But you could.’ Zoe went to get her stethoscope. ‘It’s not hard. It’ll be good practice for if you decide to make your own baby food too. Do you cook at all?’
‘I can do pizza. And chips and burgers and nuggets.’
‘I suppose those are the things your mum buys in?’
Maisie nodded. ‘Shouldn’t I eat them? I know I was told about eggs, but…’
‘In moderation those things are fine. But if you’re finding you’re hungry a lot more often, it might help to eat things that are a bit more nutritious. Doing that will mean you keep your weight healthy without going hungry. Do you see?’
‘So what should I tell Mum to buy?’
‘I’m not going to tell you how to do your shopping – that’s up to you and your mum.’
‘But what should I eat so I don’t get fat?’
‘Maisie…’ Zoe folded the stethoscope back into its case. ‘You’re pregnant. Your body is going to change no matter whatyou do, and that’s all right – that’s part of nature’s way. Your mum will know this because hers will have changed when she had you.’
‘She always says it’s my fault she lost her figure.’
‘I wouldn’t go that far, but some women do find it hard to get back to their old shape. And then some women snap back as if they never had a baby in the first place. But whether you can see them or not, there will be changes. You’ve got to accept that because trying to fight it will drive you mad.’
‘Mum says I’ll be sorry if I let myself go.’
Zoe tried not to show her disapproval. ‘Sit up; we’re all done. Everything is absolutely fine as far as I can see. Hang on…’ She went to her filing cabinet and took out some pamphlets. ‘These have lots of advice around eating and some easy things for you to cook. No matter what your mum says, you need to feed your baby well, and you can only do that if you’re eating well. So eat what and when your body tells you to and you won’t go far wrong. However…I would try to lay off the ultra-processed food a bit. I know it’s hard if that’s what comes in with the shopping, but perhaps you might want to go out and do a bit of shopping of your own, just for you, if you can manage it.’
‘I don’t know if Mum will like that.’ Maisie looked at the pamphlets and then back at Zoe. ‘Thanks. So if I eat these things, I won’t get fat?’
Zoe gave a taut smile. ‘You won’t getunhealthy. Getting a little fat while you’re pregnant isn’t a bad thing. You really shouldn’t worry about it. If you eat well, you’ll lose any weight you gain when the baby is born.’
‘OK.’ Maisie got off the treatment table and pushed her feet back into trainers she hadn’t undone. ‘I’ll tell Mum what you said.’
Zoe wondered whether what she’d said would reach Maisie’s mum exactly how she’d said it, or how much would be lost intranslation. And Maisie was quite old enough to make her own decisions about her pregnancy. At times like these, Zoe wished she could have a quiet word with mums and nanas and aunts and all the other women who were queuing up to give outdated or unhelpful advice and tell them to butt out. In fact, it was becoming a regular little fantasy, one that she’d sadly never be able to indulge.
‘You’re happy now?’ Zoe asked. ‘Nothing else is worrying you?’
‘I don’t think so.’
‘You know where I am if you think of anything you want to ask.’
She saw Maisie out and straightened up before calling the last appointment of the day through.
