It's really difficult to be pregnant.  People that have never been pregnant can try to sympathize, people that have been pregnant can empathize, but unless the person you are talking to is pregnant at EXACTLY THE SAME TIME and has the same heartburn and inability to

sleep, you really don't feel any better.  If you are like me, you might have a strong urge to turn to Mint Chocolate Chip ice cream to make everything better.  If you were wondering, Mint Chocolate Chip ice cream CAN make it better, but only for a little while.  And only if you DON'T gain too much weight or have gestational diabetes.   But denying yourself all the time isn't good for you either.  How do you maintain the balance?

• Start the day out right.  Eat a well balanced breakfast in the morning and you will lower the need to binge on sugar.  I try to make myself two eggs for breakfast every morning because they are an excellent source of protein and high in Omega-3's (currently the craze for getting your antioxidents). 
• Try to eat several small, healthy meals throughout the day.  Focus on getting lots of protein and fiber.  If you spread your meals out during the day, you aren't going to find yourself famished and then more willing to make poor choices. 
• Avoid the salt.  Once you reach about 6 months, your body is going to soak up the sodium and leave you with swollen feet, legs and hands.  For some reason, this is so uncomfortable.  Your body needs salt but it does not need the 700 mg of salt you get in a prepared frozen dinner.  If you are someone that relies on these quick and easy meal options because life is just too frantic to cook, make an effort to find low sodium options.  They may not taste as good but you can avoid those days of having to prop your feet up on your desk at the office to help the swelling go down.  I know this one from personal experience.  My coworkers finally asked me to start making my own food or offered to buy me a healthy lunch so they wouldn't have to look at my elephant ankles resting on the top of my desk.  Drinking lots of water may help this, but with me it didn't even take the edge off.  It wasn't until I stepped away from prepared food altogether that I eliminated the swollen appendages. 
• Any good midwife will tell you that you should give into a craving as long as it is not harmful to you.  A craving for ice cream may mean that your body could use some extra calcium.  Sure you can just drink a glass of fat-free milk instead, but that doesn't sound as appetizing.  If you are concerned about sugar or fat, you can try an ice cream that is lower in carbohydrates or is made with splenda.  You can take an extra long walk around the park to make up for your "bad behavior."  It's also good to remember that sometimes your body just needs a little taste of something decadent.  Just because you have a craving doesn't mean you need to eat the entire container of ice cream.  Make yourself a small bowl and tell yourself that you can have more tomorrow.  Just remember that you may need that ice cream at the very end of your pregnancy (to just get by as you wait and wait and wait for SOMETHING/ANYTHING to happen) so you don't want to waste your poundage on it now.  Having to explain to the nurse at your appointment that you gained 5 pounds in one week is not fun.  Take my word for it. 

For those of you with strong wills, you won't need any of these tips.  But for those of you who MAY HAVE taken advantage of the 2-for-1 special on ice cream this week, these are just some things to keep in mind.