A Wholly Male Theory on Morning Sickness – Marci’s Fettuccine Alfredo

When my wife Marci was pregnant many years ago, she had morning sickness; the aliens growing inside her refused to let certain foods go down and caused others to come back up. And then there were items she could not get enough of.

With my son Jacob, she was sick the first and third trimesters, and couldn’t stand the smell of garlic or onions cooking, anything fried, really. She would remove herself to the backyard while I cooked dinner, returning inside when the air had cleared. She couldn’t choke down normal meals that she had eaten and loved before pregnancy. In their place it was eggs; she ate lots and lots of eggs.

The experience with my daughter Ariana was similar in design, but different in the particulars. She was only sick the first trimester, describing the difference as where our daughter “sat” in her belly. While there were many dishes she could not eat, in this case the food that gave her comfort was cream sauce, especially fettuccine alfredo.

Interestingly, to this day, Jacob eats a lot of eggs, and one of Ariana’s favorite foods is fettuccine alfredo.

So why do people get morning sickness when pregnant? A quick internet search indicates physiologically it probably has something to do with fluctuating hormone levels, and maybe it’s related to blood pressure and stress, or the position of the baby. However, the experts don’t seem to be 100 percent certain. But that’s what’s going on in the body. I was curious about why morning sickness would evolve. What evolutionary advantage would morning sickness provide to the survival of individuals – the mom or the baby – and therefore the species? Why would morning sickness as a characteristic be selected? You would think natural selection would act against this trait because, after all, a sick individual is more vulnerable. And what about the reduced nutrition for the developing baby? As I contemplated Marci’s dilemma all those years ago, I came up with a theory, and in typical male-centered fashion, I hypothesized that this issue that affects only women has to do with the father. My hypothesis goes something like this…

When an expecting mother has morning sickness, she often can’t eat, meaning there will be left over food. What’s going to happen to all that food? Who is going to eat it? We all know it’s Dad, of course. If we look back throughout human history, there were so many times of food shortage that we must have it ingrained in our genes to not let anything go to waste. So, Dad took care of it; he stocked up for later. But there’s more. According to my theory, morning sickness is just training; it’s a practice run for when the kid arrives.

Any of you out there who have kids know that they can be picky eaters. In some cases, really picky eaters. Since we as a species know not to let perfectly good food get discarded – our prehistoric ancestors might not have known where their next meal was going to come from – again the father would take care of it. Dad would consume uneaten portions, leftovers, and even scraps right from his kids’ plates, anything the kids didn’t eat. I did it, and if you’re male and had kids, I’m guessing you did too. If the male is full because of cleaning plates, he might not need to eat as much later, leaving more for everyone else in times of scarcity, thus increasing chances of survival for all. Maybe morning sickness was preparation for this inevitable scenario.

Of course, I’m turning an issue that affects only women into something about men. And while my theory is mostly tongue-in-cheek, maybe there are alternative theories for the evolution of morning sickness. Marci suggests, for example, that maybe it was nature’s way of steering the expecting mother away from foods that might be harmful or unhealthy in some way to the developing fetus, or maybe it is just a side effect of the hormones maintaining the pregnancy. Who knows. But nature does work in mysterious ways.

Marci’s Fettuccine Alfredo

This is the recipe my wife Marci used as a significant portion of her nutrition when she craved cream sauces when pregnant with our daughter, Ariana. And it is the same one Ariana still loves today. When I make Pesto Ravioli in Pesto Parmesan Cream Sauce, I basically use the same recipe, but I add a dollop of pesto for a twist.

Because Marci was pregnant at the time and could not stand strong flavors, it does not include garlic or pepper. But feel free to add a bit of both or either one if you would like.

20 minutes, serves 2 to 3

kosher salt for pasta water

½ lb. fettuccine

2 Tbsp. butter

½ cup half and half (or cream)

¼ cup pasta water, or more if needed

½ cup grated Parmesan cheese, plus more for garnish

chopped parsley for garnish, optional

1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and cook fettuccine according to package directions.
2. While pasta is cooking, heat butter in a large, heavy skillet over medium heat. As it melts add half and half or cream. Bring to just simmering and lower heat to maintain a light bubbling. Stir in pasta water to allow the starch from the fettuccine to slightly thicken sauce.
3. Add Parmesan cheese and stir so it melts into a creamy sauce making sure not to heat it too vigorously.
4. When pasta is just al dente, scoop it directly from the pot allowing most of the water to drip off and stir into skillet so it is completely covered with sauce.
5. Divide among two plates and top with more Parmesan cheese and parsley if desired.

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