We go to 8:30 mass, so yes, we usually don’t eat first. But when I was pregnant, I had to, or I would get sick. I tried to time it 1 hr before mass, but sometimes I had to eat some crackers or something closer to the 1hr before communion time, or else I would have morning sickness. Not good.
We are not obligated to fast before Mass if it would endanger our health. Also, the elderly (I forget the age cut-off) are relived of this obligation altogether, as it can often be deleterious to their health.
So, Teakfrog, you did nothing wrong. In fact, you did exactly the correct thing as your health directly impacted the health of your baby.
We were reminded of this recently by the pastor in our parish during a homily. This was in response to rash of people, usually elderly and diabetic, who were fainting during Mass. EMS was always called, of course. Paramedics would then come in pick up the person during Mass and transport them to the hospital. On 4 consecutive Sundays in at least one Mass, someone passed out. One Sunday two people passed out during two different Masses and another week, 2 people fainted during the same Mass.
Fortunately, none of these people suffered serious or lasting problems. But all of them passed out because their blood sugar was too low. In most cases, all these people needed was a glass of juice before Mass.
If you are healthy and fasting is not a problem for you, you are obligated to fast. However, if you have a medical condition where fasting may cause problems, you are not obligated to fast.
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