Prior to getting pregnant I had made some healthy life choices to be in the best shape for a baby. I was exercising at least 5 times a week, eating lots of fruits and veggies and had stopped drinking alcohol unless for a special occasion (like our honeymoon!) I planned on keeping all this up when I got pregnant and I have tried, but probably not as hard as I should. I did not expect the exhaustion that hits you like 5 freight trains one after another and stays for well....12 weeks so far. I sleep in way too late most days and then I am ready for a nap two hours later. I have to take at least one nap a day, even if its only a half hour. Moving to Colorado has been great and for the better but the elevation here is so high it makes it very hard for me to breath. Not to mention its freezing cold, going from the warm climate of New Mexico to the freezing temps of Northern Colorado has made it difficult to feel great when I am on my runs. I was running up to 7 miles before I got pregnant and now I am struggling to get through 3 miles. That brings me to my next point. Eating. Although I have been very lucky and did not experience much sickness I have lost my appetite completely. For the first week after being pregnant I couldn't stop eating, everything and anything sounded good and I was eating every 45 minutes. That has been gone for weeks now and I am struggling every day to get enough calories (clean calories) in each day. Running is great and makes me feel wonderful (when I'm done) but I'm burning 400-600 calories which doesn't help when I am already having a difficult time eating enough. I feel so bad for Brandon, I haven't been making dinners because nothing sounds good or tastes good. The things that sound good are Candy, waffles, taquitos, CRAP CRAP CRAP! This is by far the most frustrating "symptom" so far this pregnancy and I didn't even know it would happen.
I weighed myself a few weeks ago and I had gained 10 pounds, 10 pounds in a few weeks! I instantly started crying. I read online it may be water weight so I drank more water then I have ever drank in my life and weighed myself two days later. I had lost 8 pounds! The things the woman's body does when pregnant is so strange. No one else can gain and lose that much weight in a matter of days. Every woman is different. Some don't gain a pound until well into their second trimester. Some gain all their weight in the first trimester and don't gain again until the third. Others lose weight during their pregnancy! Its all so different and its very emotional on the woman going through it. I had an emotional break down a few mornings ago. Crying to my husband that I am huge and I don't know how quick I'll be able to lose the weight after the baby is here. I am upset because I feel like any weight I gain will be my fault. I am NOT eating as best I should and I am not exercising daily. I am tired and frustrated. I am trying to remember there is no right or wrong to weight gain. At 12 weeks I have now gained 3 pounds and I am ok with that and I am working on accepting the changes my body is going through.
Along with the hormones that make even the smallest things huge, there is all the media that tells you what you should look like pregnant, feel like, and what to eat and NOT eat. As much as I wish I could, I really don't think I will be one of those Fit Pregnancy models that have toothpick thin legs and arms and are all belly. Nope, in fact I am sure my face will gain weight and my legs will get a little bigger, and who knows what will happen to my butt! For some reason though, you NEVER see those pictures on the magazines or online. I get emails daily from various sites I have signed up to, that say "watch what you eat", "Don't eat for two", "Eat this healthy alternative rather then the junk you really want". Yeah I've tried the healthy alternative and you know what, 3 days later I STILL want the junk. I feel like I am constantly googling things to make sure its ok to eat or drink. "No lunchmeat, no coffee, no chai, no herbal teas, no soft cheeses, no hot dogs, no raw fish, nothing that has sat out for two hours, no artificial sweeteners" and the list goes on. I feel like my head is going to explode, I had to ask my husband to try to help me remember what I can't eat so I don't accidentally eat something bad! Then the guilt that comes from having that ONE bite of a hot dog because you forgot and googling it to see what damage you might have done.....I seriously might go crazy!!!
As I head into the second trimester my goal is to be healthier but not focus on the scale so much or what I am "not" doing. I need to focus on the positive choices I am making every day. My body is changing and it is going to gain or lose what it needs for a healthy baby. If I want a starburst I will have one, maybe even a couple but NOT a whole bag. I don't want to treat my pregnancy as a reason to be a human garbage disposal but maybe I need to cut myself a little slack and realize eating clean pregnant is not as easy as I thought it might be.
Thanks for hanging in there on this whiney post!!
Astra hunny, throw that damn scale out the door! It was the best thing I had ever done while pregnant! I too went through the sane exact feelings but soon you will come to a point to accept the changes that are happening and being thankful for them because you are growing a baby!! Try focusing on the end result and try to make the miniscule deatils about a number on the scale, what to eat and what not to eat just tha, miniscule! I gained 35 lbs while pregnant from my Sz 3 120 lbs and guess what, 20 months later I still have 10 lbs of preggo weight hanging around but it does not bother me like it used too. It is a small detail I carry around with pride knowing my body changed because I grew this tiny little monster for 9 long months! Cut yourself some slack, leave the weighing to your doc, and focus on that tiny little miracle in your tummy. If you crave cake, have some!! :)
ReplyDeleteThank you!!! This is so sweet and inspiring! I know I am going through a phase that is probably common and I think once I start showing instead of feeling like I just ate too much last night I will feel much better. But you are right, there is no sense in making minuscule things huge! Thank you!!! :)
ReplyDeleteI know this might sound odd to you because you are such a runner but yoga helped me feel better with my last one. You know I've never had a smokin' hot body (I mean you remember what I looked like before and after pregnancy) but seriously yoga is really helpful for preparing your body for birth and it's relaxing and very peaceful. I do not think that I would have been as healthy and my body would not have been as prepared for the second baby without it. Don't stress yourself out. Find ways to relax that make you feel good. The more YOU relax the better your body grows that baby in a relaxed environment. Gosh I would love to talk to you about the differences I experienced with my pregnancies and see if anything I have to offer as advice might help you. EVERYONE is different with pregnancies. You are doing wonderfully Astra!
ReplyDeleteThanks Sarah!!! I've actually been wanting to get into yoga, I got a couple dvds to do at home but just cant really seem to get into them. I really want to join a gym for classes but its so expensive moving around so much. I should just try the dvds again. You are so right, I just need to relax!!
ReplyDeleteYou poor thing! Get rid of the scale all together! You don't need to worry about weight, baby or no baby.
ReplyDeleteYou body is craving junk because it wants the fat/carbs which is our bodies favorite source of energy. Try fattening up your healthy foods. Like a full dressing on your salad/veggies or a cream cheese dip on your fruit.
Part of the reason why they say no lunch meat, hot dogs, soft cheeses is that they run a higher risk of being contaminated with diseases like e. coli and salmonella.
Have you checked out www.eatright.org?
Thank you Miranda, that is a good idea to just try to fatten up what I am already eating. I am liking salads right now so maybe I'll try some different dressings. I haven't checked out eatrigh.org but I will now, thank you, I appreciate it!
DeleteHello beautiful! Ok, so ill start with this....if you have any questions or concerns and want to text me or call me anytime just for a prego friend chat, id love to help! 208 310 2003. A lot of your weight gain now and in the next few months is water(which you will fluctuate bc of the hcg hormone and estrogen your body started producing) also you will eventually be producing 30-40%more blood flow, and a growing uterus! So just remember this nomal and so necessary to make your first baby:) I gained 35 lbs with my first and after breastfeeding for only a few months (not even exercising) i lost all of my weight. Keep in mind that even after gaining 35lbs out of all of that weight only about 9 lbs is fat. The rest if extra blood, water, baby, placenta, uterus etc. I after 6 months of breastfeeding was skinnier than before i was prego:) so keep that in mind. Breastfeeding burns an estimated 600 calories a day! As for eating, other than medications STOP worrying about it:) you will change dramatically often. Youll get your appetite back and may lose it again but not to worry bc your body is speaking to you. I have gone through the same exact thing with this pregnancy. I eat chocolate or candy pretty regularly, carbs, i even ate a bite of hot dog last night(just want to make sure youre not eating an old hot dog that will make you sick. The same goes for lunch meat) listen to your body, eat what you want and add in veggies and healthy on top of it. It will be ok:) of course dont eat a bag of candy but dont weigh yourself often and just know youre making another human, its ok and beautiful to gain weight. There are few woman in this world that are above 6foot tall who r tooth picks when theyre super prego. Your husband is going to look at your big belly, your subtle body and chunkier cheeks and just marvel in the fact that its such a beautiful experience and prego women are gorgeous!
ReplyDeleteThank you Renee, you have no idea how much this made me feel better coming from you! You and your hubby are the fittest people ever! I hope I am one of those women that lose weight from breast feeding, but if I am not I know I will have the determination to get back into shape! You are so sweet and made me feel so much better, I'll put your number in my phone. My number is 208 660 8534 so you have it as well :)
DeleteI just read this post and wanted to say that the reason you gain weight is because it's healthy for your baby. If you think of it that way it will make it easier to get through the pregnancy. I know I'm not the best example to follow but it is ok to have a candy bar. Nothing is bad if it's in moderation for food. I gained a ton of weight and it happens because everyone's bodies are different and react differently. I didn't keep that weight on though. You are a very active person and you are conscience of what you eat, your weight loss will not be a problem for you after you have the baby. If you think of this your "job" for the next 7 months is to grow the baby and by you having a hot dog every now and then won't effect the baby. He/she will be amazing.
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