#ilovebeingpregnant

#ilovebeingpregnant is my hashtag for today – I jokingly say this when I am tired, cranky, moody and just want to go home and curl up in the foetal position, eat something with cheese in it and watch trashy tv,  I am loving being pregnant nonetheless just having a loooong day/week. 

I have joined a couple Facebook pregnancy forums and they are fantastic for asking those questions that you don’t want to trouble your partner or others with and everyone has a good chat, says their opinions and you all don’t care as you are all fat, hormonal and in the same boat.  Bizarre club to be in, but loving it all the same. 

The one main thing I have noticed creeps into the discussions all the time is weight gain & weight loss in pregnancy (oh I havent gained anything this pregnancy and am so happy etc).  I thought since we are growing another human inside us “most” of us wouldn’t be too worried about the weight gain, especially for those who are having second or third children, but there is still that bloody stigma attached to “how much weight” is being gained in the pregnancy and when baby is born time to drop the “baby weight”.    I feel this is a very unhealthy state of mind, so much attached to getting back to your perfect body after baby - you have just grown a full size person in there.... what do you expect?

There is definitely a healthy weight gain in pregnancy and unhealthy range for sure – but I feel some are trying to drop weight whilst they are pregnant which is just dumbfounding me.  Unless you are cranking it on the scales, risking gestational diabetes etcand eating like nothing else, than let your body just do its thing.  There is eating well when pregnant but also just eating what gets you through the days sometimes is OK! 

I understand that your body is now not entirely your own to do as you please – I get that and some ladies feel like they aren't ready to make the changes with eating and exercising etc! My body  has changed so much it is amazing, I am in awe of the way my boobs have gone from a small C to nearly a DD and how my hips and waist have totally expanded to grow our little girl.  I still feel so blessed to be carrying our child and I really am not thinking too much about the weight gain side of things or making sure I eat super “clean” all the time.  When you are feeling nauseous trust me the last thing you want is broccoli or something healthy, you want toast and you want it NOW!!  Salty chips from McDonald’s for about five weeks I needed at least twice a week to keep my afternoon sickness at bay. 

I have for the first time in my life EVER reached triple digits on the scales and am not an obsessed diet/exercise mess.  I am probably the calmest ever about my weight.  I feel (majority of the time) healthy and happy, despite some aches and pains that are associated with growing a mini me, I am feeling content being 101.5kgs. I am very happy with the 6kgs I have put on in 24 weeks, baby is right on target growth wise.

 I don’t know if it is the fact that I put on most of the weight last year after suffering three miscarriages and my body went through something I would never wish upon anyone, hormones and depression, this led me to go from a healthy 78-81kgs to 94kgs when I got pregnant this time is the reason why I am not letting myself get too obsessed with crazy diets.  I was tired, lethargic and couldn’t imagine going to the gym after my third loss and majority of that was the depression and feeling so empty and lost. I was in a dark place and just wanted to hide away from the world.  Having a few months off not trying was great, I got back into swimming, walking and yoga and then Easter weekend fell pregnant with our little #jonesjnr.  I was probably the strongest mentally I have been in a very, very long time. Obsessing about weight is time consuming and draining.  I had come to terms with the fact I was heavier than I had been and that is ok.

I will say I admire those who have the energy to keep going to the gym and training throughout their pregnancy as I have definitely relaxed in that department and I do wish that I could have gotten to a lighter weight before getting pregnant again, but here we are. I love my bump. I love that my body can grow a person and just as I thought I would, am enjoying being pregnant. 

The posts on the Facebook group made me realise just how content I am.  My eating habits have changed so much and I don’t have to stress or think about what I am eating, I am just enjoying eating a range of foods and exercising daily.  Some days I walk for over an hour, I have gotten back into doing yoga a couple times a week and LOVING the swimming pool.   

 I look forward to continuing this healthy journey through the rest of my pregnancy and into motherhood.