“The best is yet to come”
Earlier this week I had a meltdown. It was one I hadn’t yet experienced. It was also one related to something major in my life I hadn’t yet blogged about and made me realize how much writing helps me as much as I like to write to help others.
The big news I haven’t yet officially shared here? I’m pregnant. Happy and exciting news for sure!
I’ve had my reservations to share for two main reasons. One, like many moms-to-be, I was a little nervous about announcing something that could end abruptly – miscarriages happen. Second, like all first-time moms-to-be, I’m going through a whole bunch of new stuff. Both my body and I aren’t quite sure what’s going on with us, nor do we know what to expect, what’s “right” to do, or how to handle it. How do I blog about something I know virtually nothing about?
Take the above-mentioned meltdown. Five months into pregnancy, for the first time I had the harsh realization that I’m getting bigger – I mean, my belly has been growing but that wasn’t a big deal. As someone who’s always carried weight in my belly, I was embracing the concept of not sucking in or standing up perfectly straight to avoid gut bumps under my clothes.
It sure is
No, this was the realization that everything is getting bigger. Tops and pants are getting tighter in areas other than the belly, even my baggy and stretchy workout clothes aren’t fitting comfortably any more. My emotions got the best of me and I was awful. A couple good workouts and conversations with my mom girlfriends, and some new, bigger clothes later I’m feeling better.
But I also decided, why avoid this topic on the blog? It has been a huge part of my life the past five months and the transition to being a fit mom will be something I work on every day after p-nut (what I’m calling Baby P) is born.
Don’t expect this to turn into a mommy blog; it’s not going to. But here and there, I’ll be tossing in a little something that ties pregnancy in with fitness and wellness.
Not to focus only on this rough patch, there have also been some pretty great moments.
I ran a full marathon, three half marathons, and dozens of training miles while pregnant – most of them in the hot summer months. As any mom-to-be knows, those first few months of pregnancy are exhausting. And not only are you lacking energy, it’s tough to eat well (runners cannot live on saltines and soup alone) so I’m pretty proud of those accomplishments. And how cool to tell my future child he/she got to run Chicago Marathon with mom.
I’ve also managed to get back into lifting these past two months. After Chicago Marathon, I had more time in my workout schedule and finally started to get my energy back.
I’ve also had those cool moments of feeling p-nut move for the first time, hear his/her heartbeat at doctor visits, and received the fantastic news that everything looked good and strong at the midway ultrasound.
I know being an awesome mom as well as a fit and well one isn’t going to be easy. In fact, it’s probably going to be incredibly hard, exhausting, frustrating, all of it. But if everything I’ve heard is correct, it will be worth it.
Fit moms, any advice for good workouts these last few months of pregnancy? How about getting back into the swing once baby arrives? Comment on this post or tweet me, @LindsayIRL.