Pregnancy has been nothing like I imagined. I must admit, I used to be scared of pregnancy and there was a long time I thought I never wanted children. I knew far too many stories of the discomforts of pregnancy and the scares of labor. I also thought that having children would change my identity and make me a person I didn't want to be. Although I cannot say for sure what type of mom I will be yet since I have 11 more weeks of pregnancy to go, I can say that it is vitally important to me to continue to follow my own passions, fulfill my own goals, and take part in my own interests after my daughter has entered this world. I feel confident that I will be able to continue to do these things as a mom because I have done so during the first 29 weeks of my pregnancy.
Some misconceptions about pregnancy I used to have were that I would only want to eat junk food, would never want to exercise and would be nauseous all the time. The truth has been basically the complete opposite. Although I crave sugar and salt often, my desire to continue my regular pre-pregnancy diet has been greater than my desire to eat a tub of ice cream and a bowl of french fries...at the same time, which I have not done yet but I still have 11 weeks to go. This is because I know how important what I eat is to the health of my daughter. My nutrition impacts her health in the womb, as well as her health outside the womb. Choosing nutrient-dense foods over energy-dense foods means I setup my child for a lower risk of obesity in her future, which means lower risk of several diseases like diabetes, heart disease and certain cancers.
Weight gain during pregnancy can be a pretty good sign of a mother's nutritional health. I learned in school that there are recommended ranges of weight gain during pregnancy based on a mother's pre-pregnancy weight. The CDC recommends the following:
Pre-pregnancy BMI Recommended weight gain
Underweight (BMI <18.5) 28-40 pounds
Normal weight (BMI 18.5-24.9) 25-35 pounds
Overweight (BMI 25.0-29.9) 15-25 pounds
Obese (BMI >/= 30) 11-20 pounds
Although I normally do not like to rely on BMI much (because BMI does not take things like muscle mass and body type into account), I do think these recommendations are good for a pregnant woman to at least be aware of. In one study from 2013, researchers found that excess motherly weight gain during pregnancy was associated with higher rates of obesity in offspring as adults. Additionally, excess weight gain could lead to larger babies which may result in a more difficult delivery or the need for a cesarean section. On the other hand, NOT gaining enough weight during pregnancy has been associated with babies with lower birth weights and the possibility of subsequent feeding difficulties, increased illness risks, and/or developmental delays. I think it would be good to take this information with a grain of salt. This information does not mean that if you gain more than the recommended amount of weight that your child will definitely be obese as an adult or at risk for diseases. This also does not mean that if you gain less than the recommended amount of weight then your child will definitely have feeding difficulties or developmental disabilities. To me, this information is useful for a pregnant woman to know as a way for her to make health decisions for her and her baby.
I decided from the beginning of my pregnancy that it would be important for me to be aware of how much weight I was gaining. That was a personal choice. Because of what I learned in school I knew that I would feel best and that my daughter would have the lowest risk of various issues if I took the best care of my body and did not gain too much or too little weight. I also knew that taking care of myself meant better labor outcomes and recovery after labor. What does taking care of myself mean? To me, it means choosing nutrient-dense foods like fruits, vegetables, whole grains, lean protein, and unsaturated fats more often than not, continuing to be physically active, keeping my stress level low, and getting 8 hours of sleep or more per night.
I realize that what has worked for me may not work for all pregnant women. As I said in the beginning, pregnancy has been nothing like what I thought it would. It has been so much better and, honestly, most of the time I forget I even am pregnant. I have felt pretty much like my normal self over the last 29 weeks, with a few changes. Sure, I groan when I bend over, sit down, or get out of bed. Yeah, I get strange aches in my ligaments and bones sometimes. Of course, my belly is protruding and my clothes don't fit like they used to. However, these are all minor changes to me. I expected to be unable to do many of the things I did before I was pregnant and to only fit into maternity clothes, but neither are true. I still run 6 days per week, albeit at a much slower pace. I still hike, walk my dog, cook dinner, clean my apartment, and go to work. I also still sleep on the same schedule (thank you, body pillow). I'm also sure to take time for myself and talk about my feelings to keep my stress level low. Lately, I've started voicing my fears about labor to my husband and it has been really helpful in keeping me calm and excited about labor instead of scared of it.
You may be reading this and thinking "yeah, so what? I had the same pregnancy experience". Or, maybe you are reading this and thinking "oh, maybe pregnancy won't be so bad" or "gosh, my pregnancy was so much worse". I wanted to write about my health during my pregnancy because it has had a huge impact on how these 7 months so far have turned out. I firmly believe that I have felt so good and so normal because of my level of health, and I attribute this to my nutrition, physical activity, sleep, and emotional well-being. I also believe that because of these factors I will (hopefully) have an easier labor and quicker recovery. At least, that is what I am shooting for.
Here I am on top of a mountain I climbed at 20 weeks pregnant!
-Brittany
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