Pregnancy: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly

Since I view my blog as an outlet, sometimes I want to vent and writing things down proves to be very therapeutic for me.  Today is one of those days.  I am going to share my thoughts on pregnancy...for me.  
Pregnancy freaking sucks!  Whoever said they enjoy being pregnant, I need your secret.  I am having a really hard time accepting I'm pregnant this time around.  I was just feeling like myself again after having the boys and boom!  I feel sick and tired every day, and I'm damn tired of it!  I've been eating tons of carbs to settle my stomach, so I've already put on some weight.  I worked hard to be in the best shape of my life this Spring, and now I'm going to have a lovely pregnant body, ick!  My hormones are going crazy and I'm a total "B"...poor Adam.  I know, I know, what's the deal?!   This is such a wonderful blessing, so why am I having such a hard time with it?  Don't get me wrong I couldn't be happier for the little miracle growing inside of me!  Dang hormones!  I think it's just that it was totally unplanned.  I am a serious planner so when something unplanned happens it rocks my world.  The thought never even crossed my mind that I might get pregnant again, especially so soon.  Seriously this is a huge thing, and I am feeling way overwhelmed!  My boys are quite the handful, and it's all I can do to keep up with them on a daily basis.  The thoughts of adding another one to the mix absolutely terrifies me!!!  Praise the Lord there's only one! 
I found some comfort in reading about one of my favorite fitness chick's, Jamie Eason's, pregnancy journey.

Look at her!  What an inspiration!   Here's an excerpt from an interview on Bodybuilding.com:

Being pregnant has definitely changed my body. Almost immediately, my chest size changed dramatically. Shortly thereafter, I began to notice muscle atrophy and less definition. It's a time to surrender to the process and remember that my body is making a baby, and that's top priority. As for the good things about being pregnant, it's been nice to indulge a bit. We initially burn more calories making the baby—that means bigger portions with occasional splurges.

The one surprising thing about being pregnant is how tired I've felt. I'm in my second trimester now, so I've regained some energy, but before I felt like I needed 12-15 hours of sleep each day!

I have only been somewhat healthy during the pregnancy.  When my husband and I go out, I indulge in my favorites like Mexican food and random sweets that I haven't had in years. It's been fun to eat at all sorts of restaurants without always modifying the menu. 

When I'm at home though, I try to eat as healthily as I can. I can't say that I have a particular meal plan. What I eat changes based on how I'm feeling from day to day.

She's in incredible shape as you can see and I can only aspire to be as fit as her, so to read this was very comforting!  As much as I try to be Superwoman, I am far from it and I have to "surrender to the process" like she said above.  I keep telling myself this will be the last time I will be pregnant, so I need to chill and enjoy it as much as possible (i.e. not feeling guilty about stuffing my face, not going to the gym every day, and feeling disgusting as my body changes).

 

Love her!!

And from her Facebook page...

It's funny, when people talk about pregnancy and working out, I get both sides of an argument to just keep it up with lots of stories from women who worked out their entire pregnancy and I also get ominous warnings to be careful with some not so happy stories. I can tell you first hand now that our bodies really tell us when it's okay to go or when we need the rest. I've never really felt so in sync with how I'm feeling. For the other women out there who are pregnant, don't feel pressure to keep up with the Joneses. Some days I feel dog tired and other days like I could run a marathon. God is working a miracle inside us. Just stay healthy as possible and know that our biggest responsibility is creating a beautiful new life and that takes lots of work and energy in itself. 

PS...Though I'm back in the swing of healthy eating, I ate so much junk food in my first trimester that I'm hardly the model of a fit pregnancy.

After reading these articles, my outlook changed a little.  Don't get me wrong, I'm still scared as hell as to what's to come.  As far as diet and exercise...I'm not going to beat myself up over not eating a totally clean diet and if I miss some workouts, oh well!  I will make up for it later.  It's all about that little one and I need to listen to my body.  As someone who loves to be active, it's hard to feel lethargic and sick all the time.  As my mom and mother in-law tell me frequently, "This too shall pass."