Jake: “Are you crying?”

Me: As I sniffle, “yes, I was crying”

Jake: “Why are you crying?”

then start hysterically crying.

Jake pulls me away from the laundry bin and onto his lap.

Jake: “Why are you crying?” I didn’t respond, “do you even know why you’re crying” he laughs which makes me laugh and I continue to cry

Me: “I’m getting fat” I say.

Jake: “NO! You’re growing a human, Erin! You look beautiful” — insert swoon face or gag emoji whichever you prefer. But it was definitely sweet how he handled my first preggo meltdown.

The day has come where (most) of my pre-pregnancy clothes no longer fit. What a kick in the gut that was. Going through my closet’s (s – yes multiple, that’s another issue) and realizing how much I won’t be able to wear. 3 Bins of clothes to be exact will be unworn… Until postpartum of course, right?

What a harsh reality that was. It’s hard to see yourself change so much in a short period of time with little to no control over it. I am a personal trainer, health coach, and nutritionist. I know how to control my weight loss and gain. So to be out of control for once with it, is becoming one of the hardest things for me to grasp so far during my pregnancy. But there are little things that I do daily to make myself feel better. Don’t worry getting ready, doing my hair, and doing my makeup are not one of them…

• Talk to other moms and hear their stories. I love hearing some of my friends stories and how they handled their body changes as well as where they were in their journey. AKA- is it normal to gain X amount of weight in one week. This helped to reassure me that for one, I wasn’t alone, and for two, that I was on the right path with my gainz.
• Talk to my doctor. I had an appointment where my doctor told me I had a large jump in the scale and I needed to make sure I slowed down the weight gain pace. YIKES! That was awful, but going to my second appointment after that, he reassured me it was most likely a growth spurt and I was on point with my gain from that appointment to this last one. He reassured me that the weight gain was healthy and of course measured belly too, to show that I was in fact growing a baby in there.
• Stop trying on my pre-pregnancy clothes and assume they’re going to fit. This was hard to grasp but I think I’m there now. My sister and friend Emily (shout out to you ladies for being awesome) gave me a bunch of maternity clothes that I now go to instead. They are so comfortable anyways, why wouldn’t I want to wear them over something that digs into my newly formed love handles? Have you ever tried on maternity pants? You’re missing out if you haven’t. I highly recommend buying yourself some for those cheat days.
• Make my workouts a non-negotiable. Do I always feel like it? NO. Do I always want to workout? NO. Do I always get my workout in when I say I’m going to? NO. Do I always makeup for it? YES. Understanding that there’s a difference in making yourself do something you don’t want to and actually listening to your body and knowing that today just isn’t a good day to get in your workout is totally okay. There is NOTHING wrong with taking a rest day especially if you’re pregnant. BUT, I do make time for my workouts and schedule them. My goal is to push for at least 5 workouts per week. Some are low intensity, some are high intensity, but I always listen to my body and push myself as much as I can (or can’t) it honestly depends on the day.
• Truly understand, and I mean REALLY understand and soak in, when people say you’re growing a human. Listen to them. This has been something that some days makes me mad and annoyed, other days I listen and understand. You truly are doing something magnificent and your body is bound to change. Hell, your body may never look the same again. BUT, look at what you’re doing. Look at the blessing that is happening right in front of your eyes. You are growing something inside your body. SO COOL to really understand and appreciate the process. You are doing yourself a disservice by being upset and down on yourself for your body changes. It is out of your control and you are doing something truly amazing!

Instead of focusing on how much your body is changing from pre-baby, focus on the overall process that’s happening. Focus on being healthy for you and your babe. Focus on the positive parts of pregnancy because Lord knows there’s a ton of negatives to being pregnant.

Can you relate to this or know someone who can? Share/comment/like this post <3