One of my challenges with pregnancy is that everywhere I look, I see that pregnancy means limitations: no alcohol, no soft cheeses, no lunch meat, no sushi, no lifting more than X amount of weight, no – well, the list goes on and on. Pretty soon one begins to feel like some sort of invalid to whom normal activities are completely taboo.
Obviously, lots of people do have harrowing pregnancies. I have not had a harrowing pregnancy, but I have spent most of my first trimesters trying to figure out how to get the nausea to go away and how to get to the nearest surface that would allow me to lie flat, because first trimester is just yuck for me…and for lots of people. So during the first trimester I do feel like an invalid a lot of the time.
BUT, many people (including me) go on to have fairly normal, if expanding, second and third trimesters. This pregnancy I came across a few things that have made me feel like a normal person. Pregnant and normal. Instead of a person who *might* some day be normal again…maybe. So I thought I’d share them, in case anyone else feels the pressure of regular ol’ pregnancy as a malady.
1. Natural Pregnancy Natural Birth post on Katy Says
“The first thing to understand is, while pregnancy may seem like an unnatural position for your body to be in, it is quite natural actually. What makes it feel so awkward and possibly uncomfortable is the extreme loading done on an unbalanced, rickety frame.” – Katy Bowman
Right. Pregnancy is actually natural – one of the many natural functions of the human body. Huh.
2. Mama Baby Alignment post on Katy Says
This post answers questions about alignment during pregnancy. Here’s a quote: “Keep in mind that while Gail is asking about alignment during pregnancy, that there is no difference between alignment in the pregnant versus non-pregnant body.” -- Katy Bowman
3. The Missing Mass post on Katy Says
She addresses the very prevalent idea about the changing center of gravity during pregnancy – or is it changing?
4. Suzanne Bowen’s Slim & Toned Prenatal Barre Workout
So it’s pretty much impossible to feel like an invalid if you do this workout, because although it’s for prenatal, it’s a really good workout. She offers modifications for later in pregnancy or for those of us who aren’t at the top of our fitness. BUT the woman who works out with her (who shows some of the modifications) is 35 weeks along and very fit. She doesn’t seem like an invalid at all. And Suzanne (who isn’t pregnant in this video) says things like, “I am on fire right now!” when she’s doing some of the tougher segments. She certainly doesn’t approach pregnancy fitness as if she’s dealing with someone who may have a condition that means she should be lying on a fainting couch all day long.
5. The older siblings of the baby in utero
Okay, so these are my favorites of the favorites. By their very existence, they keep me doing things that are everyday and normal. When I was pregnant with my first, I could much more easily justify not doing something that I didn’t feel like doing (not because of pregnancy, just laziness). With my kids around, if I opt not to do something it’s probably because I really don’t feel at my best. Daily life doesn’t get put on hold easily with kids, and if I do stop the routine, it means I have plenty of catching up to do later, so there had better be a really good reason for it!
Also, because I have these older kids, I know from experience that the more normally I go about my daily business, the more I do my usual things around relationships, chores, exercise, nutrition, and rest and relaxation, the more I will benefit when I’m postpartum, because things will come back to a more balanced state much more quickly if I haven’t completely changed everything beforehand.
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Go see Hallie to see more favorites around the blogosphere!
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