This past weekend Charlie and I spent in Deep Creek, MD with some of our best friends. This weekend was unique though because there were 6 kids under the age of 4, which gave plenty of opportunities to see how the whole 24/7 parenting thing works. Yes, we spend lots of time with our friends, but very rarely a constant amount of time. What we both realized is:
- Wow! It takes and awful lot of work
- It HAS to be a joint effort or you'd never have the energy to keep up with the kids
- You've got to pick a name for your child that you LOVE for as often as you say it during the day : )
So we're 16 weeks tomorrow with an ultrasound coming up quickly and we're getting so much more excited because it's starting to feel so much more real. Granted, the ever-expanding belly is a tough thing (mentally) to deal with, but I'm sure it'll all be worth it once we see that little baby face.
Can any of you pregnant/past pregnant ladies who have advice on overcoming the freak-out that accompanies the "battle of the bulge" please share your words of wisdom?? ; )
3 comments:
Hey there Beth,
I'm still gaining pregnancy weight so it's hard to say how it will go on the post-birth side of things; I have to remind myself of two things.
First, pregnancy is the only time in life where we don't mind the tummy going in the outward direction (it's a little easier when you are farther along, then people know that it's a baby, not fitness neglect). Don't give up on activities that you did pre-pregnancy. Walking, hiking, swimming, light weight lifting; it's all good, you just might tire sooner then you used to.
Second: The health habits we had pre-pregnancy are still there; it will be more of a challenge to be active and fit after baby comes but that doesn't take away the habits we had established.
I have come to realize that taking take of baby now it soooo much easier then taking care of baby after birth! Enjoy your beautiful, expanding belly!
Mandy & Baby
Hi Bethers! Yeah....pregnancy weight. Well, I think the biggest thing I reminded myself during those times was that 1) Because I am pregnant, it is God's will for me to gain weight. I would remind myself of the amazing miracle that God has allowed me to have in having my child grow within me, to feel him or her move around, to experience a closeness you will never again have with that baby. This motivated me to eat more healthily but also to embrace the extra weight that came along with the territory.
2) In a sense then, the stretch marks, flabby skin afterwards, sagging "parts" after nursing, etc. are all His will as well. This part is harder to embrace because the baby is no longer in there :) But, as scripture says "outwardly we are wasting away" and truly, if this is the "side effect" of having two beautiful children, its totally worth it!! Hope that helps :) Love you!!! xoxo
before i noticeably started to show, i felt chubby, but once the "baby bump" was noticeable, i loved my body. i felt curvy and beautiful. after a while, your tummy stretches so much that everything is tight, smooth, and not-at-all chubby. plus, the belly comes with great big mamma boobs, and having been small-busted all my life, those are a nice perk:)
a word of advice--get an oil for stretch marks. they may not show up until the very end of your pregnancy, but it's worth trying to minimize them before they show.
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