Pregnancy Weight Gain

When we first found out that we were pregnant back in June, here were the thoughts that ran through my mind:

• I'm going to be a mommy!
• Jamie is going to be a daddy!
• Okay, I have about 9 months to grow this little angel. Let's do this! 
• I wonder if I'll have a boy or girl?
• What is safe/unsafe to eat and drink?
• Can we fit a baby in this tiny apartment?
• What will I do about my job?
• What workouts are safe? Can I continue to do spin and weight training classes?
• How much weight am I allowed to gain?...

That last question is kind of daunting. And I think it's a bit of a sad question to ask yourself as well. During my first doctors appointment, I asked my doc how much weight I should gain. And she said, "Anywhere from 25-35 pounds--and maybe around 40. It just depends on how your body reacts to your pregnancy". 

Are you jocking me? 

25 to 35 and maybe 40 pounds for an 8 pound baby? 

How does that work? Riddle me that. 

This is what I immediately pictured:

Me, stepping on a scale every day, looking at my growing tummy, making sure I wasn't gaining too much weight at one point during my pregnancy or not enough weight. Ridiculous. 

Here is the typical breakdown of pregnancy weight gain in the average woman:

As you can see, it is healthy to gain 25-35 pounds during the 9 months you carry a baby. Doesn't mean it's easy to swallow. 

One of the hard things is that as women, one of our first questions to ask new pregnant mommies is, "How much weight are you supposed to gain?" Totally innocent question. I know I've asked my pregnant friends that same thing, not thinking anything of it. I've even asked how much weight they gained after having the baby. For whatever reason, that question urked me and it made me over think this whole weight gaining thing. But then I realized what a joy it is for me to be able to carry this baby and gain however much weight I need to grow a healthy baby girl. 

Early on, I made the decision not to weigh myself at all during this pregnancy. At all of my doctors appointments, I step on the scale backwards and ask my nurse not to tell me the numbers. For someone who struggles with the numbers on the scale when I'm not pregnant, I didn't think it would be good for me to see them while growing heavier every week. So at 34 weeks pregnant and obviously larger, I have no idea how much I weigh, and I am great with it! My doctor tells me at every appointment that I am healthy and growing just fine, so I trust her :) 

Do you all know how awesome our Creator is? Yes most women deliver a 7 to 8 pound baby, but it is absolutely miraculous that there is so much more going on inside a woman's body to make that baby grow nice and healthy. How cool is it that we are supposed to store more fat? How cool is it that our blood volume is greater? How cool is it that we have 2-3 pounds of fluid surrounding our babies to keep them safe in our tummies? Every healthy pound that we gain is for the benefit of our growing babies. And God created it to be that way.

I say the word "healthy" because there is such thing as healthy weight gain during pregnancy. My #1 goal during the past 7+ months has been to keep my baby healthy. If that means gaining lots of L-B's, then so be it. My #2 goal is to keep me healthy. My #3 goal is to not gain 75 pounds in 9 months. That's not healthy for anybody! That also means eating well (with a few delicious indulgences, duh!), working out, getting enough sleep, going on walks, feeding my baby healthy things and so on and so forth. 

All this to say, I feel amazing and have felt amazing throughout this whole pregnancy. I have a healthy baby girl growing inside of me and whether I've already gained 30 pounds or only 15 at this point, I know that I've done my part as a mommy to grow a healthy baby. 

Word to the wise...

When you see pregnant mommies, tell them they're beautiful, glowing, radiant, perfect and so on. No need to talk about weight gain, because trust me...when you're carrying around an obviously larger amount of weight, you know you're bigger...no need for a reminder. 

Here are some things not to say:

• Oh my gosh, you're getting so big!
• Look at that round tummy!
• You've gotten so much bigger since I saw you last!
• Whoa! Look at you! You'll probably have a big baby!
• You're about to pop!
• Wow--are you carrying twins?

I know all of those things are said in kindness, but just stick with the vocabulary I already gave you: radiant, glowing, gorgeous, perfect, beautiful...those are always safe. Trust me. 

I'm giving myself 9 months to get back in pre-preggo shape, but still not weighing myself. I don't like numbers. I just like to know how I feel. If it took me 9 months to put on the weight, then I should have at least 9 months to take it off and feel great again. I'll want to get back in shape for me, for Jamie and for my little girl. We're all worth it to have a healthy mommy around the house :)

I love you guys so much and appreciate how uplifting you have been. You all have been encouraging and loving and have said only kind words to me the past several months. Thank you for that. I've needed those kind words in times of feeling less than beautiful. You have no idea how much it means to me to have such a sweet fan club, being so encouraging and prayerful for me and my sweet angel. I love y'all. So much!