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| From 5 Minutes for Parenting |
By Kelly
If you read between the lines of last week’s Pregnancy Journal post about MILK, ALL THE MILK, I CAN’T GET ENOUGH MOO-JUICE, you might have deduced: Kelly might be drinking a lot of milk, but I bet her sweet tooth is triggering a lot of that milk consumption.
If you came to that conclusion (and a few of you hinted in the comments that you had similar pregnancy issues), then you get a gold star. Go directly to psychology school.
Truth in advertising: It’s not just the milk. It’s the sweets.
This leads me down a rather treacherous road, but in the interest of authenticity, I’m going to explore it anyway.
Is it safe to say I’ve gained a lot of weight this pregnancy?
Yes.
Is it safe to say that right now, at 32 weeks, I weigh as much as I did when I gave birth to all my other children?
Yes.
Is it safe to say that rich winter foods and all those darn Christmas cookies and celebrating two birthdays in January with buttercream-frosted cupcakes had anything to do with it?
Yes.
But understanding does not equal contentment. Intellectually, I can reason away the fact that I gained 20 pounds between the end of December and the end of February. I can make excuses by pointing to my “advanced maternal age” and remembering that this is my fourth pregnancy.
But bottom line? I’m not happy about it. And my body isn’t crazy about it either. My frame isn’t designed to carry this much weight.
On Monday, when I had to take my two-year-old to the doctor for a possible broken wrist, I got winded just standing upright while holding her. I can’t walk a flight of stairs in my house without sounding like I’ve just completed a 45-minute aerobic workout. (And did I mention we live in a 3.5 level townhouse? I pretty much pant like a dog all day.) My back hurts. My gait is slow. I miss phone calls because I can’t move fast enough to answer before voice mail picks up.
I’m pitiful, basically. Pity me.
And I have anywhere between six and eight weeks to go.
This past month, I’ve tried to be more careful about what I eat. I’ve severely limited my access to sweets. I’ve watched my portions. I’ve even started drinking water in place of milk. (I KNOW! I’m going to unbelievable lengths here.)
But I still feel HUGE, and this baby inside of me feels HUGE. He’s incredibly strong. I have a doctor’s appointment this afternoon. It will be interesting to see how much weight I’ve gained in the last four weeks.
If it’s another eight to ten pounds, I might have to throw out my remaining dark chocolate almonds with turbinado and sea salt.
On the upside, our milk bill could drop dramatically.
Kelly is pregnant with her fourth child, a boy who apparently enjoys pushing on the interior wall of her hip bone. She blogs at Love Well, and she is thankful she can do that without moving.
I go to the doctor Friday. I've decided to stop looking at the scale. With six weeks to go, there is no point in obsessing over my weight gain. Thankfully all of my girlfriends are great about telling me how cute I look and so on. :)
ReplyDeleteFunny, I couldn't control my weight with Joel. My midwives weren't even slightly concerned, stating that my body knew what it needed and my good habits with the occasional slip were nothing to worry about. It will all come off with breastfeeding! Um, yeah.
ReplyDeleteBetween losing him and stress, I never got it all off before this pregnancy. Now I am fighting to gain, which goes against my entire being for the last 20 years. It is BIZARRE. Occasionally though, I have the day where I realize if I gain what they recommend, I'll need to lose about 60lb after the twins are born. GAH.
Totally worth it. :)
I was extremely zealous about eating exactly what I was supposed to with Joy, not doing sweets, etc. With Gracie, I ate whatever I wanted, however much I wanted. I ended up gaining the exact same amount of weight with both girls. And it felt like ten pounds too much, both times.
ReplyDeleteOh well. Gracie turned ten months yesterday, and I have managed to get down to my pre-Joy-pregnancy weight. Which is still more than I like, but it's a start.
Just think, once you're chasing FOUR around, the weight will melt off before you know it!
Oh my gosh, if you made 'til 32 weeks to gain the amount of weight as the other pregnancies, concider it a success. Just tell yourself that you are pregnant for now, and after the baby is born, you have the rest of your life to lose the weight, espescially knowing it's your last. This is the logic I took into my 4th and final pregnancy. I stopped weighing myself at the end, but I am sure I was AT LEAST 200 lbs, which is never a decent weight for my 5'4" small boned frame, not even while gestating a huge baby. I was all about eating healthy-and THEN having as many warm fresh brownies as I could inhale. But there is hope, Kelly. Breastfeeding is your friend, and the weight will come off. I was back to a size two within 9 months of the birth of the baby. 3 years later, and I am in the best shape of my life. You can do it, and if you are determined, you surely will. XOXO!! Don't be a hater, sweetie...not even to yourself. ;-)
ReplyDeleteI know you're probably going to be very uncomfortable these last weeks and that's HARD. You ARE a small person, so I'm sure your body is all "HUH?" But I also think that your weight will drop right off. You're so aware of a healthy lifestyle, and let's face it, you're going to be running your butt off. :)
ReplyDeleteOh, those almonds sound yummy. Don't throw them away, send them to me! We live in a three-story house, too, and our room is on the top floor. So every night when I'm heading to bed it takes several minutes for me to catch my breath before I lay down. Pathetic. But I just keep thinking about how much easier it is now than when he comes out...
ReplyDelete