Hi, friends! While this pregnancy hasn’t really gotten any easier, I think that I’ve finally realized that, and that makes it easier. I think once you finally accept how things are, then you can start to move forward. And I might have to repeat that to myself fairly often! ;o) Seriously, I’ve been remembering several times a day that I just don’t feel great, and that it’s okay.
Changing your expectations and inner monologue can make a tremendous difference in how your day goes. Accepting and admitting that life isn’t going according to plan can be so freeing! Taking that minute to say, “hmmm, things are not super okay, but that’s okay” has been awesome for releasing me from the grip of perfection and plans. Sometimes plans and the best intentions do go awry. And accepting that puts you in the place to change things.
Now that I’m starting to accept that this is a challenging pregnancy (haha, didn’t know that my last one was such a great pregnancy until this one! but, really, I didn’t feel pregnant for most of my second trimester except for my growing belly), I add on another sentence after “Hmm, I don’t feel great, and that’s okay.”
The next sentence has power… “If I did feel great, what would today look like?” That phrase is my version of a question asked on one of the THM podcasts (or, The Poddy, if you’re a fan :), and it’s been so motivating for me lately!
What would I do today… if I did feel good? How would I eat? When would I exercise? What would my house look like (for me, this directly relates to how clean would my kitchen be, ahem, move over dirty dishes!)? What would I bake if I did feel good?
Sometimes just imagining what I would be doing if I were better or felt better is enough to start a little flame of motivation. I’ve also found that once I get my body doing the right motions, whether my brain and heart feel like it or not, I tend to find some motivation along the way and actually accomplish more. There’s always a fine line between loving the life you have and creating the life you love, but lately the goal for me has just been claiming my life as it is and trying to create a bit of normalcy that we used to have.
My weight gain has been kinda out of control! I’m up almost 20 pounds at 20 weeks (17-18 depending on the day and what I ate recently)! Yikes! With my first lil one, I was up about 5 pounds at this point, and then packed on 33 more before the end! This feels really intimidating to be up so much so soon!
So here’s my second half of pregnancy manifesto– Try new stuff! For the next month, I’m going to cut back on dairy (some people don’t do well with dairy, plus it’s so easy to pack on the pounds with all of the calories are in my favorite things like cheese and heavy whipping cream– yum!).
I also want to learn to appreciate coconut sugar… but in smaller amounts. I’ve been rather heavy-handed with it lately, so I think we need a little break. I’m also going to start using more xylitol… slowly.
Xylitol has some amazing health benefits! Long before I had heard of THM, my dental hygienist recommended it. There’s some cool parts of xylitol that actually denature the bad bacteria in the mouth and reduce the risk of cavities. Just be careful on how much you use initially, as I’ve had patients complain of stomach cramps, aches, and pains from too much too soon.
I also just added running to the mix with my OB’s blessing! We’ll see if that keeps the pounds at bay! This choice also stemmed from a desire to boost my spirits, as running is one of the fastest ways I know to get my emotions back on track. It also gives little girl #1 and I a daily dose of vitamin D! Yay!
Momma's Got the Munchies 