Okay, okay. You asked. So here it is. My 18 week baby bump!
Now in case you don?t know this, a baby at 18 weeks is ONLY 5 1/2 inches long and the size of a small bell pepper?weighing in at less than 7 oz. Also, I should note that Chris and I aren?t very big, therefore we will never have big babies. So?if you?re feeling like my bump isn?t big yet, well it?s not?but TRUST me, it gets BIG!!!!! You?ll have to wait and see this miracle of growth happen (both the baby and my belly!)
I should also note ? that is a shirt wrapped around my waist. Yes?I had Chris take the first few pics and couldn?t believe my once-muscular butt was kind of dimply and droopy!!!!!! As my upper thighs and boobs grow to sizes they have never been before, my butt is sagging lower than ever before too!! It?s amazing?and scary at the same time.
This is pregnancy number 4 for me, and it will never be an easy or a normal process. While there is no time I love MORE than being pregnant (I mean, come on?I?m growing a HUMAN INSIDE OF ME!!!), it never fails to be an incredibly hard process for my eyes and my brain to accept. Here?s why ? I work so darn hard, in the kitchen and in the gym, getting my body into the shape that I feel the happiest and healthiest at?then in a matter of weeks, it seems to all disappear.
And I?m not just talking about my physical form (trust me, it?s all relative. Anytime you gain 10% of your body weight in 4 months, it?s a tough thing to face, no matter your current weight), but also my physical fitness levels. They have gone from my fittest ever (50 burpees in 2 minutes and 15 seconds) to not as fit as I feel I work to be (today, 50 burpees in 3 minutes and 35 seconds). EVERYTHING seems harder: push ups (once from my toes so easily is now from my knees after 20), running (OMG ? the bladder pressure is insane already), to even just walking with Cash in my arms! I find myself breathing so heavily that I can?t believe it!
But there is hope! To all you moms out there going through this (or hoping to at some point) ? DON?T WORRY! This is a reminder I often have to give to myself as well. Sometimes, being pregnant can feel the same as when you are sick. You know, as you are puking with your head in the the toilet you feel like you will never ever be the same again? You almost forget what it is like to be healthy?to be normal. Well, pregnant ladies, I feel your pain on this. It is SO easy to forget what it feels like to be ?normal?. But coming from a mom that has done this three times, I?m here to assure you that we will ALL be normal again. In fact, I KNOW (although there are days I forget and don?t believe it) it is possible for ALL of us pregos to be fitter, happier, and healthier post-babies?no matter how many we have had!
So for now, let?s enjoy this miracle we are creating. Because this process truly is a miracle. And for some of us (probably me) this might be our last time experiencing it.
Prego Tip for Today: Be active! (But only if you were active pre-baby, and check with your doc) I, like many of you, have days were I wallow in my sorrows and feel bad for myself and my recent lack of energy. These days, I want nothing more than to sit inside and work away. I will come up with every single excuse for WHY I don?t need to work out. Let?s get real, has there EVER been a time where we?ve forced ourselves to be active and we?ve regretted it? Most likely, not. In fact, as soon as we get up and start moving, we feel SO much better! And remember, this is good for baby too. Studies have show that women that are active during pregnancy are more likely to carry full term.
I make moving easy by committing to just 5 minutes. That?s it! If I do my 5 and am feeling good, I?ll do more! But I feel great knowing that, regardless, I got my 5 minutes in. Don?t kid yourself, 5 minutes can be tough. Here was my workout yesterday ? it kicked my butt.
Set the clock for 5 minutes:
Perform as many burpees as you can in that time.
- You can modify these to accommodate the growing belly by just going to hands and knees, then standing up.
Set the clock for another 5 minutes (because I was feeling AWESOME after that):
Perform as many pull ups as you can in that time.
- If you can?t perform body weight pull ups, use bands for assistance or the lat pull down machine in your local gym.
Week 19, here I come!
66 Responses
Heidi, I love how aware you are of the miracle of pregnancy and how amazing it is that our bodies can do what they do. Please remember how amazing you look and though I know your standard for yourself is higher, don’t be hard on yourself. If not for your own sake, but for those who look to your for motivation and encouragement. Remember that you set a very hard ideal to look up to, so to admit your flaws is endearing but showing that you can embrace your flaws as you age and your body changes can also be very powerful.
I love that you encourage fitness and not “giving in” to that old wives tale that you are “eating for two” and “don’t exercise much”. I did a triathalon at 7.5 months pregnant…didn’t exactly RUN through the finish line, but I did it and finished it…it was awesome and I was proud. (though I got some nasty looks).
Aging is a blessing and with every wrinkle and saggy bit, remember that these are signs that you were blessed to live another day or month spending time with those you love and making a difference in the world. With every wrinkle I get, I try to remember how lucky I am to still be around for my children and for the wisdom I gain and can share with them. My mother never got to see her mother age past 40….I’m sure she would much rather have seen her mother older & less “beautiful” by hollywood terms…than to have had no mother at her graduation, wedding or the birth of her first child. Wear the little saggy bits with pride and confidence. Chris will never notice the little things you do and no matter what, there will always be someone younger & prettier on your heels to help you realize your little flaws. I for one only wish that I had appreciated my body more in every stage of my life and had been less critical of myself. With age comes the wisdom that EVERYONE loses to gravity eventually…it’s how you feel about yourself during the journey that you can control.
Love to your family and to Chris. Tell him I found an old prom photo from Sr. year (when he took me in place of my boyfriend I had just broken up with). It’s pretty funny…he looks about 13!
I am grateful for your post! I’m 20 weeks and 5 days today, and honestly at first I saw your picture and thought, how does she oreo her belly so tiny??? Then I read your post and I completely understand your feelings. I was not as fit as you are but I have always exercised and was at my goal weight when I got pregnant and it is tough to gain the pregnancy pounds and see my girth grow to new widths. 🙂 And the fitness this, I miss runningas fast as I used to and being able to do pull-ups (I only started doing those in December and got to six, but its gone downhill from there)… I miss doing plyometrics That’s when I remind myself that it is all worth it because sooner than I know it I will have another little baby to cuddle and love on, and then I can bust my behind to get back to pre-pregnancy weight and fitness level. This is just nine months in our long lives right? Good luck with your pregnancy! I’m excited to see what pregnancy fitness/health tips you have to share.
Heidi, regardless of things not being as firm or things growing your amazing.
Heidi I know you are self conscious but you look AMAZING! I hope I can look half as good as you do when I’m pregnant…or even when I’m not pregnant!! LOL
SHE IS SO SKINNY SHE DOESN’T LOOK PREGNANT HOW DOES SHE DO IT??
Heidi,
You look amazing – so beautiful. I appreciate your comments and honestly and love that you push yourself to keep physically active. I am not pregnant but know that when I was I had to be careful about physical activity. Are there some sitting movements that those pregnant mama’s can do? Thanks!
Hey Heidi! I have recently found your family and you are definitely encouragement and motivation to me to see a fitness family that has 3 kids with one on the way and figuring out a way to eat healthy and stay fit! Anyways, to make a VERY long story short my husband and I have been together since we were 15 and throughout our marriage (married 8 years) we had went through infertility, and 5 miscarriages and just two years ago this june 6th we lost our baby girl Annabelle at 21 weeks gestation. We gained A LOT of weight throughout that time comfort and grief eating. We were blessed 3 years ago with a beautiful baby boy through the gift of adoption and just 3 months ago, we were blessed with our rainbow miracle when we delivered via c section our second baby boy. I had a surgery done during the pregnancy to help me keep him. Anyways…all this to say we had lost LOTS of weight and I got to goal before pregnancy having lost 120 lbs but during pregnancy since I got pregnant right after I got to goal…I gained A LOT during pregnancy and I now have about 60 to lose. From having two surgeries with this pregnancy, and gaining a lot of weight back…i am VERY jiggly in my stomach and I don’t even feel anything there. I am trying VERY hard to lose weight but its hard to be honest…especially with a colic baby haha! I would LOVE any tips on getting back the prebaby body and what has helped you in the past! I know I can do it since Ive lost 120 lbs before so 60 should be easy right? ;0) Thanks so much for any help you can give me!
I am 18 weeks pregnant with my third and people are asking me if I am ready to pop yet. I am not due till Nov 20, and I am huge
Amazing!!! I am 24 weeks but people tell me I look to only be 4 months max. But I’m 6ft tall… I also was at my fittest when I got pregnant, then the doctor said no more till I have the baby. What helps me is what you said about being out breathe with Cash. Oh my stars I thought it was just me! My son is 3 and weighs 40#… I also have a 16 yr old. Though I did do something I am proud of, I ran a 5k (at 3 and half months) only ran about a mile and half of it. I was proud but I knew that it was my last until this lil one is born. I am so ready to get back to the grind and workout/run. Thank you for sharing your side, makes it seem so much better now… Oh and I am 37 having my third, I think I’m done! Congrats to y’all!
You just so beautiful! Every dimple or sagging you may thing you have..is well earned cause your a mother 🙂 xoxo can not wait to see how amazing you will look..