How I got back on the active pregnancy bandwagon

Posted on 14 January, 2020

It was 5:30 am on a Sunday morning and I’d had next to no sleep.

I’d spent all night crossing my fingers and toes (and if I’m honest, my arms, legs and eyes just for extra luck), hoping this would be it.

I leaned over the bathroom vanity expecting to be disappointed and then I saw them: TWO BLUE LINES.

That moment—and that toilet seat—will be etched into my mind forever.

The weeks that followed were filled with both excitement and exhaustion. I don’t know what I’d actually expected, but I quickly realised that life goes on once you become pregnant. Who knew?

And just when I started to get all cocky—thinking I’d dodged the dreaded morning sickness—it hit me like a friggin’ bus. Nausea. Vomiting. Fatigue.

My macro counting, clean eating regime was quickly replaced with Jatz biscuits, dry toast and white bread rolls. The only thing that eased my up-chuck reflex was eating, so I constantly snacked—and snacked and snacked.

In the midst of morning sickness (which, let’s face it, should be called all-day-every-day sickness), fatigue and the resulting weight gain from my diet of champions and lack of exercise, my body started to get niggling pains and anxiety set in.

I’d previously heard friends rave about prenatal yoga classes but my preconceived notions of what I thought would be my inflexible bod ungraciously rolling around on a yoga mat had me a little sceptical.

Nevertheless, I was at a point where I needed help moving so I decided to give it a whirl.

I nervously rocked up to the first class at Canberra’s Offspring Yoga to a room full of other mums-to-be and was greeted by founder and instructor Jenni, who instantly made me feel at ease.

After a quick introduction, we were straight into it. Building into a flow that not only took pressure off the areas in pain, but that was also a genuine workout. I was finally in my happy place again.

I won’t lie—there were several times where I’d hoped the hormone relaxin would kick in. I had pictured myself looking like a zen yogi striking a pose like a pro, but that just wasn’t meant to be.

The first session was solid—I absolutely loved it. A low-intensity workout that worked every single muscle group and ended in what felt like a little slice of heaven, in a position I didn’t even know existed. And the best part—no judgement from anyone.

Each session just got better – as did my strength and flexibility. But what I didn’t realise is that I would come away with so much more.

Doing prenatal yoga helped me to acknowledge that pregnancy is both physically and emotionally challenging, and not to mention overwhelming. It’s not a walk in the park for everyone.

We learned skills to help cope with anxiety, fear and discomfort, to help us stay calm, feel confident and empowered. It also forced me to set aside genuine time to connect with this little baby growing inside me.

Here are a few life lessons I picked up

1. Focus on the area that feels good, not on the area that’s uncomfortable or in pain.
2. Keep moving. It doesn’t have to be anything crazy but moving releases endorphins and endorphins make you happy.
3. Find a mantra that resonates and repeat it to yourself. I loved this one: remember when you wanted what you now have.
4. Build your resilience—physically and mentally. People constantly give you advice which is mostly great and just comes with it, but if anyone tells you that pregnancy is the easy part or that you should wear compression stockings over your swollen calves (when in reality you’re just blessed with calfzilla genetics), take it as an opportunity to channel your inner Elsa and just let it go.

I can’t speak for anyone else, but for me, prenatal yoga helped me both physically and mentally. I’m now well into my third trimester, training like a pro, eating well and I’m that excited to meet my little calfzilla.