The Diary of a Pregnant Crossfitter: Part Three - I'm Not Handicapped!!

I wasn't working out when I was pregnant with Harlee.  That makes this pregnancy quite different from the first one.  I gained weight like crazy, I couldn't seem to keep a good grip on my appetite, towards the end my blood pressure was looking kinda dangerous...  And I openly told anyone how much I detested being pregnant. Some people just love being pregnant, and I don't get it.  Now I'm pregnant again and yeah, I still don't really like it, but since I've stuck with CrossFit it's been different.  I've gotten past the horrible morning sickness phase and I feel good, and working out has been sooooo rewarding, and super empowering.  It comes with its own set of challenges, of course - like leaving off with a 205lb dead lift personal record and not being able to try to beat that until AFTER the baby is born, but watching everyone else working out alongside me breaking record after record and advancing forward, lifting 205 pounds, then 215 pounds, then 225pounds, while I have to back off on weight instead.  I want to break my records, too! But I can't risk straining important muscles that I need for carrying this kiddo.  The first time I backed off and felt good about it, rather than defeated, was a nice change, though.  I had been lifting 185lbs instead of 205 and finally one day I just stopped at 165.  I figured, and knew, I could probably do more, but that felt heavy enough.  And I wasn't upset about having to quit there.  I just reminded myself that I'll be back in action again and I can pick up where I left off when that day comes.  But for now, I've got bigger fish to fry than breaking personal records.  And 165lbs is still more than my own body weight, so I should be proud of that, added to the fact that I'm pregnant yet still here, working out.  Go me!

I love the feeling of empowerment there at Flex Strength and Fitness.  I love that nobody gives me a hard time, too.  Derek has been awesome, as well - learning the goods and bads and pros and cons and ins and outs to the tricky subject of what's safe during pregnancy, and helping me stay in those boundaries while not making me feel limited or restricted.  And the others that work out alongside me have never uttered a word or given me a look saying, "Are you sure you should be doing that?" It's been great.  And I think that was my least favorite thing about being pregnant last time - I couldn't just be freakin normal, I was being badgered around every corner with unsolicited advice as to what I should and shouldn't be doing.  I don't want to be limited or restricted or held back in any way.  I want to keep doing what I've been doing and enjoy it.  And I know I have to modify things, so please don't constantly remind me of limitations, people!

This time has been different though.  When I'm at Flex, I don't feel restricted or limited.  I feel, well, normal, regardless of the fact that I've backed off on my dead lift weight and I have to do step-ups rather than box jumps.  I still get treated normal, and that makes a world of difference.  And for a moment, I was actually starting to think, "yeah, I take it back, this pregnancy thing really isn't so bad after all, I suppose I was just overreacting last time..."

Then I run into people who just go and blow it for me.

At this point it's pretty hard to hide the fact that I'm pregnant - I definitely have a bump.  So I've been openly announcing it to people who put me in the place to announce it, like when they ask, "So, when are you thinking about another one?" Which is a horribly nosy, prying, personal question anyway, but one that just gets thrown around loosely at the same time, so whatever.  So I got asked that a little over a month ago, and my response was, "Well.... Actually.... We've got one coming in July!" To which the response was, "I was wondering, I thought I saw a bump there!!" I just so happened to be holding my 30lb bag of massage sheets that I picked up from the laundromat.  Take a moment to compare that number to the one mentioned in the first paragraph.  Got it? Ok.  Yeah those sheets are kinda nothing.  And then comes the flood of warnings and fears - "Do you want help with that? Maybe I should carry that for you.  You really shouldn't be lifting that, it's heavy!"  To which I kindly said, "It's okay, I've actually been working out three times a week so this is nothing, really."  But I'm sure she thought that meant walking the treadmill or curling 5lb dumbells.  "But the umbilical cord could get tangled if you lift things too much!" 

Sigh.

***She means well, she means well, she means well*** I kept telling myself.  But the angry hormonal prego in me wanted to shout, "I just lifted 165 pounds of weight this morning for FUN, bitch, I think I can handle the damn sheets!"

:-)

But that would be mean.  And she really does mean well.  She's just falsely informed and lacking knowledge on the subject.  And doesn't realize that those comments can actually be kinda rude and degrading.

I remember now why I dislike being pregnant so much.  This won't be the last time I run into those kinds of people with those kinds of comments.  Pregnancy is not a handicap.  It's a moment in life that you do have to take better care of yourself than usual, but that doesn't mean stop everything you were doing before and put your life completely on hold.

And let me follow behind that comment with an interesting thought.  Most people are so worried about my lifting or exerting too much energy or effort for normal daily activities, yet in the same breath they'll laugh at my healthy eating habits and say things like, "Oh, honey, you're pregnant! Enjoy it! This is a time you get to spoil yourself, eat all the chocolate you want!"  Um, I did that last time (only it was macaroni and cheese) and had blood pressure issues and over 50 extra pounds of weight (that did NOT include my kid) that I had to lose because of it.  Not to mention hormonal imbalances that were way beyond what I would consider to be normal.  No thanks.  I'm sticking with Paleo because it works for me and makes me feel good.  I'm carrying life.  Sitting on my ass and eating crap the entire time, in my opinion, is just bad parenting.  This child is completely dependent on me for his start in life.  Everything I eat, he eats.  Why would I stuff my face with garbage knowing full well he's relying on me 100% for his nutrition?  All because I feel self-righteous and think that because I'm pregnant I deserve that ice cream?  No.  That's not a good idea.

A healthy baby needs a healthy mom.  And a strong baby needs a strong mom.  That's what I'm doing for myself and this child, and for the family I already have established.  And I'll continue to carry my 30lb bag of sheets up and down my stairs to and from my office for as long as I can, thank you very much.

Getting ready to overhead squat 55lbs at 19ish weeks (which isn't that much weight... ;-)! )

Part One
Part Two