Kelsie’s Story
I will never forget the day I found out I was pregnant - I was equally terrified and stoked.
After a concerning start, with doctors appointments and numerous blood tests we confirmed at 12 weeks that all was well, healthy and as it should be.
Us Mums all have our own pregnancy journey, and I grew to love being pregnant!
I was committed to keeping my life as normal as possible - to trusting my instinct, a natural and active pregnancy.
I took it as a challenge to keep fit (despite many people with outdated views cautioning me it was time to stop and slow down) and natural (I make the best belly oil and post partum nourishing meals).
I kept very active during pregnancy and used what I was doing before as a guide on winding down and then back up again once bub arrived.
I ran once a week until 25 weeks, lifted weights my whole pregnancy, went to soccer training occasionally and did Pilates at least once a week and more regularly as I gave away more active exercise. I practiced optimal maternal positioning yoga my whole pregnancy. I remember in the early days while I was jogging counting down how many runs I could get in before I would have to stop and used to dread what I felt was giving up how hard I’d worked.
We had our dream birth (we were lucky and we acknowledge not everyone is this fortunate). I felt comfortable to start moving a few days after birth - I started with slow walks, yoga, stretching and slowly increased the intensity.
Even though I got back into it quickly it took a while to reach pre-baby fitness levels. I remember starting back at soccer and being gutted that everyone on the field could run faster than me and thought next year I am going to beat them. I joined a new gym and found a supportive crew. I set my alarm at 440am every morning, and despite what terrible sleep I may have had, I got up and went to the gym. My core strength slowly came back, but it took some work.
One year on at soccer and this season I’ve only been outrun a few times. My core strength is almost back to normal. Despite not wanting to give up running while pregnant, I actually barely run these days!
It hasn’t all been peaches - our 18 month old still sleeps in 2 hour stretches (if we are lucky). Sleep has been our main battle and we’ve found this a real shock and hard to adjust to. At times we’ve felt judged by others on our approach to sleep. We figure you can’t have everything, and our cheeky girl is a delight through the day.
Becoming a Mum has helped me accept who I truly am, back myself and pick my battles. I still miss the freedom I had before I was a Mum, but I know that will come back one day and I’ll miss these days and the joy of experiencing the world through a little one’s eyes.
-Kelsie