So we all know that my stomach is huge. (Has that topic been covered? Did I mention?) But as big as it is, at my last weigh in I was still only one pound over my pre-pregnancy weight. This naturally led me to assume that my baby was made of helium. Call it vanity, call it insane (old habits die hard, peeps) but I've clung to that "only one pound" like Paris to her Bible. One pound feels sensible, manageable. And in a body that feels completely out of control, I relish manageable.
I weighed myself at the gym today.
Oh boy.
That second trimester weight sure creeps up quick, don't it? While this is probably mostly baby fluid (and not the platter of nachos I murdered last weekend or the half a box of Newman's Chocolate Sandwich cookies or...), I'm sad to report that my precious one pound has gone the way of the dodo. WHICH IS FINE. Which is absolutely normal and fine.
But if you think I didn't make a beeline to the nearest personal trainer you don't know me at all.
While I've always been quasi fit, I've never been what one might call "bikini ready". Us McKinney's are not known for our abs of steel. (That, combined with my general distaste for all things abs-ercizy, is probably why Possum has been blessed with such roomy digs.) I told the trainer that I needed to strengthen my abs but crunches were out since I'm not allowed to lay flat on my back. Luckily I was not Brian's first pregnant trainee. Actually, he knew more about being pregnant than I did. He kept remarking how happy I must be now that I was past the "placental protein phase". I just nodded. Then Brian put me on a ball (on my back! Gah!) and had me do these super tiny crunches that looked really easy when he did them. He wanted me to tighten my tush and kept saying things like "Tighten your glutes! Go ahead and tighten your glutes!"
Sadly, I WAS tightening my glutes.
After I recovered (and after vowing to spend the rest of my pregnancy getting my ass in shape) I did what any sensible, weight-obsessed girl would do: I went out for gelato! A friend and I have been on a hunt for the city's best, so today we headed to the Upper West Side to check out Grom. Grom is known for two things: sourcing all their ingredients from Italy and their ridiculous lines. As I am the type of person who's seduced by things like overpriced ice cream and half-hour waits, I totally enjoyed it. I had the pistachio and their "extranoir" chocolate. Was it as life-altering as the reviews said? Maybe not, but I haven't tried the sorbet.
Yet.
(Just don't tell Brian.)
4 comments:
Just to give you some perspective. 3 years ago, when I was pregnant, I gained weight but not much in the first trimester and everyone told me how great it was to be such a slim, pregnant woman. I had also lost 20 pounds before I got pregnant - had been on a diet and so I think I was a little bit in that diet mentality..use to being a little hungry all the time.. Anyway, I ended up with preeclempsia in my seventh month, which quickly escalated into full blown eclempsia and I wound up giving birth at 31 weeks to a 2 pound 12 ounce baby.. who was thankfully a beautiful little survivor who is now a very healthy normal 3 year old. Though our story is a happy one, premature birth is something you want to avoid at all costs. A child can end up with many short term and long term complications. And through my after the fact research about preeclempsia I learned that though they don't know exactly what causes it, it always happens to really young mothers or mothers of advanced maternal age -(lovely expressioN), and they think it has something to do with malnourishment in the first trimester.....Back to the top of my post and my diet mentality in the early part of my pregnancy. I was also told once I developed preeclempsia that excessive exercise isn't great for pregnant woman. So, learn from my experience, focus less on your appearance and more on the health of your baby. You are so lucky to be pregnant when you've wanted it for so long.. why not enjoy getting round and people noticing that your pregnant? Gaining 1 pound at the beginning of your pregnancy, might not be such a coup. My point...you've got a life inside of you, who cares about your ass?
A wonderful dose of perspective Georgi. Thank you.
Ohhhh...they(OB Personnel) are gonna make you eat and harp about gaining weight. When I lost 9 pounds my first trimester (due to icky sickness) my doctor first checked my thyroid (apparently rampant and constant nausea, coupled with being turned off by all food that was not a baked potato or PLAIN rice krispies as they fall in the least likely to make one barf category was not a compelling enough explanation for the weight loss.)After figuring out that my thyroid was ok, my doctor suggested that I eat ice cream every day. EVERY.DAY. DOCTORS. ORDERS.
With any luck yours will tell you the same.
By the way WHEN we come visit you after the birth of the baby I need to let you know in advance that we will be going to the place that provides the thing in that picture there.
Consider yourself warned.
Mmmm! Ice cream every day!
In my first trimester with Caitlin, I also failed to gain any appreciable weight. My doctors said "Gain!", so I went down the daily milkshake path.
Well, in the end, I gained a total of 40 lbs, she was born a week early during the Hottest Day of the YEAR and was 6 lb, 14 oz. I also think a lot of my final weight gain had to do with major heat and water retention, so take add my data to Georgi's. Every body is different and so long as you aren't walking around actually feeling hungry, you're probably going to be fine.
Besides, what an excellent opportunity to eat ice cream way more often than not?
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