I have had five children.
Each pregnancy was a wonderful experience, in hindsight anyway.
Growing another human being inside of you can be both the most amazing, miracle of your life and at the same time it can be the most uncomfortable ordeal known to man, or should I say woman! Let's think a little here about the vulnerabilities to gain weight that you will face while pregnant.
During pregnancy you not only grow the infant's body inside of you, but you have to house the package that they live in while they are growing.
That stuff gets heavy! That alone causes you to gain weight during pregnancy! And by the way your entire body is stretched out of proportion.
Organs go every which way but loose, your waistline not only disappears but the tissues that held it intact before are stretched beyond comprehension.
It is easy to think, "If I am going to gain weight any way, what are the few more pounds that I might gain if I eat this bowl of ice cream today, and that huge sandwich tomorrow (after all I am eating for two), and in the scheme of things how much damage can one bag of M&Ms create? Another vulnerability to weight gain during pregnancy is that your activity level really diminishes during that time, particularly when you are in your last trimester.
Less activity of course means less calories burned.
Less calories burned means more tonnage you are putting on and more to take off after the baby is arrives.
So what is a woman to do? First, why don't you relax and think about it.
Develop a plan to minimize the amount of weight you are going to gain while pregnant as well as the damage that the pregnancy will do to your body in the process.
The first thing that you must do, of course, is define and stick to a healthy, nutrient rich diet.
Clear it with you doctor or your mid-wife to make certain that it will support your health as well as the health of the baby.
Secondly, let me encourage you, with the permission of your doctor or midwife, to continue to exercise for as long as you can while pregnant.
A healthy body that is in shape will go a long way towards both developing a healthy baby and recovering from the ordeal after the birth.
The last thing I will recommend is something that was not available when I was pregnant.
If it had been life would have been better during and after pregnancy.
I am talking about body shaping garments to support your body while the baby is growing.
As the weight of the baby tends to pull your abdomen down it puts a strain on your back and it weakens your abdominal muscles.
The post partum result is a lot of flab, weak abdominal muscles, and horrible back pain.
With a supportive body shaping garment you come out strong in the end.
The garment supports those lower abdominal muscles and takes the strain off of your back.
It also tones and strengthens your abdominal muscles as the baby grows so that they can spring back more quickly after the baby is born.
The concept is amazing and it is already working for thousands of women today.
But again, clue you doctor in on what you are doing to make sure that the safety of the baby is supported in the process.
For more information to learn more about these amazing pregnancy, body shaping garments check out my resource box below.
And by the way also look for the post partum body shaping garments! Here's to a healthy baby and a slender, shapely post partum you!