Pregnancy – Body Changes
*Please consult with your doctor before preforming any exercise or changing your eating habits. Every woman is different and every pregnancy is different.
First of all let me say that this is my story and my pictures. These pictures have not been “touched up”. These pictures are of my body both during and after the pregnancy. I want you to see the process of how the body changes both during the pregnancy and after. I am not scared to show you what a giggly, blob of a belly we all have after pregnancy. ;o) I want this to be an positive educational experience. Please let me know if you have any questions. I am here to help.
Pregnancy is truly one of the greatest gifts a woman can have. I have documented in the form of pictures and posts of what happens to a woman’s body during the pregnancy process from a physical sense. I want to take a detailed look into how we treat our bodies during this time. We are the ones that physically grow a baby inside our body. This bundle of joy takes everything from the mom. It is crucial that during this time you give your body the proper nutrition and physical activity so the you care for yourself as well as the baby. I have found through my private practice that most of you do not know that the baby will take and take and take your nutrients. Unless you take control and eat a bit more… at least 300 extra calories per day… you will be drained and undernourished. You will feel more tired. You may become sick more. You will over all feel under the weather because you have nothing in reserve to support your daily activities. This is an average of how many calories a woman needs too grow a baby. If you are indeed already involved in a more intense exercise routine then you may need more calories. I definitely had to eat more than the norm, but I am an active woman to begin with, but add exercise on top of normal day of activities and I was finding myself hungry all of the time. I would suggest speaking with a registered dietitian in your area to find out just how many calories you need.
How our body changes is amazing. Our bodies stretch and move in ways we never knew existed. In the slideshow provided below I wanted to educate women on what happens to a woman’s body as the baby grows and show you in the form of pictures the real life story. I want moms to know that exercise and proper nutrition are vital pre, during and post baby. If you start out before you ever get pregnant with good habits of health then you will most likely keep them up during the pregnancy. Promptly exercising again will help bouncing back after the birth of a child. There are many low risk exercises that are perfect for a postpartum mom. You can regain your prepregnancy figure, but only if you try. Exercise and eating right does come easy for me. I enjoy good, healthy food and I love to exercise!!! I have learned in my practice that some do enjoy these things and some do not. Find an exercise that you will stick with. Change, however, is good. Variety of exercise keeps you from getting bored, but it will also helps you not get injured. We are creatures of habit so try to avoid doing the same thing over and over again. My goal for this post is to stress to you just how beautiful pregnancy is. Taking care of your body and your baby should be the first thing on your mind. I want my experience to be an uplifting one. I gave birth on December 10, 2006 to a 6 lb. 5 oz. baby girl. Keep in mind that I am only 5 ft. tall. and my pre-pregnancy weight was only 108 lbs. I am just a small woman and had a small baby. If you are pregnant or thinking about to have a child, please look at your health habits now. Do not waste another day! Your body nor your baby cannot afford to have you think about it later. Enjoy the pics and I look forward to hearing your comments and your questions. May this post be a positive and uplifting message to you!
Yours in health,
Allison