Photo by Daniel Grove Photography

Yeah, it’s been a while but I’m back! I was so blessed to be given the gift of a son on March 5th and boy was I ready to meet him! Compared to my last pregnancy roughly four years ago with my daughter, this one has been hard! I think a majority of it had to unfortunately do with my weight. I was completely healthy– no gestational diabetes or high blood pressure but the day to day was anything less than easy. By the ninth month, I was about 50 lbs. heavier than my first time around. That’s a big difference!

I had so many body aches, moving around was a huge undertaking and oh the swelling! I’ve never seen my feet so big in all of my life. Now yes, you may be reading this list and thinking these all go with any pregnancy, and you’re right, but the heavier you are, the more it seems to be amplified. I’m all about plus size mommas filling up the earth with their beautiful spawn, I just didn’t realize there would be such a difference in my own situation. That doesn’t mean it wasn’t worth it and I encourage women of every size to pursue pregnancy whenever they are ready, no matter what the scale claims.

Once again, I found out that I had to go through another c-section. I was hoping to have a vaginal birth this time around but my doctor ended up strongly advising against it in the last month. I was never told why since everything was lined up well for a successful birth but I assume it had to be my weight. No other factors were present. During one of my last appointments, I remember seeing my medical notes on the computer when the nurse stepped out for a moment. The words morbidly obese stuck out like a sore thumb. I remember thinking, I’m not dying and I’m pregnant, of course I weigh a lot! That’s my only clue on to what may have lead to the c-section decision. I’m glad things like that don’t sting as bad as they used to. I’m in such a healthier place mentally where I can cut myself some slack and not let a comment like that ruin my entire day.

The c-section was successful. During it, I jokingly tried to bribe them to do a tummy tuck since I was already on the operating table. I got a few laughs but no luck beyond that.  I’m sure that’s not the first time, or even fifth time they’ve heard that joke. But as my mom always says, you can’t receive if you don’t ask! The reason I wasn’t originally wanting to go through surgery was the recovery time that follows. I remember my last time being absolutely brutal. I had felt so helpless and that’s the last thing you want to feel with a newborn in your home. Surprisingly, recovery ended up being fast this time around. I was able to walk around in a week’s time and I’ve been much more active than expected! Everything has healed nicely and while I’ll always have that classic mommy flap of skin hanging down over my belly, nursing has helped me already lose 20 lbs. I’m able to officially start working out next week and I’m looking forward to it. Perhaps I’m delirious but I’ve been stir crazy sitting around the house. I’m hoping to use this time as a fresh beginning and get my body in a healthier condition. I love queso and chocolate way too much not to be active.

I start back to work next month and my employer has been kind enough to let me do so from home for a month to ease back into the flow. While I’ve had a good, long break growing this little human, it’s time to get into the swing of things again. In fact, our Facebook group is breaking into routine with a book club discussion on Chrissy Metz’s “This is Me” book. Want to join us? Find us on Facebook!