Meet the Mamas: Natasha

The best thing about being pregnant is feeling the little kicks inside your body and knowing that everyday its getting stronger and that soon you will get to meet the person who’s been keeping you up and night and waking you up in a morning without making a sound. Although the sentimental moments are the best there are a few perks to being pregnant too such as an excuse to eat more of certain things than you would consider socially acceptable and also being able to wear comfy clothes without anyone judging.

The worst comes in trimesters. My pregnancy is almost to the book, for the first four months I had severe morning sickness, I could only eat carbs and constantly felt nauseous. I know that the sense of smell heightens in the first trimester, and honestly I could smell everything! The dishwasher, the smells cupboards have the smell of a cars interior when its been a hot day. I couldn’t bear any of them. I remember driving on a particularly warm day and I could feel the sickness rising like a wave of panic, as I pulled up at traffic lights I had to open the door and throw up, still wearing my seatbelt. The row of cars next to me just stared and fortunately, what felt like my night in shining armor jumped out of his car with a handful of McDonalds napkins passing them to me and said ‘Ruff Night”? To which I replied few months actually”.

When the second trimester kicked in I felt invincible, my gym wear still fitted, the sickness had stopped and I once again felt like myself, I would go to the gym to do some gentle walking, yoga and the odd class suitable for pregnancy but this blissful stage passed quickly and it soon went to “Oh my, are you having twins?”, “you look like your ready to drop!” and “Have you always carried big?” This bump had appeared from almost nowhere, It wasn’t big really I just think people’s expectations are mixed when it comes to how a bump should look. Along with the bump came the difficulty in breathing as it squashed my diaphragm and then followed by indigestion because my whole entire stomach was what was pushing my diaphragm up.  I now have just over little over a month left in my third trimester and I think most of it I will spend lying down cuddling my maternity pillow drinking gaviscon from the bottle.

Yes, I like pregnancy Pilates. Its gentle and however fit you were before getting pregnant I feel as though the workouts need to be adapted. I found I compensated for weakness by over using other muscles rather than engaging the correct muscles, it’s always good to have someone who is experienced in pregnancy fitness as they will notice this and instruct you on your posture.

Before I was pregnant I used to train with a personal trainer three times a week doing HIIT training, weight training and I would physically feel sick after most sessions but I was fit and strong. Because of the sickness I experienced with pregnancy in the first four months I didn’t train at all and was unable to regain some of the strength I had lost due to fatigue. I decided for the rest of my pregnancy I would keep it simple by just going swimming or walking so I didn’t over work myself and then I would start fitness training when after the baby is born.

Eggs. An egg on its own isn’t a funny craving but when I ate 7 in one day I said to my partner, this must be pregnancy related, each day I find it the only food I like to eat. During my first pregnancy I ate everything and my cravings were mashed potato and milk, I used to drink all the milk as soon as we got any in the fridge and it had to be ice cold, I would crave bowls of creamy mash with gravy. But during this pregnancy its more of a lack of interest in food, I cant stand tea or coffee at the minute either and the thought of salmon repulses me but these I used to love!

The Tummy rub butter has been my go to moisturizer for my expanding bump. I find it easier to apply when used over the tummy rub oil. I find it’s kept my skin supple and so far no stretch marks!