Dear Still-in-the-Belly Baby Mama

Dear Still-in-the-Belly Baby Mama,

I'm writing you to tell you a few things--things I wish I'd realized during pregnancy or even before so that I would have been ready and more aware as my body slowly began to resemble the body of Violet Beauregarde.

The first thing is this:  Your body will never actually resemble anything close to Violet's, no matter how much you think it does when you look in the mirror.  In fact, even though it seems to be trendy to have a 'baby bump' and you can feel LOTS of changes in your body, in reality, your body looks relatively unchanged...at least for your first trimester and even into the second one.  I've heard that after your first kid, you start showing much sooner, but I'm sure that I could have concealed my belly very easy for a long time if I wasn't so excited about having a 'bump' and didn't feel so bloated and not like myself.

Still-in-the-Belly Baby Mama, you might find yourself gravitating to the internet to look up every strange thing happening with your body. Be careful, mama.  Don't let the Devil get a foothold on you by filling you with fear.  The internet can be helpful, but it can also fill you with unnecessary anxiety.  It can also cause you to play a comparison game with other mamas.  You're an awesome mama--and you're the best mama for your child!  Avoid being dragged down the road of comparison and being beat up along the way.

Still-in-the-Belly Baby Mama, this is a hard tip, but it's one I will try to follow more next time.

Don't eat for two!  [gasp] I know, I know!  But it's true.  

Here's a quick calorie lesson.  Pregnant mamas need about 500 extra calories.  So if you're like me and couldn't keep up any cardio during the nauseous first trimester and didn't resume once you stoped being nauseous, you shouldn't continue eating like an exercising person AND add 500 additional calories.  If you find yourself constantly hungry, look at your calories.  Are they mainly made up of junk?  Or are they high protein, vitamin rich foods?  Think carrot sticks, peanut butter, and meat.  You're post-baby hips will thank me because, believe it or not, that's not your baby asking for a dozen doughnuts.

Still-in-the-Belly Baby Mama, have you noticed that your emotions have gone hay wire!?  This aspect of pregnancy was one of the most crazy for me!  I would get offended about the smallest things and when the Wendy's employee put mayonnaise on my sandwich and I didn't notice until a few minutes down the road, I burst into sobs.  Really!?  Yeah, really.  Remember to cut people some slack and, if you're able, remind yourself that it's probably not as big of a deal as it feels like to you.

And don't forget to enjoy every moment you can before your life changes dramatically!  You're going to be a great mama--even if you feel like you have no idea what you're doing.  Don't worry, most all of us feel that way!

Love,
Mary