First Trimester of my Sixth Pregnancy

Baby Six is now the size of an olive. He has a heartbeat and is making me sick. Don't hate, but I never throw up with my pregnancies. The nausea and dizziness is something to be reckoned with, though. Every time I'm laid out in the bed the other kids get nervous. They willingly bring me crusts of bread when requested and offer to rub my back (no, don't touch me).

I no longer want salad, which has been my go-to for healthy food for the last six months. I want lots of meat and cereal, not together.

There have already been so many times in the last few weeks when I've asked myself why I planned on bothering to eat healthfully and workout every morning during this pregnancy. I picture how rotten life can seem when I'm pregnant and imagine adding sweaty workouts and green food. Right now that sounds like the worst things I can think of.

Really though, pregnancy is nothing compared with the first three months postpartum. Running around with kids and schedules and housework with no sleep and an infant hooked up to you pretending like you didn't just have your undercarriage blown open. That is the hardest part of pregnancy for me, the fourth trimester, as they call it. In that memory is where I get my answer.  That is why I am going to go the extra mile during the first three trimesters, to be stronger and faster and more capable when everyone needs me most.

I picture myself in a hospital room after delivery feeling burnt out. In the past, I've been there and remember thinking, "I wonder how long they'll let me stay." The prospect of the impending adjustments at home was so daunting. I want  to be as ready as I can to take life on after the new baby arrives. There are plenty of studies that show that mothers who stay active and nourish themselves well during pregnancy recover more quickly. I've seen other moms do it and I plan to do it, all in the name of giving my family the very best of myself. Losing the fat quickly and beating baby blues postpartum doesn't hurt either…

Pregnancy is so temporary. I've got this.