My Pregnancy Journey (Hello week 18! and a talk about health

Well hello! (Don't mind my makeup-less photo)

I went back and forth on whether I was going to include weekly updates on my pregnancy and body changes on my blog for quite some time. I decided since this is sort of my journal on life and I've written about my family and friends, highs and lows, jobs and vacations before so why wouldn't I share this time with you.

I'm going to be completely honest with you for a minute. When I found out I was pregnant, I was so excited! I had chatted with a co-worker when we decided to start trying for a family and she gushed about how it was so great to be pregnant because she was the healthiest she has ever been... she ate well, took care of herself and has three gorgeous kids (well grown-ups) to show for it. I was stoked! I had already set it up in my mind how my pregnancy was going to go... (silly silly me)

I started off the first few weeks carving out time to exercise on my layovers, really thinking about what I was eating and getting 7-8 hours of sleep a night. Then one day, it all changed...
I got hit with morning sickness All Day Long. For all of May I was exhausted, I was nauseous all the time, I had bad food and smell aversions (goodbye morning coffee and even chicken for a while). Being around smoke or going into a grocery store was torture for me. I went from a fruits and veggies diet to potatoes, bagels and red meat. Then in June I went from feeling nauseous to hugging the toilet. Everyone kept telling me that after the first trimester it all goes away and you feel great. I hit second trimester and my sick was still going strong. Work was bearable but long days on the plane made me get sicker and brewing coffee would still send me straight to the lav. (yuck)
Then when I thought it was starting to get just a bit better (hello July!) and I was pretty much at my wits end and missing "normal" life (no exercise) I got hit with a horrible sinus and ear infection sending me to Urgent Care and googling the heck out of whether the antibiotics they had me on was anything to worry about. (I also had previously imagined myself not taking any medicine over the course of my pregnancy) There is This is where I am now... hopefully at the tail end of this all as I finish my meds.

Don't get me wrong, I feel blessed to be pregnant! It's been really hard both mentally and physically feeling so out of whack for a few months but when I hear my baby's heartbeat or look at our first ultrasound photos I know that all this is completely worth it.

Growing a life inside my body has made me really think long and hard about health. I think and worry alot about the health of my baby but also being so sick has made me really think about my health as well. Looking back I feel proud of my body and what I have put it through the past few years... traveling the world, running a few half and full marathons, bikram yoga, changing my eating habits to healthier choices. I almost feel bad because as amazing as all of those things felt I don't think I gave my body the credit it really deserved. I remember so many times comparing myself to other women, wanting smaller thighs and a tighter core. I have called myself fat and large at times, felt self concious and ashamed. If I could go back, I would take every mean and bad word to myself back and give myself a huge hug. Our bodies are amazing if you treat it right and take care of it.

These past 2 weeks especially I've left the apartment a handful of times, I missed my Great Aunt's surprise birthday party in Dayton because I can't fly right now and I've watched more Netflix and tv than should ever be allowed. No matter how full and fun my life is, without my health- I can not enjoy any of it.
So, as the weeks go by and I grow my little nugget, I will be trying to take it easier on myself and concentrating on being as healthy as I can be. (with a few deserts adding in for good measure) I feel like my blog is slowly changing but it's because I am slowly changing. Thanks for coming along with me so far on my journey!