I feel like I need some sense talked into me

[madamimadaminchrist]

I’m really struggling with the idea of slowing down/resting more. Pre-pregnancy, I lifted 6 days a week and got 10k steps minimum, usually more. Since being pregnant, I’ve been able to keep lifting 6 days, though some days o cut some of my volume if I’m not feeling it. Step count has been down the whole time. I hit 10k maybe 4-5 times a week and rarely go over.

I’ll be 33 weeks tomorrow and for some reason, I feel like I’ve been hit by a bus today. Just extreme fatigue. I know the obvious thing to do is to rest today, but my body dysmorphia is really messing with my head telling me I ate poorly all weekend, Monday is never my rest day, etc.

I feel like I’m really struggling to give myself permission to slow down and I’m looking for… encouragement? I’m not even sure.

 

[rattikin]

@madamimadaminchrist Think of giving birth as a marathon. You have now entered your tapering phase - you need to rest up!

 

[tanner1991]

@rattikin Love this analogy!

 

[crice]

@madamimadaminchrist SLOW DOWN

Give yourself a break! You are literally creating another human being! Listen to whatever your body is telling you to do and do it. If it's sleep more, sleep! Eat more, eat! Move more, move!

 

[katrina2017]

@madamimadaminchrist Here is a different perspective - if you don’t slow down, you will tax your pelvic floor making recovery after delivery harder. Which means you cannot go back to working out as quickly as you would want to. Sure, you are creating a new human and all that - but that logic never worked on me. I detested being tired. The only thing that kept me from feeling guilty was the potential for irreversible harm I will inadvertently do to my pelvic floor.

 

[madamimadaminchrist]

@katrina2017 Tbh, this is probably the best approach for me as well. Thank you.

 

[crystalturquoise]

@madamimadaminchrist 33 weeks is when i suddenly felt so insanely pregnant and like I needed to rest way more than I had since the beginning. It’s a really normal time to feel the need to slow down and gather your strength for the growing baby is doing in those last 7ish weeks and for your delivery. Focus on preparing your body for the work it’s about to do and not pushing through your fatigue. Yoga is a great option now, walks, all those “prepare for labor” stretches. It’s better for you and the baby to listen to those feelings rather than push it.

 

[kd1616]

@madamimadaminchrist That happened to me around the same time and I stopped running. A week later I was admitted to the hospital for preterm labor (not saying this will happen to anyone else!). But seriously you are nearing the end and you will slow down. Post birth you will need to continue to do less. Everything goes back to normal eventually after giving birth so try not to stress. You’re taking care of yourself and your baby by resting.

 

[barrow29]

@madamimadaminchrist I have lots of friends who completely stopped working out for their full pregnancy. Bounced right back within months. If you've been maintaining that much for your first and second tri, you're miles ahead of them. You'll bounce back just fine. A few weeks of fewer workouts is better for you in the long-run. Take care

 

[nj123]

@barrow29 Good advice

 

[hitherepeeps]

@madamimadaminchrist I had the exact same feeling around 30 weeks. I wanted to keep pushing myself, but I was exhausted. On top of it, I began to get a lot of Braxton Hicks contractions every day.

But, you need to rest. Your body is carrying a whole other living person! When you rest, you're resting for the baby, too.

I changed my whole idea of what a "workout" was and now (38 weeks) I do 2 gentle stretch sessions a day and 3-4x a week I do really low intensity exercises like bodyweight squats and lunges with light weight upper body exercises.

You'll get back to the intensity and exercises you're used to after the baby is here! You'll need to rest for a while before you can do that, so now is the time to practice patience with your body.

 

[socialism]

@madamimadaminchrist You have permission to slow down.

 

[red79]

@madamimadaminchrist Take a break! I totally understand where you’re coming from though. 31 weeks today and having to slow down quite a bit (esp rn as I have a nasty cold). We are doing so much already!

 

[plan2911]

@madamimadaminchrist I imagine you're working out because you want to take care of your body/health/etc. And at this point, it sounds like what your body needs in order to be taken care of is rest. I'd say that if you still want to get some movement in, go for a walk or maybe do some stretching, etc. Then let yourself relax! There will be other days when your body is less tired and when that happens, you'll know and can take advantage of it then.

 

[katrina2017]

@madamimadaminchrist I'll add my two cents to the chorus here after 30 weeks or so, pregnancy gets tough. You're getting heavy, your baby is chilling in the place where your lungs should be, your muscles are pushed aside... You've been super active this whole pregnancy, you've done the training, now it's time to rest, which is just as important in terms of labour prep. You got this

 

[perez1001]

@madamimadaminchrist I can relate to this so much. I am 25 weeks now and the slow down has been really hard for me. Some days are better than others, and it is hard just having to go with the flow. Is there some sort of compromise you can reach with yourself? Like doing something lighter. This past weekend, I scrapped my planned workout and did an easy bike ride on my trainer. It was not what I originally wanted to do but it helped brighten my mood a bit.

Also, when you say you ate poorly, what does that mean? Exercise should never be done as compensation for eating, or permission for eating. Your body needs extra calories right now regardless of whether or not you do a formal workout.

 

[madamimadaminchrist]

@perez1001 So, I wouldn’t say I exercise to compensate, because I’d exercise either way. But it is mentally harder for me to rest when I know I ate a bunch of junk. Take out, DQ blizzard, nachos. It was way more extra calories than needed lol.

 

[james2206]

@madamimadaminchrist If a beloved friend came to you at 33w pregnant and said that she’s battling extreme fatigue but feels the need to keep pushing herself because of her diet over the weekend, would you want her to give herself grace and take the rest she needs or would you tell her that her body needs improvement and she should suffer through the fatigue?

I hope you’re the kind of friend who wants her friends to rest when they need rest. Please rest.

 

[pokeutopia]

@madamimadaminchrist 36 weeks and also struggling with this. I find it’s easier if I compromise by simply modifying my workouts or substituting them with yoga ball stretches that have a goal of helping baby get into position. That way, I’m still moving my body, but it’s not as strenuous as say, lifting or Pilates.

The thing I’m currently struggling with is dialing back on the cardio. My peloton rides are still really intense and I am finding it hard to make myself slow down.

 

[onehumbleservant]

@madamimadaminchrist You need to rest!! You are tapering before the big event. Devote some time to healthy meal prep for when baby arrives if you want to do something healthy.

Download the spinning babies class and learn how to get your baby properly oriented for a smooth labor.

Start stretching—squats especially. Be mindful of not exacerbating ab separation in daily movements. Bounce on your birth ball!

Meditate!!! You need to get mentally fit for labor.

Rest! You will wish you had once baby arrives. I promise you will be able to come back from this after birth and the fourth trimester. Take it easy.