My wife’s final month of pregnancy has surpassed anything I could’ve imagined.
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My wife’s name is Lauren and she is a rockstar. It’s that simple. A figurative rockstar of course, but nonetheless, she continues to impress. She decided, after 8 months of being pregnant, that she was going to amp up her commitment to her health for the final 4-8 weeks of pregnancy. She committed to showing up at yoga 3-4 times a week, hiking 3-4 times each week, meditating once if not twice daily, and oh, throwing in a plyometrics routine that includes air squats, wall squats and more lunges than I want to mention. And this is coming from yours truly, an endurance athlete who loves to run, bike and swim for hours on end.
I was pleasantly surprised and in total support of her commitment, of course, but what I’ve witnessed over the last month and a half is something far beyond what I ever imagined. Lauren’s due date was February 8 and the photo(s) include lunges on Feb 9, strenuous hiking on Feb 7 among other miraculous events. This is just a small sample of what she’s done to stay fit. She’s been an inspiration to me and many others. Our friends and families are all routing for her and our baby to make her grand entrance into this world.
I’ve heard so many stories of how uncomfortable pregnancy can be and how so many women just want that baby out! I totally understand (as much as I possibly can), I’m sure I would be complaining about the discomfort 8-10 times every hour. Sometimes we men can be such wimps, for me, this is one of those times.
Before we decided to have children, Lauren wasn’t sure how it would feel to be pregnant. She thought it might be too uncomfortable, she might gain too much weight, get stretch marks, all the common fears most women have and probably a few uncommon ones. While she definitely watched her diet, lathered her belly with oils, and worked out like a mad woman, she also evolved into the most beautiful pregnant woman I’ve ever seen. Now, obviously I’m biased, but I share all this because there are so many stories out there about the horror, pain, and discomfort of pregnancy. My wife has had times of discomfort, but for the most part this has been a relatively easy pregnancy. She’s already developed a dialogue with our baby. Lauren tells me whether the baby likes or dislikes something. “It’s just something she feels,” she tells me. Something that us guys will never know. Maybe not never, but not for the moment.
Lauren’s intuition has increased. She’s been forced to slow down, which was difficult for her. She has grown to understand that pregnancy is such a short time that it should be cherished. She has already felt a bond with our baby growing inside her. It’s nature at it’s finest and it’s one of the most beautiful things we get to do, should we choose to have children.
I believe it’s important for men to know and their wives, that pregnancy doesn’t have to be terrible. Every woman has a unique experience. That’s one thing I can tell you for sure. There was not one story remotely similar to another when it comes to pregnancy. So if that’s the case, why not create your own story like Lauren has done. At least put as much of your own magic touch on those precious 9+ months together as possible. I know, if there are difficulties, you may have to be on bed rest or have monitoring, etc. Obviously, if you have complications, make sure to take the advice of your doctors and your medical team.
It was her choice to get out of bed when she was tired, though sometimes she stayed in bed to rest. She met up with her girlfriends for a hike, and sometimes she had to cancel. It was her choice to get to yoga class, though sometimes she would leave a little early if she felt uncomfortable. It was the showing up that mattered. Many times she would nap in the afternoon and it took a while, but she made that okay in her own mind, another difficult decision.
As I write this, Lauren is in her 41st week of the pregnancy and taking a 2 hour walk. She’s still showing up to yoga, hiking, and exercising. We’ve officially been prescribed daily sex and those two hour walks, among a few other things to help natural child birth. Kudos to my wife for stepping up, in this 4th quarter of her pregnancy and being an incredible example to our baby, to me and to many others out there who can see what is possible!
I’ll let you know how it goes! Catch me on twitter, Instagram, Facebook.
Originally published at teddymcdonald.com
They can amaze us sometimes, can they not? My wife is the same, and I thank the maker that I’ve found her.
…and grats to you both, guy.