Pregnancy and Postpartum Redefined My Relationship With Fitness

After several years of trying to get pregnant and being diagnosed with Diminished Ovarian Reserve (DOR) in my late twenties, my husband and I finally made the big decision to pursue IVF. Our first fresh embryo transfer resulted in an early miscarriage, and we were heartbroken. To get my mind off things, I leaned more into exercise than ever before.

When we left the IVF clinic after our second embryo transfer, I was high on the Valium they prescribed and feeling cautiously optimistic. However, I was concerned about the doctor’s request to restrict exercise for six whole weeks. As someone whose mental health relies on movement, I was suddenly being told not to move. When we got the amazing news that our embryo transfer was successful, I figured my fitness routine would be impacted once I was deeper into pregnancy, but I naively didn’t realize just how quickly my body would be affected. Fast forward to throwing up in my front yard after getting home from our first ultrasound appointment; the last thing on my mind was working out. But as my body (and my mind) got used to the massive changes happening, I was ready to re-commit to fitness.

Protecting my baby was my absolute top priority during pregnancy, but maintaining some level of activity was really important to me to protect my mental health after everything we had been through. As someone who had always identified as a “fit” person, I needed to adapt my identity when I could no longer approach fitness the way I always had.

Here’s how I adjusted my expectations while protecting something more important than working out:

Safely adapt types of exercise you already know and love.

My favorite types of exercise include Pilates, weights workouts, and walking. I researched how I could safely continue to do these activities while pregnant and made the necessary modifications. I also looked for credible trainers on YouTube who specialized in prenatal-specific Pilates and dumbbell workouts. (A couple of channels I recommend are Pregnancy and Postpartum TV and Lauren Fitter!) When I was ready for exercise again around seven weeks postpartum, I kept these modifications in mind as I slowly reintroduced my favorite movements back into my fitness routine.

Be flexible on what counts as exercise.

There’s no need to “gatekeep” what you define as exercise during pregnancy and postpartum. A gentle walk counts, light stretching counts, carrying your new baby around the house counts. Especially when I was nauseous around the clock the first half of my pregnancy, I considered it a huge win if I could finish even 10 minutes of exercise some days. If my body didn’t crave (or couldn’t tolerate) any more, then I would stop or do something that felt better.

Don’t expect to be anywhere close to your pre-pregnancy intensity.

Pregnancy and postpartum are not the times to push your body to its limits. I struggled with this…having been dedicated to fitness my whole life, I was used to pushing through exhaustion and always lifting a few more reps, doing a few more squats, and taking a few more steps up that mountain. I had to reframe my fitness mindset to make gentleness the goal, not intensity. I wasn’t going to be doing hour-long weightlifting workouts anymore, or going on steep hikes at 10,000 feet elevation—but I was going to be growing an entire human life inside of me, and what could be more intense than that!

Listen to your body.

When working out during pregnancy, if I ever felt even the tiniest bit dizzy or lightheaded, I would immediately stop and rest. My body (and my baby) were telling me “not today, mama,” and I listened to protect us both. After having my baby via c-section, I was cleared for exercise at my six-week postpartum appointment. I was really excited to get back to it, but I realized my body just didn’t feel quite ready yet. I waited another week or two and then slowly started to ramp up my core workouts to help my body heal from everything it had been through, and gain strength to confidently carry around my growing baby.

Seek inspiration, but don’t compare.

With social media nowadays, it’s so easy to fall into the comparison trap. I found myself comparing my workouts to pregnant women running marathons or freshly postpartum celebrities doing bikini photoshoots. It’s great to be inspired and motivated by what other women are doing, but we all have unique bodies, genetics, lifestyles, and goals. And the truth is, some women simply have easier pregnancies and recoveries with minimal effort. Comparison is the thief of joy, which is an important sentiment to carry into motherhood as well.

Love and celebrate your new body for what it accomplished.

I rarely take “gym selfies”, but I remember taking a photo of myself in the mirror at 37 weeks and 2 days pregnant because I was feeling really strong, yet…different, somehow. I wanted to remember the moment. Little did I know, that would be my last pregnancy workout…and I would be meeting my son within 48 hours.

Like almost every woman I know, I haven’t always had the best body image. With my infertility struggles, I was frustrated with my body for years because it wasn’t doing the one thing I wanted it to do most. Then it carried my son for nine months, and I have never felt better about my body no matter what it looks like now. My lopsided c-section scar is a badge of honor for the unplanned surgery I underwent to safely bring him to this world; the extra body fat on my upper arms and thighs makes sure I have enough energy reserves to nourish him with breastmilk. Pregnancy is truly a miracle, and growing my son will always be the most impressive thing my body has ever done.