A Weighty Topic

Normally... I weigh 150-155 which puts me in a size 6-8 and feeling confident in my bathing suit and yoga class.  Here's a shot of me and my hubs, Corbett Lunsford, at the Tiny House Builder's Workshop last April for perspective. The Tiny Human, btw, took root about a month later. :)

We don't know if we are going to have a boy or girl, but I've been dreaming about girls lately and I began to dread the topic of weight.  How am I going to talk to my daughter about it?  Maybe she wouldn't be fixated on it like I was, maybe society will respect women's bodies more by the time she's old enough.

Every female, young or old, has thought about weight.  When you become pregnant a whole new weight conversation comes up.  How much will you gain?  How much should you gain? What to eat when, so you don't gain too much weight, and so you don't have a "big" baby.

A close friend of mine chose to not know her weight gain.  She'd look away and told the doctor she only wanted to know if she and the baby we're doing well.  Smart lady.

At first I thought, I get it, but I'm really into nutrition, how the body works, and how the baby is growing, so I found weight gain in the first 2 trimesters to be fascinating!  I wouldn't gain an ounce for days and then suddenly 2 pounds!  It was confirmation to me that the baby was having growth spurts and doing well.  I really liked the knowledge.

But now, I really get it.  As I'm six weeks away from having this babe, I am coming close to tipping 200 and as they say, it's all baby (and boobs!)  I certainly feel the weight more,  walking, swimming, rolling over in bed, but I still feel great, so why are people talking to me even more about weight?  And why am I suddenly finding my mind obsessing over it?

I think it's because I'm near the end and people are...

• Afraid of "Big" babies and...
• They are worried that I'm going to have a hard time getting back to my pre-baby weight.

So let's talk about this.

"Big Baby"  

I totally understand that there are particular medical conditions that can cause weighty babies.  I also understand how being hooked up to IV's for hours and hours can add a tremendous amount of water weight to a baby, but in general I think our bodies are pretty good at managing the size, birth, and breastfeeding of the life it has the gift of creating.

Our modern medical culture has created a fairly hostile environment for birth rooted in fear and the language spoken by doctors. My least favorites are "Bloody Show," "Boggy Uterus," " Mucus," "Failure to Progress," and "Labor": they just perpetuate the self conscious, dirty, and dangerous subconscious.  Women not being capable of birthing their own babies because their bodies are not made to give birth is an anomaly, but in this day and age it has become a widespread notion.

"Pre Baby Weight"

Please NEVER utter the words "She looks good especially after X number of babies" or "She's surprisingly thin after 3 babies, but I guess she's running around after them so much."  People gain and lose weight for all kinds of reasons and it's really insulting that it could be surprising that a new mom could look great after having multiple babes.

I CANNOT speak from experience, yet... but I really think getting to my pre-baby weight won't be much of an issue.  WHY?  Because I'm an active, healthy person, who knows her body, knows what to eat to stay healthy, and will most importantly be breastfeeding.  Breast is best not just for baby.

Of course with all of this we'll see, but it's my choice, my body, and my baby.  So I encourage us all to stick to my smart lady friend's question "Is the momma good? Is the baby good?"  If so then great!  If not, then ask how you can help out, but hold back the opinions on weight with women young and old, let's talk about being "good" instead and relish in that.

Thanks for helping prep the world for my future daughter, if that's who shows up. ;)

Here's a link to an interview we did last week- 33 weeks pregnant in our growing Tiny House.

Here's the spot! Thanks 10News WTSP!http://www.wtsp.com/story/news/features/2015/12/10/couple-hopes-tiny-house-inspires-more-efficient-homes/77105142/
Posted by Grace and Corbett Lunsford on Friday, December 11, 2015