The Writing Mamas Daily Blog
Each day on the Writing Mamas Daily Blog, a different member will write about mothering.If you're a mom then you've said these words, you've made these observations and you've lived these situations - 24/7.
And for that, you are a goddess.
Tuesday, October 02, 2007
Broken Mommy
As mentioned in a previous blog, my back went out recently. Wham! Just like that, and afterward, I could barely move.
One of the questions I asked myself is, “How could I have let myself get so out of shape that now I couldn’t even take care of my own child?”
Well, there’s a reason, and it’s stupid, in hindsight.
I had never been truly out of shape my entire life, even when plagued with debilitating sports injuries, of which I’ve had many. If I couldn’t run or bike, I’d swim. If I couldn’t use my legs, I’d get in a pool and flap my arms.
Then about three years ago I was trying to get pregnant and couldn’t, “advanced maternal age” being the likely reason. As is my nature, I refused to buy into statistics and put myself on my own natural, self-healing, fertility program.
Every day, I ate organic, meditated, practiced yoga, quit caffeine, and took other strict measures. I also stopped exercising and lifting weights. Books said I shouldn’t get my heart rate over 110 beats per minute, in case I might be one of those whose hormones are adversely affected by it. That’s too slow to call exercise for me, so I stopped completely.
Four months later, my body soft in a way it had never been before, I conceived my son.
After his birth, I started rollerblading again, but I kept it really slow, never breaking a sweat. I figured, if I wanted to attempt to beat the odds again with a second child, why bother getting myself back in shape?
So I let it slide.
Well, that was a mistake! As every mother knows motherhood is a demanding physical sport. With all the bending, twisting, lifting, and carrying involved, you need to be in shape for it!
It suddenly made no sense to me to stop exercising as a way to help one get pregnant. Exercise carries oxygen through your blood to your muscles, it heals the body and the mind. It greatly alleviates one of the worst enemies of unexplained infertility: stress. Plus, carrying a baby for nine months is an athletic event that one should be prepared for.
I need to trust my body and the way my hormones work more than that. So when this back heals, I’m getting in shape.
The sport of motherhood demands it!
By Cindy Bailey
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One of the questions I asked myself is, “How could I have let myself get so out of shape that now I couldn’t even take care of my own child?”
Well, there’s a reason, and it’s stupid, in hindsight.
I had never been truly out of shape my entire life, even when plagued with debilitating sports injuries, of which I’ve had many. If I couldn’t run or bike, I’d swim. If I couldn’t use my legs, I’d get in a pool and flap my arms.
Then about three years ago I was trying to get pregnant and couldn’t, “advanced maternal age” being the likely reason. As is my nature, I refused to buy into statistics and put myself on my own natural, self-healing, fertility program.
Every day, I ate organic, meditated, practiced yoga, quit caffeine, and took other strict measures. I also stopped exercising and lifting weights. Books said I shouldn’t get my heart rate over 110 beats per minute, in case I might be one of those whose hormones are adversely affected by it. That’s too slow to call exercise for me, so I stopped completely.
Four months later, my body soft in a way it had never been before, I conceived my son.
After his birth, I started rollerblading again, but I kept it really slow, never breaking a sweat. I figured, if I wanted to attempt to beat the odds again with a second child, why bother getting myself back in shape?
So I let it slide.
Well, that was a mistake! As every mother knows motherhood is a demanding physical sport. With all the bending, twisting, lifting, and carrying involved, you need to be in shape for it!
It suddenly made no sense to me to stop exercising as a way to help one get pregnant. Exercise carries oxygen through your blood to your muscles, it heals the body and the mind. It greatly alleviates one of the worst enemies of unexplained infertility: stress. Plus, carrying a baby for nine months is an athletic event that one should be prepared for.
I need to trust my body and the way my hormones work more than that. So when this back heals, I’m getting in shape.
The sport of motherhood demands it!
By Cindy Bailey
Labels: Cindy Bailey
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