Moment of honesty: I spent my fair share of time during my recent pregnancy googling for photos of other women at various stages in their pregnancy to see how much weight they gained, where they gained it, and how it compared to my journey. So much about pregnancy isn’t really discussed, and I had very little idea of what to expect. I had spent so many years working towards my own fitness goals; the idea of gaining a lot of weight during my first pregnancy, especially at 32 years old when losing it can be tougher, as pretty terrifying.
I continued to work with my macros coach (Ashley Jo of Grit Health) throughout the pregnancy. Thankfully, that means I can now look back on my weekly check-ins and reflect on my pregnancy journey. I’m sharing that here, in case it’s helpful for any of you to see my journey and, a little self-servingly, as an outlet for myself to document what I was feeling at different points as a reminder when we (hopefully) have our second.
Please note: I completely recognize that everyone’s pregnancy journey is different and everyone’s body responds differently. This was just my journey. You may gain more weight, you may gain less, your weight gain targets may be different and that’s okay. Remember the ultimate goal here – a healthy pregnancy and delivery and doing what’s best for your little one!
THE STARTING POINT
July 22 // 127.5 pounds after two untracked weekends
I started a mini-cut in early June to shift my maintenance weight from 127 to the low 120’s, where it had been two years ago. From there, we would see how the cut went and make the final decision on whether to compete again in October or November of 2017.
THE FIRST TRIMESTER
As a reminder, the first two+ weeks of pregnancy are prior to conception, so I didn’t track my weight there. These dates are actually the day before each week begins since I check-in with coach on a Friday but each week of pregnancy for me actually ran Saturday – Friday.
4 weeks pregnant (Aug 4) // 127.1 pounds (-0.4 from baseline)
5 weeks pregnant (Aug 11) // 128.1 pounds (+0.6)
6 weeks pregnant (Aug 18) // 127.2 pounds (-0.3)
7 weeks pregnant (Aug 25) // 129.5 pounds (+2.4)
We found out we were pregnant on August 26 at 7 weeks after a few weeks of feeling exhausted and a little bit off. Looking over to see that reading swap to “pregnant” before heading to Saturday morning workout was a bit of a shock – in the best way! We had been told getting pregnant could be a long road for us, and are so entirely blessed to have it happen so quickly!
The weight gain of the prior few weeks finally felt like it had a purpose – versus just feeling guilty about being off my macros a little and seeing the scale impact.
8 weeks pregnant (Sep 1) // 127.7 pounds (+0.6)
We let our coaches at the gym know around week 8, when workouts started to wind me more than usual and running made me feel lightheaded. Thankfully, that was about as bad as the first trimester got for me!
9 weeks pregnant (Sep 8) // 128.6 pounds (+1.5)
Waiting for that first ultrasound in week 9 to confirm we were pregnant and everything was on track drug by. Thankfully, the weight gain didn’t follow. I held steady at WEIGHT through that first appointment. My “starting weight” that the doctor tracked from was 131 (a bit higher than my at-home weight, since my appointments were typically midday).
10 weeks pregnant (Sep 15) // 128 pounds (+0.9)
Around 4:30pm each day, my energy crashed and nausea picked up. The only thing that seemed to help me get through workouts and feel human was a bunch of carbs between 3 and 4:30. I had a few days where I went over my macros by 20-30 carbs while I figured out how to adjust my other meals to meet my afternoon cravings.
11 weeks pregnant (Sep 22) // 129.5 pounds (+2.4)
My weight this week was super erratic – 1-2 lb jumps every day with no clear reason. I was on top of my macros and didn’t really have any swelling but I guess that’s pregnancy for you!
12 weeks pregnant (Sep 29) // no check-in
The end of the first trimester, thankfully, was as easy as the beginning. I was exhausted but no major morning sickness or food aversions. In total, I gained 2 pounds in the first trimester. The goal was to keep the change near zero, so I was pretty pleased!
THE SECOND TRIMESTER
13 weeks pregnant (Oct 6) // 127 pounds (-0.1)
Our blood test results came back this week letting us know that we were low risk for a number of conditions – a HUGE stress relief. We also found out that Baby H was a little girl! I was feeling super fluffy all week, but weight was down. Again, pregnancy and the impact is has on your weight is super crazy!
14 weeks pregnant (Oct 13) // 129.8 pounds (+2.7)
We had our first big scare in week 14. I dropped out of a workout halfway through with a shooting pain through my lower abdomen. A call to the on call doctor at my OB and she assured me that I was likely dealing with a pulled abdominal muscle, which my doctor confirmed a few days later. The guidance was to pull back a little at the gym until it healed.
The result was pretty stressful for me. Fears about whether I could keep the weight under control amidst scaled-back workouts were front and center.
15 weeks pregnant (Oct 20) // 128.9 pounds (+1.8)
No new cravings, no horrible symptoms, no crazy workout issues. Just a regular week and it felt so, SO good!
16 weeks pregnant (Oct 27) // On vacation; no check-in
17 weeks pregnant (Nov 3) // 131.6 pounds (+4.5)
After a long weekend in Mexico with friends, eating whatever we wanted and drinking delicious mocktails, it’s not surprising that my weight was up. Vacation was a break we needed, and I don’t regret a bit of it!
18 weeks pregnant (Nov 10) // 132.2 pounds (+5.1)
I really started to show in week 18. The higher weight was totally made up for by an amazing test day in the gym. I exceeded my old power PRs during row sprints and was able to still back squat 80+ kgs at a tempo – yay for non-scale victories!
19 weeks pregnant (Nov 17) // 134.5 pounds (+7.4)
20 weeks pregnant (Nov 24) // Thanksgiving, no check-in
At the halfway point, my weight gain was a little off track. The goal for the entire pregnancy was 25 lbs, and here we were, 20 weeks to go with an expected pound a week gain, and I was already at 10 pounds.
This also marked the week where I started to feel really uncomfortable in my regular jeans and made the switch to maternity. Mentally, it was so tough for me!
21 weeks pregnant (Dec 1) // 137.5 pounds (+10.4)
I came back from Thanksgiving up even more weight and even further from my target. I took some photos that I haven’t even shared with my husband because I was so ashamed of how big I felt! Crazy, right! I look back on them now and have to remind myself that it was largely the hormones speaking. While I was freaking out a little, I was also thrilled to finally be able to feel our little lady wiggle around. It wiped away all of those negative moments with the most immense joy!
22 weeks pregnant (Dec 8) // Traveling, no check-in
23 weeks pregnant (Dec 15) // 139 pounds (+11.9)
24 weeks pregnant (Dec 22) // 140.3 pounds (+13.2)
The steady weight gain really kicked in after we passed the halfway point in the pregnancy. My coach had prepared me for this, although mentally, it was still really tough to see the scale continue to climb! My check-in photos became less and less frequent as I became more uncomfortable with my size. Such a mental challenge to see the scale climb!
25 weeks pregnant (Dec 29) // Traveling, no check-in
26 weeks pregnant (Jan 5) // 142.2 pounds (+15.1)
27 weeks pregnant (Jan 12) // 143 pounds (+15.9)
THE THIRD TRIMESTER
The third trimester was a struggle for me. You set a weight gain goal (for me, 20-25 lbs) and every day, you see yourself get a little closer to that target and wonder if you’ll stay under. I was told that the weight gain would slow at the end of the third trimester. It was hard to believe in that moment though!
28 weeks pregnant (Jan 19) // 143.9 pounds (+16.8)
29 weeks pregnant (Jan 26) // 143.5 pounds (+16.4)
30 weeks pregnant (Feb 2) // 146.3 pounds (+19.2)
31 weeks pregnant (Feb 9) // 147.5 pounds (+20.4)
32 weeks pregnant (Feb 15) // Didn’t check-in
33 weeks pregnant (Feb 23) // 149.5 pounds (+22.4)
34 weeks pregnant (Mar 2) // 152 pounds (+25)
35 weeks pregnant (Mar 9) // 151.6 pounds (+24.5)
36 weeks pregnant (Mar 16) // 152 pounds (+24.9)
Around this time, I crossed a threshold where I started to feel really good in my skin. I’m not really sure why. We were so close to meeting our baby girl, and it looked like I was going to keep the weight gain to less than 30 pounds. I was obviously very pregnant and all of my maternity clothes fit perfectly!
37 weeks pregnant (Mar 23) // No check-in
38 weeks pregnant (Mar 30) // 155 pounds (+27.9)
The swelling really picked up the last few weeks of my pregnancy. I also stopped following my macros closely in week 38. At this point, I was uncomfortable, exhausted, and so really for baby girl to be here! Letting go of my macros just a little bit somehow made it all easier. That said, I didn’t go crazy – just more guesstimating and the occasional extra tortilla or glass of Fre champagne (Fre is non-alcoholic, of course).
39 weeks pregnant (Apr 6) // 155 pounds (+27.9)
40 weeks pregnant (Apr 13) // 156 pounds (+28.9)
We welcomed Everly Elise Hetrick at 40 weeks, 3 days. My weight that day held steady at 156 lbs the morning we headed into the hospital. It was higher than my original goal, but all in all, I was happy with the weight gain.
Looking back on my pregnancy now, I’m not sure I would have made different choices about my nutrition or exercise during the pregnancy. Labor and delivery went as smooth as possible, we have a healthy, happy baby girl, and a lot of the weight dropped back off in the days immediately following. I’ll share my post-partum journey soon!
The best advice I can give expecting mamas is to find a coach who can help you feed your body (and your baby) right during pregnancy. The value of that support is immeasurable!!! Happy to share more of my personal experience with my coach if you’re interested – just email me (fitgirlinflight at gmail.com).