Finding Joy in Pregnancy

I was pregnant during the height of COVID-19, so it was a pretty scary and isolating time, in general. Finding joy was hard, as I didn't get to spend time with family and friends as I would have hoped. I didn't get to do the normal outings and adventure most couples do before welcoming a baby. So I had to seek elsewhere for joy, and I leaned in heavily on movement. 

I’m pretty active in general and was fortunate to be able to continue exercising throughout my entire pregnancy. 

I had some bleeding during my first trimester so I was told to take it easy and that swimming would be OK. I wasn’t a strong swimmer, but after watching a few YouTube videos on proper breathing techniques and buying the appropriate gear, I was swimming 3-4 days a week. I would swim in an outdoor pool when no one else was around, and I loved it.

Once my bleeding had subsided after the first trimester, I got the greenlight from my OB/GYN to increase the intensity of my workouts. I added back my usual running and strength training exercises along with the swimming. I was pregnant at the height of COVID, living in a high-rise building in DTLA. So anything I could do to get outside and move my body, I was doing it. I would run outside on the empty streets, without a mask, and see people from a distance. It made me feel a little less alone and that I had some control over the crazy times we were living in. 

Being active was a huge factor for my mental, emotional, and physical well-being throughout the pregnancy and definitely during L&D. I was exercising up until the day I had to check-in to the hospital to get induced. In fact, my husband and birth doula had to convince me not to exercise the day we checked-in in an effort to conserve my energy for labor and delivery. But I felt strong and empowered each time I moved my body, and I think our baby did too.