I'm having a baby!

My 2009 plans have been decided for me! This will be the first year since I began competing in 2003 that I won't be suiting up, strapping on the heels and spraying on the tan. It's a bit sad but it is more than made up for by the coming of our first little bundle of joy!

I became pregnant around the beginning of February. I was well into dieting mode and only 9 weeks from my first show of the season. I had just weighed in, checked bodyfat and taken pictures (149 lbs., 16.6%). Three days later, I found out I was pregnant.

I will be journaling my mood, emotions, training, diet, etc. on my blog for the next 8 months.

Weeks 1 – 4:

I felt great and like I said, really didn’t know I was pregnant until about the 5th week. The only symptoms I noticed were during week 3 when I had extreme fatigue, low back pain, slight nausea, hot flashes and constipation. But since all of those symptoms could also be attributed to contest dieting and an extreme heat wave of weather, I was only mildly suspicious! Those symptoms subsided and it took almost 2 more weeks for me to find out I was pregnant, of course when I missed my period.

Week 5 – 6:

Week five was ok, but fatigue was beginning to set in. I started making initial changes to my diet and training this week. I stopped caffeine cold turkey (but a week later, resumed it in less than 200mg daily allotments) and added much-needed extra carbs due to the low blood sugar associated with pregnancy (and believe me, I noticed!). I also added calcium and iron to my supplement plan, in addition to my USANA multi-vitamin/mineral and sublingual liquid B complex.

Week 6 has been the worst! Constant nausea (though no vomiting) and insane fatigue – worse than dieting/training for a fitness competition. And believe me, if someone told me it was harder than that, I wouldn’t have believed them! I go in for my initial appointment in an hour. I need the reassurance that I’m doing everything right and not taking anything that may be harmful to baby…

Got to see my baby today! He/she’s a little kidney bean – soooooo cute. The baby’s only about 1 cm in length, but I got to see his/her heart beating very rapidly. It’s confirmed that I’m 6 weeks and 6 days… due date November 3!