Pregnancy & Body Image

You’re suppose to feel this overwhelming sense of joy when you’re pregnant. And anything else would just be unusual.

Well, it’s not. Your body goes through A LOT of changes in only 9 months. And even though you might be the only one knowing it for the first months, you’ll rapidly start to grow and show. And you can’t make your body stop getting bigger. You can exercise and eat as healthy as one only can with daily cravings, but in the end, you’ll get big.

You’ll hear comments like; “You’ve gotten so big. Are you sure there aren’t two in there”. It’s frustrating cause it’s like no one knows what you’re actually going through. And who knows if you’ll ever get back to the size you were before. The invisible pressure is definitely there.

Even as this is my second child I’m much bigger than what I was with my first. I keep telling myself that I’ll get back to my ‘normal’ self and this in it self is a miracle. But as much as it is a miracle, and I am truly grateful to be a mother again, I can’t help to feel like I’m not myself.

I don’t feel sexy in my body, I don’t feel as confident. Most of the time I feel bloated and like I have to pee every hour. I’ll never have my abs back to normal and my bellybutton will most likely not go back to it’s normal self. And I feel guilty for feeling this way. Because my body is getting bigger and I don’t like looking at myself in the mirror, even though I’m creating a human being inside of me.

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Elizabeth

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I wish the day had more than 24 hours

I desperately need more hours in the day. It’s frustrating to know that the day is coming to an end and I’ve hardly done anything productive. Most of my days start off very early but today I got to sleep til 8 am which I can’t remember when I’ve done last. Jumping out of bed, checking to my baby because I though he was already up. He wasn’t which made it possible to go to the toilet in peace and make breakfast. Between breakfast and my son’s first nap I managed to workout. He didn’t wake up before after my shower which was amazing, but after that the day just went into a blur.

We drove to his grandparents in the early afternoon and came home 2 hours later. That would give me more than enough time to do what I need to do. But between diaper changes, making dinner and giving my son a bath there’s not much time left for me.

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I’ve been sitting at my sewing machine for the last hour but I just can’t get it to work properly. I’ve seen X amount of YouTube videos on ‘how to’. Everything from threading to sewing, but they all make it seem so simple and here I am still struggling. If I haven’t told you I got a SERGER for my birthday this year but it was bough on eBay so it wasn’t exactly brand new. I thought I could just sit down and start sewing but one problem after another started appearing. I’ve change both knives, needles and all 4 threads – and I still can’t figure it out. Why does everything have to be so bloody difficult with me?
That was my Sunday rant. I just had to get it out so that I wouldn’t go crazy. Sometimes I wish things would just be simple, but I guess that’s just too much to ask for.

Anyway, I hope for a better day tomorrow. Until then, goodnight.

Elizabeth

Midweek update

I’m starting today off with a warm cup of lemon with honey. I woke up with a little bit of a itching throat and I do not feel like getting sick now. I have to make myself breakfast soon because my stomach does get a little bit upset if I wait too long.

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Yesterday was a rainy autumn day but that didn’t stop us from going out. I got to use a new rain cover for the stroller and I came to know that I need a new rain jacket, one that is a bit bigger and longer. Something I will look for today when I’m going shopping with my mum. We walked down to our local shopping center and sat down to eat pancakes and I had one of the best frappes. The little one also got some walking shoes which will make it easier for him to practice.

Yesterday evening we all went out for pizza which was nice. It’s been a while since we’ve been out, and it was actually the first time with our son.

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Today will be one of those normal days again. I’m planning on working out, maybe doing a warm up outside and then in the evening I have some alone time with my mum. Nice little surprises like these during the week is what you need once in a while.

Elizabeth

The best feeling in the world

..is when you can check off your to-do list one by one.

The day started off an hour earlier then planned and after only six hours of sleep with a list that was half a mile long. I did make a very specific list the night before, hour by hour, instead of just listing things up and not knowing when I would do them. This can be a great way to plan out your day in advanced, especially if you want a lot of stuff done.

My original plan was to go back to sleep from 10 am to 12, but after an intens leg workout my energy level was up in the sky and there was no way I would fall back to sleep.

I got a bit delayed midday but at the end I managed to pull through.  With a one hour nap in between it was safe to say that my energy level was running low at the end of the night. The next couple of days I just have to continue on with my work and try to catch up on some sleep as well.

Elizabeth

Healthy post workout protein pancakes

This is a perfect breakfast or an even better post workout meal. Lots of protein, and who doesn’t love pancakes? I found some left over protein powder in my cabinet and to be honest I have to continue making some pancakes the next couple of days because my powder has almost gone out of date. These turned out so good so I don’t mind eating pancakes the next couple of days.

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♥ 1 dl flour ♥ 2-3 dl milk ♥ 1 egg ♥ 1-3 scoops of protein powder (depending on how strong you want the tast to be) ♥ Vanilla powder ♥ Margarine for frying

1. Mix all the dry ingredients inna bowl.
2. Add 1 egg to the mix and a little bit of the milk and start stirring with a whisk.
3. Continue on adding the rest of the milk to a fine batter.
4. Heat up a pan and add a generous amount of margarine before you fry out your pancakes.

Add any topping you’d like & enjoy!

Elizabeth

Late Sunday breakfast

Today started off quite late but I guess thats allowed on Sundays. I fell back to sleep after being up from 8 to 10 am. And we all stayed in bed till 1 pm. Just about right for the weekend I think. Other than relaxing today, I’ve cleaned my car and put on a load of laundry. I’m planning on doing some creative work but I just have to get started with it. That’s always the hardest part, actually start with any project. Once I’ve started I can go on for hours.

I did plan on doing a workout as well but I think that has to wait till tomorrow. My body is extremely sore so I’ll take today as a rest day. I’ve also posted a new video on YouTube, so if you’re interested and have seven minutes to spare, you can check it out right here.

Happy Sunday!

Elizabeth

Never my intention

I’m sitting here on the floor waiting for my new video to upload to youtube. It’s challenging having both a youtube channel and a blog to maintain because I feel like one or the other get forgotten, but that’s never my intention.

I really wanted to step back in Ramadan and not post anything meaningless. But now that we’re back in our everyday lifestyle it’s time to get back into some old routines as well. Leave your bad habits behind and focus on the positive. Take with everything good you’ve learned this Ramadan and implement it in your daily life.

For me that is working out and eating regularly and more healthy again. I usually don’t crave any sweets anyway, but I’ve missed the working out part. I’m already sore from yesterdays leg workout. I also want to make more videos but I won’t promise anything I can’t keep. Other than that there are some projects I’m working on here at home that I’ll hopefully be able to share when they are done.

Elizabeth

Health benefits during Ramadan

Heath benefits of fasting during Ramadan:

1. Detoxes & revitalizes the body
2. Blood sugar and blood pressure drops
3. White blood cells become more active
4. Organs start their repair process
5. Getting better concentration
6. The body repairs any damaged cells
7. Liver, kidney and skin are detoxing
8. Last 10 days you get more energy, improved concentration and memory

Elizabeth

Fresh juice every morning

I haven’t been this tired in a long time and I should probably be in bed getting some rest. But I just couldn’t end today without telling you about Witt’s slow juicer. 

I recently received a slow juicer which I tried out this morning with the little fruit we had left laying around. Two oranges and one kiwi made an awesome fresh juice. It’s a big machine but you can make amazing fresh juices, smoothies or even baby food. You get all your vitamins and maximum nutrition from you ingredients, and instead of blending or centrifugation the juicer cold presses the fruit and vegetables.

Now I just have to go out and buy more fruit and veggies, cause I definitely want to use this more.

Elizabeth

One week later

I had to take a minute and regather my strength. I don’t know what happened but a week ago on Friday my body said stop. I had to take a breather and just be. I wasn’t able to do much that day other than to look after myself. I had a headache and felt nauseated throughout the entire day. Luckily with a lot of resting and sleep I was feeling like myself again the next day.

Now a week later, the trees are getting greener and my baby is getting older. I’ve spent most of my days inside because the heat is too real right now. I should be thankful for the wonderful weather we have received but a little cold breeze wouldn’t hurt. I’ve had family over, started reading a new book and figuring out how I can expand my growth on social media. I would love for this blog to be more than just a hobby. But I know I have to give a 110% and unfortunately I don’t have the dedication right now. I guess I don’t know how to managed my time yet, but I’ll get there, hopefully.

Elizabeth