It’s Time To Be Honest About MY Pregnancy & CrossFit

Before I got pregnant I thought to myself “I will workout all throughout my pregnancy!” “I’m going to be that cute preggo CrossFit Mom!”

Fast forward to actually being pregnant..

In the very beginning [before I officially knew I was pregnant] I was noticing that I was tiring easier in workouts and I was becoming more fatigued earlier on in the workouts that I would usually crush! Not to mention I was feeling sick right before my workouts. I mentioned this to a few crossfit friends and they immediately said, “YOU’RE PREGNANT.” I thought to myself “no way”. Little did I know..

I found out I was pregnant right before the CrossFit Open began. To any crossfitter, we all know this is everything we train for. I felt INCREDIBLE about where I was with my fitness level this year and I couldn’t wait to see where I placed in this year’s Open. With every workout that was announced I couldn’t help but think of how I would CRUSH this workout if I wasn’t pregnant. I had multiple people come up to me every week and say this is your workout you’re going to do so well! I just smiled; while in the back of my mind I knew I couldn’t push as hard as I usually would. With every passing week I almost was scared to go into the gym. I felt that I was letting a lot of people down by walking in there and not being able to perform the way I usually do. You have to remember, at this point no one knew I was pregnant except for my husband and I. So no one understood why I couldn’t move faster or I couldn’t go unbroken with movements. You hear everyone cheering you on and you want to move faster but you also want to scream “I’m pregnant and nauseas and everything hurts.”

It’s very important for me to say that I have an amazing crossfit family, they were being so incredibly supportive throughout the Open when I couldn’t move as fast as I usually do and they didn’t even know why! They were encouraging and proud of every single workout I did even when I wasn’t. It was MY mental battle that I had to overcome to scale back in order to keep my baby safe.

Throughout the Open I felt so crappy that I would only come in to do the Open workout.. I wasn’t training otherwise. My amazing coaches obviously noticed and came to me to make sure I was doing okay. I couldn’t hold it in any longer and I HAD to tell them! Literally as the words were being sent via text I felt a huge weight lifted off my shoulders. Now they know why I haven’t been to comp class, now they know why I haven’t been consistent and now they know why I haven’t been performing at my best. The outpour of love was incredible and it just made me more exited to let the whole gym know!

It’s time to be honest.

My last crossfit workout was the last open workout.. I wasn’t the cute preggo mom that could workout every day throughout her pregnancy. I was experiencing nausea and fatigue like I never felt before. I was weak and emotional and the last thing I wanted to do was try to push my body to workout. So I didn’t. At first I was extremely depressed. I was upset because I wanted to workout but knew I had to listen to my body. I had people telling me “well you know its safe to still workout while you’re pregnant”. This irritated me. Because YES I know it’s safe. YES I know I shouldn’t change up my routine. And NO I do not think crossfit is bad for pregnancy. I WISH my body would just let me workout but it was how I FELT, it was what my BODY WAS TELLING ME. It’s not just me anymore, it’s this gorgeous bundle of happiness that I am growing AND it’s me. I need to listen to my body and not my mind when it comes to things like this and I believe I have finally come to terms with that. Yes, I wanted to be the preggo mom who worked out all time, and I still can be! But right now, I’m not. And that’s okay!

I recently went to a Saturday morning class and my god did it feel good to SWEAT. I did burpees by stepping back instead of jumping and box step ups instead of box jumps. I listened to my body and it felt GOOD. I have recently been feeling much better with each passing day and my workout days are right around the corner! I cannot wait!

I can’t stress enough how important it is to surround yourself with people who only want the best for you. Especially during such a HUGE part of your life like pregnancy. I am SO grateful to every coach and athlete at CrossFit Speakeasy for supporting me and checking in on me and just being bad ass people that I know I can lean on! It’s an incredible feeling and I can’t wait to be back!

So for all the moms out there that see Miranda Oldroyd with her adorable belly working out a few times a week, just know IT’S OKAY to not be that mom right now. IT’S OKAY to not be as fit as you once were. And IT’S OKAY to have to change your “cute preggo crossfit mom” plans when you just feel like absolute shit! You’re not alone. And for those who are like the beautifully talented Miranda Oldroyd I commend you, you are strong and beautiful and you inspire so many of us. Also, please email me what you eat and all your secrets so I can be just like you 😉

With so much love, from my couch to yours while I battle this terrible taste in my mouth and nausea, just know moms, you’re not alone ❤