Hormonal Roller Coaster!

It’s no secret that a woman’s hormones run wild whilst she is pregnant. This can be challenging at the best of times, and with the other changes occurring in the body, it’s no surprise that partners can often cop the brunt of it too. Falling pregnant has taken me on a roller coaster of a ride so far with hormones definitely playing a big part in this.

So rewind to pre-pregnancy, when I was on a constant quest to rebalance my hormones and my weight. I spent thousands of dollars over 7 years, seeking the help of countless health professionals and even going back to uni to complete my human nutrition diploma, in an attempt to get to the bottom of my own health issues. What I knew for a fact was that when I ceased the contraceptive pill in 2011, my period didn’t return for 2 years, and I have been battling ever since to get to the bottom of regulating my cycle and my weight. You name it, I have likely tried it. Doctors, naturopaths, nutritionist, chiropractors, homeopaths, Chinese medicine, acupuncture...the list goes on. I have had umpteen tests and screens to try and gather pieces of my complex health puzzle. My situation improved, but I still never had conclusive treatments to work with and was constantly switching and changing up supplements in order to find a good balance. It became clear upon further research that the Gardasil vaccine I had had in my early 20’s for cervical cancer, also impeded my health, creating an even more convoluted array of issues and lack of answers. My fertility was in question and I was determined to do all I could to get everything on track and be the healthiest version of myself! Fast forward now to my (surprisingly) easy conception. My hard work had paid off, but falling pregnant has surprised me in more ways than one! Here I sit halfway through my pregnancy at the same weight I was when I fell pregnant. Whilst I had some mild morning sickness in my first trimester, I had no vomiting or diarrhoea. I did catch the flu toward the end of trimester one which included a few days of no appetite and therefore no eating. But again, I didn’t experience any vomiting. Aside from this, my appetite has remained normal. I have been eating the same quantities I consumed pre-pregnancy, with the addition of even more meat, dairy, bread and potatoes into my diet. I have been listening to my body’s needs and fuelling it with predominantly nutritious food. I haven’t been obsessing over my weight, what I eat or when I do or don’t eat, with the priority of my unborn baby’s needs top of mind. Upon reflection I began to wonder if my crazy pregnancy hormones actually reset and sorted out my pre-pregnancy imbalances? My weight has seemed to naturally find its ideal place (about 5kgs lighter than I was preconception), and is now gaining weight at a healthy rate in accordance to my pregnancy. I have spoken to a couple of friends who were convinced this also happened to them. I then went on to do a bit of google research, but unfortunately wasn’t able to find much specifically to back up my theory, other than this sentence “It's not uncommon for overweight women to lose some weight during pregnancy, and the reasons may vary.” So there you have it, I have come to my own conclusion and a few fellow mums have agreed, but I’m curious.

Is this something you too have experienced, or am I simply finding a silver lining in my pregnancy here?!