It’s crazy to me how pregnancy can draw upon so many emotions all at the same time. I’ve felt pride for growing a healthy baby, insecurity over whether I’ve gained the right amount of weight at the right time, panic at how I’ll ever be able to lose all the weight and feel like me again, and excited anticipation to meet the little person I’ve been sharing this body with over the last several months.

As I reflected upon the journey of growing a tiny human and how it’s caused me to view myself and my appearance differently, I realized there’s 5 tools I’ve used to hold a healthy attitude towards weight gain during pregnancy…

The night I found out I was pregnant was the same night I dressed up as Sandra Dee for a friend’s Halloween party. I had absolutely no suspicion except for some tenderness in my chest I’d felt for several days in a row the week prior. When we got home from the party, Nick crashed on the bed and I grabbed a pregnancy test. What? Positive, really?? I wasn’t sure what to think. It was after midnight and I was preoccupied with thoughts of work while in the middle of a big launch for my online style course. I laid awake for a few minutes in bed but soon fell asleep.

The next day it started to sink in…