If you would have told me 20 years ago that I’d be having a baby in my 40’s, I’d have laughed you right out of the room.
But then again, a lot of things have happened in my life that I never saw coming. I’m sure most of us can relate to that.
So, here I sit at 41 years old with a beautiful six-month old grinning up at me. And while it’s not our first child, it is the first baby we’ve had in our home in several years.
With age being an obvious concern this time around, one of the most important things I came away with throughout this pregnancy was how to have a healthy mom and baby experience. Regardless of whether you’re a young mom…or a little older like me.
An unexpected blessing…
I’m a planner.
It’s slightly embarrassing to admit, but I’m such a planner that I had my future family mapped out before I even graduated high school.
I’d meet my husband sometime during college.
We’d date for a few years, get married after starting our careers, and have children around four or five years after our honeymoon.
In case you haven’t guessed by now, that’s not exactly what happened. God has shown me time and again that despite my best laid plans, He almost always has a few surprises up His sleeve.
My “future family plan” was no exception.
I didn’t marry the guy I dated in college. My husband and I didn’t even meet until we were both almost 30. I didn’t just start my career before having kids–I worked almost a decade before we started a family.
And we couldn’t wait four or five years into marriage to have children–we were too old!
Not one bit of how my family life played out went according to plan. At least MY plan that is.
But it was with our third child that God really threw me for a loop.
We tried for several years to have another baby. Our first two came easily, so it was surprising that number three was such a challenge.
It was a long and emotional journey. (You can read more on that here.)
So, when we were finally blessed with our third little girl, we welcomed her into the world as much older parents than we had ever expected!
Preparing well…
But, like I said…I’m a planner.
And when our difficulty conceiving a third time began and I started to realize I might be an “older” mom, I knew I would have to work extra hard to keep my body and mind strong. I knew a healthy mom and baby experience had to start long before I became pregnant.
The first thing I did was establish a regular workout routine.
I’d always tried to stay in shape. I’d experimented with various things after having my first two children-mainly running and lifting weights.
But I didn’t know a whole lot about fitness. And it seemed like my efforts weren’t paying off like they should have.
So, after some advice from my husband and sister-in-law, I found a few YouTube fitness channels. And I committed to working out at least 30 minutes, four days a week.
That one decision ended up being a game changer. In more ways than one.
Because it took so long for us to get pregnant the third time, I had been working out with my YouTube “trainers” consistently for years. I might have been almost 40. But my body was in better shape than it had been in a long time. And because I was used to working hard, I was able to keep up with my workout routine for the entire pregnancy.
Not only that, but I was able to drop weight and bounce back much quicker than I expected after the baby arrived.
Want more tips for a successful postpartum journey? Check out “Practical Habits for a Healthy Mom Lifestyle.”
My number one key to losing baby weight…
One of my biggest concerns about having a baby later in life was how it would affect my body. I was worried about how I would handle late pregnancy and the baby’s delivery. And I was slightly terrified of how difficult it would be to lose weight postpartum.
But it turned out all those years of working out prior to baby number three paid off tenfold!
I still had a hard time getting comfortable in those late pregnancy weeks. I mean, who doesn’t?! I definitely didn’t sleep well. But, overall my body handled the last trimester much better than I could have hoped.
And when it came time to deliver, my body responded well. Other than a pretty major epidural fail, everything went smoothly.
Then came postpartum. I had no idea what to expect. Losing weight after our second child had been especially hard. And I had been seven years younger!
But I was very pleasantly surprised to see how my body responded as I attempted to return to my pre-pregnancy state. It was easier and happened quicker than I expected. And I can say with confidence that my recovery was directly related to my activity and fitness levels in the years leading up to my pregnancy.
Find more postpartum inspiration at “Finding New Self-Image With a Post Baby Body.”
Don’t get me wrong-I’m still not where I want to be. I’d like to lose five to ten more pounds. And continue to tone up certain areas.
But for a mom that’s a little older than most, I’m proud of my progress!
A healthy mom and baby pregnancy starts long before conception…
I’m far from a fitness expert.
I don’t know much about dieting.
But I’ve learned from experience that if you work hard and stay consistent, a healthy mom and baby journey is possible. Regardless of your age!
And if I can do it, so can you!
It starts by simply finding a workout plan that fits your lifestyle. And then making the commitment to stay dedicated to that plan.
No excuses. No slacking off. No giving up.
Day after day. Month after month.
It won’t be easy. But your hard work is guaranteed to pay off.
And it’s never too late to start. Whether you’re just beginning to think about having a baby, already in your third trimester, or well into your postpartum journey–getting and staying active will make a difference.
And not just for you. Your dedication to fitness will benefit your baby too.
I never could have imagined that I would fit back into my pre-pregnancy jeans before my baby was even crawling. (And yes, I could button them too!)
So, take it from this 41-year-old mama…anything is possible.
Leave a Reply