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Personal Trainer Michelle McIntyre is here to bring you the motivation, affirmation, and love you need to unleash your most powerful self. Always real and deeply personal, Michelle and her guests offer up experiences that will help you navigate the worlds of fitness, health, and wellness. Join her on this journey and discover that You Can Be A Fit Bitch Too!
00:13
Hey, you amazing humans. Welcome back to You Can Be a Fit Bitch to the Rising series, the series all about pivots, changes, new chapters, new beginnings, and becoming the best version possible of yourself at any point in this life. And today's topic is all about baby bunks, post baby.
00:36
With Dee, Dynamite Dee is back here on You Can Be a Bitch 2 to talk about her journey into motherhood. I am so excited to have you here today, Dee. I can't wait to dig into this incredible new journey of yours and to give some beautiful tips to women who are thinking about becoming new moms, how to navigate all of that, and to keep yourself from going insane. uh
01:06
I'm thrilled to be here, although I don't know if I'm the best candidate for helping people not go insane on this journey because, uh you know. We've had some moments. Oh, I can't wait to talk about it. It's been a journey. That's for sure. Oh, you've been on such a journey. I'm so excited for you. You're such an incredible woman and you are such an amazing mom. I'm so proud of you on so many levels.
01:34
Now, let's talk about your journey before pregnancy. Let's dig into what you were doing, where you were at, and how you were setting yourself up for success. I like to think that before I got pregnant, I was a pretty fit person. Like, I was doing class with you twice a week, doing mobility and HIIT. But my main source of activity was walking. I was getting
02:02
at least 12 kilometers a day and did a big trip kind of a month or two before where I walked like 300 kilometers in two weeks. So, you know, I'm pretty good shape. You are an amazing shape and you did so much dedication to your fitness with the HIIT classes and the strength training and also the mobility. You and Nate just had it dialed in. It helps.
02:29
Having a partner and having stuff that's really accessible like that, being able to train remotely was big through COVID and has continued to be such a nice piece of flexibility, both before, during, and after pregnancy. Absolutely, because you're able to fit it into your schedule. We can move it around to where we need it to be for you. You don't have to go out.
02:53
and take an hour to get to the gym, an hour to be there, and an hour to get home. That is a lot of work. Anytime I don't have to commute, I'm a pretty happy camper, not gonna lie. I don't blame you. I know, especially with the way this city is growing here in Halifax, Nova Scotia. We are just booming. Oh, I know. It's wild. We're right downtown, right in the thick of it. So there are like things that are close by, but...
03:22
Not everything we need is right here. So yeah, anytime I don't have to travel for something and the fewer barriers you put between yourself and what helps you achieve your fitness goals. That's huge too. Super huge. You're right. The barriers that we put in there, like you navigated that so well before you got pregnant. You always showed up for classes. You had such a high fitness level.
03:49
You were very structured about, you know, your workouts. Do you feel like that helped you and your body to get prepared for pregnancy? I honestly, I think it did mobility, especially like it's so good for helping you move in your body and like understand how your body moves. Having that kind of flexibility for joints. You lose a lot of flexibility when you've got basically a beach ball.
04:18
for a belly. It's lot to work around. So having good flexibility going into it, I think did make a big difference in how I was able to move through my pregnancy. because it doesn't start out as a beach ball, right? As you are discovering that you're pregnant and you get your little belly.
04:44
the little baby bumps, right? That start small and then it starts to grow over time. And what did you find the biggest change in your body that surprised you through this? Oh, honestly, I kind of expected to have a bigger bump, but I think part of that came back to like you and I have been training for a long time. We've done a lot of AB training through HIIT.
05:11
I think just having really strong abdominals is like, no, no, nobody's getting out of here. No, it wasn't until I was like seven, eight months that I started to really look pregnant. know it was amazing. All of the girls were like, what is happening right now? Like Dee just, she's just flying through this. You kept that nice level body for quite a long time and barely, like you said, bump.
05:38
which made it a lot easier for you, I'm sure, when you look back on the journey. Oh, absolutely. Like, despite not having a huge bump, most of my weight gain was the belly. I know women who, similar story, they were all belly, but they were belly. And it was really hard on them, and it really affected how they were able to move.
06:05
Absolutely. I'm just gonna say this, like, was there a moment when you like bent down to like try and tie your shoes and you just couldn't? I really appreciate the flexibility I have in my hips because there was a lot of, okay, sit down and like prop my foot up on something, have my like knee out to the side and then tie my shoe. Right? Like all the things that we don't think about when it comes to like having this big belly in front of us like squatting down to pick something up or
06:34
even dropping something and not being able to like see where it is. absolutely remember there was a time when like I was getting the laundry and a sock fell out of the laundry hamper. And the first time I did go through all the effort to bend down and pick it up. When it fell the second time, it was like, no, I'm just going to kick this until I get to where I'm going. No, it had its chance.
06:57
You're like, I'm kicking this to the curb right Unless you need it at a certain point, like if something falls on the floor, it lives there. You just better hope it's not you. Yeah, you're like, I'm done. Oh, that is one of the biggest things too, right? Like your mobility in that process of belly growing and trying to maintain a regular schedule and movement with me. And I know we did do modifications, but later on, because your body was still
07:27
very highly functioning right straight through the 12 months. I know I dropped the ab exercises not right away, but like kind of mid second trimester, I'd say, but I kept doing my squats till the end. And I was going to class until about a month before my due date. And honestly, part of the reason I dropped then was I had a concert the night of class. And then after that, it was just like,
07:56
I'm so close and I'm so big. Let's just, we can pause. Pause, exactly. And do you feel like that's something you would want to empower other new moms just to know that there is a point when it's probably best just to take the moment and give yourself the breather and the rest that your body needs before you give birth. There is tremendous value in keeping moving through pregnancy if you can. I know
08:25
there are a lot of things that can pop up that make that genuinely difficult. Again, I know folks who've had really, really bad nausea and morning sickness where walking 10 feet, it's like, I'm gonna throw up, excuse me. I had a bit of that, but not nearly to that degree. So I was able to keep walking and keep up with my classes. My walking dropped down kind of right away after I got pregnant, mostly because
08:53
first trimester your energy just goes in the tank. I was exhausted for the first three months. You know what? It's so funny. I never would have thought that with you coming to class, like you always showed up with such, here I am, I'm pregnant and I'm here to work out. And you always showed up with the energy and knew your limits though too, which I love about you. Well, that's been a big thing between the two of us for years now.
09:21
And that's part of why I will show up to class even if I'm half dead is I know you'll only push me as far as you know I've got the capacity for. And I know myself well enough to know it's like, okay, that's not happening tonight, but we've been training together long enough too that I know a lot of good modifications for things. So like, I know how to step down what I'm doing. One thing I know I did through my pregnancy was we use a lot of weights.
09:51
in our HIIT class. So I went to lighter weight. I think I was using like three and five pound dumbbells for most of that. Yes, you were. Because I wasn't at that point looking to build a lot of muscle. I was just kind of looking to maintain where I was and keep moving. And honestly, in hindsight, I kind of wish I'd kept heavier weights, but that's something we can get into a little more when we talk about kind of the postpartum side of things.
10:18
Uh-huh. Cause you've been hitting it hard. Oh girl. You need that strength when you're stuck lugging around. Once the baby's on the outside, now you have to carry them like in your arms. Oh, you've done so amazing. Take us back though for just a quick little revisit to that decision to start a family and then the reveal of finding out that you are actually
10:48
pregnant because you know what that's a journey in itself for a lot of women some women find out that they cannot have kids some women aren't capable for many different reasons or sometimes it's just that life doesn't bring that into their lives and you know it's not always exactly what we think it's going to be for every single woman yeah no for as far as like deciding to to start a family I mean
11:16
Nate and I on our own, we were a family, just the two of us before that, and with our wonderful little dog, Griff, at the time. But from like very early on in us dating, we were on the same page that we wanted to have kids at some point. Now the number dropped down as time went on and like the expenses of life crept up. We're not having 10 anymore, Nate. Yeah. And so...
11:46
The when is kind of what just kept getting pushed back. At first it was like, oh, we want to wait until we're establishing our jobs and we have like a house. Then we got the house and we realized we hated it. So we sold the house and it was like, okay, let's kind of resettle into living in an apartment again. And then like a year later, Nate quit his job. Year after that, COVID hit. And then I quit my job and went back to school. And then a year after that, Nate went back to school. m
12:14
There just kept being something that was like, oh, we're kind of working through this new upheaval. We don't need to add this into it. So then after Nate finished his program, I was in a pretty good spot with my job. like, okay, you know what? I think this is kind of the best chance we're gonna get. So let's go for it. So we wanted to wait to start trying until.
12:40
We had planned for that big hiking trip that I mentioned earlier. So was like, want to wait to start trying until after we get through that, because that is not going to be fun while pregnant. So it wasn't too long after I went off my birth control. I think it was about three months. Just long enough to get you thinking about all the things that go into actually getting pregnant, because despite...
13:06
The fear of God that is put into people in like high school health class, as soon as you go off birth control, you do not immediately get pregnant. Although some people do. There is a little more to it than that generally. So it's nice to know what goes into that. I really do appreciate that we didn't have like a huge struggle to get pregnant. I know that for a lot of folks, it can be a long and really draining road.
13:34
Oh, experience. know I've had so many people that are not so many, but I've known a few women who scheduled in, you know, we got to have sex now. This is when I'm my ovulation time. Like, let's schedule, put it in there, make sure you're getting all the supplements. And, and it seems like work when in society, it's supposed to be just this like, magical thing that happens and all of a sudden you're pregnant.
14:04
you get sold this myth that it's super easy and then when it's not for you, oh my God, like what do you mean? Exactly. And that can be really frustrating and very, I think stressful and disheartening for some women. think that's why someone like yourself who already had this beautiful like regime of working out and healthy self care and you already laid this beautiful foundation.
14:32
for your body to be able to conceive. There's only so much in life that's in our control for things like this, but I knew that was something that I could take the reins on. Being a healthy weight, having an active and healthy lifestyle, having a fairly healthy diet. There's some things that that can't and won't fix, but there are still things that we can do to try and give ourselves the best shot at whatever our health goals are, whether that is getting pregnant or some other...
15:01
fitness and health-based goal? Like, yes, like doing the re-comp for your body, like coming back into feeling like you've got more control over your healthy weight and the way you feel. You know, was that a big thing for you too? You didn't gain a lot of weight, but putting on that extra insulation to help create your beautiful little ness, you know, your body did its job and it did it really well. But did you find, there,
15:31
some things that you can like empower us with that change that might've kind of threw you or things to look out for that nobody really told you about. It was definitely, it was a change going through that process. Now my weight has fluctuated a lot over the years. Like before I was pregnant, I've been up to like 185 pounds. I've been down as low as 130. And I was about 150 when I got pregnant, but I did gain about
16:00
40 pounds by the end of it. So, what some people do and don't tell you as a pregnant woman is when you actually have the baby, a lot of that weight just drops because a lot of it was the baby and the placenta and like just the fluids you lose in the process of giving birth. I dropped 25 pounds between when I went into labor and when I got home from the hospital three days later. Now, I did regain some back through breastfeeding.
16:29
part of having been heavier before. I think it made that big weight gain slightly less intimidating. Yeah. For you, yes, absolutely. And it kind of normalizes it a little bit for you too, right? And to know that like, this is a natural part of this process. Our bodies change through childbearing and you know, they also change after. m
16:56
childbirth as well, like our hips change. You know, we'll get into that a little bit in the next episode. But did you find that there was a big difference in that period of time with your body and the way your strength felt? Did you feel there were times when you felt really super strong and then there were times when you just were really tired and needed that extra just get moving, but don't push it.
17:24
For the being tired, like first trimester was exhausting and like babies like barely the size of a pea at that point. But they're just draining all your energy to grow themselves and grow the placenta. But I remember one morning I went to go get groceries and this is something I've been doing for years. There's a superstore about a 20 minute walk from us. I take a backpack, load it up with their groceries, come back. Usually no deal. This day I go get my groceries like usual, come home.
17:54
and I have to lie down for two hours. I am so wiped out from this. I was exhausted. even like on a regular day, pretty much every day, I was really fortunate. I was working remotely through most of my pregnancy and entirely remotely that first trimester. So I like blocked out my lunch break on my calendar so no one would bother me and I'd go take a nap. And sometimes I would also take a nap after supper.
18:22
And like that's what got me through my day because I just I did not. I never have gas in the tank to do it without that. You know, and that's such good information for women to know because a lot of times we think we're just going to power through all of this change and our bodies are changing and we think everything is just going to the same the way the energy systems are. Oh, no, I'll get up and go, go, go. And I love what you're saying is that you have to actually honor.
18:51
your body and also the journey that you go through becoming pregnant. I'm going to say hosting because we are like hosts. It's kind of like you got an alien in there. totally is. Especially when you start feeling like feet trying to kick their way out of you. It's weird. But even if you know like, oh, this is my little baby and I love them so much, but also this is weird. So weird.
19:20
It's so weird. I remember touching. I'm just going to say this because I did at one point want to have my own kids. I have beautiful step kids that I love beyond words. It just wasn't in the cards for me to have my own, which is fine. But I can remember as a younger version of myself and touching my friends baby bumps.
19:47
And then being like freaked out because all I could feel is like this like foot pushing or something's moving and it just brings me back to aliens. no, totally. And now I never had the experience of like seeing the full hand pressing against my stomach, but I imagine that's got to be just really unsettling, just a little bit like, oh my God. Yeah. And, oh you know, and also too, like as
20:14
you know, moms and new moms, especially with your first, such a huge learning curve. And a lot of women get really scared about moving with a baby bump because they don't want to hurt the baby or they don't want to do something that's going to cause issues. You know, like I wouldn't have had you doing burpees with a baby bump. prefer not to be doing burpees, period.
20:41
I know nobody likes Furpees, but definitely not when you're pregnant. oh But it's like those certain movements, you know, that women get afraid to be on a mat or, you know, they want to make sure that they're rolling over properly and that they're on their side doing an exercise and squatting as well, right? Like you've got to get your hips open a little wider so that as the belly grows, still hit the squat.
21:10
and make room for that bump that is now at the front of your body. even little adjustments that you have to make in how you move. I know I had, I think it towards the end of the first trimester, I had some issues with sciatic pain in my hips. And I basically lived with a heat pack on my butt for like two full weeks, just trying to get some relief from it.
21:37
But then like the baby bump too and the way you carry yourself, it throws your center of gravity off. So like the way you're used to squatting. Absolutely. That changes. And like the whole sciatic nerve thing too is a big one, especially because your hips are changing to accommodate the growing baby. And what that does is it pushes things into different places where they're not normally.
22:03
No, like the baby just tells all of your organs to get out of the way. This is my home now. I love that. This is my home. Back it up. Come on. Push it up there. Push it down there. Yeah. can't. Exactly. Well, the other thing with that too is the breathing, right? Breathing gets a lot harder working out because of the diaphragm being pushed with trying to make room for the baby.
22:30
Did you find that that was a hindrance to you as well? Like later on, that would be more towards the end of your pregnancy. I think I was getting winded a little faster, even just on my walking, but that might've also been that I was at my most pregnant in like the height of the summer. So it was also really hot. I think every woman dreads a summer baby just because of the heat and then you're already hot and it's already irritating.
22:59
You know, like, and you're trying to find ways to care for yourself. Our air conditioner was on from like May at the latest, might've even been April, mostly so that I'd stay cool enough that I could sleep. Oh, you did so good. Now, one of the other things is when you start to produce milk, you know, and your boobs start to change and breasts get larger. Did you find that that was a hindrance?
23:29
for your movement as well with the belly? I've always been uh rather blessed in the chest area. And again, my boobs have fluctuated too with the weight gain and loss that I've had. So they got like a little bit bigger, but they were already pretty big to start with. So I don't think I just didn't notice how much bigger they were. I think honestly, the belly was a bigger change as far as movement went. And again, like I'm.
23:57
I'm just used to hauling around the boobs as it was. Like, I got this. This is a normal Tuesday. uh
24:07
This is my normal Tuesday people. Oh my God, Dee, you are so fabulous. Is there any words of wisdom, anything that you would love to share or shed light on for other women thinking about this journey? Some little gems that would really help maybe them get over some of the changes that they're going through? I think one of the best things I did for myself.
24:33
during my pregnancy and it was a recommendation I got from my massage therapist was to go see a pelvic floor physiotherapist. Mostly I wanted to just make sure that like everything was good going into like the later part of my pregnancy, but it ended up being such a great resource both during my pregnancy and postpartum. Having somebody to go to when I was having those issues with my hip, but also she did a whole session like kind of coaching me through the different
25:03
stages of labor and like ways you can move to kind of help move along through them and different positions for pushing and like how you want to push and how you want to breathe through it. For a first time mom, it was so nice having that as almost a dry run to be prepared for kind of how am I going to do this when we go live? Yeah. When we go live, I love that. Absolutely. I love when they say birth plans.
25:31
You know, like you get a birth plan or you get an idea of how you want to, you know, some women do water birth, some women do at home with a doula, others decide they want to do it like most of us in the hospital and with the coaching from the doctors, but also their partner. So that is a really interesting tool to use and utilize.
25:57
so that you understand your body even deeper when it comes to labor. It made it easier to understand when I was being cued during labor, especially for like how to push and how to breathe. Like I already kind of had that in the back of my mind, but then I also had on the other side, especially the Pilates focus training that you and I have done over the years because the breathing for labor is fairly similar to the breathing for Pilates.
26:25
kind of that physical literacy of knowing, okay, if I'm trying to like push like this, these are the muscles I wanna recruit. Okay, we can do this. Absolutely, and that you are right. That distinct breathing with Pilates is very much that breathe, exhale, push, right? Or contract so that you cue your body the right way to work with your labor pains.
26:52
instead of against No, it's huge. Like just having that little bit of physical literacy going into it to know, okay, this is how to make my body work the way I want it to. And it means you're using all of the effort you have effectively. You're not wasting any of the strength you have. Cause it can be a really long process, but it can also not be. And that's not entirely up to the person giving birth.
27:21
Sometimes things happen, but I had a really quick labor and I feel like part of that came from being able to effectively push during that because I knew what muscles I wanted to use and like I could really tap into that strength that I had. Absolutely Dee and all the body awareness that you've grown into over the years working with me.
27:47
and trying all these different things. And like you said, learning to recruit and really hone in onto what your body needs and to conserve energy, knowing that you're pushing the right way when you're giving birth or you know what muscles are working for you. Absolutely. Yeah. And you have this sweetest little Ness. She's so adorable. Just so everyone who is listening knows that she has just turned one year.
28:17
and she is a little spitfire. And I'm so excited to see her grow and blossom. And she's such a mover, just like Dee and Nate. And she comes by that honestly. And I'm so looking forward to talking about postpartum with Dee. That will be the next episode on You Can Be a Fit Bitch 2, the rising series, the pivoting. And we're gonna dig in into what it's like.
28:43
when the baby's on the outside and how we juggle that business and life and trying to keep a regular routine and self care and all of those things that come along with being a new mom and giving you some tips and some tricks on how to flourish at this time and how to deal with hormonal fluctuation, how to deal with a new routine, how to navigate all of those things. Dee has got some
29:12
incredible things to share and I'm so looking forward to our next episode. Dee, thank you so much for today. I am so excited to share this. for having me. Yes, any last words before we close up and give our viewers one last little piece of Dee advice? Anyone who's finding themselves on this journey, I...
29:40
Wish you the best of luck because no two pregnancies are the same. just, it's going to be your journey. You can't compare yourself to other people. You just got to ride the wave. Yes, ride the wave. Talk about it. Talk to your girlfriends about it. Share, share how you're feeling. Don't be afraid. You're not alone in this. You know, it's so important that we as women talk about all of this pregnancy changes in life. oh
30:09
I have an episode on menopause. Ooh, that's a fun topic. But I think the more we can share our journeys, because everybody's journey is gonna be different, but there's so many different relatable bits that we can say, oh my God, okay, it's not just me or okay, I'm not, there's not anything wrong with me right now. Like this is a part I'm not crazy, I'm not weird. Yeah, I'm not crazy, I'm not Even just having that one connection can make.
30:37
Be a whole weight off your shoulders to know someone else feels this thing that you're going through.
30:44
Absolutely, and I thank you for sharing so openly and honestly about your journey with us today. It's just been awesome to sit here chatting with you about this. I'm so proud of you. You're such an incredible human and you're such an amazing mom. Just to see you grow into this has been...
31:07
So awesome for me. It's my why. I love seeing my humans thrive and pivot and change. And it's just been an awesome journey to be on with you Dee. I love you so much. I love you too. Thanks Michelle. And thank you everyone who tuned in today for this awesome episode. And if no one has told you today, I want you to know that I love you. I support you. And I know.
31:35
that you are capable of changing, of growing, of taking on challenges, of coming into a new chapter and just thriving, not just surviving. We're here to make it through this world together. And I hope that I have the ability to help you on this journey, lift you up, enjoy. Until next time. Muah.
32:03
Thanks for listening. connect with Michelle, you can email her at ignitefusionfitmichelle at gmail.com or visit her on Instagram at Diva Delight 911. Support the show by subscribing or sharing it with friends or anyone you think would benefit from hearing it. You Can Be a Fit Bitch 2 is produced by Haunted Mouse Productions. This has been a Haunted Mouse Production. Cut that out.