Orphalin Annie

First of all, I hate the term.  Hate it.  Second of all, can women not just be?  People make fun of and chastise pregnant women who eat extra, “waddle,” and gain lots of weight.   I can’t tell you how many people told me to stop running when I was pregnant; that it wasn’t good for me or the baby; that I should use my pregnancy as a reason to indulge, relax, and not exercise.  Most people seemed to think that I was only running to avoid weight gain.  I exercise for so many reasons but maintaining my weight is very low on the list.  Exercising helped me through the nausea and the aches and pains and I believe was a big part in allowing me to have Mr. Power without any medication.  I hate how people act as though a pregnant woman has no ability to make good choices and that she needs to be protected from harming herself.  Of course a woman does cease to be a real person once she becomes pregnant…..