Exercise through Pregnancy and Beyond - Meaghan Kruegar's Story

My daughter, Jaylyn, was born on March 13th and attending classes at Wright Training
was a huge part of my pregnancy and now postpartum journey. With this being my first
pregnancy, I had no idea how my body was going to handle the process. I had a lot of
uncertainty and curiosity about what exercise was going to look like in the pregnancy
and postpartum period. I really appreciated Crystal's advice to just keep showing up to
the gym as long as I felt up for it, as we could always make modifications as needed. So,
I kept showing up.

I always felt so well looked out for by Crystal as she constantly
checked in with me and provided thoughtful modifications based on the stage of my
pregnancy and what was safe for me and the baby. Had I not had the support of a
coach, I might have stopped going to the gym after a certain point in the pregnancy, just
thinking that's how it had to be. Instead, rather than seeing pregnancy as something that
limited me, I felt empowered to keep moving my body in ways that served me and
encouraged with what I could still do. I continued to surprise myself as the weeks went
on with how much I could still do in the gym, despite simultaneously growing a human. 

I will pause here to say that I recognize that everyone's pregnancy and postpartum
journey is totally unique and my experience may not be a reality for everyone for all
sorts of reasons. I was very fortunate to have a smooth pregnancy in which I felt really
good for the majority of the second and third trimesters. For that, I am super grateful. 

As my due date approached, I left class every time thinking, "maybe I'll be back next
class, or maybe this baby will decide to come before then." I went to class the day
before my due date thinking, "There's no way this baby is coming anytime soon" and
expecting to be late and need to schedule an induction.

But to my great surprise, like clockwork, Jaylyn decided she was ready to make her entrance,

and contractions started at 1am on her due date. Contrary to my expectation that first babies don't
usually come fast, my labor moved along pretty quickly. By around noon, my water
broke, I was 10cm dilated, and we started pushing. It was definitely a whirlwind. Due to
some slight hiccups and slow-downs, Jaylyn wasn't ultimately born until 4:34pm, but I
was so grateful for the overall smooth process. Labor and delivery is HARD and I
walked away from the experience with a new respect and appreciation for everyone
who has been through it, in whatever shape it took. Like taking classes at the gym
during pregnancy, I also walked away from childbirth so empowered and grateful for
what my body can do. I am certain that I would not have felt nearly as good or strong in
my pregnancy, labor, and now postpartum had I not kept up with strength training
throughout the process. 

After having Jaylyn, I took 3 full weeks off and then started back to classes at the gym -
slowly and with lots of modification. This is what felt right for me and when it felt good to
start moving my body again. It was incredibly humbling those first couple of classes
back - I found it easy to be hard on myself for how out of shape I felt and how hard all
the exercises were. It proved to be a good chance to work on giving myself grace. Now I
have been back for a few weeks and feel I have bounced back pretty quickly in that
time, which I am grateful for and attribute to maintaining my fitness and strength as
much as I could in pregnancy. Similar to how I felt in pregnancy, I have continued to
surprise myself with how much I am able to do at the gym as I make my postpartum
return. 

Just as - if not more - important as the space and programming for strength training is
the community that Wright Training provides. I have felt the strength of this community
in a huge way in my pregnancy and postpartum journey. First of all, the coaches, and
especially the mom coaches, who provided tailored instruction and modifications and
who also generously offered parenting advice and support. I was also so appreciative
for all the encouragement I received from coaches and classmates alike as I continued
to show up to class late in pregnancy, and now in my return postpartum. Trent and I
have felt so supported by everyone in the Wright Training community and have been
overwhelmed with gratitude by the meals provided, baby items shared, and friendship.
Entering into parenthood is very overwhelming, but having community makes it a little
bit less so. We are so grateful for the Wright Training community.