Tell me about yourself.

I’m Meresa. I am 33 years old and was born and raised in South Florida. I am happily married to my amazing husband who I met while working as an emergency room nurse at the hospital. I am truly excited to be expanding our family as we are expecting our first baby girl in September 2020.

After about a year of trying to get pregnant, I found myself to be pretty depressed. I gained about 30 lbs of unwanted weight and the first person to say something to me about it was my reproductive endocrinologist. At my first appointment with him, he recommended weight loss as the first plan of action, along with a slew of other diagnostic tests and blood work. I was actually not thrilled with this news, I took offense immediately and was super upset with our initial meeting.

After realizing he was right, I took matters into my own hands and told myself that I needed to put my health first before I could focus on having a baby. Thankfully I have an amazing husband who pushed me to work out when I didn’t want to (I literally cried during our first few workouts of trying to get back into the swing of things together because I was so upset with how I felt) and cooked me tons of healthy meals which really helping me to get back on track. Also, the best friends ever who pushed me to try new workout classes and really helped me to feel positive about “me” again.

It took me almost 6 months to lose a total of 40 lbs but, I did it! I started cutting things out of my life that caused stress. I quit a job I was really unhappy with and I truly was focusing on myself, my health, and my body. This all helped to heal my mind and improve my overall well-being.

Though I had other hormonal issues hindering the pregnancy process, feeling good about myself, and my body made getting pregnant feel that much better for me. Maintaining my healthy lifestyle throughout this pregnancy is so important to me (while still giving in to the occasional craving and trying not to focus on the weight gain) working out and healthy eating is a priority for mom and baby! I am trying to embrace the body changes right now that come along with pregnancy and I am so thankful I was given the opportunity to become pregnant and bring a new life into this world. Anything is possible!

What is an obstacle you have overcome or may still be struggling with daily?

Body image issues. I’ve definitely been struggling with weight gain and loss over the last ten years. I lost 40 lbs prior to getting pregnant and though I’m so thankful and grateful my body is growing a human and that I was able to get pregnant, it’s an adjustment seeing all of the physical changes.

What are you doing to achieve your goals or overcome your obstacles?

I’ve kept super active throughout this pregnancy despite a few bumps along the way and I’ve maintained a pretty healthy diet (minus some cravings here and there).