Why I Refused to “Take It Easy” During Pregnancy and Got Stronger Instead

I was sitting in a routine second-trimester checkup, feet dangling off the exam table, paper crinkling beneath me, fluorescent lights buzzing softly overhead.

The doctor flipped through my chart, asked how I was feeling, then said it almost casually:

You should probably take it easy from here.

The words landed heavier than they should have.

Maybe it is my recalcitrant nature.

Maybe it is the athlete in me.

But something inside me flipped.

Not rebellion.

Recognition.

Because nothing in my body felt fragile. I felt strong, alert, alive. Yet in that moment the narrative shifted. Pregnancy quietly moved me from capable to cautious, from embodied to monitored.

I nodded. I smiled.

But inside, my intuition raised its hand.

What I heard was not care.

It was doubt.

A subtle suggestion that the body creating life could no longer be trusted.

And I knew if I accepted that story, I would spend the rest of my pregnancy second-guessing myself.

So I didn’t.

The Problem With “Take It Easy”

“Take it easy” is one of the most common phrases offered to pregnant women. It sounds loving. It sounds responsible. It is rarely questioned.

But embedded inside it is an implication that changes everything.

Your body is fragile now.

Once a woman absorbs that idea, she hesitates. She disconnects. She begins outsourcing her intuition to external rules and warnings. Not because her body failed her, but because she stopped being in relationship with it. 

What Trusting My Body Actually Meant

This was never about ignoring my body or pushing through real exhaustion.

There were days my body genuinely asked for rest, and I honored that without guilt.

But there were also days when I had energy. Real energy. And on those days, I refused to suppress it out of fear.

Trusting your body is not about defaulting to less.

It is about responding accurately.

Rest when rest is needed.

Rise when energy is present.

Energy Is Created, Not Just Felt

Here is what surprised me most.

On the days I told myself I was tired, I was tired. My body followed the story my mind repeated.

But on the days I told myself I had energy, I moved. I breathed. I showed up.

And the energy multiplied.

Momentum created momentum.

Energy is not only something you have.

It is something you generate.

And much of that generation starts in the mind. 

Strength Is Not the Stress

We are taught that strength equals strain, that exertion equals danger, that safety comes from stillness.

But the nervous system does not fear strength.

It fears uncertainty.

Clear, intentional movement gives the body information. Information creates predictability. Predictability creates safety.

When I moved with presence, my body was not confused. It knew what was happening. And because it knew, it relaxed.

That is regulation.

What Playing It Safe Took From Women

When women are encouraged to step away from their bodies, they lose more than muscle.

They lose confidence in sensation.

They lose trust in instinct.

They lose ownership of their physical presence.

Over time, the body becomes something to manage instead of inhabit.

And that is the real loss.

Not strength.

Not fitness.

But self-trust.

Pregnancy Is an Initiation, Not a Shutdown

Pregnancy does not ask a woman to disappear. It asks her to become more present, more aware, more grounded.

I did not refuse to take it easy because I wanted to push. I refused because I wanted to stay connected.

Connected to my body.

Connected to my breath.

Connected to the woman I was becoming. 

If You Are Not a Mother Yet

This matters for you too.

If you desire motherhood one day, the foundation you lay now is shaping that future.

How you relate to your body today.

How you speak to it.

How you build strength and trust before pregnancy.

Motherhood does not start with a positive test.

It starts with embodiment.

A Question for You

What narrative are you listening to right now?

And what narrative are you creating?

Because the story you repeat shapes the strength you build.

It shapes your experience.

It shapes how you move, breathe, and lead.

You are not fragile.

You are not behind.

You are becoming.

And with support, guidance, and trust in your body, you can do this. 

Join the Movement

RISE MAMMA is for women who refuse to disappear before, during, or after motherhood.

Whether you are pregnant, postpartum, or preparing for the future, the work is the same.

Build the foundation.

Generate momentum.

Lead from your body, not from fear.

Step into the Mamma Method™.
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Stand with RISE MAMMA.

This is where strength begins.