It’s said ‘You are what you eat’, but the saying acquires a new meaning when a woman is pregnant. From celebrities to commoners, almost everyone has their share of experiences during pregnancy. And it is one of those that made IAS officer, Durga Shakti Nagpal turn into an author with the book Grow Your Baby Not Your Weight.
Does the name rings a bell? Well, she’s the same gutsy woman who made headlines for stopping illegal sand mining in Ghaziabad. But, even her tryst with the sand mafia didn’t inspire her to pen down her experiences. “I did not feel the urge to write my story (then) as the entire episode unfolded under huge public attention. I received an outpouring of love and support from every section of the society. Since then, the episode has been continuously covered by many news outlets and journals, and now a biopic on my journey has also gone on the floors.”
It was, in fact, during her pregnancies that she was bitten by the writing bug. And Nagpal, who had majorly normal pregnancies, says: “Even the least medically complicated pregnancies come with challenges and roadblocks that women have to brave, and mine was no different. My memoir is also about how I overcame the many challenges that accompany pregnancy, reminding every other woman out there that she can do the same.”
Quite candidly, she lays bare her life, as she lived while carrying her children inside her, and later even as she tended to the elder one outside while taking care of her second, yet to be born. Amid all this, one aspect she stresses on, throughout the book, is how women can keep their pregnancy weight gain in check alongside keeping themselves healthy and eating nutritiously. TBH, even Bebo (Kareena Kapoor Khan) wouldn’t have tried any of these! “Yes, my lifestyle suggestions for pregnancy are certainly more stringent as compared to many others,” agrees Nagpal, explaining: “A big reason for this is my fundamental belief in self-discipline and moderation. I have spoken about keeping a check on pregnancy cravings because this formula will guarantee just-the-necessary weight gain while ensuring complete nutrition. Pampering oneself during pregnancy is vital, and this is something that I have done myself and encourage my readers to do as well. The key here is to achieve balance and moderation keeping in mind the health and fitness of the future you. Letting loose and getting overcome by unhealthy cravings are sure to delight your tastebuds in the short-run, but if you manage your cravings, your long-term health will thank you for it... A fit and active pregnancy also improves the chances of a relatively easy, normal delivery. And of course my doctors were completely in agreement with my diet and fitness routines; they actively endorsed it. Infact, all doctors encourage healthy diets and workouts as a way of life, regardless of pregnancy.”
{{/usCountry}}Quite candidly, she lays bare her life, as she lived while carrying her children inside her, and later even as she tended to the elder one outside while taking care of her second, yet to be born. Amid all this, one aspect she stresses on, throughout the book, is how women can keep their pregnancy weight gain in check alongside keeping themselves healthy and eating nutritiously. TBH, even Bebo (Kareena Kapoor Khan) wouldn’t have tried any of these! “Yes, my lifestyle suggestions for pregnancy are certainly more stringent as compared to many others,” agrees Nagpal, explaining: “A big reason for this is my fundamental belief in self-discipline and moderation. I have spoken about keeping a check on pregnancy cravings because this formula will guarantee just-the-necessary weight gain while ensuring complete nutrition. Pampering oneself during pregnancy is vital, and this is something that I have done myself and encourage my readers to do as well. The key here is to achieve balance and moderation keeping in mind the health and fitness of the future you. Letting loose and getting overcome by unhealthy cravings are sure to delight your tastebuds in the short-run, but if you manage your cravings, your long-term health will thank you for it... A fit and active pregnancy also improves the chances of a relatively easy, normal delivery. And of course my doctors were completely in agreement with my diet and fitness routines; they actively endorsed it. Infact, all doctors encourage healthy diets and workouts as a way of life, regardless of pregnancy.”
{{/usCountry}}From sharing how she nibbled on “cucumber” by sprinkling salt over it and underlining how “hydration is vital”, she does it all to prepare a working guide that can be emulated during the eight/nine months before birthing a baby. Encouraging expecting mothers to stay active and practise yoga, meditation and mindfulness, she adds: “Morning walks helped me fight nausea... I was able to beat morning sickness at its own game by clocking its timing and going for a walk right beforehand!”
Today, a mother of two kids (one six-and-a-half years old and the other five months old), Nagpal says “pregnancy is a normal, beautiful, perfect phase of life” and asks other women to “Embrace and honour yourself, and your transformed body, as the new form of perfection that it is!”
Author tweets @HennaRakheja
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