Finding Out I Was Five Months Pregnant Learning to Trust My Body Again
There are moments in life that stop you in your tracks moments that force you to question everything you thought you knew about your body.
For me, that moment came when I found out I was five months pregnant… without realizing I was pregnant at all.
It sounds impossible.
But it happened.
And it changed the way I listen to my body forever.
“Are You Sure You Aren’t Pregnant?”
Before I left for South Africa to attend my sister-in-law’s wedding, a few comments stuck with me.
My mom asked. My sister asked.
“Are you sure you aren’t pregnant again?”
I shut it down immediately.
Hard no.
I was breastfeeding. My son was still young. I felt tired, sure but what new mom doesn’t?
I chalked everything up to normal postpartum life.
Traveling, Breastfeeding, and Subtle Signs I Ignored
While in South Africa, people started saying things that caught me off guard.
“I hear you’re expecting.”
I was confused. Genuinely confused.
I had gained some weight, but I assumed it was from:
Breastfeeding
Eating in a surplus
Working out consistently
Looking back now, there were signs.
My son randomly stopped breastfeeding around ten months. At the time, I didn’t think much of it.
Now I wonder if my body already knew something I didn’t.
The Morning Everything Changed
One morning, I woke up and my pants wouldn’t do up.
That hadn’t happened gradually it happened suddenly.
Later that day, I laid down on the bed.
And I felt it.
A baby moving.
There was no denying it.
I had what I can only describe as a moment of shock mixed with disbelief.
My body had quite literally been carrying on without my conscious awareness.
Finding Out I Was Five Months Pregnant in a Foreign Country
I went for an ultrasound while still in South Africa.
That’s when it was confirmed.
I was five months pregnant.
I found out on my son’s first birthday.
In another country.
It felt surreal.
There was no gradual mental adjustment. No early excitement. No slow processing.
Just instant reality.
Why Women Are Taught Not to Trust Their Bodies
This experience forced me to reflect deeply.
Why was I so disconnected from my body’s signals?
Why did I dismiss subtle changes instead of investigating them?
Because as women especially as moms we’re taught to normalize exhaustion, weight gain, hormonal shifts, and discomfort.
We’re taught to push through. To ignore. To minimize.
And when we do that long enough, we lose trust in ourselves.
Strength Training Gave Me Confidence But Awareness Was Missing
At that point in my life, I was training consistently.
I was strong.
But strength alone didn’t equal awareness.
I hadn’t yet learned how to truly listen inward especially during major hormonal and physiological shifts.
This experience would later influence how I coach women:
Not just to train hard… But to train intentionally.
Pregnancy Isn’t Always Obvious — And That’s Okay
Not every pregnancy looks the same.
Not every body responds the same way.
And missing the signs doesn’t make you careless or disconnected it makes you human.
What matters is what you do once you realize.
For me, it meant slowing down mentally, adjusting physically, and reconnecting with my body instead of fighting it.
This Experience Changed How I Coach Women Today
After that moment, I stopped assuming I “knew better” than my body.
I started paying closer attention.
To hunger. To fatigue. To stress. To recovery.
This is something I see constantly now in moms:
They’re so busy taking care of everyone else that they stop checking in with themselves.
Learning to Trust Your Body Again
If there’s one lesson this experience taught me, it’s this:
Your body is always communicating.
But you need space, awareness, and support to hear it.
Strength training is powerful.
But so is presence.
So is rest.
So is learning when to pause.
You Are Not Broken You Are Disconnected
If you feel out of touch with your body, you’re not failing.
You’re overwhelmed. You’re busy. You’re carrying a lot.
Rebuilding trust doesn’t happen overnight.
It starts with slowing down, tuning in, and choosing intention over autopilot.
In the next post, I’ll share how postpartum nutrition and learning how to fuel my body properly changed everything — including fat loss, energy, and confidence.
