Jewel: "Pregnancy Is A Privilege"

Singer-songwriter Jewel, 37, is getting ready to welcome her first child with rodeo star hubby Ty Murray any day now. When she was 30 weeks along, the mom-to-be sat down with Fit Pregnancy and discussed her first pregnancy, weight gain/loss and alternative health options.

On her pregnancy: "I’m feeling really great and enjoying pregnancy much more than I thought I would. I didn’t know what to expect, every woman is different and you hear such horror stories. But I also heard that you should try to enjoy it, so I took that to heart and tried not to fret about weight gain or anything else. Pregnancy is a privilege, and I feel lucky that I get to do it. It’s kind of sad that men don’t."

On alternative health options during pregnancy: "All my life I’ve looked for answers in alternative health, and, working with a couple of really good doctors, I’ve been able to combat many of the negative parts, like morning sickness. I’ve learned that a lot of the nausea comes from your liver, so I did things to support my liver function—and they helped. Naturopathic doctors are the wave of the future; I believe they helped me get and stay pregnant."

On weight gain/loss: "Well, you’re supposed to gain up to 35 pounds, and now I’m at 30 weeks and I’ve gained 30 pounds. The first several months I hardly gained anything, then it happened fast. I don’t know how I could control that – I have a healthy diet, I don’t eat sugar. I think your body has its own wisdom and as long as you are doing the best you can, you just have to find a balance.

As far as losing the weight, I’m hoping that breastfeeding does the job, but I won’t be neurotic about it, about working out right away. I am capable of that but I’m going to cut myself lots of slack. I want to give myself time to rest and heal and tend to my new baby for a month or so, and then I will definitely get back into a workout routine."

Continue reading the interview with Jewel at Fit Pregnancy...