Holly Beck

I’m pregnant, YAY! I’m excited to finally be 13 weeks pregnant and not shy about sharing the news. I’m also excited that i’m finally starting to feel a bit more like myself. I still get really tired in the evenings, but most of the nausea has faded – although it can come back quickly when scrolling through all the previously delicious looking recipe posts on Pinterest! 

If you don’t know already, i’m a former professional surfer who now runs Women’s Surf Yoga and Adventure Retreats. Surfing is a huge part of my life. When planning our pregnancy, my husband and I thought about timing. We figured I’d be totally fine to surf at least until the 4th month but that we should be sure to plan the later months of pregnancy and delivery for the low surf season of our business – the often stormy, rainy months of August – October. Fortunately, we got pregnant right on schedule in December which points to an early September due date. Perfect!

What I didn’t fully take into account was how sick and exhausted i’d feel in the first trimester. Our first retreat of the year was in late January – the 7th week of my pregnancy. Getting out of bed in the morning was a struggle. I was battling fatigue, morning sickness, and the anxiety of knowing there were a group of 12 ladies who wanted to surf with me waiting for me to make my way down to the beach! I was able to drag myself down there an hour or so later than the rest, and I did paddle out, do some coaching, and catch a few waves myself. But my body was not happy about it, and I couldn’t stay in the water for long.

The 6th-8th weeks were the worst, but once I got to week 10, I actually had a few days where I felt marginally better. There were moments where I almost even felt normal! By week 11, I was back in the water surfing and feeling really good about it. I feel a bit weak after taking it so easy for the last month and I am still definitely taking it easier than normal, but it feels really really good to be back in the water and riding waves.

I’ve been reading a lot about surfing during pregnancy and have been surprised to see photos and videos of ladies surfing deep into their 7th, 8th, and even 9th months! We’ll see how long I can stay in the water on my surfboard!