In ballet training in college there was one girl who was pregnant and she worked her a$$ off practicing. I admired her work ethic. I never knew her name. Then I became pregnant, I was probably three months behind her and quit at about three months along. But she continued on, big as a barn door leaping across the floor every day, doing bar work two, three, four hours a day, maybe more, she was always there whenever I was and stayed after I left. Me, I wasn’t obsessed like she was.
Anyway, time passed, I had my baby, and probably a year-and-a-half later I came back to the classes. One day I spied her and went over and said something like this: “How are you? How is your baby? Did you have a boy or a girl? Mine is talking and she’s starting to learn her colors and,” blah blah blah, on I went. Finally I said, “So, how’s your baby doing?”
She replied stonefaced: “My baby was born retarded.”
Of course I felt horrible, expressed my sorrow and slunk away. Now that I think about it, it was right about then I quit the classes.
I’ve always wondered if all that dancing and training had anything to do with it.
Many are born ok, but why gamble and what are you trying to prove. It's selfish. You either care enough to protect the baby or you don't. No further discussion can convince me otherwise.
My anorexic SIL worked out until birth and right after, I think she waited one day then started up again. She lost weight during pregnancy except the basketball belly. Clearly her kids had lowish birth weights. But the biggest fear was fat. Top priority.