Ask Me Anything: My pregnancy journey (so far)!

Before heading into this topic...

Pregnancy is an incredibly sensitive topic. I would know (just like most women), not because I've lost a baby or experienced infertility but because of the many women in my life who I've witnessed go through heartbreaking struggles. I also know because I've sat in the gynaecologists office before and been told to hurry up as my fertility is dropping. I also know because my Mum lost many babies before she had me and I still see the sadness in her eyes whenever she talks about it. 

Honestly, I used to be slightly triggered by pregnancy announcements because I thought I would experience the same difficulties as Mum (I'd unconsciously made her story my story). But my thoughts, previous anxiety and moments of being triggered wouldn't even compare to those who have lost babies or who are trying to have a baby so I just wanted to flag this episode as one that might conjure intense feelings of sadness or unfairness and this episode might not be for you.

I think pregnancy announcements and conversations are complicated because on one hand there's many people in the BB community who want to know all about my pregnancy journey so far but I can guarantee there's also some who are (rightfully so) thinking I don't want this conversation from you Georgia, just stick to ballet. This kind of thought would be coming from a deep place of hurt that actually has nothing to do with me, but is completely understandable. 

I guess the reason why I've ultimately chosen to do this episode is because a) it's a nice, neat space to pop the answers to all your questions and b) I would love to listen back one day when I have forgotten all these little details - so for selfish reasons I want to document this strange and special time in my life. I also think it's really difficult to navigate pregnancy when your job relies heavily on your body being your tool, so I'd love to share that journey so far with you. 

So I'm giving you the option now to tune into another podcast, switch to one of the other over 100 episodes I've shared or simply wait for next fortnights episode. And if it's okay with you, just let me answer honestly some questions that have been swirling around the BB community and indulge a little by doing this episode for me. And if you're one of the people who are tuning out, just know I'm reaching through the microphone and giving you a big hug.

So with that being said let's jump into the first question... but I guess before we begin I should probably say just how pregnant I am at the time of recording! I am currently 33 weeks and by the time this episode drops I'll be about 36 weeks. 

What advice do you have for continuing ballet classes whilst pregnant?

So even before I fell pregnant I was asked this question all the time because I've obviously had many adult students over the years who have navigated their ballet classes around pregnancy. And in witnessing everyone deal with it differently, I asked health professionals many years ago so I could provide a clear answer.

And the answer is actually so simple - Whatever physical activity you were doing before, you're encouraged to continue doing it. It's important to not introduce new physical activity that your body isn't used to. However it's incredibly important to maintain physical health during pregnancy and stop doing certain movements when they start feeling difficult or uncomfortable.

So this is the advice I give to my pregnant students and the advice that I've adhered to myself in the past 33 weeks. In the initial stages of pregnancy I actually asked a lot of fellow studio owners and teachers how long they continued teaching and the response was SO varied with some teaching right up until giving birth and others stopping 6-8 weeks prior to their due date. So I just decided to go with the flow as much as possible in the hopes of teaching for as long as possible. 

I definitely have a lighter teaching schedule this year, however I do solidly move and dance Tuesday - Thursday with 6 hour teaching days but I did say no to private lessons and big Saturdays which always tip me over the edge mentally and physically (pregnant or not). If I was a teacher who just taught and didn't have to worry about the behind-the-scenes of running a studio I would be okay to do more than three solid days of teaching, but with all the other work that comes with owning a studio my three big teaching days combined with some personal balletic movement on a Sunday has been a good balance. 

Speaking of personal balletic movement, that's referring to class without me being the teacher. Early on I found that if I didn't move my body with a good barre practice for even just 20 minutes on the weekend, my back would play up. So as explained before, this is why I created Butter Ballet. My 6 week adult ballet course for prenatal, healing or beginner students. I basically created it for myself and have been doing it on Sundays ever since.

So my answer to this question is keep moving for a healthy pregnancy, but take it easy when you feel the need to and YOU know your body best. If something doesn't feel right, don't do it. Listen to your body.

I actually jumped into class when we had Rani Luther taking a workshop at the studio a few weeks ago and I actually felt really good! I even did a little petit allegro and the only thing that felt off was the lack of breath I'm not used to having. But besides cutting out some incredibly physical moves in the Jazz and Contemporary classes I take for GC Dance, I've been continuing mostly all my movement in ballet classes with a little less jumping from around the second trimester mark.

How did you tell your dance community and when (how far along were you)?

Well, I was actually pregnant during the whole of Term 4 in 2022 and kept it a secret the entire time. In fact, as many of you know Mum is my business partner (we work side-by-side every single day) and I didn't even tell her!

Remarkably I was really fortunate and didn't have any morning sickness until (wait for it!) the DAY after the concert. I had to come into the studio to supervise Harlequin relaying our studio flooring and I remember trying to respond to emails and just feeling really ill... next moment I had to grab the bin from under my desk and throw up with the Harlequin team looking at me like, "Are you okay?"

This spontaneous morning, afternoon and evening sickness didn't stop for a whole two weeks which annoyingly was during my honeymoon that we'd waited to go on until after the concert (welcome to life being married to a studio owner!) and all the prepaid meals at Hamilton Island were almost a complete waste on me.

When we got back I was 12 weeks and we went to Mum and Dad's house to give them a present, which was a Christmas decoration that said Baby Dostal Coming 2023. I have the cutest video of Mum and Dad with faces I'll never forget - Mum had no idea and was actually thrilled we waited to tell her because she would have stressed out all Term 4 if she knew. 

We then told the rest of our family and enjoyed just surprising and telling family and friends all Summer holidays when the studio was closed. I started getting a bit of a bump as holidays were ending so a few days before we were due to go back I popped up a post on social media and I think I announced it in the BB newsletter and podcast! I can't remember what came first. 

Did you do any planning prior to falling pregnant? For example, organising timetables and teachers must be difficult!

To be honest, I've actually been trying to structure our timetable and staff around the possibility of a baby coming along for the past three years. I wanted to implement a timetable and incentivise casual staff to become long term fixtures so we had a few years of consistency before a baby comes along.

But of course that never worked out. After investing heavily in some staff they had their own babies and never returned to work or even better - started their own dance studios. No matter how hard I tried the right fit for our studio just never came along.

One of the best things to happen to our studio was my sister-in-law joining the team. Being a family run business, it was a no brainer and she is an absolute superstar at what she does. You may have seen Nikita and her adorable son (my nephew) Apollo on my social media and she does an amazing job of balancing casual work life with motherhood. It's also really beautiful just having family part of studio life. 

The next best thing to happen at the studio was actually the sale of another local studio last year. The owner of the studio was retiring and her niece didn't want to take the studio over. I had admired this studio from afar, their choreography at competitions was so creative and the students and teachers were so polite and well groomed. 

So when one of my best friends introduced me to the niece of this studio who was now not only looking for work, but also looking for a studio to be part of in a big way - it was a perfect match. My new work wife Meg and I met only six months ago and the impact she's already had on our studio is just amazing. She's basically a second me but doesn't enjoy the business side of things which is just perfect! Match made in heaven.

I have worried for years about how I'm going to have a baby whilst owning a studio. The business side; emails, marketing, socials etc is easier to navigate and doesn't scare me. Even on your worst day, if one of those things needed attention you can get it done at a strange hour of the day. But the actual teaching side of things; navigating teaching with a pregnancy, maintaining a strict schedule and showing up even if you feel like absolute rubbish, the actual birth part and how much time I would need off really worried me. 

But isn't it funny how the universe works! The universe delivered Meg, my sister-in-law is a legend when it comes to our GC Dance socials (the Balanced Ballerinas socials will always be me) and for the first time I felt like I could think about getting pregnant and then falling pregnant came so easy. It's like my body knew it was okay to step back because the studio was in really good hands. 

But when it comes to stepping back, I will obviously not be teaching for a period of time but I will certainly be keeping up to date with the daily happenings, answering emails and navigating studio events. When you own your own business full maternity leave doesn't really exist, but I'm certainly implementing really solid plans so I have the space to navigate postpartum life and getting to know this new little man thats going to be in my life - which is something that's really important to me. 

Did you do anything prior to conception health wise?

When I was 28 years old I had my AMH (Anti-Mullerian Hormone) levels tested. We weren't ready for a baby yet but I wanted all the facts and figures because knowledge is power! I then had my AMH levels tested again when I was 30 years old and they had significantly dropped. So much so that my gynaecologist basically told me to get onto it. I won't share the exact numbers from those tests because I think that can lead to dangerous comparison.

In regards to health and nutrition, many years ago I was listening to one of my favourite podcasts with a guest who specialises in fertility. Without going into too much detail, Dr Cleopatra gives women hope by speaking about the infertility myth. She is also a huge advocate for what she calls the 'primemester' protocol which is basically about priming your physical and mental health as you would if you were already pregnant. 

So I'd say about 6 months before we decided to begin trying I really cut out most alcohol and knuckled down on fuelling my body with the best foods and vitamins possible. I'm not saying that it was a contributing factor to falling pregnant so fast but it certainly doesn't hurt right? And a huge part of Dr Cleopatra's philosophy is how we talk to ourselves. I started repeating a simple but beautiful mantra that made me feel full of hope, abundance and love. And I know it sounds cheesy but it was a really comforting practice. If you've done my 12 Week Adult Ballet Course, I actually shared with you what that exact mantra is...

What food guidelines have you been following and what food aversions have you been having? 

I wish I could say I've been eating a large variety of vegetables including lots of leafy greens that are an excellent source of folic acid. But I have barely wanted to touch a salad or eat anything raw! When I was about 12 weeks pregnant I felt so bad about not being able to eat vegetables that I thought I'd try a fresh veggie juice. Five minutes after consuming I had to pull the car over on the side of the road and throw it all back up! The funny thing was the main ingredient - beetroot - made it look like I was throwing up blood and there were a few concerned passers by!

I've luckily been able to eat lots of fresh fruit and aim for three pieces per day. And lean meat, chicken, eggs and beans/legumes have been going down well which is awesome as they're an important source of protein. I've been turning to avocado, nuts and seeds for my source of unsaturated oils. And adding flaxseed or hemp oil to my smoothies have been a winner. My obstetrician also suggested incorporating psyllium husks to my cereal and or smoothies to aid digestion, which over the last month has REALLY started to slow down. 

Other than that, the only other 'guideline' I've been following is decreasing my caffeine intake which is now down to zero (besides the odd cup of tea here and there). I've always been a consistent coffee drinker and I've managed to just cut it out completely because I didn't really like any of the coffee alternatives or decaf. I understand it's completely safe to drink coffee throughout your pregnancy but I just made a personal choice to not. 

Funny story for you, the very first person (before family, friends, anyone!) to know I was pregnant was the 12 year old who takes me coffee order at my local called Dylan. About a week after discovering I was pregnant I went to order my usual Saturday takeaway before heading to the studio and when he asked me "The usual Georgia?" I panicked and said, "Umm oh, decaf? Or maybe just a hot chocolate? Umm actually no just give me my usual..." and he looked at me like what is wrong with you woman and I blurted out "I'm pregnant and I'm not sure if I'm allowed coffee!"

What cravings have you been having?

I've been letting myself completely indulge! Throughout the entire pregnancy I've been craving ham and cheese croissants, cinnamon donuts, hot chocolates, chocolate in general, lots of bread (how good is jam and peanut butter on toast!) and most importantly I've leaned into these cravings and never restricted myself.  

Cravings wise, a few strange things have happened! I never used to eat cheese because it's bad for my eczema and sensitive skin -  but I have wanted nothing else but toasted cheese sandwiches, croissants with cheese (over my usual almond croissant order) and plain cheese and bickies! 

I was talking to my naturopath about this and she said calcium is essential in baby's bone development and you'll often crave what your body is lacking. So perhaps I was lacking in calcium and as a result baby boy was like, "Give me some cheese slices!"

Besides that I haven't really had any other cravings besides soft drink, which is so strange because I don't think I've drunk soft drink since I was a child. And even then it was VERY little. Soft drink is one of those things that I really put my foot down about, it's so NOT on my list of health - but I've indulged here and there in a lemonade or lemon lime and bitters. I found that I've been making a slightly healthier version at home with lemon, lime and bitters cordial, soda water and fresh lemons and limes. Delicious! 

What vitamins have you been taking?

So I'd love to tell everyone exactly what I'm taking but I think it's important everyone visits their local health food store (most have an in-house naturopath) or a private naturopath to create a tailored approach to them. Then it's important to cross check what vitamins you're taking with your obstetrician and blood tests. 

I've been really diligent about forming a team around me which consists of my acupuncturist, naturopath and obstetrician. Making sure they're all on the same page with the same information has been key to ensuring I feel on top of everything. 

What I will say is that I've been taking a really good prenatal vitamin from my nutritionist that covers all my basis including folic acid, iodine, iron, magnesium, Vitamin D and zinc. And I've been ensuring I take a probiotic with my smoothie because apparently probiotics (especially in the third trimester) aid with helping avoid the development of allergies in baby. It can't hurt right!

My naturopath is also about to add in a capsule that supports breast feeding and post natal depletion as I enter these later stages on pregnancy. 

What lifestyle changes have you made?

I was so not prepared for how tired I would feel in the first and second trimester (which was tricky when no one actually knew I was pregnant during the first trimester)! Usually I plan a little something on my Sundays but after a week of work I want nothing more than resting on the couch with Grey's Anatomy and all the snacks.

During my second trimester I cut my hour long morning walks down to sometimes just a 20 minute or half hour walk. Sometimes I would sneak an hour long one in on a Sunday to counteract the couch potato lifestyle. But during this time I really dropped to moderate levels of physical activity (in order to keep up with my teaching schedule) - which is a massive step for someone who usually moves their body quite vigorously every day. For example, my teaching schedule has dropped from five solid days of teaching to three, which is so strange for me! 

On the days I haven't done a huge amount of movement, I've made sure I've done some stretching. I feel so much better after rolling the mat out and following along to one of my more relaxed 12 Week Adult Ballet Course Body Conditioning or Butter Ballet online classes (which are safe to do at home) - is that strange I follow my own videos? Ha!

But besides that I make sure I drink plenty of water every day, do my daily pelvic floor exercises, expose myself (safely) to sunlight and enjoy relaxing into a slightly more restful mode when I can. If you're familiar with my famous Peace & Pliés checklist you can see I'm basically ticking off those really simple things to feel as good as possible. 

It's funny that a lot of people told me that second trimester is the easiest and best of them all - but I've actually found that I'm thriving and feeling far better in my third trimester. During the second I almost hit a point where I felt a little depressed and I was googling 'prenatal depression' and if that was a thing (turns out it is!) and when I told my obstetrician this she did a quick blood test and found out my iron levels were dangerously low. So after an iron infusion I felt a million times better and I'm literally full of energy the past couple of months. This is why it's a) really important to tell your healthcare providers how you really feel and b) follow their instruction - it just made such a HUGE difference. 

What will maternity leave look like for you (asked by a fellow small business owner)?

Ha! So I've sort of already answered this question a little bit. But if we get down to the details, maternity leave for me looks like this...

Baby boy is being born during the holidays unless he comes very early. A lot of people asked if I planned this but I absolutely did not, I wish I could tell you I was that clever and my body is that reliable! It just so happens his due date is right in the middle of the school holidays at the end of Term 2. 

The reason I know he's coming then is because I'm actually having an elective caesarian. When I was a little girl I was really sick, my ureters were all poorly positioned and it led to many kidney issues and a very serious surgery. Fun fact, I have a huge scar that runs just above my pubic bone which is about 15-20cm in length, so you can imagine how big that scar looked on a 6 year old which was the age when I had the surgery to correct my tubing! 

In a nutshell, this has led to some scary moments in my 20's when my kidneys have not functioned at 100% (mostly when I wasn't looking after myself very well, funnily enough!) and I was always warned that pregnancy could be a little complicated down the track. So far I feel amazing, but I'm not allowed to go past my due date because of the pressure it would place on my kidneys and it would be a really bad thing if I was to need an emergency caesarian due to my previous surgery and scarring. So the recommendation was a planned caesarian so they can go in carefully and considered and at the end of the day we all just want a healthy baby to come out safely so I've taken their recommendation. 

And the fabulous thing about this decision is that I can form a pretty good plan for my business. Although I'm fully aware you can't plan everything and he could come early and my plan would have to be enacted early but a positive is that I am being forced to ensure I have the space for 6 weeks off (which is the recommended recovery time after a caesar). I'll have one week of school holidays and five weeks of Term 3 in which I will not have to teach a single class if I don't want to. The plan even allows for room if I feel like I need a little longer. 

I have the lovely Roberta who teaches the Monday morning adult ballet class here at the studio covering my Tuesday and Wednesday morning classes. Then the gorgeous Miss Meg I previously mentioned will be taking my evening adult ballet classes. And as a special treat I have arranged for the lovely Rani Luther (who we usually just have in as a guest and guest of the pod!) to take my Advanced classes on Thursday mornings for five weeks. 

In regards to the GC Dance school-aged classes, there was no way I'd be able to jump into teaching Contemporary and Jazz classes so it really was a must that we found someone who was versatile in Ballet, Contemporary and Jazz to essentially 'be me' for the rest of the year (which is hard to find). But I found two very amazing options (one of them being a beloved teacher who already works here at the studio (shoutout to Miss Courtney!) and the students will be really happy to begin their concert work in very capable hands. 

Of course I'm going to pop in all the time (I mean this studio is my first baby, so try keep me away!) and I'll be overseeing ballet exams and some special workshops we have, but I'm really proud of working hard to give myself some space and grace during this time instead of jumping back in when I'm not ready - because no one wants a teacher that's not in the right frame of mind anyway. And my plan allows me to step back in when I'm ready but also keep an eye on everything.

And I've worked really hard on ensuring our community, families and students know that I am leaving them (for really such a short period of time) in incredibly capable hands. And of course Sharron will be holding down the forte! I honestly don't know what I'd do without Mum. 

How have you felt about your body during pregnancy?

I love this question and I placed it last because I think my answer is really important. 

I am SO thankful for putting in the work over the last let's say five years to reach a place and stage in life where I am so confident in my own skin. The work wasn't easy and at times I still fall can fall momentarily into a negative mindset (I'm only human). But I recognise this so quickly now and snap myself out of it before it becomes a thing.

If you're a long time listener of the podcast, you may remember me asking and exploring with guests their experience of motherhood. I've actually brought it up many times on the pod because I was always curious about how pregnancy affects dancers who rely so heavily on their bodies and usually have some body confidence issues. And surprisingly most answers were that they loved pregnancy and were fascinated by how their body was changing, not confronted by it. And I never really understood that until now!

I remember asking Lucinda Dunn about her pregnancy journey whilst maintaining being a Principal with The Australian Ballet and she said she just LOVED being pregnant and watching her belly grow. And to be honest, I feel exactly the same way. Not enough to want to do it again, but I've certainly enjoyed this period of slowing down, being incredibly mindful of every little change and really fuelling my body knowing that it's not just making a decision for me, but also for HIM. 

Like I've said, I have been indulging in donuts if I want them but I've also become fascinated with this new found meaning of fuelling my body and as I watch my bump grow I truly am mesmerised. Not to say I don't have my days where I feel a little bit like a whale but I'm certainly embracing this time and I do think it has a lot to do with the deep work I've done on loving myself and my body over the past few years. I'm so glad I did that before pregnancy came along. 

And one final note, I've been VERY conscious of how I speak about my body in front of (especially) my younger students. I was only the other day talking about how my weight placement has had to gradually shift for pirouettes etc with my teens and when my tweens were looking a little lethargic I told them that Miss Georgia is creating a human and feels a little tired too, but if we have a good attitude we can have a beautiful class and still give our best. 

It was really important to me that I don't say things like, "Oh gosh, I'm enormous!" or "Look at this big, fat belly!" which implies it's all about what we look like and not the truly miraculous abilities the female body has! Breaking cycles of negative self-talk with the next generation is something I think of often and even though I'm having a boy I'm excited to bring this into the next stage of life with him because little boys need body positivity too. 

Grit & Grace,

Georgia x