The 50,000-Calorie Truth: Why Pregnancy Demands More Than Society Gives
Published in Science. Reported by The New York Times. Felt by every pregnant woman on earth.
A new study has confirmed what women have known in their bones for generations: pregnancy demands more energy than we ever imagined.
The findings? Pregnancy requires a staggering 50,000 additional calories over 9 months. And here’s the real kicker: 96% of that energy comes from your body.
Not supplements. Not extra meals. Not rest days on the sofa. YOU. Your cells. Your tissues. Your organs. Your reserves. So if you’ve been feeling like pregnancy is an Olympic-level feat, that’s because it is. The science now says so.
And yet... society expects you to:
Keep working right up until your due date.
Plan the nursery, manage the baby shower, stay social, stay smiling.
Hit 10,000 steps.
Read the parenting books.
And god forbid you complain about being tired, because "you're just pregnant."
Sound familiar?
Let’s get one thing straight: you are building an entire human being from scratch while your body also grows a new organ (hi, placenta), expands its blood volume by 50%, and rewires your brain.
Pregnancy is the most metabolically intense thing most people will ever experience, but we treat it like a side quest.
What the NHS tells you to do:
Take folic acid.
Don't eat soft cheese.
Stay active (whatever that means).
Oh, and you'll get a 10-minute appointment with a midwife every few weeks to make sure the baby's still in there.
Cool.
Meanwhile your body is:
Shifting organs to make space.
Producing amniotic fluid.
Building blood, muscle, fascia, brain tissue.
Supporting two nervous systems at once.
And emotionally? You might be dealing with:
Identity shifts.
Relationship wobbles.
Birth fears.
Rage, grief, joy, bliss, confusion - sometimes all in the same hour.
But society still expects you to hold it all together. Look cute. Stay productive. Smile at strangers. Answer emails. Buy a fucking Bugaboo.
This is why Tenth Moon exists.
Because you don’t just need another antenatal checklist. You need a village. The old-school kind. The good kind. The kind with wise women, expert guidance, brutal honesty, and zero judgment. I built TENTH MOON: The Birthing Edition as a full-spectrum strategy to support the woman at the centre of the story… Not just the baby.
Breathwork that regulates your nervous system. Nutrition that fuels the marathon you’re running. Movement that builds stamina, strength, and connection. Mindset tools borrowed from the Navy SEALS.
Midwives. Lactation consultants. Mental health pros. All on tap. This isn’t a pastel PDF. It’s a f*cking movement. And now the science is backing us.
So next time someone tells you that you're "glowing," remind them:
You're radiating because your body is doing triple Ironman level work on a daily basis.
You deserve more.
And Tenth Moon is here to give it to you.
Read the study: Science.org
Reported by: The New York Times
Join the waitlist: Link soon to be lived in bio.
Need more guidance: Head to the Resource Library.