The Jersey Shore star swapped out fist bumps for a baby bump. Here she shares her uncensored (and sometimes brutally, uncomfortably honest) insights into life as a new mom
Nicole “Snooki” Polizzi has come a long way from brawls and bar crawls on the Jersey Shore. The 26-year-old new mom and Dancing With the Stars alum just released a new book, Baby Bumps: From Party Girl to Proud Mama, and All the Messy Milestones Along the Way. Inside the leopard-print book jacket is every explicit detail of her unexpected pregnancy—like taking six at-home pregnancy tests, dealing with treacherous gas, and making her fiancé Jionni check out the mucus plug.
So what made the reality star want to talk bellies and bottles? Here’s what she had to say in her new book:
“I want to tell the not-so-glamorized truth about the dirty job of becoming a mom. Maybe other women really do have the smiling, rocking chair pregnancy that you see on the cover of other books about it. I know each pregnancy story is unique. But we all deal with a lot of the same issues and weirdness. I hope sharing my crazy thoughts and gross moments will give readers some relief when they have theirs. Basically, I feel your gas pain.”
Obviously, we were intrigued, so we checked in with Polizzi to find out more about her pregnancy and how she got into such amazing shape after her son Lorenzo was born (her gym selfies are beyond impressive). Check out our interview below, edited for space:
WH: Your book is all about the ups and downs of your pregnancy, but what was the most unexpected part of it for you?
NP: Probably the mood swings. I already knew I was going to get fat and pee myself. I knew all of that stuff from my friends telling me, but I didn’t know I was going to be such a bitch. I was always in a bad mood. Sometimes I would wake up and be so happy, and Jionni could say a word and automatically it would turn me into the worst person ever. I just wasn’t prepared for those mood swings.
WH: Is there any advice you would give women for staying sane?
NP: I wouldn’t tell the women—I would tell their husbands or their men, just deal with it. It only lasts nine months, and she’s going to be psycho until she has the baby.
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WH: What did you do to stay healthy both during and after your pregnancy?
NP: When I was pregnant, up until the seventh month I made sure I was eating healthy with salads, veggies, and chicken, and then one day a week I would splurge and have brownies and ice cream. But then once I hit the eighth month mark I was like, I feel like a whale anyway, just screw it, so I started eating everything. And that’s when I probably gained the most weight.
After I had Lorenzo I knew I wanted to be healthy and be a fit mom and be able to carry him up the stairs without dying. So I started going to the gym after six weeks post-birth, and it probably took me five to six months to see any results. I was going with a trainer and I’m like, ‘Dude, I’m not losing any weight, nothing’s happening. I’m working my butt off and I don’t see any results.’ And then when I said that, all of the sudden I just started losing the weight and it just shed off overnight.
So it’s going to take a while to see results. You’re losing weight but also gaining muscle. So you’re kind of staying in the same weight, but once you have the muscle, then the fat drops off and that’s when you see the big results. That’s going to take a while, so I can see how people get discouraged after having a baby when they go to the gym and say I’m not seeing any results and then they stop. You have to keep going.
WH: You’re in amazing shape now—what’s your fitness routine like these days?
NP: I do a lot of weight training, a lot of fast running—not a lot of miles, but a fast speed for a mile or two so I don’t lose all my muscle. I enjoy weight training with my trainer. He makes me do a lot of heavy stuff now because I told him I want a lot of muscle, so he’s killing me right now.
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WH: Any particular exercises that you dread?
NP: I definitely hate leg day. It’s a love-hate relationship, because my legs are burning—it feels like there’s a knife going through my muscle, that’s how bad it hurts—but the end results are great, because my legs look awesome.
WH: How have you and Jionni adjusted to life as parents?
NP: We definitely hit a rough patch when Lorenzo was born because you’re both the parents, and you want to do it your way but he wants to do it his way. And it’s like, ‘Can you just go away so I can have my time with my son?’ But then he wants his own time with his son, and you get jealous because you want him. So we had sort of a brawl over who would get to have Lorenzo and change his diaper, and now we have to beg each other to do it because it’s been a year.
There’s going to be bickering in the beginning because you want to do it your way and he wants to do it his way, but I feel like as a relationship we definitely grew up and we don’t fight about the stupid things anymore. We’re definitely a lot happier.
WH: Is there anything else you think women need to know about pregnancy?
NP: I just want women to know that even though it’s a great experience—you’re pregnant, you’re having a baby—it’s the most uncomfortable experience you’ll ever have and the scariest experience you’ll ever have. But going through all of that and then holding your baby after nine months and seeing him grow up like I am, it’s totally worth it. I can’t wait to have another baby. I can’t wait to pee myself and be uncomfortable for another nine months. I’m excited to have more kids.
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