Yes! I made through one of my workout goals. In my last post I mentioned I wanted to get up at six AM and workout about three to four times a week. So far I have worked out five times last week and two times this week. This has been a huge challenge to me since being a mom of four kids already, I hardly have time to rest much after waking up early and working out. When I was pregnant with my third child I would workout and nap while my two children slept in the afternoon. Amazingly, I feel great regardless of the lack of naps. I do seem to feel extremely tired around three PM, but other than that second trimester is treating me much better than the first.
There are other goals I want to set during this pregnancy. It has been easier to follow a much healthier diet when I was pregnant a few babies ago, but now I literally feel like I have been pregnant for three years straight, almost have been, and all I want to do is drink coffee when I feel like it and eat sugar. NOT good. Let me tell you, these things lead to serious energy crashes. I also learned from my second pregnancy that adding more pounds on because I felt like eating half a grocery store cake a few times a month does not make that weight easy to get rid of post baby, not to mention my baby did not need that. I still have not lost ten pounds from my second pregnancy even though I had almost two full years in between the that baby and baby number three. Since then I have been able to loose all but the last five pounds of my baby weight in the first four months post pregnancy.
So what should I be eating instead of cake and goodies? It is really important to make every single calorie count regardless to being pregnant or not, but when one is pregnant keeping a full stomach has kept me from throwing up a lot. With my first baby I had morning sickness for about five months. I was not used to eating a whole lot for breakfast and I was not focusing on protein. My midwife has me make a diet chart of the three days worth of meals. One of the main things she looks for is protein. Am I eating some kind of protein with each meal? This does help with overall energy and not suddenly feeling starving. Without protein I would get really hungry and feel like if I did not eat right away I would throw up. Strange I know, but regular meals and snacks really do help.
I wish I could say I am the type of person who never craves or eats sugar during my pregnancies, but I am not. There are certain kinds of rules I put on what treats I eat. I will eat high quality ice cream after dinner and the baked goods I consume are either homemade (often honey or maple syrup sweetened) or bought from bakeries I know use good sources to make their food.
As far as coffee is concerned, I know the number one ideal would be to cut it out all together. In fact, I had a decent amount of success in this area during my last pregnancy, but this time it has been harder. I associate coffee drinking with friendships because I used to go out to coffee as an enjoyable social event. Now that I have four kids going out is less frequent and drinking coffee reminds me of times when I spent more time out and about. So one can already tell I am not really dealing with a strong desire to enjoy a coffee rush, I am missing my social rush. This is a harder habit to kick because of it. When I have felt down this pregnancy I find myself loading kids into the car to go to my favorite coffee drive though place. Um...I think my next goal it to replace to coffee with red tea.
Even with my weaknesses, the great thing about pregnancy is I have more motivation to make changes that are better for me, not just the baby. Body image never was a problem for me in high school or college, but once I started gaining pregnancy weight I began to feel more pressure towards staying in shape and eating healthy. It is a balancing act because one can get too obsessive as well. It is helpful to examine how amazing and beautiful the whole pregnancy process is. I mean it is amazing to think there is actually a person growing inside of me. Pregnancy is a miraculous blessing. :)
Wednesday, June 15, 2011
Tuesday, June 7, 2011
18 Weeks: Who Is This Crazy Person?
As the days of morning sickness fade away, a crazy woman has taken over my body. Yesterday I decided that instead of attempting to sleep an extra half an hour, I should get up and workout before all of the kids woke up. Charis, my almost one year old was already awake, but that still left the living room quite peaceful.
I jumped out of bed, put on my workout clothes, and grabbed some toys for the baby. My husband looked over at me in shock. I love sleep. It takes me awhile to become fully awake and chatty most mornings. Let's just say, Tim is usually up before me. The rest of the family is usually halfway through breakfast before I appear still looking glazed. Somehow, I just needed to workout right away. It was so important to me.
During all of my pregnancies I have tried to keep in the best shape possible. With the first one I barely had to try since I worked in a job that had me walking around a hospital a lot. My husband and I also made a point of going on an evening walk everyday after dinner as well. By the time baby number two was on the way I slowed down a bit, but we still managed to walk about once a day. Walks are just fine with one baby half asleep in a front pack or stroller. I even managed to walk a lot with two kids in a double stroller until my oldest turned four.
Being pregnant with my third taught me more about working out pregnant than ever before. My older kids no longer found a ride in the stroller thrilling and they refused to walk with me, so I needed to figure something else out. One day at the library I stumbled upon a prenatal fitness video. I felt foolish checking it out because after years of watching my mother struggle through workout videos I had secretly decided I would try to workout different ways.
Boy was I wrong about workout videos. I have been a huge fan of Erin O'Brien's "Prenatal Fitness Fix." The first time I tried this video I felt like I had run a marathon. This is some challenging stuff, even for a person like me who thinks a "real" workout is running about six miles. As my tummy got bigger, the workout continued to challenge me and it is just relaxing enough to leave me feeling calm after a workout instead of overly hyped up.
Of course I would love to continue the tradition of going on a walk everyday, but that is just not realistic at this point. The one thing I will say about Erin O'Brien's video is that I have learned a lot about what muscle groups I can still work on while pregnant. I have also found that my body has been in better shape post pregnancy because maybe I cannot keep up with situps, but I can still work my obliques.
So there I was at 6:00 AM, working out in my living room with my little baby crawling around me. Of course I had to pause when my other kids woke up, but then I went straight back to work. After this brilliant experience, I found myself with more energy for the day. So often a whole days go by and I have done nothing for my own sanity. There are days when finding a bathroom break is challenging! My mood was much better than usual and I had more patience for my four children. This is hard work no matter what, but anything that might help is a plus as far as I am concerned.
I was able to make it through most of my workout video today as well. My goal it to try and workout three to four morning a week. Let's see if it really happens. I hope it does. With my last baby I managed to reach this goal during nap time, but since two of my kids no longer nap, the morning is my best bet. By 6:00 PM I find myself counting down the hours until bedtime. All I know is a fit pregnant me is much happier.
I jumped out of bed, put on my workout clothes, and grabbed some toys for the baby. My husband looked over at me in shock. I love sleep. It takes me awhile to become fully awake and chatty most mornings. Let's just say, Tim is usually up before me. The rest of the family is usually halfway through breakfast before I appear still looking glazed. Somehow, I just needed to workout right away. It was so important to me.
During all of my pregnancies I have tried to keep in the best shape possible. With the first one I barely had to try since I worked in a job that had me walking around a hospital a lot. My husband and I also made a point of going on an evening walk everyday after dinner as well. By the time baby number two was on the way I slowed down a bit, but we still managed to walk about once a day. Walks are just fine with one baby half asleep in a front pack or stroller. I even managed to walk a lot with two kids in a double stroller until my oldest turned four.
Being pregnant with my third taught me more about working out pregnant than ever before. My older kids no longer found a ride in the stroller thrilling and they refused to walk with me, so I needed to figure something else out. One day at the library I stumbled upon a prenatal fitness video. I felt foolish checking it out because after years of watching my mother struggle through workout videos I had secretly decided I would try to workout different ways.
Boy was I wrong about workout videos. I have been a huge fan of Erin O'Brien's "Prenatal Fitness Fix." The first time I tried this video I felt like I had run a marathon. This is some challenging stuff, even for a person like me who thinks a "real" workout is running about six miles. As my tummy got bigger, the workout continued to challenge me and it is just relaxing enough to leave me feeling calm after a workout instead of overly hyped up.
Of course I would love to continue the tradition of going on a walk everyday, but that is just not realistic at this point. The one thing I will say about Erin O'Brien's video is that I have learned a lot about what muscle groups I can still work on while pregnant. I have also found that my body has been in better shape post pregnancy because maybe I cannot keep up with situps, but I can still work my obliques.
So there I was at 6:00 AM, working out in my living room with my little baby crawling around me. Of course I had to pause when my other kids woke up, but then I went straight back to work. After this brilliant experience, I found myself with more energy for the day. So often a whole days go by and I have done nothing for my own sanity. There are days when finding a bathroom break is challenging! My mood was much better than usual and I had more patience for my four children. This is hard work no matter what, but anything that might help is a plus as far as I am concerned.
I was able to make it through most of my workout video today as well. My goal it to try and workout three to four morning a week. Let's see if it really happens. I hope it does. With my last baby I managed to reach this goal during nap time, but since two of my kids no longer nap, the morning is my best bet. By 6:00 PM I find myself counting down the hours until bedtime. All I know is a fit pregnant me is much happier.
Wednesday, June 1, 2011
17 Weeks: Baby Who Are You
Around 17 weeks I used to start getting excited about having an ultrasound, but this time around there are no plans to get one unless there is a cause for concern. When I started having kids, being pregnant was this unknown territory because I am adopted. Unlike most people, I heard nothing about birth stories. I was working in a hospital radiology department, so getting an ultrasound seemed just fine with me. Everyone I worked with could not wait to find out what I was going to have. I remember looking at my tiny baby on the screen and thinking there he was in this special private world. It was amazing because I did not even really look pregnant at this point. I had a little tummy, but I could still forget there was new life inside of me.
The ultrasound was a symbol of my connection to my babies before I could hold them. It is what made me feel like I was really pregnant. After my first baby, my assumption was to keep having ultrasounds, but when I switched from a doctor to a midwife this thinking was challenged. We do not really know the long term effects of the ultrasound. Plus, some of the results can be false, even the gender of the baby. It seems as if there are times when this test is useful, but I am beginning to question if one really need up to three ultrasounds per baby.
When I was pregnant with my fourth child I was working with a midwife and took to heart that I might not really need an ultrasound. However, I still insisted on having an ultrasound. I did not want this child to be the only one without pictures of his or her secret world. Unfortunately, I went in for the test just a few days past twenty weeks and the measurements of my baby were all off. (at or around 20 weeks babies growth patterns change, some grow bigger than others) This would not have really mattered except I had a preterm labor scare and when the doctor went to look at my ultrasound results, my baby measured two weeks behind my calculated due date. This was the difference between delivering in my small town hospital and being sent to Seattle. In a situation like this, everyone wants what is best for the baby, but I was not convinced my test results were correct. After a little bit more examination of my ultrasound results, many typos were found in some of the measurements. The entire test was useless! Do you know how much an ultrasound costs? I did not have this problem with my first three children, but this experienced changed my attitude toward ultrasounds. I no longer want to just get them as a routine test.
With this baby I did go in to get an ultrasound when I thought I might be loosing my baby, but it took me five days to reach the conclusion of getting that test done. (I was only thirteen weeks along.) I had decided I did want to have any ultrasounds, but knowing if my baby was dead or alive was important to me. It was such a blessing to see him or her happy and alive. Now that I can feel my baby kicking and there does not seem to be any concerns with my pregnancy, I do not plan to have any ultrasounds from this point on.
We will not know what we are having, but many parents decide to wait until the birth of their baby regardless of any ultrasounds. This leaves baby names up in the air. I have enjoyed knowing my baby's name as soon as possible, but I am sure we will be able to settle on a boy's name and a girl's name.
The ultrasound was a symbol of my connection to my babies before I could hold them. It is what made me feel like I was really pregnant. After my first baby, my assumption was to keep having ultrasounds, but when I switched from a doctor to a midwife this thinking was challenged. We do not really know the long term effects of the ultrasound. Plus, some of the results can be false, even the gender of the baby. It seems as if there are times when this test is useful, but I am beginning to question if one really need up to three ultrasounds per baby.
When I was pregnant with my fourth child I was working with a midwife and took to heart that I might not really need an ultrasound. However, I still insisted on having an ultrasound. I did not want this child to be the only one without pictures of his or her secret world. Unfortunately, I went in for the test just a few days past twenty weeks and the measurements of my baby were all off. (at or around 20 weeks babies growth patterns change, some grow bigger than others) This would not have really mattered except I had a preterm labor scare and when the doctor went to look at my ultrasound results, my baby measured two weeks behind my calculated due date. This was the difference between delivering in my small town hospital and being sent to Seattle. In a situation like this, everyone wants what is best for the baby, but I was not convinced my test results were correct. After a little bit more examination of my ultrasound results, many typos were found in some of the measurements. The entire test was useless! Do you know how much an ultrasound costs? I did not have this problem with my first three children, but this experienced changed my attitude toward ultrasounds. I no longer want to just get them as a routine test.
With this baby I did go in to get an ultrasound when I thought I might be loosing my baby, but it took me five days to reach the conclusion of getting that test done. (I was only thirteen weeks along.) I had decided I did want to have any ultrasounds, but knowing if my baby was dead or alive was important to me. It was such a blessing to see him or her happy and alive. Now that I can feel my baby kicking and there does not seem to be any concerns with my pregnancy, I do not plan to have any ultrasounds from this point on.
We will not know what we are having, but many parents decide to wait until the birth of their baby regardless of any ultrasounds. This leaves baby names up in the air. I have enjoyed knowing my baby's name as soon as possible, but I am sure we will be able to settle on a boy's name and a girl's name.
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