Good Morning Everyone!
I always thought that 9-Months was a long time. It turns out that when you are pregnant that time goes very quickly! I am already 32+ weeks pregnant!
Pregnancy Feelings
Cravings/Food:
I still don’t have any food cravings. I have found that I have to be very careful to eat more frequently or I start getting very nauseous. It happens most on work days if I haven’t had a snack between 9-10AM. I eat my breakfast at 6AM, so I think when my stomach empties all the extra pressure from baby is causing some reflux. My doctor said I can take Zantac every 12 hours to prevent this, but I don’t like taking any type of medication unless it is 100% necessary.
Go figure, I skipped morning sickness in the first trimester, but in the third trimester I am regularly getting nauseous! No one warned me about that, but apparently it’s quite common because the baby & my uterus are so large that everything that used to be in my abdomen is squished together under my rib cage.
Skin:
Feeling good! Still no itchiness or discomfort. I am still using Organic Virgin Coconut Oil to moisturize. I also use cocoa butter & make sure to stay hydrated by drinking a lot of water.
Energy:
Overall still good. This week I was more tired and didn’t get in many workouts, but I think that was the result of battling the Norovirus last weekend, and having my sister’s college graduation and graduation party over the weekend. Plus, this week was insanity at work. I’m an Occupational Therapist, and I don’t know that I have ever done as many new patient evaluations in one week as I managed this week. It was exhausting!
Mood:
Great! I am amazed when I watch my baby move around, stretch and kick! I am starting to worry about getting everything done in time before he arrives. I don’t want to buy any furniture until after my baby shower. We get discounts for registry completion so I put all of our nursery furniture onto my registry, but I don’t get the discount until after the baby shower.
Body Image:
I am still loving my baby bump, but on certain days, baby (and bump) seem huge, and other days it feels more compact. I am definitely wondering what my body is going to look like after baby. I am not worried about getting my fitness level back to pre-baby levels (I am confident that I know how to do that!) I am wondering how my body is going to change. How will my skin change? Will my waist ever look like it did pre-pregnancy? Will I have bigger hips?
I won’t really know the answers to these questions until after the baby is born, but I’m going to be sharing my post-pregnancy workout program with you here. I already started writing the workouts, and once I have delivered I will know more about any modifications that need to be made to the program as I go. It takes 4-6 weeks after delivering your baby for your uterus to shrink back down to it’s normal size. Plus, there are hormonal changes, the demands of a new baby, etc. I have no goal time frame for getting “back in shape.” My goal is just to be consistent with my fitness and learn how to make fitness a part of my every day life even with a new baby. I also want to embrace any changes in my body with a healthy attitude, because it is doing something amazing to bring new life into the world.
Baby’s Movements:
He does gymnastics in there! He likes to press his feet out right below the middle of my rib cage. When he does that and I rub his feet he presses harder into my hands. He also goes crazy when Jesse and I watch superhero movies or TV shows. I think he must hear the epic music. We went to the theatre last night to watch Captain America: Civil War and Baby Bender was going wild the whole time! He did the same thing during Batman Vs Superman: Dawn of Justice.
My brother in law was sitting next to me at my sister’s graduation last weekend, and saw baby moving around in my belly like a scene from the move Alien and couldn’t believe how much movement there was! I assume that all babies are this active (this is my first pregnancy so I have no comparison).
Nursery:
I haven’t done anything new this week. It is primarily empty (baby shower will be at the end of May), but we do have some clothes, diapers, and a bassinet in there. Plus we have been blessed to receive some gifts already from friends and family who aren’t able to make it to the baby shower. I have a big sorting cabinet full of scrap book materials in the nursery closet, that I need to find a new home for.
Worries:
I want to have a natural delivery & baby is measuring large. According to my fundal height (which is not 100% accurate) the baby was measuring 34-weeks a few days before I hit the 32-week mark. My family tends to have larger babies, 8 pounds+. My due date in June 29th, but I am still convinced Baby isn’t coming until July, so I am starting to wonder how big he is going to be.
MD Visit:
Everything is on track. Baby’s heart rate was still in the 150s. The doctor is very pleased with my progress and overall health. As I mentioned, the baby is measuring two weeks bigger, but that is within the normal standard deviation-you can measure +/- 2-weeks and still be in the normal range.
Overall:
I feel great! Definitely noticing that movements where I have to crouch or bend are harder, because it presses into my lungs. Ironically, this means that running/walking feels easier for me than squatting and lunging.
My Workouts:
This was an abysmal workout week for me. I still kept my body moving, but I like to get in more strengthening exercises during the week. I am thrilled that it’s Saturday and I have some time to get in a good/sweaty workout today! Plus, I was still tired from being sick last weekend, so I took it much easier & primarily did walking. I napped after work twice this week, which threw off my workout schedule & Jesse’s running schedule.
Sunday: 30-Minute AM Walk + 20-Minute PM Walk
Monday: 1.25 Mile Walk + 45-Minute Spin Class
Tuesday: Rest Day. Evening MD appointment.
Wednesday: 3-Mile Walk.
Thursday: 60-Minute Walk + 6th Birthday Dinner Celebration for my Beautiful Niece Caroline!
Friday: 30-Minute Walk
Saturday: That’s today! It’s going to be in the 70s so my plan is to get in a run (between 3-5 miles depending on how I am feeling) and film a new workout.
Thank you for sticking with me & sharing in my journey!
These are the throw-back workouts I posted this week: Friday Workout + Workout Week Schedule.
Have fun!
Melissa
PS Here are links to some other Pregnancy related posts (including workouts!) you might enjoy: https://www.benderfitness.com/category/fit-pregnancy.
