In conclusion...

Six weeks postpartum today. 8lbs from pre-pregnancy. My son is up 3.5lbs from birth.
I fit into all my clothes (which isn't saying much since I wore my regular clothes my entire pregnancy...), the weight is mostly muffin top and boobs, and just a little extra junk in the trunk. I somehow found that place where I'm able to resist being a glutton for sweets and am eating properly again, so I've stopped playing with the same 2lbs and am a pound under what I was 2wks postpartum. I hope to have lost the remaining 8 in the next 6wks, and then another 4-9lbs by the end of the year (to reach my goal of being 135-140). But really, I want to fit into some of my favorite items again, so if I can do that before reaching goal weight, then whatever!
I've done some interval training and that was fun to mix it up and got me a little sore. As much as I like running in the cool morning air, I actually miss the gym and the equipment. Or maybe it's more of missing the "me" time and not worrying about getting back. I worry about Bauer waking up and being hungry while I'm out now.
Despite not hitting my postpartum goals as quickly as I aspired, I'm really glad I maintained my fitness throughout my pregnancy. I felt fantastic in all facets; physically, emotionally, self-esteem. My birth experience was awesome. And I am way ahead of where I was 6wks postpartum after my daughter.

5 weeks postpartum

Cravings for sweet junk are irresistible. As the empty Nutella jars and disappointed look on my daughter's face when she asks for a cookie and I have to tell her the batch I made yesterday is GONE, can attest to. Can I blame breastfeeding? Maybe. Exhaustion? Probably. Weak self-control? Definitely.
Most people say I should give myself a break, that I just had a baby. True, and maybe my expectations for bounce-back were a little over-ambitious. But I can't help but be upset with myself for slacking on the parts that should have been easiest, like not eating sugar laden junk all day long.
Exercise is going well though. I'm up to 3.5mi on my runs. And on days where the kiddos manage to wake up before me, I throw the baby in my sling and take a brisk walk instead. Which, when you keep your abs engaged and clench your butt-cheeks, ends up feeling like a decent workout!
While it doesn't look like I'll be back to pre-pregnancy weight by 6wks, I am on my way. And I'm healthy. And I have beautiful children. So, I have to just chill out.

Okay, this is kinda hard

Even though it feels good to get out and be active, giving birth and taking a 2wk break from exercise to heal really does mean I'm starting over. I expected it, but at the same time I'm disappointed. It was easier to run 38wks pregnant than it is now! I keep getting a cramp in my neck and feeling like I can't get my breathing under control. I think the constriction of the double bra might be a factor, but without that, I can't run at all. I haven't done any lunges and squats because the thought of being exhausted AND sore while dealing with a newborn and a 3yo all day just makes me want pull out my hair! Soon though.
My tummy has continued to pull in pretty well, even though I haven't lost any more weight. It's still pretty mushy under my navel. Patience.

1wk Postpartum

I've been relaxing and recovering. I don't clearly remember how long it took to for my tummy to go down last time, but I'm pleasantly surprised with how much it's gone down in one week, having done nothing! Well, caring for two children and breastfeeding, but no work outs ;D. This weekend I plan to start doing floor work for abs and buns and see how it goes.

Training

So now I consider myself training for labor. I've been going to the gym every chance I get, instead of napping, LOL, because I figure I won't work out for 4-6wks once this baby pops on out. Going in the afternoon is different from my usual mornings. It's more crowded. The crowd is younger. And stares more.

39w,2d!

Status Quo

My goal now is to just avoid excuses and not lose steam as I barrel toward this baby's birthday.
While I generally feel fantastic, I'll be honest and run through my short list of complaints. Right now I struggle with staying properly hydrated in this heat. I hate having to pee every 15minutes, especially if I'm not just hanging out at home. But I get lots of pressure and braxton hicks in the evening if I don't stay on top of it. And if I don't, it takes a couple days of being well hydrated for the nightly braxton hicks performance to leave town.
The pelvic pain has started to be there every morning no matter what. This is about when it started in my previous pregnancy too. It makes it suck to sit up in bed or try to put on regular underwear, let alone jimmy up the shaper to get out for a run. During runs lately, I have a lot of lactic acid build up in my calves. I don't know if there's something in-discernibly different about my form or what, but in burns. And then I get charlie horses in the middle of the night, disturbing my unusually-great-for-9mo-pregnant sleep. Keeping hydrated and couple bananas keeps the charlie horses at bay, but I don't know what is up with the burn while I run.
And sometimes I'm just so tired. But a couple weeks ago, due to circumstances beyond my control, I had two days in a row where I didn't get in a real workout, just some walking and pool time with my daughter. I didn't feel more energized. I was still tired, but then also feeling crappy about having not worked out. So, suck it up and get it done. According to James Clapp's book, to get the full benefits of exercising through a pregnancy, I have to keep it up at 75%+ of my pre-pregnancy routine, all the way to the end. And if I were to quit, the uber-placenta I've grown with all the exercise would fatten up the baby with the calories I had been burning. I'm not so much worried about a fat baby, since fat is squishy, but if the head is going to get bigger, that's not so cool. Anyway, between chiropractic care and the exercise, this baby better just slide right out!

Here are my latest pics, one of me geared up to run, and another regular one, just to compare how much the shaper sucks that belly in tight. I wonder if the baby will be affected by my pregnancy habits. Like will the running mean the baby has to be bounced to sleep. And will my use of the shaper mean the baby likes to be tightly swaddled... We'll see!

GREAT Morning

It was cloudy yesterday so I was pretty sure it would be a cool morning. I got out there at 5:45, and it was perfectly cool and breezy. In fact, as I started my second mile, I thought, I'm going to run 4 miles! But I always think that, after I get over the initial "Why am I doing this to myself," as I settle into a good rhythm with my breathing and pace. And then I as finish up my requisite 3rd mile, I'll change my mind. Today though, I felt great. I went for it. I ran 4 miles in just over 42min, which is the most I've ran at once since completing the half marathon. Then, as I walked home, I passed a tall, lean middle-aged man who was getting ready to run and he said "Congratulations, keep it up!"
Here I am, once I got home this morning, in all my trappings that keep me running as I close in on 9mo's of pregnancy:



You're thinking, "Certainly, once this get-up no longer does the trick, she'll stop running until the baby's born." You're wrong. There's still duct tape ;)

ETA: While I thought I previously used mapmyrun to determine my usual route to be 3mi, I just did it again and found out that it's only 2.5! And what I thought was 4mi today, was only 3.4. Buzzkill!

I can do jumping jacks?!

Today I decided to keep it inside and do something OnDemand. I did Elle's Bikini Revolution Workout 1. I did the whole thing! I only had to modify two moves. The one where you hop down into plank, hop up and jump. I did it at half time. And then "mountain climbers" where again in plank position you're supposed to bring your knees to your chest rapidly. I just brought my knees in as far as I comfortably could, at about half time.
But jumping rope and jumping jacks? Fine! This is surprising to me because back in my first trimester, I was doing Jillian Michael's 30 Day Shred and I felt "off" doing any jumping moves and after one workout, I actually spotted, I'm guessing from the moves irritating my cervix. I don't know how having a 5+ pound baby in there is better, lol, but I did the moves with no discomfort!
Oh, and I got out yesterday morning early enough to run comfortably. My new plug for the high waist shaper is to say it makes running in month 8 feel like running in month 5 :D
Last, here I am, 34wks in my Brazilian cut bikini that I wouldn't even put on last year! Exercise does the body good ;)

Why is it so easy?

I've been thinking about why it's so much easier for me to make healthful choices while I'm pregnant than when I'm not. I don't think it's just because my choices affect the baby, though that's the most obvious. I've concluded it's the lack of restriction. I feel like I can eat however much I want. So if after eating all the stuff that's nutritionally required, I still feel like some candy or ice cream, cool. Where as non-pregnant, I focus more on weight loss/maintenance and the idea that a calorie is a calorie is a calorie. So do I want an egg sandwich for breakfast or an caloric-ly equal portion of brownies? For non-pregnant me, brownies would frequently win. But pregnant me is realizing that when I eat healthfully, the cravings for the nutritionally void are not only fewer, but less intense.
And because it's fun, here's a side by side comparison of yesterday, 31w3d, and five weeks ago, 26w3d. It was actually kind of comforting to be able to see a difference because although it certainly feels like Baby B is bigger and stronger, sometimes it seems like my belly isn't getting any bigger. It is! And could I possibly carry any lower? :)


ETA: A friend wanted to see a pic from my last pregnancy. Here I am at 31w4d with my daughter. It's cleverly cropped because I didn't like seeing my big ol' butt, but I can still see in my face the fact that I'm about 20lbs heavier than I am now!

Strange, strange people

First of all, Happy Mothers' Day!
Now, this morning at the gym I opted to stay downstairs in the dedicated women's gym because climbing the stairs to the regular cardio area puts me so out of breath when I come in the early morning without having eaten much (the gym playroom opens later on Sundays, so I leave my daughter at home and show up nice and early by myself). There was this older lady in there, and the whole time I'm doing cardio, she's singing out loud to herself and cussing at the machines. Since she had earphones in, I don't know if she realized she was talking so loud, or if she thought we all really wanted to hear her self-narration. And then when I start doing my weights, she comments on my pliet squats. But again, loudly, and to herself. Apparently, she thought I was killing my knees. Squats can be hard on the knees, but I know I have great form, so... shut up old lady LOL And then she started contemplating the meaning of the initials on the rear of my cheer shorts. She correctly concluded that it must be a California University. By then I just wanted to get away from her. Luckily I was done, and so I did!
I'm not feeling as enthusiastic about my workouts anymore. My energy levels have seriously nose-dived. I feel like I'm back in the first trimester where I force it because I know I'll feel better for having done it. And I do feel better afterward and I of course enjoy the results, I'm just saying my gung-ho spirit has taken a hit LOL Just 10 more weeks. I can make it :)
Last, here I am post-gym this last Friday, about to go play at the park:

Bikini Season

It was nice and warm this weekend, and not windy! So out came the bikini.
I've learned recently that pregnant women in bikinis make some people uncomfortable. Probably the same people who think that women who nurse should stay home or go to a bathroom. Luckily, I have yet to meet any of the people with these odd hang-ups, or if I have, they were smart enough not to say anything to me about it. :)
Anyway, I've worked pretty hard to stay in good enough shape that I feel fine baring my belly to the sun! I already loved my belly, but it had the same winter pallor as the rest of me and a little tan does wonders! Do slather on sunscreen though because while most skin tans, stretchmarks do not. No thank you zebra skin LOL.
To any pregnant woman that has not used a pool, find one ASAP. It was just getting warm when I was due with my daughter, and I was so big and out of shape that no one could convince me to put on a swim suit, let alone get in a pool. But today I got in the pool and it was... awesome. Awesome is the only fitting word. I don't feel like my belly is particularly heavy, but the sensation of weightlessness felt great. I did variations of the leg slimmer Pilates moves with absolutely NO pubic bone or round ligament pain. And while I didn't want to get my hair wet, I spent some time just kicking and got my heart rate up a little without getting hot.
Ideally, I like running when it's in the upper 50's or in the 60's, then I just start to feel too hot. Now I know to just get in the pool if I couldn't get a run in in the morning! I'm going to look up other workouts to do in the water.




Side note, I notice that since I've quit the long runs, my quads are losing definition. My "generous" thighs need all the muscle definition they can get, but I apparently put too much emphasis on the hamstrings and butt and need to pay more attention to my quads. Hopefully I'll find some exercises I can do in the pool LOL

Taking notes...

So I am nearing the end of my second trimester. But I still have a couple weeks, and I want them and their energy entitlement! Why have I passed out between 7:30 and 8 the past few nights? Maybe it's the sugar withdrawal, so I'll keep eating well and hope that I still have some weeks of feeling relatively energetic ahead of me.
I still feel great during my workouts. Wednesdays have turned into a light day of walking and strength training because my pubic bone just can't take two days in a row of running.
A mom friend told me about a woman at her Y that ran and swam up until the day she went into labor and her "labor" was only 90min. And at 3wks post-partum, when she's regaling this tale, the only evidence of her pregnancy is a still visible linea negra (where's mine by the way? I don't remember when it showed up for Emberly...). I'm really trying to envision myself still running come 39wks, and 90 minutes from pregnant to baby is definitely an inspirational incentive!
Okay, so here I am, still looking pretty fit at 6.5mo. Please ignore my face. I hadn't been crying, I promise. I guess that's just what I look like at 7am after a night where pregnancy insomnia tortured me from 1-3am LOL





And yes, those are my snazzy christmas gift nikes, colors courtesy of my two year old ;)

Apparel Awareness

Around 22wks I discovered that even my longest workout tanks wanted to ride up to my new "waist" under my boobs. I'm constantly tugging at the hem and it's... annoying. Since I didn't try to workout last time, I naively expected my current wardrobe to get me through the whole thing. I scored some empire waist tops at the Champion outlet for $11 after Christmas and while those are plenty wide, my belly still peeks out of the bottom.
I thought I'd go ahead and list some links for places where I've found good looking maternity athletic apparel, for those that have budgeted for such and expense (it's not cheap to cover a baby belly)
http://www.fitmaternity.com (this is also where I picked up my support belt, which I wore during my half marathon, and has helped keep me still running at 25 weeks).
http://www.maternityactivewear.com/aboutus/home.php
http://www.fit2bmom.com/
http://www.runningskirts.com/maternity-skirts.html these seemed really cool, but the price tag, not so much
http://www.bornfit.com/

Nike and Athleta also have tunic length tops with some spandex which should work over a belly, but again, not cheaply. And people that know me, know I'm a budget girl.
So, since our budget priority is a decent maternity leave, I'm really doubting that I'll be springing for any of the lovely options I listed and I'll be working out in my sports bra when the last of my longer tops just refuse to stay down:

I ran 3mi like this today, and I admit, I felt weird and like people were staring at me at first, but I told myself, "you've walked down runways in underwear and swimsuits, get over it!" I didn't even remember until afterward, that my best friend and I got naked on Baker Beach more times than I can count every summer when I lived in California. So, stare! LOL