This picture above was taken at 38 1/2 weeks pregnant. I will tell you, I had a tough but easy (if you can say that in one sentence) pregnancy and post-pregnancy. I was super sick for 16 weeks, in the beginning, had major headaches, but I continued to eat well, and workout daily because I felt better when I did. My labor was horrendous, but if I didn’t workout it would have taken the wrong turn. I pushed for 4.5 hours and tore everything you could imagine. But that doesn’t matter because I had the most healthy and beautiful baby. When I had her, my first thought was why on Earth does she scream all the time? Well, she had many things that came along when we brought her home. She was very jaundice, so as soon as we fed, burped, and diapered her she was put back in the bilirubin bed (aka tanning bed for babies with jaundice) for two weeks. We couldn’t even take her out to enjoy her, it was really rough on mommy. The week after we brought her home, on top of the jaundice she also started projectile vomiting and leaving her in the bilirubin bed made me have a heart attack every time she spit up because we had to make sure she wasn’t choking on her vomit. After she was okay with her bilirubin levels, we could finally pick her up and snuggle but her vomiting got worse. So went back to the doctors and she was diagnosed with acid reflux and colicky (screaming for hours at night).
I was starting to lose my mind! This whole mommy thing was making me a little insane, actually crazy which lead me to being diagnosed with postpartum depression. I knew it, because I didn’t feel great about myself, I certainly didn’t feel normal, and I hate to say this but I hated when my baby would cry. They prescribe some anti-depressants but decided that I knew what I needed to do, it was to workout and hopefully get sleep (my husband and I only got 2-3 hours asleep a night for the first 4 months). So I will say the first 4 months were a blur. I sound like I hated the baby years, but I did.
I love my daughter more than anything, I felt horrible for her. It was so tough seeing her her cry and scream from pain. This acid reflux stayed with Adrianna till she was 11 months old, and she slowly got better. Thank goodness.
So that is a little back ground on my pregnancy and post-pregnancy, I wanted to add all that because if you have this feeling of not sleeping, not feeling well or need a mental break from mommyhood then please read on. I will be truthfully honest about my pregnancy because what I did helped me be a good baby maker, and mommy.
When I first discovered I was pregnant I was ecstatic, I miscarried the month beforehand and so I didn’t think I would be blessed again for another pregnancy so soon! Everything is suppose to happen for a reason, and that is what I chose to believe.
So first thing I did was purchase a heart rate monitor so I could be sure my heart rate wasn’t going over the 150 heartbeats per minute. I continued with the workouts I was doing previously to my workouts pre-pregnancy. I continued running/strength training (I went a little slower than my norm and monitored my breathing, how hot I was while working out, and making sure I drank plenty of water throughout the workout). I ran till 32 weeks, then the doctor told me to stop running and continue on with the elliptical and strength training. I felt well, other than my morning sickness which I had from week 5-16 and I made sure to workout first thing to ward off some of the morning sickness. It really helped me since I had morning sickness ALL day, if I didn’t workout in the morning, my morning sickness was worse. Weird, don’t know why but it was. I also made sure to eat every 2-3 hours so it would lessen the sick feeling.
I continued to workout almost daily of my pregnancy to feel good. I also notice that my body never really had pain, I had a strong core throughout the pregnancy which lead me to no back pain and fast recovery after the baby was born. I slowly gained the pregnancy weight so that helped from NOT getting stretch marks. On side note: another tip for stretch marks is drinking lots of water and also moisturize the belly EVERY night and day!
Like I mentioned above, if I did’t workout like I did during my pregnancy I probably should have had a C-section. There is no way I could have pushed for 4.5 hours if I didn’t have the endurance. My recovery from labor was great, I was totally up and ready to go for this mommy thing because I had the energy to do so. Granted, I look back and I was a little tired, BUT we had months of not sleeping after we brought her home, it could have been a combined of everything.
Post-pregnancy, like I mentioned above it was more stressful then anything else when our baby so was in so much pain after eating, which was every 2-3 hours. So for me, I knew what I had to be the best mommy I could be for Adrianna. I made sure that I got workout in starting at 3 weeks post-pregnancy (doctor approved), I started lightly running, and weight training (you always want to make sure to slowly to re-introduce the workouts). And I started to feel more like myself, every single day, so I know the workouts helped me.
So after months of getting back to the workout routine, I felt great! I was regaining my normal driven self and starting to master this mommy role. I actually felt more motivated then I once had pre-pregnancy. I was ready to make another goal of mine, which was to compete in a fitness competition. It wasn’t about looking tan, toned and fit in a bikini it was more of a mental thing for me. It was something that I knew would be hard for me to do, not physically but mentally. That is what I came to realize as I was completing in the fitness competitions, you can lift and workout like everyone else, but it’s the emotions that are put into place when you sign-up for a competition. It was something that I will say is the hardest thing I have ever done, mentally. That was my goal at 7 months postpartum and I took 7th place in the nationals at Fitness America in Las Vegas. I was happy and proud of myself.
Now I have explained this many times, that this was MY goal to compete in a fitness competition. This doesn’t have to mean that this has to be YOUR goal. I also, was in good health after pregnancy to go back to my normal workout routine. You ALWAYS have to check with your doctor to see if working out is safe during and after pregnancy for YOU. I will also mention that I had only gained 20lbs, gradually during my pregnancy. I lost all but 5lbs, before the leaving the hospital with my baby in tow. But my body was a hot mess, seriously I have no idea how people get their pre-pregnancy pants back on in the hospital after having a baby. I only had 5lbs. left to lose, but my hips were a size of a mini bus. Seriously, I couldn’t put my skinny jeans back until my baby was 4 months old…
Okay, so I spoke about this topic on the radio 2 weeks ago so I will give you some of the helpful tips that I spoke about. Thank you for reading my book above, Lol. Now onto some reasons to exercise while pregnant.
Here are some of the benefits to exercise during pregnancy (these are just a few):
1. More energy and more alert while you’re pregnant
2. Lower risk of developing gestational diabetes
3. Slow and steady weight gain
4. Reduced postpartum depression
5. Less water retention
6. Lessens morning sickness
7. Decreased likelihood of varicose veins
8. Less likely to require a caesarian delivery
9. More rapid return to pre-pregnancy weight
10. Leaner children up to 5 years after delivery-my kid has doing pullup on the kitchen coutner since she was 2 ½ years old…
11. Increased fitness for delivery & for toting around your new baby stroller, diaper bag, pack-n-play, toys and whatever else you need to bring with…kitchen sink?
First and foremost follow your doctor’s plan:
When it comes to pregnancy exercise, the first thing that you want to do is discuss this with your doctor or midwife. Your doctor is going to have the most information about your personal health issues and any risks you and your baby face in the months to come.
Follow their recommendations. A professional or qualified pre/post natal trainer with experience training pregnant women is also a great asset during this time. The more knowledgeable people you have helping you, the better.
Stay Safe and Talk it out:
If you exercised regularly up until your pregnancy, the chances are you can continue what you’re doing, unless your activity is classified as “high risk.”
If you don’t usually exercise, this is still a great time to start and your baby will definitely thank you for it. But, start slowly and always listen to your body.
Since your body produces a hormone called relaxing during pregnancy it can soften your joints and ligaments to make the birth process easier, so gentle stretching is recommended after your workout. Make sure you are stretching while your body is warm, not right away in the morning when you muscles/joints are still a little stiff. Just be sure that you are not overextending your joints because it may result in an injury, one that could be permanent. So slow and soft movements while pregnant and stretching.
Make sure when to listen to your body when you are working out. If you work out at just the right pace, you should be able to carry on a normal conversation while exercising (the talk test) Always remember that you have a whole new person is growing inside your body which needs more oxygen and energy, so watch for shortness of breath and other signs of overwork.
Like I said above I purchased a heart rate monitor (Polar Watch or Garmin Vivofit) are a great tool to watch closely on how hard you are working. Or you can also learn to measure your own pulse to tell you exactly how your body responds to exercise.
While you are working out and any time during the exercise you feel extremely fatigued, faint, dizzy, lightheaded or clammy, stop exercising and cool down. I would also advice someone before you leave the gym; tell them how you have been feeling. If it gets worse, contact your doctor or midwife.
What to avoid, this one can be very different for everyone depending on your exercise before pregnancy and as always ask your doctor/midwife. Somethings that avoided were high-risk sports and activities during pregnancy. I would also say that extreme and contact sports are out of the question and any sport where you are highly likely to fall should be postponed until after the baby is born. Why risk it, right?!
Some great exercises to perform while pregnant are but not limited to:
These include:
- Biking
- Swimming
- Prenatal Yoga
- Pilates
- Low-impact aerobics
- Strength training
- Jog/run/walk
- If you are comfortable with the exercises you performed before you conceived than you should be okay, modify moves or exercises if they have a lot jumping or ab exercises, laying down exercises after 13 weeks should be removed from your workout until your bambino is here. Exercising while flat on the back can diminish blood flow to both your brain and to your uterus. Always, ask your doctor (again) to make sure your body and baby are safe with these activities.
Make sure to drink up, water that is:
Hydration is always important with exercise. But it is even more so when pregnant! To maintain enough hydration for you and your baby, drink up to 1 pint of liquid before exercising and 1 cup of liquid every 20 minutes during exercise. Even if you don’t feel thirsty afterward, replenish the fluids lost during the exercise.
Overheating and pushing too hard:
Make sure to pay attention to your temperature when you exercise. Overheating your body can lead to exhaustion and other problems, so be sure to wear breathable clothing and pay attention to the temperature in the room or outside while training.
If you start to feel too hot, do your cool-down moves another time. If you are using a heart rate monitor while pregnant you can monitor how much you are pushing yourself. While you are pregnant your heart rate is much higher during workouts so you need to bring down the intensity, doctors recommend 140 bpm but again ask your doctor to see what they think is acceptable for you. I always had mine around 150-160 during my workouts, but kept myself cool and drank a lot of water through my workouts and was doctor approved. Since I was performing my workouts before I got pregnant, I did not have to change much. I will be honest there were a few times I felt uncomfortable, which is why you always want to listen to your body and not push it past it’s uncomfortable feeling at those times I stopped my workout, and drank some water and went home from the gym.
Always Warm-up and Cool Down:
During pregnancy, don’t dive right in to your workouts. Prepare your muscles and joints for the work ahead, and increase and decrease your heart rate slowly, not sharply. Going right into strenuous activity before your body is ready could strain your muscles and ligaments, leading to post-workout aches and pains (this is true for everyone, pregnant or not). Go slowly, tuning-in to your body and paying attention to your body during exercise.
Eating while pregnant:
Just want to start that women that are pregnant are not eating for 2, the first trimester doesn’t need extra calories, the 2nd trimester needs 300-350 calories extra and the last trimester needs 500-550 depending on the weight you started at. Moms-to-be must eat well to ensure they get all the nutrients they and their baby need. Start shopping in the produce section. some great foods for baby developments are bananas and whole grains, which are rich in vitamin B6, that encourage red blood cell formation. Sweet potatoes contain Vitamin A for growing bones and spinach and salmon are full of calcium, which helps prevent bone loss during your pregnancy and aids the growth of your developing baby’s bones.
During my pregnancy I had such food aversion to meat that I had to supplement my protein for a protein shake. If you are having food aversions to meat (protein) while your are in your 1st trimester, supplement with a protein shake to ensure you get enough protein for you and your growing baby and again ask your doctor to get recommendations/or an approval for a good whole food protein rich product.
These are just some tips that I had came up with, during my own pregnancy I was a Google queen, doctor asking, book reading baby momma that I think I covered most that I went through, thanks again for reading yet another blog. Remember, that EVERY woman is different, EVERY pregnancy is different, EVERY baby is different. So what I do may not work for you, but I wanted to keep you informed on some mommy/baby basics when it comes to exercise while pregnant.
2 comments. Leave new
I loved this blog! Thank you, Dayna!
Thanks Marilee for reading, glad you enjoyed it!