Pregnancy PT: Before, During and After (Part 3)

5 months PP. Yep. I braved wearing a bikini.

Now, on to the fun part... Postpartem! The most important news is that I delivered a beautiful, healthy baby girl. But, oh my, was I in a lot of pain. Every muscle in my body hurt, and then some. Every organ just felt gnarly. Considering what I just did, push out a human being, I figured this kind of postpartem pain is very normal and it was now time to recover.

During my pregnancy, I gained 35 pounds. Some of that was baby, some was fluid, some was the placenta and some was just, well, extra weight. I’ll be honest. After I delivered my daughter, I didn’t step on a scale. During those first 6 weeks postpartem, I really didn’t want to burden myself with weight loss. After 40 weeks of pregnancy, labor and delivery, my body needed some time to recover. I focused on my new little bundle of joy, eating healthy, getting rest, recovering and getting into some kind of flexible routine.

For me, being holed up in the hospital for 3 days without any fresh air drove me crazy. So the day I was released, I set out to take a nice, SLOW walk. Yes, it was slightly painful but I was surprised at how fast my body was healing. The fresh air and sunlight was food for my soul. I made sure that I got outside to take a walk everyday. My daughter was born in May so the weather was beautiful. I continued to do walks of about 1-2 miles everyday and at about 2 weeks postpartem I started strapping my daughter in the Baby Bjorne and toting her along with me. I love those memories of us going for early morning walks in the park. She would usually fall asleep in the baby carrier and it was heaven to have her so close to me. Plus, I got to show her off!

At 4 weeks postpartem I continues to do my daily walks, but then stepped it up a bit. I had a DVD of a light cardio/strength workout so I began to do that twice a week. In the beginning, I skipped any exercise that I felt was too strenuous or too uncomfortable. For example, I usually skipped any section that had a bouncy exercise like jumping jacks. You just have to feel it out for yourself and see what you are comfortable with.

I chose to breastfeed and, for me, the weight just melted off. As it turns out, this milk making business is a huge calorie burner. Nursing burns about 500-700 calories per day. Plus, when you breastfeed, your body releases a hormone that helps your uterus contract back to it’s normal size. Although there were many other reasons I chose to nurse, both of these facts were great selling points for me.

By the time I was 6 weeks postpartem, I was back at my pre-pregnancy weight, but my muscle tone was lousy. I had my 6-week postpartem check-up and my doctor gave me the all clear to exercise to my heart’s content. I did try to run a bit and, clearly by the way I felt, that wasn’t going to happen for a while. To say the least, running did not feel good at all. I decided to embark in the P90X 13-week training program. I was still nursing and I wanted to do an exercise program where a) I could do from home, and b) I didn’t want to be anywhere at a specific time. It was just so much easier to work out from home and pick the time I wanted to exercise rather than be at a class at a certain place and time. As far as my diet was concerned, I just made sure that I ate healthy and ate whenever I was hungry. I was nursing AND doing P90X so I was burning a lot of calories. Counting calories was not something I needed to do. I also drank A LOT of water.

At 19 weeks postpartem, I finished the 13-week P90X program. My body was toned, sculpted and I maintained my pre-pregnancy weight. I also continued to nurse throughout the entire program. There are myths out there that say you shouldn’t exercise while you are nursing  because it may reduce milk productivity. I didn’t find this to be true. If you eat nutritious meals, drink a lot of water and maintain a relaxed attitude, your milk supply will not decrease.

Enjoy your workouts, ladies. And most of all, enjoy your beautiful babies!!!
xx-
K

Pregnancy PT: Before, During and After (Part 2)

12 Weeks Preggers at the Chicago Marathon

Onward to Part Two! In Part One I discussed what I did prior to getting pregnant in terms of exercise and nutrition. Here’s what I did once I was pregnant.

Now, even though I dropped out of the marathon, I most definitely did not drop out of running. During my pregnancy I continued to run 3-8 miles, 5 times a week. Some people thought I was crazy for doing this, but I played it very safe. I always made sure that I was well hydrated. If I felt any abdominal pain at all I would slow my pace to a walk and drink some water. In general, I ran at a slower pace and didnʼt concern myself with speed or hill runs. I did end up doing the Chicago Marathon at 12 weeks pregnant, but I only ran half of it. I figured since I was running for two, I would chalk it up as a full marathon. That makes sense, right? I also ran a 10k race at 15 weeks and another 10k at 18 weeks. 28 weeks is when I had to call it quits and hang up my running shoes temporarily. I was getting bigger and with my small frame it was just too uncomfortable. But donʼt think that I gave up my running workouts just so that I could become a couch potato. Oh no. We just happened to have a spinner in the garage. We bought it from our local YMCA when they were purchasing new spin bikes. We got a GREAT deal on it. So, I dusted it off and started doing 20-30 minutes of spinning a day. I liked it because it gave me a great cardio workout and the impact wasnʼt as jarring as running was. I will say that when I found out I was pregnant I started wearing a heart rate monitor during my workouts. I kept a pretty moderate heart rate and made sure that I wasnʼt in my max heart rate zone. If you donʼt wear a heart rate monitor, there are ways to tell that youʼre overdoing it. If you are short of breath or feeling dizzy chances are that you should slow your pace a bit. I continued to spin until a week before my due date and that was only because my doctor advised me to cut down on any activity that made me sweat. My fluid levels were somewhat low and she wanted me to stay hydrated. However, she did say that walking was fine. So I strapped on my Nike runners and hoofed a 2-mile walk. I did this up until the day I delivered, which was on my due date. I went through different stages of exercise during my pregnancy, but I did continue to exercise all the way up to my delivery date.

Everyones level of exercise is different. The general rule is when you find out youʼre pregnant you can continue your level of exercise. What you donʼt want to do is start a brand new exercise program once you find out youʼre pregnant. For example, if you have never run before and you find out youʼre pregnant, you donʼt want to start training for and upcoming 10k.

As for my nutrition, I pretty much ate what I wanted as long as it was healthy. I have a couple basic rules:
1. It must be organic.
2. If it comes in a jar, box or is packaged in some way I must be able to read and be familiar with all the ingredients. No chemicals please.
3. No soda. Only milk, water, chamomile tea and real juice. Nothing from concentrate.
4. All my dairy products are sans the bovine growth hormone.
5.If I ate any meat I made sure it came from a reputable butcher. When I was pregnant the thought of meat, chicken or eggs made me vomit so this wasnʼt much of a problem. However, I did crave the occasional steak.
6. I would take my prenatal supplements everyday. I also took an Omega-3 supplement that was infused with ginger. FYI-Ginger can help relieve any nausea you may feel during pregnancy.

20 Weeks Preggers!

39 Weeks, 5 Days Preggers! 2 days before I delivered!

 xxoo-
K

Peek-a-Boo! Betty Jane is TWO!!!

My baby, Betty Jane, has turned 2!!! I must say that it's somewhat of a bittersweet experience. I absolutely love watching her grow and learn, but she is definitely no longer a baby. Walking at 14 months and really starting to talk at 20 months were her big milestones during year two. I'm so glad I was around to see and hear all of it! When the child that you gave birth to says to you, "I love you", well there is simply nothing like it in the world. The love I have for this extraordinary little girl has reached beyond any expectation I previously had. I knew I would love her, but I never knew it would EVER be anything like this. She is pure joy!

I decided to go with a woodsy owl theme combined with bright colors this year. I kept the party a bit smaller compared to last year. There were a total of 5 toddlers and 1 baby. As you will see from the pictures below, the toddlers succeeded in ransacking my house. Ah well, that's what toddler parties are for. Everyone had a groovy time and that's all that matters. Ok, now for the pics!

It wouldn't be an owl party without an owl (cup)cake, right? Yes... I'm VERY proud of this cake!

I made the felt owls and ordered the banner from Etsy. I want to make it a birthday tradition to make something for Betty Jane. Last year I made her a framed photo. Everyone who came to her party signed it. This year... Owls!

Betty and I found a quiet moment amongst all the chaos.

Hence, the chaos!

The party favors! Stickers, crayons and paper. What more could a toddler want?

Singing "Happy Birthday" and blowing out the candles!

And then... The toddlers went after he cake.

The toddlers (and baby).

The party was a hugs success and I celebrated by having a nice glass of wine on the balcony during Betty Jane's nap-time. It was heaven! Here is a video of all of us singing "Happy Birthday" to my incredible daughter and her blowing out the candles. Enjoy!!! xxoo - K

Pregnancy PT: Before, During and After (Part 1)

Taken one month before I was preggers. 

I'm finally getting around to this post about fitness before, during and after pregnancy. And it's going to be a 3-parter! Woohoo! After I had my daughter, I was frequently asked about my fitness regimen and how I lost all the baby weight so quickly. Well, sorry to break the news to you, but my workouts didn't start after I had my baby. My plan actually started way back when my hubby and I were trying to conceive. So, I figured that would be a good place to start this 3-part blog post. My fitness regimen during the "Trying To Conceive" days.

I think normally when women begin the journey of “trying to conceive” they start taking their prenatal vitamins and take their activity level to a lower level. When my husband and I decided that we were going to get started in the baby making business, I didnʼt want to compromise my active lifestyle. I was already signed up for the Chicago Marathon and had started my training. I told myself that even though I was trying to get pregnant I was still going to go about my normal level of training. If during the training I did get pregnant, then I would drop out of the marathon and talk to my doctor about exercise, specifically running, during pregnancy.

My marathon training consisted of running 5 days a week at varying distances and I took 2 days off to rest. During this time I started taking pre-natal vitamins and those yummy fish oil pills. I continued to eat my normal diet which, due to all the running I was doing, consisted of a lot of carbs, protein and whole grains. I continued to have a couple of cups of coffee in the morning and also indulged in a cocktail here and there. Really, the only thing that changed while I was trying to conceive was taking the extra vitamins. I didn't adjust my level of physical activity at all.

As it turned out, I got pregnant (but didnʼt know it yet) during the most strenuous part of my marathon training. I was doing my long runs on the weekends which ranged anywhere between 15-20 miles. I think itʼs amazing what our bodies (and embryos) can endure. I was definitely putting a lot of stress on my body during that time and the little babe turned out perfect.

Iʼve read about women who have run marathons while pregnant and Iʼll admit that I thought about giving it a go. However, taking into consideration the fact that I was already 39 and didnʼt want to risk miscarrying at such a late age and also my doctor didnʼt condone running 26.2 miles while pregnant, I thought it was best for me to pass on the Chicago Marathon.

In a nutshell, my philosophy was to stay healthy and not lower my level of physical activity just because I was trying to conceive. Worked out pretty well.

xxoo-
K

Baby Shower Registry: The Must-Haves!

 
Since giving birth to Betty Jane, it seems that I'm always being asked by expecting mommies what they should include on their baby shower registry. I always tell them that they should register for items that they'll need immediately as well as things that they'll need 6 months down the line. In actuality, I found that you really don't need that much for a newborn. Yes, you can bypass the wipes warmer and the fancy gizmos. Seriously, they'll end up taking up space and you'll be sending them along to Good Will in no time.

Before I get to my list, here's another tip. I would not only register at a Babies R Us/Target, but also at a higher end store like Land of Nod or Pottery Barn Kids for a few special items. Close family members and friends might want to contribute a larger, "nicer" item for your little one's arrival.

Now... On the the coveted list. The envelope please...

• Aden and Anais muslin blankets. They come in packs of 4 and you really don't need more than that. They are wonderfully large and their uses are endless.
• A diaper changing pad with 2 covers.
• Diaper caddy. It's not necessary, but I found it useful just to keep everything in one place.
• Diaper Rash Paste
• Infant Tylenol
• Baby Bliss Gripe Water
• Mylicon
• Aquaphor
• Thermometer. We have the Exergen temporal thermometer that we love.
• Infant Hygiene Kit. This should include nail clippers, nail files, a brush and a nasal aspirator.
• Baby Wash. I loooooove California Baby and Burt's Bees!
• Wash cloths and hooded towels.
• Baby Bath Tub
• Bath Thermometer
• Boon Frog Pod. For when your little one graduates to the big tubby.
• Lansinoh for the nursing mommies.
• My Brest Friend or The Boppy (with 2 covers). I preferred The Boppy over My Brest Friend. It's really a personal preference. Even if you are bottle feeding, it's good to have one of these on hand.
• Bottle System. We used Dr. Brown's in the beginning and then switched to the Evenflo glass bottles. Dr. Brown's worked great for gas problems.
• Bottle Warmer
• Burp Cloths
• Bibs
• Breast pump and storage bags if mommy plans on pumping.
• Pacifiers if you plan on using them.
• Baby Carrier. I had the original Baby Bjorn, which I loved, but I would get one with lower back support.
• Mobile
• Crib Sheets
• Crib
• Glider/Recliner. Definitely take the time to find a comfy one. You might me spending a lot of time in it.
• Mattress
• Mattress Pad
• Video Monitor
• Car seat with an extra base if you have multiple cars.
• Snap and Go or your choice of travel system stroller.
• Diaper Bag
• Pack and Play
• Pack and Play sheet
• Onesies
• Kimono Tops. Seriously, I could not get my hands on enough kimono tops. They are so easy to put on.
• Infant Sleep Gowns
• Pants
• Socks
• Sun Hats
• Beanie Hats
• SwaddleMe Wraps (3-5)
• Sleep sacks for when they are older.
• Sleep Sheep or a white noise sound machine.
• A good night light or lantern so you don't have to turn on any lights for those middle of the night diaper changes.
• Humidifier
• Diaper Genie with a few packages of liners.
• High Chair. Get it now. You'll be using it before you know it.
• Bumpo
• "Cooking for Baby" cookbook, if you plan on making your child's baby food.
• Baby Wipes
• And last, but not least... DIAPERS!

Those are the necessities. It's up to you to add your little personal touches. You might have noticed that I didn't include any swings or bouncers to the list. My advice would be to either borrow these items from a friend or grab them off Craigslist. Why? Because your little one may not be a fan of the swing/bouncer and why waste the money. However, if you are dead set on getting one, then by all means, do so.

xxoo-