My baby girl is almost 15 months! Life is so different, busier, harder and MUCH BETTER! I can't believe it - it feels like yesterday that my husband and I were just talking about starting a family.
I have always been the type of person to worry about everything. I am guilty of laying awake at night and thinking about things to worry about. Sounds loony, I know. The anxiety of my first pregnancy could have easily become nine months of sleepless nights and driving my husband crazy with a continuous stream of "what if _______ happens" or "what will we do if ?".
I realized that I needed to focus my thoughts and actions in a positive way. After doing the typical reading marathon on the subject, I decided to center my attention on good nutrition and exercise during pregnancy.
I was not sure which exercises were suitable for pregnancy, so I called my doctor before my first appointment. With my doctor's encouragement, I decided to stick with my normal walking, treadmill and strength routines. I read that strengthening legs and glutes with lunges and squats is a great idea during pregnancy because these muscles will be really helpful during labor - especially if you plan to be mobile during active labor.
I prepared to have a natural labor and to use gravity to help the baby along. Most days I exercised before work, because by the end of the day I was just too tired. I had a few videos and small weights at home to use when I didn't get up early enough for the gym. I slowly accumulated hand weights, resistance bands, a physio ball and an aerobic step throughout my pregnancy so I would have a super convenient exercise set-up ready for my life as a new working mom.
During a Labor Day cook-out, shortly before I conceived, I had a lengthy and fascinating conversation with a midwife. Her passion and conviction for the importance of good nutrition during pregnancy inspired me. I already had pretty good habits but I wanted to fine-tune them for this really important time. After reading some more on the topic, I learned that I needed to step up my protein and fiber. It also became clear to me that I could easily make better carb choices that would help me avoid empty calories and sustain energy throughout the day. My strategy was to eat some lean protein at every meal and really try to stick with complex carbs so my energy would remain pretty consistent. I saved simple carbs for sweets. I love chocolate and ice cream, so I had to have a little of each a couple times a week.
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