February 22, 2014

Healthy Balances

So... I am now 11 weeks preggo. And here's what's up the fitness/pregnancy area of life.

Weight
My Dr's appointment went very well last week. All tests came back normal, and the baby is healthy with a nice strong heartbeat. However, I lost two pounds. Prior to pregnancy, I was not in the "underweight" category, but I was at the low end of normal. My doctor wasn't highly concerned or upset about this loss, but she did take the time to give me a lot of nutrition tips (foods with healthy calories that would be easy on my stomach). See, I've been feeling VERY sick at night, and honestly, it's hard to eat any sort of decent dinner. It's true that pregnancy only requires about 300ish more calories per day, but when you are still running and working a full time job, those calories are super important. And she also gave me warning- if I haven't gained a few lbs by next appointment, I have to cut back my running/exercise. Ick. So... I'm working hard to EAT. No, I'm not eating crap, but working towards more small meals earlier in the day where if I don't eat much at night, I'll still have enough for Baby B.

Baby Bump
Even though I lost two pounds, I do have a little bump! Whoohoo! I like it actually, makes the pregnancy feel more "real" and even Keith and Sam can notice it now. (My other friends and coworkers just make fun of me and tell me I don't look pregnant at all.) I'm still wearing my regular pants, fully snapped and buttoned, BUT they are getting tight around the waist. I bought one of those band thingies today where you can wear your pants undone and pull the band over them. That should get me through a few more weeks.

Running
Yep, still running. I'm doing about 50 miles a week, typical training style. I do a fast-ish workout a week and a long run. Long runs are capped at 14 per coach, and speedwork is watered down to tempo pace. I've actually been taking an off day each week. Wow, right? It never fails that one day a week I am just too tired or two sick to go. I do try to get on the stationary bike, though. I've found that if I wake up feeling a little yucky/hungry, I can eat one of those Power Bar Blends thingies and it helps me nearly immediately. Coach gave me a bunch last time I saw them, and they have been a saving grace! It's basically applesauce, I think, maybe a few more nutrients added. I also always eat these before my long runs. And... have I mentioned that I LOVE my doctor? She asked me about my running, how much I was doing, etc during my last visit. *Sidenote: while she's not a runner, she is a "gym rat" and physical fitness is really important to her (and she wants that for her patients). Also Dr. Penny, the doctor's assistant at the office is a very accomplished triathlete. Anyway, Dr. C offered me a free gym membership! Um, YES! She gets a certain number of memberships to the hospital gym each year for select patients. She said that she knew running and exercise was very important to me, but she was worried that I would get overheated in the summer months. (Lower Alabama is jungle hot in the summer.) So... she would feel better that once summer hits, I move my cardio indoors. I thought the gym would be some piddly rinky dink place. (I would still be grateful, but less likely to use it regularly.) Nope, it is AWESOME! They even classes- spin, yoga, pilates, and body pump. They have plenty of machines and even a POOL! The hours are good, too. So yeah, my doctor ROCKS. I plan to go next week to sign up and get schedules of the classes.

Names and Baby Room
Excited much? Keith and I already tentatively have a boy name and girl name picked out. And NO, that will not be revealed yet. :) Also, we have nursery designs for boy or girl rooms, too. I even bought the baby its first onsie/bib combo today, and it says "I Love Dad" on it. Awwww, so sweet.

Annoyances
You know that crabby feeling you ladies sometimes get right before or at the start of your period? Well, that feeling pretty much is there every day. LOL. I'm usually good about "taming the beast", never saying anything too mean or out of order, even when I want to. The week before last, the librarian had a sub. The sub let the kids walk themselves back to the classroom. For normal classes, this wouldn't be a problem, but for us, our classroom is outside. And not just outside, it's facing away from the main building, meaning it's blind to any of the other classrooms or adult supervision. I came out of the office, went to the library to pick them up, only to find they were gone and the sub had sent them back. Enter Flip Phase. I wanted to slap the fool teacher. Who lets special needs kids go outside unsupervised? I left, ran back to the room and found them all obediently waiting in a line by the door. Then I did something I rarely do, I yelled at them. And then one kid started crying, and I really felt like a heel. This led me to tearing up, explaining to them that it could be dangerous for them to be outside alone, etc. Oh yes, pregnancy hormones at their best. Sigh.

And did you know that every woman and man in the whole wide world is an expert on pregnancy? One of my genius coworkers informed me that I should NOT be running, but it would be fine for me to have an adult drink every day. What? I'm pretty sure Dr. C would not agree. And I guess since I am pregnant and running (gasp!), every person in the history of mankind feels the need to give me input on that. No worries, people, I have already read the ENTIRE INTERNET.

Coaching
I told my XC girls about the pregnancy this week. One was so happy that she cried! It was so sweet. I haven't told my track kids yet. I have a lot of younger boys (9th graders) that I don't know too well, and I may just wait until it comes up in casual conversation. Besides, I know those XC girls won't be able to keep the secret forever, and neither will my belly. The most excellent news is that I talked to the AD about my pregnancy, and I will definitely have my job next year. We have some good plans about how to make it work while I am gone having the baby and recovering. More on that plan later, but it is a huge load off to know that that is secure.

And Run Happy, friends!

7 comments:

  1. I am so impressed with how you're adapting to all of this so early on. I know it is really difficult at times, but the joyfulness of it shines through in this post. And the outfit is adorable, btw! Miss you bunches!!

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  2. Pleased to see you are still running and all is well...

    When do we get to see you first picture of the bump?

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  3. Seems like everything is going pretty well! I can't believe you're pregnant and doing 50/week, awesome work!

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  4. A little pants trick that should get you through for a while, take an elastic band or hair elastic and pull it through the button hole in your pants then wrap it around the button. Should give you a bit more room and allow you to zip most of the way up too. Good luck!

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  5. Here is a photo: http://elbrooklyntaco.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/hair-band-elastic-pregnancy-pants-trick.jpg

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  6. I was going to give you the rubber band trick, but I see Mfranks already did ;) It makes your regular pants work a lot longer.
    I bet you are a cute prego! Good to hear your running is going well. I would not be concerned with gainging weight, as it is easy to gain in the second trimester, at least my experience..
    If you can stomach it, low fat cottage cheese, or other high protein, low fat foods are a good choice. I liked the cottage cheese because it gave me dairy / calcium which can help with the SFX prevention and also protein intake helps prevent pre-eclampsia. There I go trying to sound like doctor...

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  7. I am impressed with your mileage.

    Oh, and I probably would have reacted the same way with the kids. Yeah, the sub shouldn't have let them leave alone.

    No pregnancy advice from me. :-)

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