Fine Fit Pregnancy – Halfway There!

I can’t believe I’m already halfway through this pregnancy! After a rough first trimester, I am really enjoying that magical time of feeling good, having energy and appetite for ALL the food back, without being uncomfortable (yet!). Since I’m not doing any kind of regular pregnancy update on the blog, I figured I’d put together a halfway there post to share what’s been going on, baby-wise.

The Bump

The bump is coming along nicely! I’ve been taking progress shots when I remember at the gym (which apparently is only every three weeks after I started feeling human again, ha!). In terms of maternity clothes, for working out and training clients, I have been able to stick to my regular workout gear so far. Pretty soon I think I’ll have to buy a couple of maternity gym tops, but for bottoms I think I’ll be able to make my Lululemon and Champion tights power through, just like I did when I was pregnant with Roman. For ‘real’ clothes (so, you know, like 15% of my wardrobe) I’m just getting by with the hairband in the button loop of the jeans trick – I give it another week or so until I have to cave on maternity jeans – and I just bought a few maternity sweaters and tops from Old Navy last week. I was at the point where I would have to try on ten things to find something that fit, so that was a necessary investment.

The Workouts

It’s been great to be able to get back into a regular schedule of working out now I’ve hit the second trimester. I’ve been getting out to run about three times a week. After a marked improvement quickly when I got going again after feeling ill, now my pace and stamina really seems to depend on how much sleep I’ve had. I’m basing my runs on RPE rather than trying to hit a certain pace. For cross training I’ve been using the elliptical and the stationary bike at the gym.

I’ve also been loving strength training. That was something I really focused on when I was pregnant with Roman, as well. I’ve always used strength training as a form of injury prevention and I find when I’m pregnant it really helps me adjust my posture and avoid back pain for as long as possible. By lifting through an increased range of motion at the joints, you can also work on flexibility using weights, too.

Spin class has taken a backseat to yoga recently, since I found a prenatal class I’m really enjoying at a studio in my neighborhood. I’ve also been doing some yoga flows at home during Roman’s nap time if I’m feeling a little achey.

Walking to and from my clients has become a little humbling. This week, even after I gave myself an extra 5 minutes for a regular walk to a client, I had to text her about halfway there to tell her I’d be a couple of minutes late! She thought it was funny, especially because I was mortified that I’d become so slow.

The Food

Oh, the food! After practically existing on crackers, seltzer, ginger candy and cheese during the first couple of months, not only has my appetite come back with a vengeance, I am consciously trying to eat healthy for the little one. I’ve been doing a lot of cooking at home and eating more fish (mainly cod and salmon), eggs (I can’t get enough), and lots of veggies (kale, squash, salads, salsas have featured heavily). When I’m making something like oatmeal or pancakes for breakfast, I’ve been adding nuts, nut butter and chia seeds to give a little pregnancy nutrition oomph.

And can I tell you how excited I was to realize just how much folic acid is in a serving of Vegemite? An average serve contains about 25% of a pregnant woman’s needs and since I definitely may have weighed out what I put on my toast to check, I’m actually getting 50% of my daily needs – as well as taking it as part of my prenatal vitamin. Win-win!

Some other foods in my regular rotation which aren’t going to win me any points in the fit pregnancy crowd include peanut M&Ms, Kind bars but only if they have chocolate on them (semi-healthy!), the cookies at the yoga studio I go to, hot chocolate…are you sensing a theme here? 😉

The Sleep

Sleep has been lackluster at best. I have to fight to stay awake when I read Roman stories for nap time. I guess my voice is really just that soothing! Then I get exhausted around 7pm, but by the time we have dinner and get Roman down, I have a second wind & don’t seem to get tired until at least midnight. Since obviously having a toddler does not permit for sleeping in, that’s been a bit of an issue.

So far, though, I have been super lucky that I’ve not had any problems actually falling asleep once I get to bed and I’m still comfortable enough sleeping on my side. I just bought new pillows, so all the old pillows will be on standby if I need to prop myself up left, right and center eventually.

The Everything Else

I’m remembering that you feel pregnant everywhere, not just the belly. Years ago a pregnant client told me she felt like her thighs were pregnant and I didn’t really comprehend what she meant until I was pregnant myself. Everything is just a little bit…more.

On a  related note, I definitely need to go bra shopping.

Mood-wise I’ve been pretty good, although I have had to do some deep breathing at times when Roman is really pushing all of my buttons all at once. I doubt that’s hormonal, though, I think it’s just being mama to a nearly three year old.

We’re going for the 20 week anatomy scan on Tuesday, which I’m excited about. It’s always fun to see the little one in ‘person’. We are not going to find out the baby’s sex – it will be another surprise! I was certain all along with Roman that he would be a boy. This time, I don’t have the same certainty, but Fran and I are guessing more in one direction. We’ll find out in another few months either way. Maybe I’ll run some kind of guessing pool on the blog, give one of you guys a prize if you guess the sex & birthdate, or something! 😉

Sadly, it appears heartburn may be a side effect for me this pregnancy. I didn’t have it at all with my first pregnancy, so it’s come as a bit of a surprise. I haven’t worked out exactly what triggers it yet – god help me if it’s chocolate.

I miss more than one coffee a day.

I am sad that my favorite ever pair of coated black skinny jeans I bought last year are not going to see the light of day this winter.

Roman is still very excited about baby’s arrival. He talks to the bump every day, by lifting my shirt, hugging it and telling it what’s been going on in his life. Sometimes, disconcertingly, he feels the need to do this in a public place, so more people than necessary have been exposed to my pregnant naked belly. He has also been going through his toys to set aside what he wants baby to play with, like rattles and lullaby toys and stuffed animals. This week I explained to him that new babies can’t walk, talk, or even crawl for a while, which he seemed taken aback by. Then he told me that I should probably teach it to fly, like a mama bird would.

So, that’s my halfway through the Fine Fit Pregnancy update! Don’t forget to follow me on Instagram if you want to see more bump action shots. 😉

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Fit Mama Friday updates: Fit Mama Friday Brittany just had her baby boy, Cooper, a few days ago! Also, some sweet photos of newborn Elena on Fit Mama Friday Wendy‘s Instagram. And just in case you missed me sharing, Fit Mama Friday Jessica is an old hand at motherhood now that baby Olivia is almost three weeks old. Congratulations mamas!!

Fit Mama Friday will be back in December! 🙂