Wednesday, July 25, 2012

Second Trimester Resolutions

I'm 15 weeks tomorrow - fully in the second trimester.  Now that I'm feeling better and things are a little bit less crazy, there are some things I need to start doing.

When my belly first started to grow, I felt like I couldn't stand up straight.  My muscles rebelled and my back ached.  All of that is starting to subside as I walk and stretch.

So resolution #1: Stretch every night.

I've been so tight everywhere.  My IT bands which I've been to physical therapy for before.  My hips...ditto.  My shoulders.  My back.  And my stomach.  Pretty much everywhere above my knees and below my head.  I spent about 10 minutes stretching last night and it felt like painful heaven.  So little stretching makes such a huge difference!  So I need to do this every night.

#2: Figure out some way to exercise.

I never considered myself an exercise fanatic, but I have been playing adult soccer for 7 or 8 years now.  I've gone between playing 1 and 3 times a week throughout those years.  I would occasionally run in between and I had also really gotten into yoga in the last year or so.

During my first trimester I really could not exercise.  I did walk some and I tried running once, but it just didn't feel right.  So I walked whenever I was allowed, but that was about it.  I know it's typical to get short of breath while pregnant, but I seriously get winded walking around the block!  I went shopping for errands last weekend for 2 hours and hit a major wall.  How am I going to teach all day in a little less than a month?

I'm thinking the plan will involve a longer walking routine along with hopefully more than 1 yoga class a week.  I'm only comfortable doing prenatal yoga, so I need to find some new studios.

#3: Start to slowly get the house ready.

I want to go slow in the nursery/registry process because I'm still nervous, but it's going to be a heck of a lot easier to get things done before school starts.  Job 1: empty out the office.  This might be the only one I actually complete, but it's a big one.  We want to put new closets in both downstairs bedrooms.  I also really want to redo one downstairs bathroom and redecorate the other, but that's just on the wish list for now.

I'm keeping the list short.

And if everything goes well at my appointment tomorrow...it's Facebook time!  I appreciated everyone's comments and everyone who said they didn't even post, but I've already told most of my close friends and my "FB friends" are pretty close too.  And I'm definitely going to include something about how long it took to reach out to anyone who is struggling.

15 comments:

  1. 15 weeks - gosh, going so fast. Good luck with the Facebook appointment.:)

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  2. These sound like great resolutions and I have the same plan when and if I ever get to announce a pregnancy on FB - to let people know just how long it took to get there!

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  3. Your list sounds great - I can't wait til after your appointment today and you can tell the WORLD!! :) So exciting!

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  4. I have found yoga to be absolute HEAVEN for my aching body... even though I couldn't get through a class until about 11 weeks. If you have a class that you love, you *can* stick with it with some alterations. I have a friend who is a prenatal instructor who has given me some amazing tips on how to safely modify a regular practice. I am happy to share if you are interested. - Septca

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    1. Yeah, I'd love to hear what should and should not be done. That's really the only reason I want to go to a prenatal only class. I just don't know what I should avoid.

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    2. Here are the basics:
      1. Avoid really convex or concave positions (i.e., camel and bow). Cat-Cow is highly recommended, though - my midwives ask that their patients do it every day because it is really good for relieving back tension and ultimately helps the baby move down.
      2. No inversions.
      3. Twist from your shoulders, NOT from your stomach. As you get larger, you can twist in the opposite direction from instructions so that you are creating an "open" twist and not scrunching your belly.
      4. As you get larger, avoid laying flat on your back. Modify by propping up against a folded blanket or just do a different pose.
      5. When it starts to get uncomfortable, avoid laying flat on your stomach by just going a baby cobra on your knees during your vinyasa.

      She said is it okay to do ab work if I am comfortable with it, but I haven't been. It just feels... wrong. Probably why my 13-week stomach feels huge. :(

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  5. When I was pregnant, the best exercise I got was on an elliptical machine--helped cuz my joints were so tender a lot of the time.

    Good idea to keep the list short; no worries about the nursery--do you have an idea for a theme?

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  6. Walking has been my exercise during this pregnancy. Although, these days it is much more difficult. LOL. Just keep at it, slowly if you have to.

    Good luck with your appointment (today)!

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  7. I think it's unfair that you only post positive comments from readers giving people the false impression that the majority of the public agrees with your decision and your attitude about it. Most people would not agree with your choice and I venture to guess are discussed by your flippant attitude regarding reducing your pregnancy. What's the harm in opening comments since you don't care what people think anyway?

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    1. I understand and I do post about 90 percent, maybe even more, of the comments I receive. The only ones I don't are the "murderous bitch" type comments because they solely attack. I have published many comments that say that they disagree with my decision and offer reasons why.

      Next: Maybe my attitude is "flippant" in your opinion, but I doubt anyone who thinks that has read many of my posts.

      Also: I definitely care what people think. I'm actually extremely sensitive and always have been. But I had to make a difficult choice and I stand by it even though some people disagree.

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  8. Regarding FB, I did what you're describing, I wrote something like 18 months and 1 miscarriage later we're finally expecting baby #1 or something stupid like that, just so no one reading it could possibly feel bad!

    Yay for 2nd trimester and I highly recommend prenatal yoga, it will help you a lot with the tightness!

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  9. Do you have a foam roller? That is what I use for my IT bands, calves, etc. and it really helps. I've also been getting some calf cramps at night (apparently that is normal), which are miserable. I like to think that if I foam roll and stretch, I'll get them less. P.S. I bet soccer would be ok if all you do is stand in one place and pass, and come into contact with no one and the ball only touches your feet :)

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    1. I know I need a foam roller, I've just never actually gotten one. Where is the best place? I totally miss soccer. I saw some kids playing by my dog park and I wanted to go play with them! I need to find someone to just go kick around the ball with me. How are you feeling?

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  10. Hi There ... I am in the TWW after an IVF and was just looking around at some other blogs when I stumbled onto yours. I just wanted to say that I support your decisions and your bravery for speaking publicly about such a difficult subject. Please ignore all of the "negative nellys" and enjoy your baby boy! Best of Luck!!

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  11. So excited you are finally able to enjoy this pregnancy...oh god the dreaded IT band, I had two knee surgeries and after both bpmy IT band was so tight it caused just about all of my discomfort. You're right, just a few minutes of stretching a night will do you wonders!! Enjoy these last few weeks before its time to o back to school already...yuck!!!

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