pregnancy

27 Weeks

| cheriarmour

Baby is the size of a(n): Acorn squash.  One of the apps says cucumber again.  That’s one giant cuke.

Due date: Sept 3rd, 2016

Total weight gain:  I finally stepped on the scale at the doctor’s office.  22 lbs.  Not bad, cruising along at the perfect weight.

Sleep:  I am definitely still sleeping.  Over the weekend, on Saturday, I made a lot of fabulous plans – but after I woke up and ran by my office to grab something, I slept for most of the rest of the day.  It makes me feel bad – I skipped a workout and a going away party, but I was so tired.

Best moment this week:  We bought a crib!  It’s sitting in the box on the floor.  We went to Target last weekend to look at some things, and the cribs and furniture were okay, and we almost went with one there, but once we went to Babies R Us, and then Buy Buy Baby, the cribs really weren’t much more expensive, but they seemed more solid, and definitely had some embellishments that were a little prettier.

Food cravings:   Still sparkling things.  And lots of fruit.  Lots of smoothies, lots of avocados, lots of things that are easy to eat and easy to digest.

Food aversions:  Someone stuck a California Roll in front of me with soy sauce and everything, and the smell of the soy sauce nearly killed me.  I cooked some stir fry noodles and veggie last night?  Same thing.  Soy sauce is not my friend.

Symptoms:  I did go the the chiropractor at the end of last week to relieve some of the pressure on my SI joint.  The relief was immediate, so I am going to go back again tomorrow to get adjusted.

Looking forward to:  Idk, there is a lot going on.  We’re going to Lake Street Dive on Friday, and we plan to hit up Baby Emporium (or some baby store) again this weekend.  It’s sort of becoming our thing we do!

ICYMI…

26 Weeks, 25 Weeks, 24 Weeks, 22 Weeks – Changing it Up!, 21 Weeks (A little late), 20 Weeks – Halfway There, 19 Weeks…it’s a…, 18 Weeks, 17 Weeks, 16 Weeks, 15 Weeks, 14 Weeks, 13 Weeks, 12 Weeks

Glucose Test

| cheriarmour

HI!

How was your week?

Mine has been good.  I had to work on Monday, even though folks had the day off.  It was fine – most of my team was there, and I was able to steal my way into a step class again.  Funny enough, the week still felt really short and really compressed still, and I found myself rushing to get things done.

Tuesday and Wednesday, I spent a good chunk of the day at my desk ironing out some of the holes in the June schedule, and before I knew it, it was Thursday, the day of a much-needed chiropractic appointment and my glucose test.

So, my lower back has started to feel irritated, and like it could use a good crack, but since I can’t really contort, I can’t get it to crack, and I didn’t want to do anything too twisty.  Per the recommendation of the instructor of the prenatal yoga workshop I did a few weeks ago, I consulted a chiro that specializes in family chiropractic, but my back was such a mess, I called my old guy, and kind of remembered that close to the beginning of my pregnancy, he’d said something about his ability to adjust preggos.  I couldn’t wait the two weeks, and I went and saw him, and I am so glad I did.  He had me like lay on some contraption that allowed me to lay technically on my stomach, but…idk it’s weird to explain.  Anyhoo, he totally adjusted me, and it was fine.

On the way back, I’d scheduled my glucose test, the test to determine whether I have gestational diabetes.  That is the weirdest thing ever.  So here’s what goes down.

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I have heard this varies between practices, but the general idea is the same. So you chug this thing one hour before your scheduled appointment.  You have like some limited amount of time to chug it, but I got it down in like two or three minutes, and I was like “oh man, that is easy!”

Ugh.

Like 20 minutes later, I just was not feeling well at all.  The stuff is really syrupy – it kind of reminds me of those ice pops you eat that cut up the sides of your mouth in the summer time.  Except maybe sweeter.  And not really cold and there’s not a pool.  So I started to feel kind of sick to my stomach before I came into the office, and by the time I got in there, I wasn’t in great shape.  But you tell the receptionist when you get there when you finished the drank, and they get you back really quickly, since you only have an hour from when you finished, to like an hour and fifteen to get your blood drawn.  After that, I laid down in the exam room while I waited on the doc, who measured (right on track) and listened to the baby’s heartbeat (fuerte) before I hit up the TDap vaccine.

I fully anticipated going back to the office to take care of a few holes and return some emails, but I was feeling pretty icky after the test, and I ended up at home, napping sort of fitfully for an hour before I had to be back to teach my strength class and teach a short class for camp training.

I think since my body has recovered from being assaulted by the orange drank and I was able to burn off some of that sugar, I’m feeling like I’ve returned to the land of the living, but holy shit.  I hope I pass that test so I don’t need to take the three hour one.  God only knows what the in the hell they’re going to have me eating.

How was your week?

26 Weeks

| cheriarmour

Baby is the size of a(n): Keeping trend with the subjective fruit/veggie comparisons, this baby is the size of a coconut OR an eggplant depending on which app you’re going with.

Due date: Sept 3rd, 2016

Total weight gain:  I have not stepped on the scale in actual ages.  I’m in the 20 range I know, and I’m continuing to exercise, teach, and not eat everything in sight.  Which really isn’t super hard because my stomach feels like its been squished into something the size of a grape.  If I even think about overeating, I get refluxy and really uncomfortable.

Sleep:  I do it. Interrupted, always, by an early-morning bathroom break.  Yesterday’s break, and I was up, watching TV with the cats until it was time for regular people to wake up.

Best moment this week:  Step class with Jana!  I sort of tricked myself into going – about 20 minutes before 10am on Saturday morning, the strength instructor called with an emergency, and I was up and close enough to come in and teach the class.  Jana’s class was right after, so I stayed, and I was really glad I did.  Great workout, and great (though short lived) energy boost.  One riser, and a few mods, and I was good.

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Food cravings:   Sparkling things still.  Pie is still something that interests me, but acquiring pie is a really difficult task, and my main barrier to entry as it relates to dessert.  I really just like pie CRUST.

Food aversions:  Eh.  Food in general.  I am a big big fan of smoothies lately because they’re so easy to get in without having to do much prep or anything.

Symptoms:  Again, I feel big.  And I’m experiencing some pelvic pain, most likely indicative of a fun thing that happens to your pelvis and which sort of spontaneously resolves itself after delivery.  I’m waiting to hear back from the prenatal yoga instructor, and I’m paying a visit to the chiropractor this week for that, and a little SI joint irritation.

Looking forward to:  Visiting baby land again.  Austin and I went to Target and Babies blah blah this weekend, and it was really really fun.  I thought it was going to be kind of overwhelming and lame, but it really wasn’t.  I’ve largely accepted that we have no clue what we’re doing, and nothing will really change that.  Makes things feel soooo much smoother once you can be at peace with that.  We’re going back to nab a few more things next weekend 🙂

ICYMI…

25 Weeks, 24 Weeks, 22 Weeks – Changing it Up!, 21 Weeks (A little late), 20 Weeks – Halfway There, 19 Weeks…it’s a…, 18 Weeks, 17 Weeks, 16 Weeks, 15 Weeks, 14 Weeks, 13 Weeks, 12 Weeks

25 Weeks

| cheriarmour

Hi!  I am pregnant.  Very pregnant today.  13240566_10100773771767153_5805407430550357552_n.jpgBaby is the size of a: Rutabaga.  I need to be honest, I don’t really know what that is.  And I eat a lot of veggies.

Due date: Sept 3rd, 2016

Total weight gain:  I haven’t weighed since last week, but I was really really sick last week, and had a hard time eating solids.  I drank as much water and electrolytes as I could, but at last check, I hadn’t quite cleared 20 lbs due to this.  My appetite is slow to come back, but I’m making sure to eat good things, and not nachos.

Sleep:  Guess who’s still going to the bathroom every single second of the day!  Still only getting up once a night, but I need to be getting up more so I’m not in agony.

Best moment this week:  Hm…maybe actually catching up on my inbox at work after missing a day of work last week.  That is a feat!

Food cravings:   Sparkling things.  I would love some pie.  Specifically some pie crust.  I can leave or take whatever’s in the middle though.  Doesn’t do much for me.

Food aversions:  Oh where to start.  Food this week.  Lol.

Symptoms:  I’m just feeling a little bit huge.  Like my belly is definitely there, and definitely in the way, and there’s not really a whole lot I can do except accommodate it.  I went to a prental yoga workshop on Sunday, and she showed us a few things we could do while the rest of class, for example, is doing core work, and it gave me some ideas for class today.

Looking forward to:  Ordering some things for the baby’s room.

ICYMI…

24 Weeks, 22 Weeks – Changing it Up!, 21 Weeks (A little late), 20 Weeks – Halfway There, 19 Weeks…it’s a…, 18 Weeks, 17 Weeks, 16 Weeks, 15 Weeks, 14 Weeks, 13 Weeks, 12 Weeks

Exercise While Pregnant

| cheriarmour

A question I’ve gotten a lot, given my profession (Group Fitness Director at the Y), is if I’m continuing to teach classes, followed up by how I’m continuing to teach classes and exercise in my current delicate state.  (That delicate is total sarcasm btws.  I feel a lot of things.  Tired.  Big-bellied.  Kinda sweaty as it relates to my bra area.  But certainly not delicate.)

As kind of a frame of reference, here’s what I’m teaching in a typical week.  This is definitely down from my old usual – I used I teach one or two classes on Fridays (Zumba and Barre as needed), and I used to teach every Saturday morning Zumba.  I usually try to add a little bit of elliptical or treadmill in on these days – I do NOT do that on Mondays typically.  On Fridays, I work out with Jill, for a half-hour, down from the hour we used to do.  I’ve begun to make arrangements for my Mondays for over the summer, and the same for my Wednesday mornings.

Mondays – Zumba 7:20pm

Tuesdays – Total Body Strength (TBS) 5:30pm 

Wednesdays – 7:30am Cycle

Thursdays – 5:45am BodyPump™, 6:15pm TBS

Fridays – 5:45am BodyPump™ Express (this format is only 45 minutes)

The answer is that it’s doable, it’s all doable, but it’s definitely different.  Here’s how.  (And seriously, keep in mind that this is all going to be very different for everyone.  And that I’m not a doctor.  So don’t go doing something weird.)

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So early in, even before I knew I was pregnant, something was different.  I was really fatigued in Flywheel, and assumed that it was the holidays, and that I just needed to sign up for a marathon or something to get my butt into fighting shape.  I continued with HIIT workouts, went to hot yoga, and continued to notice some fatigue, almost as if I was fighting some sort of illness.  In reality, I was starting to make a baby, and we were starting to fight for air, and the hormone dump in the beginning was contributing to my  fatigue and headaches.

  • Certain Core/Ab Work doesn’t really work for me anymore.  For weeks and weeks into the pregnancy, I was able to continue with some core work without much issue.  At some point, being flat on my back became sort of uncomfortable, so I’ve made the switch to demo-ing a lot of these moves quickly, and then switching over to planks, side planks, and standing core work, where my focus is really maintaining a strong core, and not getting a six-pack (obviously).  I believe it has helped some with lower back pain, but I’m not far enough in my pregnancy to definitively say that it’s working against back pain.
  • Lifting feels really good.  Lifting weights is probably one of the things that I’ve not only maintained, but gotten a little stronger with, and I really credit teaching and taking BodyPump™ with that.  My upper body is really strong, and my glutes/quads/hamstrings are really really strong from tons of squats and lunges.  I am careful with weighting squats, and I’m careful with lower back, even though clean/hang and clean and press are some of my favorite lifts.  I make sure to lift juuust enough, and not overdo it, and to really watch my form.  I have not really done a truly heavy deadlift, but just enough, once again, so that I’m engaging my lower back  muscles without completely overdoing it.
  • Running is a challenge.  I was a woman who swore that pregnancy would not affect my mileage, and when it did, it wouldn’t be huge.  It has been a big change.  The way things are set up for me, my son is having a great time, and all the equipment he comes with is really restricting my bladder.  The second I empty my bladder, it begins to fill back up, and when I do higher-impact exercises, I find myself ducking into bathrooms immediately.  So I tend to keep runs to 20 minutes or so.  It was definitely sort of discouraging at first, but I’m keeping up with it in other ways, so I feel okay about it.
  • Cycle feels good…even though I have to dial the crazy back a bit.  I have fallen in love with teaching Cycle, and I really enjoy how I sweat when I’m on the bike.  It really reminds me of a running sweat, without the damage I feel like I’m doing to my bladder.  As I get bigger, I may have to figure out how to accommodate my belly, but for now, it has been really awesome.  I do find on some climbs, I feel like I’m fighting for air, so I have to deal some of the up/down/up/down that shoots your heart rate through the roof back a bit.

I think pregnancy and remaining active is one of those things in which you walk a really really fine balance.  It is a necessity, to sweat each day.  However, within the bounds of a growing and changing body, it it necessary to sweat safely, and more so than ever, do so with proper form.  When you go for a run, the goal isn’t necessarily to kill yourself or burn the most calories, but perform this daily routine in the hopes that labor, delivery, and recovery (that one is the biggie) is as smooth as it is supposed to be.

Anyways, I’m enjoying figuring out what modifications work for me, all while eyeballing things I may like to challenge myself and do once I don’t have a belly in the way.

Pregnant or not, what’s your favorite way to stay fit?

22 Weeks – Changing it Up!

| cheriarmour

I thought I’d change up the questions this week because I was so late with my 21 weeks update, and I don’t want to bore you with the same exact questions.  Plus, I thought you might be interested in some of the questions I get, almost on a daily basis.  And then maybe you can stop asking me them.  Kidding!  (Kinda).

So I’m 22 weeks pregnant, which means I am pretty well halfway through the pregnancy.  I am not that fat, but I feel whaleish, so my go-to defense mechanism to to make a fat joke before other folks can, and it makes people really uncomfortable.  The baby is about the size of a spaghetti squash, which sounds HUMONGOUS, and is moving around a good bit.  It’s a little boy, and he’s due on September third of this year.

Onto the questions!

How are you feeling?  Really weird, honestly.  Physically, things feel like they changed overnight.  Emotionally/mentally, I don’t feel like myself, and that’s weird for me.  I feel a little uncomfortable in my own skin, and very crabby sometimes.  I feel concerned that I have no real idea of what I’m doing, and that my natural approach is to just “figure it out” like everyone else does.  My lack of freaking out is freaking me out, in a sense.  But a mom recently commented on a post a few weeks back that, pregnant with her second, she doesn’t feel like herself.  The normalizing of that feeling in that statement made me feel much better.  

Are you still teaching?  Of course!  I get really surprised when people ask me this question because teaching is/has been a part of my job.  The classes that have become uncomfortable to teach are Step/Bosu classes, but I’m still teaching Zumba, BodyPump™, Cycle, and whatever else is needed.  I am not running nearly as much because it feels really really uncomfortable, like I’m hurting my bladder.  Even now, if I’m on the treadmill, I have to go to the bathroom before I start, and I usually have to get off to go again after a few minutes.  I’ve talked to some running moms about this, and sometimes it happens, and sometimes it doesn’t.  I wasn’t meant to run marathons this pregnancy, or maybe any of my pregnancies, but I do what I can.

You look really small!  Is the baby measuring okay?  Um.  I think people genuinely think this is a compliment.  Generally, I think it’s best if you don’t really comment on someone’s size, but folks think that telling you you either look huge or small, and then inquiring about your child’s health is okay.  It’s sort of not, and I have to hold back the urge to roll my eyes when I hear this one.  The measurement question really come from someone who’s really sweet, and I know she just didn’t think.

On the flip, an older person literally asked me if I was getting kinda fat.  When I told her I was pregnant, she seemed less than fully embarrassed,

Do you have cravings/are you sick?  Not really.  You’d really think you could eat nonstop while pregnant, but overeating is really not a thing.  The times I have overdone it, I get awful reflux, and I sit around feeling really really sorry for myself, trying not to puke.  It’s mostly just small meals and snacks, and nothing really in particular that I HAVE to have.  Other than seltzer.  I love seltzer and soda water.  I get loads from the Burger King down the street.

This is another point, but I don’t know how Burger King stays in business.  I go in there every other day or so to get seltzer, and there’re never really more than like 5 people at a time in there.  They haven’t changed the decor in like 30 years either.  I am so lost.

Do you know what you’re having?  Yes!  We’re having a boy.

Do you have names picked out?  No, not really.  We have plenty of time to think about it though, and I don’t really plan to share when we decide.  That’s for us, I think.

ICYMI…

21 Weeks (A little late), 20 Weeks – Halfway There, 19 Weeks…it’s a…, 18 Weeks, 17 Weeks, 16 Weeks, 15 Weeks, 14 Weeks, 13 Weeks, 12 Weeks13087853_10100761203419223_4479589485685359983_n

21 Weeks (A little late)

| cheriarmour

I’m late!  I’m sorry.  I don’t have a good excuse at all except that I had a rough week.  Blah.  Those happen sometimes though.  That’s okay.

Baby is the size of a: Pomegranate.  I adore pomegranate and pomegranate juice, a love affair that started when my mom started bringing them into the house when I was in high school.  Those seeds are like too much for me to deal with sometimes though.

Due date: Sept 3rd, 2016

Total weight gain:  I really have no clue.  I feel good, I look good, and I’m feeling really healthy.  I will hop on the scale after we get back this weekend.

Sleep:  Sleep is great – however, I am still getting up one time around 4:45 am to go to the bathroom.  This morning I was in bed for too long and was kinda in pain by the time I finally got to the bathroom.

Best moment this week:  Whew.  This was a really tough week.  But the best moment was teaching cycle.  That class makes me feel good.  And people really seem to like it.

Food cravings:   Still sparkling things.  I’ve been drinking a ton of seltzer still, and it is soooo refreshing.

Food aversions:  I think I’ve tossed the towel in on meat.  I tried, in an effort in increase my animal protein, to get some in, but I’m so over it.  It just feels like too much chewing to me.

Symptoms:  I started feeling really uncomfortable last week, and I texted a friend about it.  She told me to get water and put my feet up.  Turns out, I was a little dehydrated and having some contractions.  I have really been minding my water more since then.

Looking forward to:  A wedding this weekend in Wilmington with Austin.

ICYMI…

20 Weeks – Halfway There, 19 Weeks…it’s a…, 18 Weeks, 17 Weeks, 16 Weeks, 15 Weeks, 14 Weeks, 13 Weeks, 12 Weeks

20 Weeks – Halfway There

| cheriarmour

We’re halfway through the pregnancy, and I’m enjoying these updates.  Full disclosure – I had a full – on breakdown in the airport today.  I’m overwhelmed, I feel disgusting, my skin is really broken out, and generally, I did not feel like myself today.  Fair warning, please just know that this sort of feeling is not abnormal once in a while during pregnancy, and I think it will pass.

Baby is the size of a: Banana.  Last week was a mango, so I’m not really understanding how exactly that’s growth because I feel like bananas are really skinny, and mangoes are really fat.  Idk, interpret that banana however you’d like.

Due date: Sept 3rd, 2016

Total weight gain:  I have no idea.  Definitely on the higher end of the range I talked about last week.  Maybe 12-14 lbs?

Sleep:   Sleep is still okay, but I am waking up early every morning still to go to the bathroom.  I am struggling with this one.  I spent a lot of the weekend traveling, and I felt like I could not stop going to the bathroom.  So I’m fighting this battle when I’m out to stay hydrated and not have to go to restrooms constantly.

Best moment this week:  I went to Jersey, then into the City to visit some friends and family.  One of my friends was running her first half-marathon, so we went and made a day of it.  The race began in Central Park, and it was a positively beautiful day.  I am glad I went.

Food cravings:   Sparking anything.  I ordered a HUGE bottle of soda water while we were waiting at the race, and managed to down every single delicious drop.  (I definitely needed a bathroom break after that.)

Food aversions:  Meat is kinda grossing me out.  In the beginning of the pregnancy, I managed a few turkey sandwiches, and chicken sandwich here and there, but for some reason, the thought wasn’t doing it for me.  I’ve been dealing with a little bit of reflux, and I don’t know if that is somehow contributing.

Symptoms:  The constant bathroom thing!  It’s literally constant.

Looking forward to:  Sleeping in my own bed tonight.  I miss it.

ICYMI…

19 Weeks…it’s a…, 18 Weeks, 17 Weeks, 16 Weeks, 15 Weeks, 14 Weeks, 13 Weeks, 12 Weeks

Gender Reveal Party!

| cheriarmour

I totally promised you guys I would share how the whole gender reveal thing went down.  Full warning, if you type in “gender reveal,” there are a number of really caustic responses to the concept.  Generally I was a little ??? at that because it’s one of those things, that if you find them so offensive, you really don’t have to go, but I guess people feel really strongly about them.

If you’re reallllly curious, I’m not going to link the article here, but there is one particular article that was in a popular women’s mag.  The woman seemed genuinely angered at the concept of the gender reveal, stating, “I love cake, but I don’t need to learn about your future kid’s genitalia just to enjoy some frosting.”  I mean, so go get yourself a slice of cake from Whole Foods, and decline the next invite.  No one is forcing you to go, right?

Anyhoo, Austin and I really like to get together with our friends/family.  We have since we got together.  And we thought a little gender reveal would be a neat way to get everyone together on a nice spring day.

So the way it worked: we went to get our anatomy/gender scan on Tuesday, which I talked about before.  It was pretty cool because we literally saw everything.  Brains, limbs, bones, major organs.  We were able to check for markers of major issues, and everything turned out to be developing nicely, which was a nice relief.

You ALSO have the option to find out the gender.  Which again, folks are split on.  Some people are like, “OMG no, you CANNOT find out,” and others are like “I would literally die if I didn’t know.” To each their own right?  But we wanted to find out kinda, have the gender given to this card shop that I love, have them give us confetti poppers, and pop them at a party.

So we had everyone come over around 2, and served really gross food.  By gross, I mean delicious, but it was like fried chicken, mac and cheese, dirty rice, mashed potatoes, potato salad, and desserts.  All prepped by me if you can believe it!  And by that, I mean, we ordered Bojangles.

So halfway through, when folks had been drinking and playing yard games for a while, we gathered everyone out on the lawn, handed our four or five confetti poppers from Thimblepress, and on the count of 3, we popped them to reveal that we were having a little boy!

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This picture is facially awful, but if you’re curious about what the bod looks like about 20 weeks pregnant, this is it.

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When all was said and done, I was, WE were, just so thrilled to have folks out there to celebrate.  We ended up hanging out super late, and falling into bed really fat and happy.

I’m just so excited to have a little boy.  I know that either way, we’d be happy and thankful for a healthy sweet kid, but I secretly love little boys and how sweet and snuggly they are, and I’m so excited.  We have NO clue on names, but we have some time to decide!

What were you up to this (last?!) weekend?