Tailor Sitting & Pelvic Tilts

We started our childbirth class a couple weeks ago and have one more class before we’re done.  We’ve covered a lot of good information, and even though most of it wasn’t completely new to me, it was good to hear again and nice to hear it from a childbirth educator as opposed to just reading it somewhere. 

 

One of the first things we covered were some exercises that all of us moms could be doing to help prepare our bodies for labor and delivery.  I’m a planner and I like being in control, so waiting for labor and all of the unknowns that go with labor make me pretty uneasy.  Having a few exercises that I can do on a daily basis definitely make me feel like I have a little more control over the situation, even if that’s not really true 🙂

 

These are the 2 I try to do every day and I also throw in squatting whenever I have a chance, even if it’s just for a few seconds while I’m sorting laundry or something.  We also did these in my prenatal yoga class, so I’ve had a little practice, but the reminder in childbirth class was just what I needed to start doing them at home.

Tailor Sitting, Cobbler's Pose, Butterfly...

 Tailor sitting is said to strengthen and stretch muscles in your back, thighs and pelvis.  It doesn’t take much work on my part and it’s convenient to do while I’m watching TV or reading a book, so it’s by far the easiest to accomplish daily!!  I also like to lean forward every now and then while I’m doing it to help stretch out my hips.

Pelvic Tilt or Angry Cat

Pelvic tilts strengthen the abdominals and uterus and help relieve lower back pain.  I try to do these both morning and night, right when I wake up and before I go to bed, because it’s easier to do on the bed without the dogs bugging me.  (They bug me when I Tailor Sit, but then my hands are free to shove them away until they get the idea.)   They said in class that doing this during labor even can help relieve some discomfort and I was told during yoga that doing this can help calm a squirmy baby at night.  So far, I’ve been too lazy to actually try it when she’s moving around at 3AM…

29 weeks

BabyMort weighs about 2.5 pounds by now.   That’s the weight of about $4.50 worth of pennies or 10 sticks of butter.  She’s approximately 16 inches from head to toe – about the size of my laptop.  Her weight and length are about the size of a butternut squash according to BabyCenter.  One of the biggest things that Chloe’s doing this week is getting a bigger head to accomodate her growing brain!!

Our Little Squash

I think it’s ironic that she’s the size of a squash this week, because it’s one of the things DaddyMort’s been trying to get me to eat.  The Dr. suggested that an increase in potassium and calcium would help prevent charley horses.   These are the foods that I’ve been “approved” to eat by DaddyMort due to their high potassium content:
Bananas
Oranges
Apricots
Avocado
Strawberries
Potatoes
Tomatoes
Cucumber
Cabbage
Cauliflower
Chard
Bell pepper
Eggplant
Squash
Crimini mushrooms
Brussels sprouts
Parsley
Spinach
Broccoli
Tuna
Halibut

I have a banana every morning, either plain or in my smoothie.  I eat raw broccoli as snack every now and then and we have it with dinner a couple nights a week.  I had strawberry shortcake as my dessert several nights last week and we had baked potatoes for dinner last night.  We have some frozen butternut squash from late last fall that we’ll be pureeing in our marinara sauce later this week.  I’m thiking maybe we’ll make tuna salad for lunch later this week.  So…I’m trying!!  Let me know if you have any good ideas for working more potassium and/or calcium into my diet.*

We went to the hotel to use the fitness center on Sunday afternoon and took our swimsuits since the Dr. said I could sit in the hot tub for a few minutes.  I ended up deciding to just walk/jog some laps in the pool instead of using the treadmill, because my hip was bothering me.  I can totally see why women enjoy water aerobics during pregnancy!!  It was fantastic and I think we’ll try to make it part of our weekly routine.

29 week Belly Shot

Some weeks I look at my belly shot and feel cute.  Other weeks, I feel sort of frumpy.  This week I feel frumpy.  I think I’ll attribute it to the oh-so-comfy sweats I have on and the wearing of my husband’s t-shirt.  At least you can’t see my freaky belly-button this week 🙂

*Under no circumstance will I eat brussel sprouts, just for the record…

I *heart* yoga!

For Christmas, I got a gift certificate for a 6-week prenatal yoga class.  The 6 weeks ended February 11th.  I really enjoyed the class and I wanted to continue it throughout my pregnancy.  However, it was the first time the hospital had offered the class and they didn’t get the next session scheduled right away, so I haven’t had yoga for the last few weeks.  In the same time period, I’ve been getting increasingly uncomfortable, which I suppose is to be expected, as BabyMort is taking up more space these days.  I wasn’t sure what to expect from the class tonight, because I know I’ve gotten a lot bigger in the last few weeks and certain movements are definitely more awkward for me.

Well, I’m happy to report that even after a few weeks break, yoga was still fantastic!!  I got to strech and relax and didn’t even care that I was totally clumsy and have zero balance.  (I seriously almost fell over a handful of times…)  As a bonus, I feel a ton more energized than I have lately – even though I had a horrible night’s sleep last night.  Thank goodness for yoga!!

27 weeks

Holy cow!!  27 weeks – depending on what you read, I’m in my 3rd trimester.  That means we’re almost done!!  It sure feels that way at least.  There’s no hiding that I’m pregnant, even in a big hooded sweatshirt.  I have a doctor’s appointment next week and then they start coming every 2 weeks instead of 4. 

27 weeks

On a side note, my belly button is getting stranger every day. 
If you look closely at the picture, you can even see the top part that sticks out. 

After spending time with my beautiful niece and adorable cousin, both about 3 weeks old, I’ve decided I need to work on my biceps.  Holding babies is hard work!!  As the weather is getting a little nicer, we’ve been going on walks.  There’s an occasional jaunt on a treadmill as well, but walking outside is so much better!!  Now I just have to find a way to make working my biceps more fun.  Maybe I’ll just have to work a lot of baby holding in…

I’ve been feeling pretty good, but I have been experiencing indigestion and back pain.  The first time I had indigestion, I was trying to explain it to Aaron and he kind of looked at me like I was an idiot, then told me I had heartburn.  I’d never experienced it before, so I was oblivious.  Now, I’m an expert.  We have Tums, berry flavored, next to the bed, downstairs in the family room and in my purse.  I haven’t found any specific triggers, beyond eating in general and laying down – neither of which I can avoid!!

We’ve been wanting Queen size bed for a while now.  After I got the Leachco Snoogle Total Body Pillow it was even more needed, because the pillow and I don’t leave much room for Aaron.  Since I was having lots of back pain, and our bed was over 20 years old, we decided to get a new bed.  It’s Memory Foam, which is supposed to be great, and is supposed to keep you from feeling the other person tossing and turning.  Hopefully, the new bed, combined with visits to the chiropractor and possibly a massage, will help me get through the next few months.

BabyMort weighs about 2 pounds and is about 14.5 inches long with her legs stretched out.  She opens and closes her eyes and sucks on her fingers now.  She’s sleeping and waking on a regular schedule now, which I’ll totally believe since she gets going right as we’re laying down to sleep every night.  I haven’t noticed a pattern during the day as much, but I think that’s because I’m moving around so much more I don’t always notice her moving.

Next time you’re in the produce aisle, check out a head of cauliflower.  That’s about how big Chloe is right now.

 

23 weeks

At the beginning of my pregnancy, I wanted so bad to look pregnant.  I knew in the back of my mind that eventually I’d be big and uncomfortable and wishing I wasn’t so obviously pregnant, but I didnt care – I wanted to have a ‘baby bump’ NOW!!   I defintely didn’t think that at 22 weeks I’d be trying to look ‘not pregnant.’  However, when I had a job interview last week, I knew the last thing I wanted was to go in looking obviously pregnant.  Below is a picture of my attempt.  My husband kindly told me that if he hadn’t known I was pregnant, he’d just think I was chubby.  It’s probably one of the only times that would be a good thing to say!!  I can’t say how effective my attempt was, because even though I made it to the final two, they offered the job to the other candidate 😦

Trying not to look pregnant...

This is my “belly shot” at 23 weeks.  I don’t see much difference in the pictures, but I can tell when I’m getting dressed – you could even see my belly a little when I was wearing a big hooded sweatshirt the other day.

23 Week Belly Shot

Little Miss Chloe Mae has become quite a mover and a shaker in the last few days – or she’s just gotten big enough that I can feel her a lot more often.  DaddyMort says she had the hiccups the other night.  He woke up at 5AM, rolled over and put his hand on my belly.  He told me the next morning that he could feel her very rhythmically and that he almost woke me up – I told him it was the right decision to just tell me about it the next morning 😀   The good news is that if it wasn’t hiccups, we’ll have a little girl with great rhythm!!

As I’ve heard is quite common, Chloe Mae tends to move around after I eat.  For a while, she was only moving after I ate certain foods, like bacon, ice cream or cookies.  I justified eating those super yummy foods, because Chloe liked it!!  I still made a big effort, and was egged on by my husband, to eat lots of fruits and veggies, but those just didn’t seem to get her going as much.  On Sunday morning Aaron made some Banana Nut Muffins, following a recipe from a book about eating well during pregnancy that I have from the library, and it suggested to serve them with fruit or yogurt.  So he decided to make a fruit salad with yogurt for me.  Well, she went crazy while I was eating breakfast, so I can no longer justify my bad eating choices by saying that it’s what Chloe Mae likes!!

According to BabyCenter, Chloe Mae’s sense of movement and hearing have developed quite a bit recently, so she can feel me dance and hear all sorts of sounds – probably most commonly, the dogs barking and me yelling at them.  She weighs about a pound, and is about 8 inches from crown to rump or 11 inches from head to toe.  I’ve read several “warnings” aimed at me, suggesting that stretch marks will probably appear soon and I’ll start to swell.  So far, I’ve been gaining weight pretty steadily (which I’ve heard is one of the only things you can do to try to avoid stretch marks) and I’ve been trying to stay active and hydrated (which I’ve heard can help prevent swelling.)  I’m still expecting both though…

Papaya anyone?

This is me at 21 weeks.

21 week Belly Shot

This is BabyMort, aka Chloe Mae.  Well, sort of.  She is about the size of a papaya now.  Last week the ultrasound tech guessed her weight at 12 oz, which is right on target.

It’s been a fun week.  I’m loving the prenatal yoga – it feels so good to stretch/exercise and not feel self conscious, because everyone else in the room is pregnant as well.  We got to have our ultrasound and have been able to look at and share her pictures with friends and family.  I feel her move around all the time and Aaron usually gets to feel her at least once a day as well.  Tonight, we even saw her move!!

I checked out a few books on nutrition in pregnancy today to get some ideas for well balanced meals for Chloe and I.  I also got one on the Bradley Birthing Method.  I’m not sure that this is the method we’ll use, but I want to start educating myself now on our options.

20 down, 20 to go

I haven’t given a BabyMort vs. Produce comparison in a while, so here goes…  At 20 weeks, from head to toe, BabyMort is about the length of a banana, approximately 10 inches.  A produce reference for MamaMort has also been thrown out this week.  My uterus is about the size of a cantaloupe.  BabyMort is swallowing more, practicing for digestion, and producing meconium (which I’ve heard is a blast to deal with…)  BabyMort can hear sounds now, my voice, heartbeat, and even sounds outside the belly.  If there’s an especially loud sound, he/she will cover its ears with its hands – I imagine it’s adorable 😀

Being about halfway through the 2nd trimester, I have to agree that this has been easier than the first.  I don’t get nauseous anymore and have learned to eat often enough that I rarely feel sick from that.  I still find myself going to the bathroom a lot, but I’m sure a lot of that has to do with the fact that I drink more water.  The only time it really bothers me is at 2AM, but even that has become so routine that it doesn’t bother me too much.  My lower back and hips are bothering me a little more, but the Snoogle I got for Christmas seems to be helping and I think the prenatal yoga will do wonders for me as well.

After the first time I felt BabyMort move I didn’t really mention anything to DaddyMort when I’d feel BabyMort move.  I know he really wants to feel that as well, so I didn’t see the point in constantly mentioning it.  Something, when we’re just hanging out on the couch or just waking up in the morning, he’ll rest his hand just under my belly button in hopes of feeling something.  Well, Sunday morning he said, “I just felt the baby move!”  And by golly, the baby had moved!!  I felt it probably 4 or 5 more times in the next couple minutes, but never said anything.  A couple of those times though, he’d say “I just felt it again!!”  Our doctor told us he probably wouldn’t feel anything until 22-24 weeks, so DaddyMort said, “Dr. Leeds will tell me I didn’t feel it…”  I figure since he said something before I did that he must have actually felt it, so I told him just not to mention it to Dr. Leeds and that way his bubble can’t be burst!!

We have our ultrasound in 3 days and we’re so excited!!  I know I’ve said it before, but I just can’t wait until we’ve seen our little baby and can refer to it as he or she instead of, well, it!!  We’ve pretty much said from the start that we wanted to find out, although I’m sure both of us have had our moments where we thought about waiting, but I know I’ll feel so much better once we know!! 

Here’s what I look like this week.  I don’t know if I look a whole lot different than last week, although I have gained a couple pounds since last weekend, so hopefully some of it is the baby and it’s not all just sitting around in my hips!!

 

20 Week Belly Shot

Almost halfway…

At 19 weeks, BabyMort is about 6 inches long and weighs about 8.5 ounces.  He/she (man, I’m looking forward to the ultrasound so we can stop referring to our baby as he/she/it!!) can most likely hear by now and has arms and legs that are in proportion to the rest of the body!!  BabyMort’s brain is working on develolping specialized areas for each of the senses – hearing, sight, smell, touch and hearing.

MamaMort – that would be me 😀 – can no longer even pretend to fit in her pre-prego pants.  I don’t feel like I look very big, but I can definitely feel that I’m bigger.  According to my morning weigh-in, I’ve gained about 7-8 pounds, but my weight varies by 2-5 pounds throughout the day.  We finally made it to the gym yesterday and I start a pre-natal yoga class on Wednesday.  I’m very excited about it!!

19 week belly shot

Exercise – or lack thereof…

I’ve been feeling guilty, because we’ve only been to the gym 2 or 3 times in the last 6 weeks or so since we found out I was pregnant.  And all 2 or 3 times occurred within the first couple weeks before I started feeling tired and then nauseous.  I’ve read the literature that says exercising can actually help you feel like you have more energy and can help with morning sickness, constipation and bloating.  But translating what I’ve read to real motivation just hasn’t happened.

So my plan: We have another doctor’s appointment on Tuesday.  I’ll check with my doctor then to double check the do’s and dont’s.  There are a couple classes I like that are offered at our gym, but I know there’s a few things I can’t do in those classes, so I’ll find out if he has suggestions for modifications.  I’ve always been more excited/motivated to go to a class then just working out on my own.  In addition, theoretically, the nausea and fatigue, to some extent, should go away within a couple weeks, so that should make it easier to get going.

Hopefully things work out the way they do in my head.  If I’m still being lazy in a few weeks, I’m counting on all of you to get me going!!