I haven't posted on this blog for 6 months! I would like to be surprised by that but I'm not. My life got super crazy over the summer and has never slowed down. I found out I was pregnant with boy #3, we spent a few weeks out of state, our oldest started kindergarten, we went to Disneyland, we sold our house and moved and so on and so on.
When I found out I was pregnant I thought it would be so fun to post updates and pictures on this blog and then it just never happened. So here I sit, 33 weeks along without saying a word about it. So I will now.
As I mentioned we found out it is another boy. We were, of course, hoping for a girl just for a change but we are all really excited it is a boy. Our 5 year old came to the ultrasound with us and did great. He was really interested and it was fun to have him there.
Aside from the long, long hot Arizona summer this pregnancy has been my easiest. I was never really sick except for when I would get dehydrated. I usually have bad sciatic pain but it hasn't bothered me as much. And other less pleasant pregnancy complaints I've had in the past (nausea, heartburn, constipation, etc.) haven't phased me or have been much more mild. Honestly, I attribute all of this to one thing-exercise! I had been attending a pretty intense aerobics class three times a week for over a year before I got pregnant and so I was in great shape going into it. And I didn't stop going. There were days where I didn't push myself as hard because I was tired but I still went because I felt so much better. I have recently started doing a Zumba-like workout which, believe it or not has been perfect! It's as low impact as I want to make it and just feels good to get my whole body moving. I had been wearing a heart monitor but now I can feel when it starts to get a little too high for too long and I back off a bit.
Yeah for Boy #3 for making this so easy on me. It is a huge blessing this one was so easy when everything else in my life was turning upside down. Things would have been much harder if I had been sick as well. My heart goes out to all you ladies who do have much more challenging pregnancies! Trust me, it's all worth it in the end.
Thursday, December 8, 2011
Being pregnant can give you more than just heartburn
An interesting story on NPR. Maybe being pregnant can actually be good for you!
http://www.npr.org/templates/transcript/transcript.php?storyId=5195551
http://www.npr.org/templates/transcript/transcript.php?storyId=5195551
Friday, June 10, 2011
Who said there's no such thing as a free lunch?
After one of my classes I had the suggestion that it might be nice for the moms to have a class just for themselves-like a girls night to talk about some of the things they're experiencing. At first I kind of scoffed at it because I think it's really important for both mom and dad to be in the class and hear what mom will be going through before, during, and after birth. They will remember different things and be able to support each other more effectively. But, the more I thought about it the more I liked the idea. It's fun having friends pregnant at the same time. It's fun to have someone who understands what you are feeling.
So I'm trying something new. I'm starting a Healthy Pregnancy class. It's just for expecting moms to talk about, well, having a healthy pregnancy. It will cover nutrition, exercise, pregnancy tests and screenings, as well as emotional health and stress management.
Since it is a new endeavor for me I am offering the class once a month and it will be absolutely free! No kidding. This way you can get to know me and my teaching style risk free and if you like it you can sign up for my childbirth preparation class. And if you don't, no hard feelings. You still got the class for free and hopefully learned something along the way. As my 5 year old says, "Does that sound like a deal?"
The first class will be Wednesday, June 22. So, please pass this along to anyone you know who is pregnant. To help me get the world out!
My sister-in-law and I were pregnant at the same time. Not only was it fun then but it is fun now that our boys play together.
So I'm trying something new. I'm starting a Healthy Pregnancy class. It's just for expecting moms to talk about, well, having a healthy pregnancy. It will cover nutrition, exercise, pregnancy tests and screenings, as well as emotional health and stress management.
Since it is a new endeavor for me I am offering the class once a month and it will be absolutely free! No kidding. This way you can get to know me and my teaching style risk free and if you like it you can sign up for my childbirth preparation class. And if you don't, no hard feelings. You still got the class for free and hopefully learned something along the way. As my 5 year old says, "Does that sound like a deal?"
The first class will be Wednesday, June 22. So, please pass this along to anyone you know who is pregnant. To help me get the world out!
The happy ending. My boy was 6 weeks older than hers and they were almost the same size. Now my son gets his hand-me-downs.
Friday, June 3, 2011
My Birth Story #1
My baby #1 is coming up on his 5th birthday. I can't even believe it. He's such a joy. I don't think I've ever written his birth story (shame on me!) so, for his sake and yours I'll share it now.
I had a normal, uneventful pregnancy (besides the gestational diabetes scare) up to 37 weeks. On a Sunday we went to church, relaxed, visited with some friends. That night I thought I should maybe start thinking about getting ready to go to the hospital. I called my sister who just had her second baby and my cousin who is a NICU nurse and also a mother of two. They gave me advise, I packed a few things and made a list of other things I thought I needed for the hospital. As far as I can recollect, that was the extent of my nesting instinct.
We went to bed around 10 p.m. and at about midnight I started waking up to contractions about every 10 minutes. I am a VERY sound sleeper, even when I'm pregnant so waking up with contractions was a little alarming. I woke up my husband and told him I was having contractions 10 minutes apart. He told me to try and get some sleep, rolled over and was out again. I was a little frustrated because I would be asleep if I could! Of course, he was right. There's not much you can do at that point but wait and rest.
But I couldn't sleep. I finally got up and walked around and kept timing my contractions. I woke him up again around 3 a.m. and told me they were five minutes apart and starting to hurt. This time he stayed awake with me. We walked around some more and around 4 a.m. we went to the hospital. Mercy Gilbert had just been built so I was one of the first there and the VERY first in my postpartum room which was cool.
At the hospital they checked me and I was at 4 cm and 80% effaced. As a side note, my husband had no confidence that this was the real deal. Thankfully he brought the camera but LEFT IT IN THE CAR. He was sure we'd be sent home so when they admitted me he felt a little sheepish. He obviously had nothing packed for the hospital. I mean, we still had three weeks! We didn't even have a car seat!
From there labor progressed pretty normally. By about 6:00 a.m. I was at a 5 and doing alright. By 9:00 a.m. I was still at 5 cm and was not doing alright anymore. I felt like my inside were being ripped apart. There is no other way to explain the intensity of those contractions. At that point I asked for an epidural. Since the hospital was new they weren't really fully staffed yet and only had one anesthesiologist who was going into a c-section. They said I'd have to wait about an hour.
THREE HOURS LATER she finally came. Between 9 and noon we tried walking and some positions to ease labor. I listened to my ipod trying to relax but it all just felt too hard. I felt best in the bed. We really only remembered one breathing exercise so we did it over and over and over. When it was really bad a contraction would come I would start to panic because I knew how much it would hurt and I would say, "I can't do it. I can't do it." and my husband would keep encouraging me, holding my face and staring into my eyes to get me to keep breathing. And I did. We just kept breathing. The labor was really hard and my nurse said she wasn't going to check me again until I had the epidural for which I was so thankful. She was a wonderful nurse.
The anesthesiologist came around noon. She was a wonderful, wonderful woman! I seriously didn't feel a thing. My contractions were so strong that she would stop working while I had one and then continue in between. I immediately felt relief and never understood the meaning of that world until then. The nurse looked at the monitor and said, "you're having another contraction." and I said, "Oh my goodness" because I couldn't feel it and was so grateful. At that point she checked me and I was at 8 cm dilated and 100% effaced.
They told me to try and rest but at that point my adrenalin was flowing and even though I was tired I couldn't sleep. But my husband did which was good. At least one of us was rested. (He had actually just been in a car accident and was in a lot of pain so it was good he was able to rest.) Shortly after that I was at a 10. The doctor broke my water around 3 p.m. My nurse kept telling me that as soon as they broke my water I would go really quickly but it didn't happen. I started pushing around 3:00 and would push for a while and they rest for a half an hour and let the contractions do their work. Finally around 5:30 the doctor came in and readied himself for the delivery. I had asked not to have an episiotomy but the doctor said I was already tearing and he could control it with an episiotomy so I opted for it.
After almost eighteen hours of labor my baby boy was born at 6:00 p.m. weighing 7 lb 11 oz and 21 in. long. He was healthy and strong with bright red curly hair. We were so happy he was here.
I felt like I had a great birth experience. Some unexpected situations arose but I felt okay about those. I felt like the staff and everyone were really supportive and I wasn't just another mom which was important to me. They were all just as excited about this new arrival as I was.
I remember the next morning watching the cars drive by on the newly opened San Tan 202 and thinking it so strange that others can drive by and not realize that something so incredibly important just happened. I knew my life would never be the same.
I had a normal, uneventful pregnancy (besides the gestational diabetes scare) up to 37 weeks. On a Sunday we went to church, relaxed, visited with some friends. That night I thought I should maybe start thinking about getting ready to go to the hospital. I called my sister who just had her second baby and my cousin who is a NICU nurse and also a mother of two. They gave me advise, I packed a few things and made a list of other things I thought I needed for the hospital. As far as I can recollect, that was the extent of my nesting instinct.
We went to bed around 10 p.m. and at about midnight I started waking up to contractions about every 10 minutes. I am a VERY sound sleeper, even when I'm pregnant so waking up with contractions was a little alarming. I woke up my husband and told him I was having contractions 10 minutes apart. He told me to try and get some sleep, rolled over and was out again. I was a little frustrated because I would be asleep if I could! Of course, he was right. There's not much you can do at that point but wait and rest.
But I couldn't sleep. I finally got up and walked around and kept timing my contractions. I woke him up again around 3 a.m. and told me they were five minutes apart and starting to hurt. This time he stayed awake with me. We walked around some more and around 4 a.m. we went to the hospital. Mercy Gilbert had just been built so I was one of the first there and the VERY first in my postpartum room which was cool.
At the hospital they checked me and I was at 4 cm and 80% effaced. As a side note, my husband had no confidence that this was the real deal. Thankfully he brought the camera but LEFT IT IN THE CAR. He was sure we'd be sent home so when they admitted me he felt a little sheepish. He obviously had nothing packed for the hospital. I mean, we still had three weeks! We didn't even have a car seat!
From there labor progressed pretty normally. By about 6:00 a.m. I was at a 5 and doing alright. By 9:00 a.m. I was still at 5 cm and was not doing alright anymore. I felt like my inside were being ripped apart. There is no other way to explain the intensity of those contractions. At that point I asked for an epidural. Since the hospital was new they weren't really fully staffed yet and only had one anesthesiologist who was going into a c-section. They said I'd have to wait about an hour.
THREE HOURS LATER she finally came. Between 9 and noon we tried walking and some positions to ease labor. I listened to my ipod trying to relax but it all just felt too hard. I felt best in the bed. We really only remembered one breathing exercise so we did it over and over and over. When it was really bad a contraction would come I would start to panic because I knew how much it would hurt and I would say, "I can't do it. I can't do it." and my husband would keep encouraging me, holding my face and staring into my eyes to get me to keep breathing. And I did. We just kept breathing. The labor was really hard and my nurse said she wasn't going to check me again until I had the epidural for which I was so thankful. She was a wonderful nurse.
The anesthesiologist came around noon. She was a wonderful, wonderful woman! I seriously didn't feel a thing. My contractions were so strong that she would stop working while I had one and then continue in between. I immediately felt relief and never understood the meaning of that world until then. The nurse looked at the monitor and said, "you're having another contraction." and I said, "Oh my goodness" because I couldn't feel it and was so grateful. At that point she checked me and I was at 8 cm dilated and 100% effaced.
They told me to try and rest but at that point my adrenalin was flowing and even though I was tired I couldn't sleep. But my husband did which was good. At least one of us was rested. (He had actually just been in a car accident and was in a lot of pain so it was good he was able to rest.) Shortly after that I was at a 10. The doctor broke my water around 3 p.m. My nurse kept telling me that as soon as they broke my water I would go really quickly but it didn't happen. I started pushing around 3:00 and would push for a while and they rest for a half an hour and let the contractions do their work. Finally around 5:30 the doctor came in and readied himself for the delivery. I had asked not to have an episiotomy but the doctor said I was already tearing and he could control it with an episiotomy so I opted for it.
After almost eighteen hours of labor my baby boy was born at 6:00 p.m. weighing 7 lb 11 oz and 21 in. long. He was healthy and strong with bright red curly hair. We were so happy he was here.
I felt like I had a great birth experience. Some unexpected situations arose but I felt okay about those. I felt like the staff and everyone were really supportive and I wasn't just another mom which was important to me. They were all just as excited about this new arrival as I was.
I remember the next morning watching the cars drive by on the newly opened San Tan 202 and thinking it so strange that others can drive by and not realize that something so incredibly important just happened. I knew my life would never be the same.
Happy Birthday to our wonderful boy! We love you so much.
Saturday, May 21, 2011
Exercise during Pregnancy
When I was pregnant with my first baby I worked full time and carpooled with my husband who dropped me off and picked me up right outside my office. I would go to the gym maybe once or twice a week and ride a bike for a little while. Later in my pregnancy I went swimming a few times but that was pretty much it. During that pregnancy I was borderline for gestational diabetes which didn't surprise me. It runs in my family. I had the common pregnancy complaints but didn't think much about it. The labor was hard being my first but recovery wasn't too bad.
When I was pregnant with my second my husband's schedule had changed and we couldn't carpool anymore. Subsequently I had to park about a mile a way from my office and walk about 20 min. twice a day to and from work. I live in Arizona and was due at the end of September. That was the longest hottest summer of my life! I didn't exercise much more than that. I did yoga once in a while but not a lot. But, because of those daily walks I didn't have to worry about diabetes (I wasn't even at risk for it). I didn't gain as much weight and my labor was SO much easier (being #2 also made a difference there). All around I just felt better. I wasn't as sick. I wasn't as swollen. I wasn't as tired.
We can all find excuses not to exercise and during pregnancy those reasons seem much more valid. Making a baby is a lot of work! No wonder we are more tired. It's hard to make the time to do it when all you want to do is relax. Some are worried that exercise can be harmful to the baby.
So how much exercise is good and when is it too much for you or the baby? Here are some guidelines for save and effective aerobic exercise:
*Target heart rate calculations in beats per minute:
Maximum heart rate (MHR) = 220-age
Target heart rate range = 60-80% of Maximum heart rate.
Example if you are 25 your heart rate MHR is 195 and your target heart rate range is 195x.6 and 195x.8= 117and 156.
For exercise recommendations from the American Congress of Obstetrics and Gynecologists (ACOG) click here: http://www.acog.org/publications/patient_education/bp119.cfm
When I was pregnant with my second my husband's schedule had changed and we couldn't carpool anymore. Subsequently I had to park about a mile a way from my office and walk about 20 min. twice a day to and from work. I live in Arizona and was due at the end of September. That was the longest hottest summer of my life! I didn't exercise much more than that. I did yoga once in a while but not a lot. But, because of those daily walks I didn't have to worry about diabetes (I wasn't even at risk for it). I didn't gain as much weight and my labor was SO much easier (being #2 also made a difference there). All around I just felt better. I wasn't as sick. I wasn't as swollen. I wasn't as tired.
So how much exercise is good and when is it too much for you or the baby? Here are some guidelines for save and effective aerobic exercise:
- Talk to your doctor before beginning an exercise program. If you are currently in a program talk to your doctor and make sure that what you are doing is not a cause of concern. Start slow and build up over time.
- Always include a warm up and cool down of 5 minutes each that includes smooth movements and stretching. Exercise in your target heart rate for 15-30 minutes.
- Keep track of your heart rate and stay within your target heart rate range.* If you have a hard time keeping track of your heart rate follow the Talk test.
- Avoid exercises that include a lot of bouncing and jerking. As your pregnancy progresses your joints become softer and injury can more easily occur.
- After the first trimester avoid exercises on your back. The weight of the uterus can restrict blood flow.
- Stay well hydrated before, during and after. Replenish the calories you are using. Your body needs about 300 extra calories during pregnancy. If you are hungry-eat.
- Avoid exercising in hot and humid climates. As summer is approaching take care to avoid outside exercise during the hottest part of the day. Which is all day in Arizona. Consider a gym or find a treadmill in an air conditioned space during the summer.
- Stop if you feel pain. Toward the end of your pregnancy exercise will get harder.
- Vaginal bleeding
- Dizziness or feeling faint
- Pain
- Nausea
- Chest pain
- Headache
- Muscle weakness
- Calf pain or swelling
- Uterine contractions
- Decreased fetal movement
- Fluid leaking from the vagina
*Target heart rate calculations in beats per minute:
Maximum heart rate (MHR) = 220-age
Target heart rate range = 60-80% of Maximum heart rate.
Example if you are 25 your heart rate MHR is 195 and your target heart rate range is 195x.6 and 195x.8= 117and 156.
For exercise recommendations from the American Congress of Obstetrics and Gynecologists (ACOG) click here: http://www.acog.org/publications/patient_education/bp119.cfm
Tuesday, May 10, 2011
Happy Mother's Day
I am going to try and keep this blog mostly educational... mostly. And I should post something heartwarming to make you all teary eyed and thankful for your mothers or to be mothers. But, I am a biology nerd and LOVED this song. Besides, mother's day was like two days ago so I pretty much missed my chance anyway.
Enjoy!
Enjoy!
Tuesday, April 19, 2011
Why should I take a childbirth preparation class?
As a childbirth educator I have an obviously biased view of the question so I will share some of my top answers with you.
1. Knowledge is power–Childbirth is unpredictable. Many women have very positive birth experiences and many do not. For those that do not it usually comes down to one reason: they didn’t feel in control. It could be these women felt out of control because they couldn’t manage the pain, they couldn’t feel anything due to anesthesia, or felt their doctor or nurses were doing things they didn’t want but didn’t know how to say so. In order to feel in control of the situation you need to know what is happening, why it is happening, what the medical staff means when they use words you don’t understand, what medical procedures they are suggesting and what that means to you and your baby.
2. Skills–Most of us have not experienced the kind of pain that compares to childbirth. A childbirth preparation class can provide skills to effectively manage pain. There is no one magic key–not even an epidural–to pain management so it is important to have a couple of tricks up your sleeve to help deal with the pain.
3. Prepare Coach–Knowing what is expected and how he/she can help is essential. If the coach is the baby’s dad and hasn’t experienced a birth setting before it can be a shock, to say the least. My husband said what he wasn’t prepared for was seeing me in so much pain and feeling unable to do anything about it. A childbirth preparation class can teach Dad/Coach skills to help manage pain and effective ways to be a good labor partner.
There are oodles of other benefits like knowing about helpful resources, meeting other expectant parents, the bonding that takes place between couples that are preparing for birth and much more.
1. Knowledge is power–Childbirth is unpredictable. Many women have very positive birth experiences and many do not. For those that do not it usually comes down to one reason: they didn’t feel in control. It could be these women felt out of control because they couldn’t manage the pain, they couldn’t feel anything due to anesthesia, or felt their doctor or nurses were doing things they didn’t want but didn’t know how to say so. In order to feel in control of the situation you need to know what is happening, why it is happening, what the medical staff means when they use words you don’t understand, what medical procedures they are suggesting and what that means to you and your baby.
2. Skills–Most of us have not experienced the kind of pain that compares to childbirth. A childbirth preparation class can provide skills to effectively manage pain. There is no one magic key–not even an epidural–to pain management so it is important to have a couple of tricks up your sleeve to help deal with the pain.
3. Prepare Coach–Knowing what is expected and how he/she can help is essential. If the coach is the baby’s dad and hasn’t experienced a birth setting before it can be a shock, to say the least. My husband said what he wasn’t prepared for was seeing me in so much pain and feeling unable to do anything about it. A childbirth preparation class can teach Dad/Coach skills to help manage pain and effective ways to be a good labor partner.
There are oodles of other benefits like knowing about helpful resources, meeting other expectant parents, the bonding that takes place between couples that are preparing for birth and much more.
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