Ugh and ouch

I wasn't able to get my Monday run in so I decided to do some yoga.  Well Monday (well actually Saturday, Sunday, and Monday) I was in a horrible mood.  Don't ask me why, but I was easily irritated.  I felt awful.  I have been kicked in the ribs for the past 7 weeks, I felt huge and starting to get uncomfortable.  So basically, just plain miserable, so not getting my run in really hurt me.  I did 30 minutes of yoga and cursed the whole time (I did Yoga X to mix it up).  I wanted to get more done, but that just wasn't going to happen.  I have also been eating pretty crappy which also doesn't help.  It makes me feel awful and I lose a lot of energy by not eating well.  It's just one of those things, I have been so good the whole pregnancy, that in the past week, I have just really "relaxed" my eating habits.  I know, that's a terrible thing to do, but that has just been my attitude. 

Well I woke up on Tuesday (which I actually slept pretty well for once) and felt ok.  I dropped Hope off at her Mother's Morning Out program and grabbed my iPod and went for a run.  It has been a while that I ran outside without the jogging stroller.  My plan was to run around 3 miles in my old neighborhood (it is really close to the farmer's market I was going to hit afterwards).  Well from the first step, I could really feel my groin pain, but I pushed through it.  I mean, I am far enough along now, that I am not too concerned about going into labor (I mean it is March).  And being a runner, you learn very quickly to push through pain, or you would never get anywhere, right?  Well the first 2 miles were really good (other than the groin pain).  I mean I was slow, but that was my plan, just a nice easy steady pace.  The weather was wonderful, sunny and 50 degrees.  Of course, by mile 3 I had to pee, so it slowed me down and started to irritate me some, but I finished 3.11 miles which was at least faster than my jogging stroller times (yeah, you will never know exactly how slow I am). 

But the rest of the day, my mind felt much better.  I wasn't irritated or easily set off like I was the day before.  I got a lot of nesting done afterwards too, which was good.  But my groin pain was pretty bad the rest of the day.  So bad, that I don't think I will be able to run today (which I had planned to do).  I think I might try the elliptical trainer, if I can motivate myself enough to do it.  It's hard.

I am also getting uncomfortable, something that is new for me.  My little Hope was smaller (although not much smaller) than this one and I was on modified bedrest so I was forced to not do much and encouraged to eat all that I could, so I don't think the weight gain affected me as much.  Now here I am 8 1/2 months pregnant and have a toddler and not on bedrest and I don't know what I should be doing and what not to do.  It's like it's my first time.  And because of this, my patience is shot and I am easily irritated.  I probably should be resting more, but if I rest how will everything get done.  For moms out there, how did you feel those last few weeks and how did you take it easy or did you?  What did you change about your routine, whether it be your workout routine or your home routine? 

Still truckin' along

No signs of labor, but that is probably a good thing since it is still a little early.  My to do list is getting shorter, which is good, but we still have some big things to do to get ready for the baby.  Some of the big jobs include putting the car seat in the car and packing my bag for the hospital and Hope's bag for her stay with relatives.  The other stuff is minor.  We have almost completely finished the baby's room.  Once we do, I will get some pictures for ya'll.  I am very excited about the nursery.  I think it has turned out really great, better than I had planned, which is very exciting.  I made 5 freezer meals over the weekend (2 baked ziti's, 1 tamale corn casserole, 1 veggie chili with browned ground beef cooked off separately for Adam, and 1 cheese enchilada recipe) and sterilized bottles and breastfeeding stuff.  Adam and I have gotten pretty productive over the weekends which is good. 

Of course, on the other side, I am starting to get nervous, not about the baby itself, but about labor and delivery.  I did not have an epiderual with Hope and that is my plan again.  Of course, this time, we did not take any classes, or I feel a little unprepared.  The good news is that I am still working out which usually helps with stamina, endurance, and speed of the labor (something I didn't have last time since I had to stop working out at 26 weeks).  I just hope we remember everything when the time comes. 

I am still running, but last week I only got in 3 runs instead of 4.  I just ran out of weekend time this past weekend.  I am hoping to get at least 3 runs in if my jobs keep piling up on the weekends.  Adam and I are hoping to do something fun this weekend, which I am very excited about. 

Well just wanted to update you on my status.  Not much has changed.  Just chilin' now.

Surprise!

On Saturday, I thought I was going to my sister's house for a nice dinner.  But it didn't up being a Surprise Baby Shower for #2.  I was shocked.  My sisters had asked if I was going to have a shower earlier in the pregnancy, but I said no, because it's not a tradition in the South to have a baby shower for your second child.  I didn't registry or anything.  I was so surprised when I walked in and saw everyone there.  It was so nice of my sister to do that for me.  

The happy pregnant couple

Hope even had a friend to play with.  One of our friends has a son 5 months younger than Hope and he was there.  They had a blast playing and running around together. 

The weather was wonderful and we were able to enjoy the shower outdoors most of the time.  I felt so special that night and felt the love that baby #2 has. 

Here is me and my sister chatting it up at the shower.  Yes, she is a redhead. 

 And every good shower ends with Just Dance.  Go Hope!  And she got a new princess dress from Disney World via her grandfather.

And then Hope was pooped and just wanted to watch the others dance.

And here is an 8 month pregnancy pic.  I know I haven't posted any pregnancy pictures, but here I am at 8 months.  Yes, I do currently have an outie and Adam hopes it becomes an inny after the baby is born.  Please ignore the butt.  It has grown as well. 

I fought the run . . .

And the run won.  Yesterday, I had set out for a run outside with the jogging stroller.  We were going to run to the library, get some books and come back.  There are several routes to get to the library, but I thought we would do the longer hilly neighborhood route on the way there, and then the more direct flat route (on a busier street) on the way back, so 2/3 of my run would be complete before we got to the library.  Well being 8 months pregnant and pushing the jogging stroller up some of these crazy hills, well let's just say it was bad.  It was embarrassing.  I must have looked pretty funny at the passersby.  I was pretty spent afterwards too (3.6 miles total btw).  It really got me thinking.  When do I call it quits on running during pregnancy.  I only have a few more weeks left.  Do I keep on going or do I change it up and just walk or do the walk/run thing?  I feel so privileged to have been able to run for this long.  With Hope, I had to stop all workouts at 26 weeks, so be able to run at 8 months is great.  But my energy has taken a dive in the past couple of weeks and I haven't really compensated for that.  At night, I just hit a wall and can't do as much as I used to.  My dinners have not been impressive.  I feel like I am in new territory with this whole exercising late in pregnancy thing and I am not sure when enough is enough.  Thoughts?  Advice? 

Update: Back from the OB, re: running

Well I had my regularly scheduled OB appointment today so I wanted to bring up my groin pain with her.  She asked a few questions about it and when I mentioned that it lasted the rest of the day and sometimes into the next day, she thought it probably wasn't just round ligament pain, but the stretching of the ligaments down there.  She suggested cutting back on my miles (NOOOOOOO) and listening to my body.  She is afraid that the stretching might cause contractions and then lead to bedrest (NOOOOOOO).  So I didn't run on Wednesday at all.  I actually took the day off because I had a terrible headache (probably just hormone related).  On Thursday, I did 40 minutes of yoga.  So today, I was feeling pretty good, so I took the jogging stroller, loaded Hope up (all bundled of course), and decided to hit the road.  I was running at a easy pace and listening to my body.  I was able to get most of the 3 miles before I really felt anything on the groin area.  After I finished, my groin felt better.  I haven't had any groin pain the rest of the afternoon, which is good.  I think I am going to slow down my pace and see if that helps.  I was doing some intervals on the treadmill for about a month now, but I think those days are over until after the baby comes.  I am happy that my pain was much less today and hoping I can continue to run for a little longer.  Of course, there is no way I will be posting any of my times.  They are awful and are about to get even worse, but hey, at least I am still running.

New shoes and new pain

But they are not related.  My shoes were on sale back in early November so I had the hubs order them for me for Christmas.  They are the Wave Creation 11's but I got such a good deal, and I am not one who wants the newest shoe anyway.  Well I broke them out yesterday for me 1st road run of 2011, a hilly 5k in the neighborhood. 

The shoes felt great.  I love them!!!  See how white they are!

Unfortunately, have developed some groin pain during and after runs in the past week and a half.  I am not sure exactly what is causing it (other than a growing baby), but I have a doctor's appointment this week, so I plan to ask.  Please pray she doesn't tell me to stop running!

I have inquired on the internet and have found it to be 2 possible things:

1.  More round ligament pain
2.  Pubic Symphysis Diastasis (PSD)

If it's the later, I am not sure I can run anymore.  If it's the former, I might be able to continue to run at least some.  We will see what the doctor says. 

I have been running with a "maternity belt" since I was about 4 months pregnant, but my kind of "belt" (aka cut off panty hose) isn't doing much for my groin area I guess. 

Have you experienced this?  If so, any advice would be greatly appreciated. 

My running these days

So I am still working out, but between the colder temperatures and my growing belly, things are changing.  I was doing 3-4 miles 4 days/week, with 2 of them being with the jogging stroller.  I am not doing 3 miles 3-4 days/week (twice still with the jogging stroller) and incorporating some yoga as well.  If I do not get in 4 days of running then I will do either the elliptical trainer or the stairmaster, just to give me belly a breather. 

The only way I can run now is with some support.  I was getting a lot of round ligament pain early in my pregnancy so my OB recommended a maternity belt, or just cutting off some panty hose and using that.  Well the maternity belts aren't cheap, so I thought I would start with some panty hose.  Works like a charm!  I have had no problems with the round ligament pain if I am sporting my "maternity belt," but if I forget it, then I am in trouble.  I can't run.  Now I can still do my other exercieses with a maternity belt, so I don't have to wear it every time I work out, just running currently. 

I started working in some yoga as well once I hit about 5 months thinking it would be good to get some sort of strength training in, as well as help breathing and focusing (things that are important during labor and delivery).  My goal is to do it twice a week, once for just 20 minutes and then again for 40-45 minutes.  I have been using the OnDemand ExerciseTV yoga videos (for free) to get a variety of sessions in. 

So last week was hard with my workouts because the hubs and I were up late most nights getting the house ready for Christmas and my Annual Holiday Cookie Swap party, so I was very tired and very busy, but the week before looked like this:

Monday - Ran intervals on the treadmill (3.2 miles total)

Tuesday - Ran 3 miles outside (without jogging stroller), 20 minutes of yoga

Wednesday - Ran 3 miles on the mill (easy)

Thursday - 40 minutes of yoga or Rest

Friday - Ran 3 miles with the jogging stroller

Saturday - Ran 3 miles with the jogging stroller

Sunday - Rest

So I am resting 1-2 days a week and as it becomes 2 days of rest more often, I will probably cut my running back to 3 days a week as well.  So that is what a 6 month pregger is doing on the pavement these days.

My Thanksgiving Holiday

Well as much as I would like to say that my Thanksgiving Holiday was fun and relaxing, I can't.  I have not been feeling well since Wednesday.  Let me give you the recap.

Well I had planned to take off the Wednesday before Thanksgiving off of work so I could do some cooking.  Well I ended up having to go to DC for the day for work. Ugh, I know.

Wednesday - My alarm went off at 4:00am so I could be at the airport in time for my 6:15am flight to DC.  I did go ahead and warn hubby that I would be getting a half caf cappuccino (I haven't had caffeine since I found out I was pregnant).  He joked that I didn't love this baby as much as Hope since I was going to drink caffeine knowingly.  Ha ha ha.  So I made it through security with no problems and luckily there was a Starbucks on the way to my gate.  Score!  I got my coffee and headed to my gate.  Made it to DC with no problems and onto my meeting.  I am not one to ask for special treatment for being pregnant, so I was a little nervous about breaking out snacks during the meeting, but the meeting was from 9am-1pm with no lunch break, and I was hungry at 4am when my alarm went off so I ate breakfast on the way to the airport (Zone Bar, my favorite go to packaged bar breakfast).  Well, I saw someone else break out a snack and she definitely wasn't pregnant (very skinny), so I decided I could too without too much attention.  I had a lot of snacks depending on my cravings and calorie needs.  I decided that since lunch was far off, I was going to eat one of my higher calorie snacks, homemade trail mix (dried cherries, pecans, and walnuts).  I was starving, but the weird thing was that I couldn't finish them, not even close before I became full.  Well about 45 minutes later, I was very light headed (like from being hungry) but didn't feel that hungry.  I thought maybe I needed some sugar so I had a few yogurt covered pretzels.  I felt a little better.  I got to the airport and knew my options for food were limited so I had an egg and cheese sandwich on a bagel at Eintein's with an apple and a sprite. I felt grossy full and then had indigestion the rest of the day and night.  Once home, I only could get down some cereal the rest of the night. 

Thursday (aka Thanksgiving Day) - I woke at 3am with severe upper abdominal pain.  I rolled around in bed for a while.  Hope got up at 7:00am, but Adam told me to stay in bed and rest.  I slept a little, but then got up at 8:30am, still having some pain.  I made my way to the couch downstairs and told Adam that my stomach pains felt like when you have a stomach bug, but I wasn't nauseous.  I tried to rest some more, but my stomach hurt too much.  Adam made his famous french toast, and I was able to eat a little, but not much.  I finally got Hope down for a nap when I then tried to nap again, but my stomach just hurt too bad.  I decided to get up then and start my cooking (apple, squash, and leek soup (from Vegetarian Times Nov/Dec issue), apple walnut salad with cranberry vinaigrette (my recipe is slightly different but very similar) and pumpkin bread pudding with homemade dulce de leche ).  Adam argued with me to rest but I couldn't and I thought needed to get these foods done (little did I know there was going to be so much food there, no one would have noticed if I had made anything or not).  Adam helped with everything and we got it done so I could rest for all of 15 minutes before we needed to get ready.  Oh well.  We got to my dad's house and I realized the only thing I had eaten all day was half a piece of french toast and it was after 4pm.  I was a little hungry, but considering I am 5 1/2 months pregnant you would think I was starving.  I had a few pita chips with jalapeno hummus and some hot apple cidar.  Dinner time - I opted to just eat the sides and not worry about making myself a main course.  I had my soup, salad, green bean casserole, mac and cheese, ambrosa, and sweet potato casserole.  I couldn't finish my dinner and I thought I was going to pop.  I did manage to get a little dessert in me (the one I made).

Friday - I woke up feeling ok, but definitely not hungry.  I got up with Hope at 8am (thank you child for sleeping in) and let Adam sleep in a little.  I talked to my sister and she was nearby doing her Black Friday shopping.  Adam got up and I left to meet her and do some shopping.  I ate a biscuit leftover from Thanksgiving with some butter like spread on it and was off.  I shopped until 1:00pm and came home.  Wasn't very hungry but ate some vegetarian stuffing my dad made just for me for lunch.  Couldn't get a lot down, but I tried.  At 4:30pm, I was on the couch again in pain and now very nauseous.  I didn't know what was happening but I didn't feel well at all.  Couldn't eat dinner at all so Adam made a run to buy my saltines and ginger ale.  I did manage to eat a few crackers and drink most of the ginger ale.

Saturday - I couldn't do much, but I did call the on call OB and ask her what was going on.  I was pretty sure nothing was going on with the baby, but you just never know.  She said it could be acid reflux, so Adam was back at the store talking to the pharmacist.  He recommended a double dose of pepcid twice a day.  I had my first dose with breakfast and then around 3pm, I was on the couch again.  I finally went upstairs and was able to fall asleep for a little while (I didn't want to take my second dose so early).  Adam's last regular season football game wasn't on tv here so we had decided to go out to watch it.  I took my second dose right before we left and felt ok, but not sure if I wouldn't have if I didn't.  I didn't eat too much, snacked on Hope's grilled cheese and fries and Adam's nachos, but came home early to put little Hope to bed (and myself). 

Sunday - Well so far, my stomach has been ok.  But with my lack of an appetite, I have such little energy to play with Hope and get jobs done around the house.  A quick search online looks like the baby is up in my stomach region and squashing it.  Awesome!  I am not even 6 months pregnant and already Junior is giving me pains.  I have been able to get some cereal down this morning and my stomach is ok, not great, but at least I am not on the couch.

So my Thanksgiving has been less than desirable.  I want it all back so I can enjoy it more.  I think I am probably the only pregnant woman who actually lost weight over the holiday.  Has anyone had this happen to them?  What is it?  Does it pass quickly?  Is it acid reflux (sorry I have never had acid reflux so I have no idea what it would feel like).  All I know is that at times, it's severe pain.  HELP!!!

Cravings

Ok, so I am almost 4 months along.  I thought I would update you on my pregnancy and some of my "cravings."  Now by cravings, I am not making anyone run out and get me anything or even myself, but since I dictate what we have for dinner and do the grocery shopping, I am picking things I like.

1. Pasta - And I am not a huge pasta fan, but Adam is so he is not complaining
2. Tomatoes - I like tomatoes and always have, but I can eat a tomato everyday right now.
3. Fruit - Yum and I am not picky about fruit.  Today I dug into an organic red pear from the farmer's market and it was so yummy and juicy. 
4. Sugary cereal - I am trying to limit this because I don't want sugary cereals in the house, but I slip in a box every now and then.
5. Cheese - This should probably have been number 1, at least in the 1st trimester (not as much anymore but worth documenting, but gooey cheese was my number 1 craving with Hope as well.  Actually a lot of these are the same.  I don't know if that means I am having another girl or if it's more a personal thing with my body.
6. "Junk" food in general - I definetely want more junk food than before I was pregnant.  Granola bars dipped in chocolate, baked cheetos, and cookies.  I even have plans to make homemade shortbread cookies with homemade icing for Halloween and caramel apples with Hope. 
7. Smoothies - Since it's been so warm, again in the 1st trimester, smoothies are a great breakfast and have them at least twice a week.  My go to smoothie right now is a Green Monster smoothie.  This way I get some veggies in (veggies will not be named as a craving)
8. Racing!  Fall is the perfect time to race, but since I am pregnant and not sure how this pregnancy is doing to go, I haven't raced.  I just talked to my OB at my 16 week appointment and she thought I would go ahead and some small races while everything looks good.  I had plans to run a small 5k on Saturday that allows jogging strollers, but Hope has come down with a virus (maybe the flu) and has had a fever since Wed. night so it looks like this craving is going to have to be put off for at least another week. 

So what do you think of my cravings?  Am I having a girl or a boy?  Only time will tell. 

What, no races???

So that last race I ran was on July 4th (Peachtree Road Race). So what do I have in store for next??? Well, there are no races in my future because I am 3 months pregnant! We found out a couple of weeks after I ran the Peachtree, and while I know a lot of people who run while pregnant (myself included, I ran the Peachtree almost 6 months pregnant), Adam and I have decided to restrict my running while pregnant. Not only was it difficult to get pregnant with Hope, but at 26 weeks Hope was diagnosed with IUGR. At that point, I was put on modified bed rest the rest of the pregnancy and if Hope showed distress at any point (I was seen twice a week at that point), they would deliver her. Very scary for a new mom to think she might have a child delivered at 29 weeks. Needless to say, I stopped working out. I had been very active up until then. Well Hope was delivered at 38 weeks, 6 days, via induction because she wasn't growing anymore on the inside. She was a healthy 6lb. baby, but it was determined that I had a small placenta and Hope was not able to get enough nutrients. So at 26 weeks, Adam started making me milkshakes every night (that part was pretty awesome) and feeding my constantly (not so awesome). I ended up gaining more weight than I had hoped (luckily it all came off though). So that is the long version as to why no races in my near future. Of course, if there is a 5K, I could probably swing that, but nothing over that.

I am feeling ok. The first trimester was rough. I was nauseous and extremely tired. Actually I am still very tired; I could sleep all day and all night if someone would let me. The nausea was subsided. In the first trimester I also had that whole nothing sounds good feeling, so I started my day off with Green Monsters a lot (plus a way to get some veggies in my diet).

This pregnancy has been very similar to my first, which is nice because I know what to expect. This time though I am limiting myself in the exercise category in hopes that I will be able to continue exercising throughout the entire pregnancy. I limit myself to just 15 miles a week (about 4 days) and 2 days of cross training (right now it's tennis). Some of my running includes pushing Hope in her baby jogger, so while it may only be 4 miles, it certainly feels like more. I am trying to fit some yoga in there too, but it's hard with a toddler. :)

Any tips on second pregnancies? Any books on getting the first baby ready for the second? I think Hope will be fine. She is very loving with her dolls, but I guess you never know.