Exercising During Pregnancy

Back at the very beginning of this pregnancy I was going to write a post about my goals for this pregnancy.  But in typical fashion I didn't get around to it.  But that has worked in my favor because I would have had to come back & post about my failure to keep any of those goals.  All-day nausea while taking care of a toddler kinda put a stop to my goals. 

One of those goals was that I was going to exercise everyday or at least nearly everyday of this pregnancy.  And I think at first I made the attempt but walking on the treadmill.  But then nausea set in & I just couldn't get myself off the couch.  It was a drastic change going from running 20+ miles a week to nothing at all. 

I had read that exercise could help with nausea so I thought I'd give it a try.  It wasn't easy but after a few minutes I didn't feel sick anymore.  And for maybe an hour after I was done I felt good. 

Walking also helped a little with my insomnia.  I could wear myself out just enough to help keep me extra tired for bedtime.

I can't say I haven't put on weight though.  But it was bound to happen.  But I can tell that I haven't put on as much weight on my thighs & butt as I did with my last pregnancy.  The maternity jeans from that pregnancy still don't fit me really well despite now being 35 weeks.

And now that I'm determined to do a truly natural birth I've got an extra push to keep walking.  It helps keep my sciatic pain at bay & prevents me from waddling.  Who knows?  Maybe it'll help from staying pregnant all the way to my due date.

I can't say this was an easy routine to get into.  It really took me till the 3rd trimester to find a time of day that works, which is 11:00 during Sesame Street.  Shaylin can sit on the couch & watch her show & the treadmill is set up where I can easily keep an eye on her.

I've started adding in some yoga after my walks.  Netflix has a program called Yoga Mama geared towards pregnancy.  I'm doubtful that any of the women on the video are as far along as I am & they seem to have been doing yoga for a while, even before getting pregnant.  I'm still not very flexible & the backs of my thighs are extremely tight but after just a couple weeks it's starting to get a little easier & I can definitely see where it's helping my hips.

So for anyone that's pregnant or hoping to get pregnant, whether it's your first time or 4th time, I would highly recommend finding some kind of exercise.  It really will pay off.

Going Natural

I've been wanting to blog & was determined to blog about something today while I had the chance.  But about what?  I finally settled on yet another pregnancy-related topic - natural birth.

People have different definitions of what "natural birth" is to them but to me it's simply a vaginal birth with no drug intervention. 

Last time I was hoping to go natural but was at peace if I decided that I needed help, either with getting contractions to come along or an epidural to ease the pain.  This time around I'm still telling myself that it's ok if I can't do it & that I'll still be a good mother no matter what happens but I really, really want to do this natural.

When I went into labor with Shaylin, it started with my water breaking at midnight.  It took 3-4 hours for any contractions to start.  And when I checked into the hospital (this was before contractions had started) I was barely 1 cm dilated & 0% effaced.  About 16 hours after my water first broke I caved & asked for pitocin & epidural.  Only then had I reached 4 cm.  I felt so pressured that I was going to have to have a c-section that I was willing to have the pitocin to get things going.  And I knew that as bad as my contractions were once they had finally started (LOTS of hip & lower back pain) I wouldn't be able to handle the intensity of labor without the help of the epidural.  That was around 4pm & at 11:38pm, after 1 1/2 hours of pushing, Shaylin was finally born.  The pushing took so long because the epidural was very strong & only turned off right before they told me to start pushing.  So I felt nothing & couldn't figure out how to push.  Once I started feeling pressure & actually felt contractions I knew when to push & she came right out.

That was a Saturday night.  We didn't get to leave until Tuesday afternoon because they wanted to be sure Shaylin was ok since she was in there so long after my water broke (23 1/2 hours).  The day before leaving I started getting a headache.  They tried things like Tylenol & Aleve but they barely gave any relief.  They thought it was sinus related because of the weather change but that didn't make sense to me seeing how I'd been cooped up inside for 3 days already.  The next day it got worse & a nurse saw me break down while trying to nurse my screaming baby & started to assume it was PPD (post-partum depression).  But it was the headache.  Finally they said it could be from the epidural & recommended doing a blood patch to fix it.  Basically it was like the epidural left little air bubbles in my spinal column & that was causing the headache.  So to fix it they had to draw blood from my arm & inject it in my spinal column, doing it just like an epidural.  That experience alone was so stressing with it taking 3 nurses to get the blood & my newborn crying but not allowed to leave the room.  But once it was done it was instant relief.

I tell that whole story to show why I want to go natural, particularly epidural-free.  I realize my experience doesn't happen all the time but I don't want to chance it. 

Some people seem bothered by women that are pro-natural birth.  They say it's wrong for them to want to prove to themselves & other women that they can do it.  I say why not?!  What's the difference between that & a runner who decides to attempt a marathon just to prove to himself & others that it can be done?  At first I told my doctor that I thought since I've run a marathon that I can go through labor naturally but he said really it's the other way around.  Oh well.

So that's my plan so far.  I'm really hoping my water doesn't break so early this time so I can labor at home for as long as possible & then when I get to the hospital continue doing things like walk or use the tub or shower for pain relief.  Unless he's sick or out of town, my doctor should actually get to deliver this baby & that alone will make this experience better & better my chances of staying natural.

2 Years Old

My whole life I've heard "grown ups" say how fast the years go by & how quickly kids grow up.  They couldn't be more right! 

Shaylin turned 2 last Monday & every new sentence she says or new skill she learns just amazes me because I'm so certain she's still just a little baby.  But she's not.  She's a big girl now.

Her speaking ability is great.  We've made an effort to not talk "baby talk" to her & can see the pay off.  When she's learned to say a word but it's not said correctly we don't just start saying it her way, despite how cute it can be sometimes.  We just continue to say it the correct way & she eventually gets it.  She can easily put together 4-word sentences.  There may be 5-word sentences but my pregnant brain can't think of any at the moment.  Here are some of my favorite things she says:

"What happened?"
"Did you hear that?"
"What's that noise?"
"Good morning."
"Momma, play?"

She's got the questions down as you can see.  She's also very polite.  She will say "thanks" or "thank you" for just about anything you give her or do for her without us having to tell her to say it.  She says "sorry" for the slightest bump into you.  And if you sneeze she'll say "bless you".

She can jump off the ground & loves to climb on everything.  Unfortunately this means that she figured out how to climb out of her crib.  It hasn't happened a whole lot & she's never gotten hurt so however she's doing it she's doing it safely.  This week she's going to be moving into a new bedroom & a twin bed so the issue of staying in bed is just going to get worse.  But it's time, especially with her sister due in just 2 months!

Shaylin continues to be a great eater.  The things that she's picky about or doesn't like are so few that they're not worth a fight.  Her newest favorite food is pickles.  Yet she doesn't like rice.  Crazy kid!  Breakfast is always easy.  She loves pancakes, eggs, toast, & french toast.  Most of her lunches are pb&j's, grilled cheese, or quesadillas.  She always has a fruit with lunch which is either a banana or peaches.  She's starting to like grapes but I'm hesitant to buy them until I know she'll really eat them.  For dinner I try to always feed her whatever I've made for me & Jeremy.  The exceptions have been soup nights, just because she's not quite skilled enough with the spoon for me to want to deal with that mess.  But if it's some sort of pasta dish she will gobble that right up.  She's pretty good with most veggies.  She prefers her potatoes mashed than any other form.  She loves corn & carrots (as long as they're not crunchy) & green beans (except in green bean casserole) & will usually eat broccoli. 

She seems to understand that there is a baby in my belly & we're not just calling my growing belly by Jillian.  She asks to tell her good morning or good night just about everyday.  Sometimes she wants to "see" Jillian which means lifting my shirt so she can talk to her.  And she'll lay her head on my belly to hug her & give kisses.  It makes me so excited to see how affectionate she already she to her baby sister.  I know I'm just going to be an emotional mess when the 2 girls get to meet for the first time.

Baby #2 or #8

This has been on my mind for a while now.  Back when I was pregnant with Shaylin I posted a blog here about how I struggled with how to answer people that asked if she was my first.  Usually I would say that she was my first healthy pregnancy but she was my 7th pregnancy.

This time around has actually been confusing to me.  I tend to refer to Jillian as "Baby #2".  But then I feel guilty calling her that because really Baby #2 came & went in October 2007.  One time while discussing pregnancies with my sisters-in-law, I actually referred to my pregnancy with Shaylin as my "first pregnancy" & immediately I felt horrible.  I felt like I was ignoring the 6 babies before her.

At the same time I don't want to refer to Jillian as my 8th baby because it can seem confusing to people that don't know us.  Or it can just seem like a downer to remind people of our losses.  But it's hard because I can't ignore them. 

So what's the solution?  I have no idea.  I will at least continue to live my life knowing that I have 8, not just 2, babies.

A Few of my Low-Budget Meals

I've been trying to cut back on our grocery bill.  Some weeks are easier than others.  Lately I've done pretty good.  The cooler weather has helped because it justifies making soup (trust me, you really don't want soup in the summer in Texas!) & soup stretches for a lot of meals.  I thought I'd share some of the recipes I've done in case anyone else wants to find ways to stretch our meals, too.

I'm gonna be lazy & post links for most of them.  I've got a toddler & growing another baby so give me a break!

Monterey Ranch Chicken - Ok, this isn't a soup but it was a good find from Pinterest.  What I liked was it called for just 5 ingredients (great for the budget) & they were things I typically already have on hand, other than the chicken.  I used chicken tenderloins & we ate it for dinner & had enough left for lunch the next day.

Blackeye Pea Soup - This is probably Jeremy favorite meal that I make.  Of course, I can't claim to be the creator of it.  I made it last week & added extra sausage.  I think it made it extra filling.  We had it for dinner & both at the leftovers twice.  Shaylin had only a small amount, just some carrots & some beans.  She's not real skilled with the spoon yet to handle soup.

Taco Soup - I haven't made this for us yet this season but I did for a couple in our church.  They said they were going to freeze half of it since it was such a huge amount.  I do plan to make it in the coming weeks so I can save a portion to freeze as a meal after the baby comes.

Broccoli Cheese Soup - I made this last week.  It gave us 3 meals for me & Jeremy (Shaylin finally decided to try it yesterday & ended up loving it).  Being a meatless meal helps make it cheaper.  We ate it with french bread, which helped fill us.  On a note about the recipe itself, I would cut back on the broccoli next time.  It was just a little too heavy on the broccoli.

Bowtie Lasagna - I'll end with another non-soup recipe.  This one is great for so many reasons.  It's cheap (I think I figured it costing about $5 the last time I made it; probably would be more if you don't have some ingredients already), it makes a lot, & it takes very little time to make.  Major winner!

The Beginning of Freezer Meals

One of my goals at some point with this pregnancy was to make freezer meals.  They would most likely be used sometime after Jillian is born.  Going from a family of 3 to a family of 4 may not always go smoothly so I want to be prepared & having some dinners already made that I only have to pop in the oven.

I came across this recipe for breakfast burritos on pinterest (side note:  Can I just say how much I am loving pinterest?!  I'm collecting so many recipes & make-yourself cleaning solutions & ways to decorate my house.)  We love breakfast burritos.  And apparently Jillian is telling me that I'm actually craving breakfast foods with eggs, cheese, & meat.  Also, I rarely get to make Jeremy a real breakfast before he goes to work.  I'm just to exhausted & stay in bed when he leaves.  This seemed perfect because he can just take one out of the freezer & microwave it at work.

I've already tried one burrito & I'm about to eat a 2nd (see, I told you I was craving breakfast food!).  The recipe itself isn't something brand new.  But I like that there are so many variations to do, like adding peppers & onions (if you like them; I don't) or going vegetarian (but why would you?!). 

I sort of halved this recipe.  I already had bacon & sausage on hand but not a whole pound each.  So I just cooked what I had.  And since I didn't have as much meat I didn't scramble a whole dozen eggs.  I did 7.  I didn't weigh the potatoes but I used 5 of them. 

I will likely make this again & try for the full amount.  With what I had I made 6 burritos with bacon & 5 with sausage.  Definitely will need more eggs.  And bacon.  Always need more bacon.  But still, this is a keeper.

A House Full of Girls

Yep, that's what my husband gets to live with!  And I'm including our 2 female dogs.

It's another girl for us!  We went in really kinda expecting to be told it was a girl so it wasn't a big shock.  And this little girl was much more cooperative than her big sister so the reveal was much less dramatic. 

Her name can finally be revealed, too.  Her name is Jillian Grace.  And, no, we're not trying to stick with S & J names.  We simply pick names that we like.  The name Jillian originally came on the radar for us back when we used to watch The Biggest Loser.  One of the trainers was named Jillian.  We don't necessarily love her but we loved her name.  And we've wanted to use Grace for a middle name but never felt that it fit with Shaylin's name. 

I'll confess that for a brief time I started second-guessing this name.  I just wasn't sure I loved it.  But then I heard a TV character with the name & I started to like it again.  And now that we've revealed it & gotten such positive feedback about it I'm even happier that we stuck with it.