Fit, Fabulous, and Pregnant-September 2011

Hey ladies! Just popping in really quick for an update. My 34 week appt went well. I ended up only gaining 1lb in the past 6 weeks so I'm up by 26lbs instead of 27. As long as I'm in the 25-35lb range I will be very happy and I've got about 4 to 8wks left so we shall see. The baby's heartrate was still in the 130s and I'm measuring at 33 weeks but my doc isn't concerned at all. She actually said she wished all of her patients were as fit and healthy as I am and that my "abs of steel" will make pushing so much easier and is what is keeping me look so "tiny".... It is nice to hear your doctor talk so wonderful about you that's for sure. I also got my flu shot today as well. Also, she is still head down and the doc said that at this point she is too big to flip around so she is certain that she will be in position when the time comes! Yay!

Amy you look absolutely fantastic!!! I bet most women would die to look like that even without just having a baby! What an inspiration! Sorry to hear Miss Annie has a clogged tear duct, hope she gets better soon.

Holly sounds like you are doing awesome! I think you will like the Mat Method. It is an awesome toning workout. Just make sure to make your arm and leg moves very deliberate and strong and don't be "sloppy" or else you won't get the full benefits. I recommend putting a full length mirror and doing the movements in front of it. It helped me so I didn't have "lazy" arms and lifted my legs higher. Let me know how it goes after your first go

Quick chicken crock pot tip...usually when I have made chicken and reheat it, it gets dry and tastes kinda funny. The only way I've found to avoid this is to defrost chicken breast and add white cooking wine and dry Italian season packet to the chicken. Cook on low for at least 8 hours and then when you store the remainder of it in the fridge pour in the liquid that it had cooked it. It will be so juicy and just flake off when you heat it up!

svgarcia thank you so much for the kind words! I haven't tried the Metamorphisis line Tracy Anderson has just come out with...but I'm sure it is just as awesome as her other workouts. I highly recommend starting with her Mat Workout and going from there. As for the dentist, Holly can give you a better answer but as far as I know everything is safe during pregnancy except the xrays. It is actually highly advised to see your dentist while you are pregnant because yours gums are more prone to infections which can be carried to the baby and cause preterm labor!

Welcome heniko and jchecca! Jump right in! There are lots of Pregnancy forums on MFP but this one prides itself on being active and continuing with exercise (as much as possible) throughout the pregnancy as well as making a serious effort to eat healthy and stay fit. So if that sounds like something that is part of your life, we'd love to have you! This is the second board in September so I'd advise you to scan through the first board as there is tons of info on caloric intake, exercise, etc. We are happy to have you join us!

Ash so glad you like your doc and that you've found a family physician as well. My doc who will be delivering Charlee is also a family physician. I find they are as a whole a little bit more conservative though. Mine is very much supportive of my very active lifestyle and has never once put a restriction on my heart rate. She has said to listen to my body and that if I get dizzy or can't breath then obviously I'm pushing too hard and to back it off a little bit. But besides that she said to go for it! This is a hard one because almost every doctor has a different point of view on the subject. They all agree activity is important during pregnancy, but at what rate? I'm a true believer in staying at the same level fitness wise as you were prepregnancy and adjusting your workouts as things come up (like me not able to do high impact because it literally felt like my boobs would rip off my body they were so big and hurt so bad...tmi sorry). The 120 hr seems really low and I've never come across any research that supported keeping your heart rate that low. Most of the recent research I've found supports going by the rate of perceived exertion and keeping it to where you can carry on a conversation during your workout as opposed to a certain heart rate. I would never give advice that I didn't truly believe in or to tell you to ignore your doctor, but this might be an area where you do your own research and decide what is right for you.

Begianlady my weight gain has slowed down dramatically since I gained so much in the beginning of the pregnancy due to Clomid/Progesterone. My doc isn't concerned at all so I'm not going to stress about not gaining more weight! lol How are those babies of yours treating you?

Ashley sounds like you had an awesome birthday! So glad you had a fantastic day!

Kristen I have the Polar F11 heart rate monitor and I LOVE it! Here is the link: http://www.amazon.com/Polar-Heart-Monitor-Women-Orange/dp/B001AISA0I/ref=cm_cr_pr_product_top Oh and congrats and welcome to the second trimester!

So many people getting u/s soon! How exciting! Must mean there is a large group of ladies close to the 18-22 week point in the pregnancy.

Rayna keep us updated (like you could stay away and not tell us! lol).

So as of lately my ribs feel like they are about to crack wide open! They are so sore and when I push on them I can feel pops in my spine! It is getting harder to breath as well. I keep making heavy breaths and Al has finally stopped asking "What's wrong?" cause he would just get the same answer..."I can't breath!!!" lol I'm hoping she drops soon so my rib cage doesn't break apart and I can finally breath. I'm okay with hanging out in the bathroom if it means I can breath again! I slept absolutely horrible last night so I'm feeling "blah" today. Still gracious and grateful for this pregnancy and my sweet baby growing inside of me...but I'm definitely entering that uncomfortable stage and I'm really getting anxious to meet this little rib breaker!

Have a wonderfully healthy day ladies!

Here are some awesome articles to read:

http://www.fitpregnancy.com/workouts/prenatal-workouts/truth-about-prenatal-exercise

http://www.fitpregnancy.com/workouts/prenatal-workouts/33-reasons-exercise-now


Ash as long as you are staying hydrated and are able to breath (just like any other activity). Here is what I found on high altitudes on the American Pregnancy Association website
"Exercise at High Altitudes and Pregnancy: Some studies suggest a connection between living in high altitudes of 8,000 feet or more and pregnancy complications. Exercise at altitudes over 7,500 feet has been identified as unsafe. Although there are certainly women who live at altitudes above 7,500 feet who have been pregnant, exercised and had healthy babies."
But of course just like anything else there are different opinions on this. I don't worry about this cause I hike in hilly areas not mountains. But if it were me and I was past the first trimester...I'd probably do it. I did go hike in the mountains in Arizona when I was 16 weeks pregnant but I don't think it was over 7500 feet. Use your best judgment.