What's My Life Like at 7 Weeks Postpartum?

Today Calvin is seven weeks old. Unbelievable. I hear parents say it all the time, "time flies, they grow up so fast!". I can definitely say the same. Other than the nightmarish bout with reflux, Calvin is still a very healthy, growing boy at 10lb. 4+ oz. I really think that discovering his reflux was a turning point for us, especially myself. The first six weeks were probably the most difficult weeks of my life, sprinkled with joy. Calvin was getting progressively fussy. His nap-times were becoming cry-times, instead. It all culminated last Thursday, the day before he turned 6 weeks old. He slept for a grand total of 20 minutes all day long, and if he wasn't eating he was screaming. By 10:00 that night I was in a ball of sobs (literally sobbing!), so frustrated and hanging by a thread. I truly didn't believe I could survive it...I wanted to walk out on it all. I silently vowed no more kids. Scott encouraged me to call the pediatrician the next morning. She was able to see us that afternoon and quickly diagnosed him with reflux...a very common problem with a simple solution-Zantac and Mylanta. HUGE weight lifted off my shoulders. I now knew why he was crying so bad and I had some tools to fix it. As soon as we started giving him some medication and using simple techniques like elevation, he became much happier, started sleeping better, and I kept all my hair. The lesson in all this was that God allowed me to go right to the edge, nearly dangling over it, and then His amazing grace swooped in to console me and give me hope. I just might like being a mom.

Furthermore, I am happy to announce that I already have my body back, for the most part (other than feeling like a bovine eight+ times a day). I am back to all my normal workouts. Last Thursday I got the go-ahead from my doctor to resume all normal activity. Mwah-ha-ha. So what did I do? I went sprinting!!! Oh, it felt so good to stretch my legs out and run as fast as I could. Granted, this was so much slower than I used to be able to run. But, hey, I'm running! I am still very weak, especially my hips, which caused my ankle, calf, and knee to buckle up and cramp on me during my run. (My hips weren't doing as much work as they should have been doing, thus the pain down the rest of my leg.) The funny thing was that when I slowed down and jogged, this hurt way worse. So I sprinted to relieve the pain, go figure. My job is to continue to strengthen my legs and core and keep phasing in the sprinting/running about once a week to be able to run pain free.

So here is what my workouts look like at seven weeks postpartum:

• Working out every other day during Calvin's morning nap. (The baby monitor is really helpful for this.)
• One plyometric workout each week consisting of rapid response jumping drills, hurdle hops, lunge jumps, jumping push-ups, full body power exercise, box jumps, etc.
• One traditional strength training workout with free weights/bodyweight. This workout finishes with some sprints on the spinning bike (which, by the way, is not as painful as I thought it would be!).
• One TRX strength training workout, moving as quickly as possible from exercise to exercise. I sometimes incorporate spinning, jumping, etc. into this workout to get more cardio benefit. Gotta sweat!!
• One sprinting workout on the weekend when Calvin can stay with daddy. These will probably be 15-30 second sprints with rest periods twice as long. The whole workout lasts approximately 25-30 minutes.

This is my workout plan for now. The every other day model seems to work really well. I don't have to think too hard. If I didn't workout yesterday, I have to workout today, and vice versa. I'll keep you up to date on how I'm doing, but so far so good. Now if I can just get rid of this little pooch in front and not have to wear two bras that would be great!

Three Weeks Out and Starting to Move Again...

This Friday Calvin will be three weeks old. I always heard parents say that once their baby arrives they can't imagine life without them. I must agree. I look back to life without Calvin...it consisted of sleep, a "normal" schedule, nobody attached to my frontside every 2 1/2 hours, leisure grocery shopping trips, and regular showers. Survival mode has set in, and I'm eagerly looking forward to our new "normal". BUT, just like they all say, it's so worth it to hold and snuggle my little boy. He is precious and I love him to death!

On the exercise front, I am happy report that I have actually been able to start moving again. Fortunately, my labor was not that traumatic and I only suffered a 1st degree tear, which seems to be healing very quickly. The first week, of course, normal movement was out of the question. I was so sore that anything more than short walks (from the couch, to the bathroom, to the bedroom) was difficult. I could almost actually see my muscle deteriorating. My legs got super skinny really fast, AND the dreaded "mom butt" was making its appearance. Aaaahhh!! Not cool.

By about the seventh day I ventured out for a short walk around the neighborhood. It felt so good to stretch my legs, but it did make me somewhat sore afterward. Two days later, I decided I had had enough of the sedentary life and did one of the easier yoga episodes. It consisted of mostly stretching (downward dog, hero rolling, warrior, etc.), and I was pleasantly reminded of what it feels like to lay in child's pose without having to make room for a huge belly. After the yoga workout (which I treated as a warm-up) I did a series of push-ups, rows, elevated lunges, single leg bridges, tall planks and side planks. This was super quick and not strenuous, but definitely stimulated my muscles. I was actually sore the next day.

Since then, I've done a couple more quick strength training workouts. I'm focusing on rebuilding my strength in the basic/foundational movements. I'm doing push-ups, single leg squats with full range of motion, elevated lunges, planks, side planks, and lots of bridges for my glutes and hamstrings (trying to rebuild my butt--no more "mom butt"!). I'm also walking a couple times a week for at least a mile or two, when the weather cooperates, which has been dicey. I'm definitely not as sore after these sessions as the first few, which means I'm healing and a normal exercise routine is in sight!

I'll probably try to keep up this level of intensity and modes of exercise for the next couple weeks. I hope to be able to phase in jogging (gotta gear back up for my sprints!) and some more intense strengthening. Hopefully more intense than what I was able to do while pregnant.

It's also all about time management, of course. With an infant I can't just spend an hour in the workout room or go galavanting around the neighborhood. My exercise selection has to be highly efficient and selective. I have to get the most bang for my buck, so I'll be choosing exercises that work multiple muscle groups at once, challenge my cardiovascular and muscular systems at the same time, and have high levels of intensity. This way I'll be able to fit in a challenging workout without making Calvin wait for his mom.

I'll keep you updated. I'm excited to get back into it!

Baby Calvin Has Arrived!! Some Things Expected, Some Things Not...

The big day finally arrived!! So much buildup, and I never thought this little guy would ever come. He was due the day after Thanksgiving, November 26, and that was exactly the day he decided to grace us with his presence. And here is the story...

HE'S COMING

I decided to stop working the week of Thanksgiving. I had a feeling it would be incredibly difficult to have nothing to do, but I actually managed to keep myself very occupied. The nesting instincts truly kicked in. I could not stop cleaning everything. In fact, the paneling on my interior doors even got attention. I kept being active as well. After my false labor scare the week before and the subsequent inactivity, I had vowed to do something active every day. I either walked the dogs (about 2 1/2 miles each time), strength trained with the TRX, or did yoga. It seemed to be working somewhat because at a doctor's appointment earlier in the week I was 3 cm dilated.

The morning of Thanksgiving I was really starting to not feel well. I was nauseous, crampy, and was having frequent contractions. Fortunately, my parents were staying at our house for Thanksgiving so we knew that if anything happened we were ready. My mom and I went for a dog walk, and then later that afternoon I decided to try bouncing on my physioball (this was after looking up some techniques to induce labor online...I picked the activity related method, of course). I was constantly having contractions, but when I timed them they were only about 10 minutes apart. They weren't getting closer and sometimes I wouldn't even have one. I finally gave up timing them and admitted to myself that I was psyching myself out.

We had Thanksgiving dinner at our house with my mom, dad and brother. When all the Thanksgiving festivities were over, I got up to get ready for bed. Standing in the bathroom, I suddenly felt a slight pop (almost like Calvin kicked me really hard), and realized I was SERIOUSLY leaking all of a sudden. It wasn't the crazy gush you hear about sometimes, but nevertheless I decided that my water must have actually broken. (This was how I always wanted it to start, actually, without all the contraction timing, etc.)

When I told Scott, the chaos began. We started rounding things up for the hospital, putting my dad and brother in charge of the dogs, giving directions, and knowing I was forgetting something. I was super excited, but really scared at the same time. I immediately started feeling some contractions, this time with pain. Sitting in the car, I started violently shivering. It was so weird, and I never could control it. The shivering continued all the way to the hospital.

FULL ON LABOR

We actually made it to the hospital in about 15 minutes since it was 10:30 on Thanksgiving night. Absolutely no traffic. My contractions were about 3 minutes apart and starting to get pretty strong. Even in the car I was having to focus my breathing on them. There was nobody at the hospital so it didn't take very long to get checked in. It made me laugh because walking up to the admissions desk, the receptionist casually asked, "are we having a baby?" Um, yeah.

When the nurse checked me at first in the room, I was only 4cm dilated. I thought it would be more because my contractions were really getting intense and stacking close together. She asked me if I wanted an epidural, and I told her that I was going to try to do it naturally. Well, two violent contractions with very difficult breathing patterns later I asked for the epidural. I never thought I would get an epidural...this pain was completely different than anything I've ever experienced. It just violently took over.

After requesting the epidural I had to wait about 30 minutes for the anesthesiologist to arrive. Wow, that was rough. My mind was now set on the fact that pain relief was imminent, and I lost all focus. The contractions were so out of control. I actually had to vomit in the middle of one, which was probably the worst experience of my entire life. The anesthesiologist finally arrived and it was like an angel walked into the room. He was surprised that I was only dilated about 5 cm at that point since my contractions were so strong and close together. Sitting through the epidural process was torture...I had to hold completely still through yet another wretched contraction. Once the epidural was in place, I asked the doctor how long it would take to kick in. He looked at me and said, "Well you're having a contraction now...can you feel it?" No. Utterly amazing.

Once I was relaxed, I quickly dilated from 5cm to 8cm in about half an hour. The last two centimeters took about two hours of utter bliss. I couldn't feel a thing. I was able to casually chat with Scott, my mom and my sister.

BABY TIME

When I was finally 10cm at 4:00am on my due date, we decided to try to start pushing. The doctor was on her way to the hospital (the doctor on call was actually the doctor I was hoping would deliver my baby!!). Up to this point labor consisted of about two hours of hell, and an hour and a half of ease. I figured that by 4:30 I'd have my baby in my arms. What I didn't realize was the serious workout I was about to have.

I started pushing with every other contraction at 4:00. I pushed for an hour and a half! I somehow thought that it would take 4 or 5 pushes to get him out. Not so much. This was so much work!! I was a sopping, sweaty, exhausted mess by the end of it all. I have no idea how I would have been able to push for so long if I didn't have the epidural. However, it may have taken longer considering I couldn't feel exactly where I was suppose to push. They finally brought in a mirror, which was weird, but it did actually help. The nurses also said that I was actually TOO strong! I was clenching too hard with everything I had, but not in the right place. Funny how that works.

Finally, at 5:28am on his due date, Calvin Scott Dahlman was born! It was the most wonderful thing to finally hold my little guy and know that I had done it. He was 6 pounds 15.3 ounces and 19 inches long. He was just perfect.

RECOVERING

For the last week my workouts have consisted of sustained isometric biceps curl (holding Calvin), slow eccentric squats (lowering myself SLOWLY onto the couch), and ocular exercises (trying to keep my eyes open). Fortunately, I didn't tear too badly (1st degree), so I feel much better everyday. But I can feel my muscles shriveling away. I know it won't take long to get them back, and I'm really looking forward to being able to workout as before. I can already put my shoes on just fine and sleep on my stomach, which is incredibly promising. It's the simple things...

SOME THINGS EXPECTED, SOME THINGS NOT

Well it's pretty rare that my labor would actually start with my water breaking AND that he would be born on his due date. He's a rare one. But, I did not expect that I would end up getting an epidural and that I would push for so long. I thought with my high pain tolerance and super strong muscles that it would be much easier. Haha. I have a newfound respect for all the mothers out there.

I'm excited to have a perfectly healthy, beautiful baby boy that sleeps well, nurses well, and is gaining weight well. I am incredibly blessed by the whole process and God's incredible providence through all of it. Now for the adventures of motherhood...

Week 39: My Funny/Scary False Labor Week

Today is officially 39 weeks. I never thought this week would ever come. I am well full term and this little guy could arrive at any minute. Yesterday, I had a check-up with my doctor and I am now "a good 2 1/2 to 3cm dilated" and 85-90% effaced, and his head is "right there". She was pretty adamant about the fact that I would most likely start labor on my own, and soon. I asked her about induction, and she said she probably wouldn't let me go longer than one week past my due date considering how "ripe" my cervix is. What I heard from this is that within two weeks I am most definitely having this baby. It has seemed so distant and hypothetical up to this point, but the reality is sinking in. Crazy...

Even though I feel joyous now, there were some dreaded feelings at the beginning of this week. Scott had a yearly convention he had to attend in Yakima, a three hour drive and a mountain pass away. The moment he walked out the door on Monday, my uterus went into top gear and I started feeling contractions all day. Not only was I feeling contractions, but my low back ached with lots of pressure and I felt slightly nauseous. I kept my eye on the clock, loosely timing things and thinking this was the real deal. I almost called the doctor (...still not sure why I didn't, maybe denial). That night I was trying to rest and just relax, but then we had a wild storm that knocked the power out for the entire night. So not only am I panicking because I think I'm going into labor with Scott far away, but I'm scrambling around the house trying to light candles and calm the dogs down. Needless to say, I was not relaxed.

Well, I made it through the night, and after that my uterus seemed to mellow out. For the next 3 days I hung in there, with no more signs of labor. I did, however, halt nearly all my exercise for the week, fearful that it would get things moving along. When training, the chair or stool became my friend. (I'm getting pretty good at verbally describing exercises.) The dog walks have been horribly neglected all week, partially due to crazy weather and partially because a long walk sounds like the automatic "labor start" button. Sorry doggies.

On Wednesday, I did have an hour of "oh well" thinking...long enough to get in a TRX workout. This was my workout, which was probably harder than necessary:

3 sets of the following circuit:

• Deltoid T's, Y's, I's, W's
• Deltoid split raises
• Low chest press
• 3 way rows (low, mid, thumbs down)
• Low chest flyes
• Standing roll-outs

3 sets of the following circuit:

• Sprinter's starts (w/ jumps....I know...)
• Single leg dead lifts 25#
• Sumo squats

This was mostly upper body work, hoping that avoiding excessive leg and core/abdominal exercises would at least spare me. The jumping was fun though, and I couldn't help it.

Last night Scott came home safe and sound. He made it over the pass just fine (the day before it had been closed for several hours!). So, now I am completely ready for this baby to enter the world! No more obstacles in the way. So here's the plan (and I have to say this with a grin on my face because I LOVE to workout): I am going to strength train, do yoga, or go on a walk every day from here on out. Today is my last day at work, otherwise I would be a demonstrating fool. I am giving myself the green light to be gung-ho with my activity...within reason of course - I'm not going to hurt myself. Earlier this week, I was instructed by my friend who was on call for me while Scott was away to "stop doing the splits!!" after she caught me demonstrating a split-like stretch. Haha. Splits, here I come.

We'll see where all this gets me. Hopefully, ultimately a baby. Can't wait to meet you, little man!

Slacker Week/Rest Week...Whatever You Want to Call It

So after my incredibly ambitious 37th week last week, I sort of embarked on a week of minimal exercise. This was not deliberate. It just sort of turned out that way. It reminded me of weeks when I was not pregnant and simply failed to get in all of my workouts. Friday comes around and you've done nothing, but still need to finish at least three or four workouts. Bad move! HOWEVER, I remembered that I'm nine months pregnant and it's probably ok to take it easy now with just two weeks left.

So, this is what I ended up doing this week for workouts: I went for two dog walks (one 2+ miles) and one yoga session. Today, I couldn't take it anymore so I did a TRX workout plus went for a dog walk. It felt good to work my muscles, especially my upper body. I know I'm going to need my arms and shoulders to be strong for when I'm toting around my little guy. This was my TRX workout today:

• Suspended push-ups 2 x 10
• Suspended body saw 2 x 12
• Suspended side planks 2 x 20" hold each
• Deltoid T's, Y's, U's, W's 2 x 5 each
• High biceps curls 2 x 10
• Triceps press 2 x 10
• Deep chest press 2 x 15
• Resisted torso rotation 2 x 12 each side
• Single leg squats 2 x 15
• Banded hip turnouts 2 x 35
• Single leg dead lift 25# 2 x 10

So there you have it. Things are definitely getting difficult. As I was performing this workout, I was also reminiscing about how certain exercises used to be so easy. I long for a lunge, can you believe that? Of all the exercises right now, lunges are pretty torturous when there is a little head lodged between your hip bones.

GETTING CLOSER

I know the statistics say that because this is my first baby, I will most likely be overdue. I'm due two weeks from now but really hope he comes early. Not necessarily because I'm sick of being pregnant (I'm on the verge), but because I really can't wait to meet my son and be a mom.

I have been having more and more contractions this week, and more and more aches and twinges. Every single movement, contraction, and twinge makes me jolt, wondering if it's really it...if my water's breaking or if my contractions are starting to hurt or become regular. I'm being absolutely ridiculous right now and am fully aware of it. I know that in a couple weeks, I'll have gone through labor with my son in my arms and will be finally through it all. The anticipation is overwhelming.

So...maybe this is part of the reason why I'm still moving as much as possible. Perhaps now it will induce labor. I'm not yet to the point of homeopathic remedies (I'll at least refrain until after my due date), but I wouldn't be upset if all my activity put things into motion. We shall see...

Full Term and Still Exercising (& A Video to Prove It!)

Well, today I am officially full term at 37 weeks. Yesterday I had a doctor's appointment and found out that I am already 2cm dilated and slightly effaced. Things are definitely starting to move along, and I will do all that I can to help it. (Although, I know it's not entirely up to me...this baby will come when he is good and ready.)

I am overjoyed to report that I am still able to workout comfortably. My dreams/fears of becoming a couch potato at the end of my pregnancy will not be reality. I can definitely still move. In the last week I have strength trained three times, performed short yoga sessions twice and went for two walks...on top of my normal client training load with many demos all day long.

This does not mean, however, that I'm frolicking through fields of pain-free flowers. Not at all. The stabbing sensations that resonate throughout my entire pelvis are still there. My low abdominal wall (right between my hip bones) feels like a rock. At times I can barely get off the couch without significant pain. I am now experiencing many Braxton Hicks contractions all day long and some menstrual cramp-like pains. Oh yes, and heartburn and nausea all of a sudden. Fun times. But apparently all of this pleasant activity is accomplishing something as I'm already dilated to 2cm. We'll see if I make it to 40 weeks, but I must say I would not be disappointed if my baby boy decided to come a little early.

I have had several requests for a pregnancy workout video. I'm not much of a producer, but I decided to record one of my normal strength training workouts to give you an idea of what I've been up to. The video is about ten minutes long. Here is a list of the sequence of exercises, mostly performed on the TRX:

• Suspended push-ups


• Body saw


• Pikes


• Shoulder split raises


• Chest press


• Low back rows


• Standing roll-outs


• Sprinter's starts


• Banded hip turnouts


• Sumo squats

Click here to see the video. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=efezAbNIQKg

Cravings or Just Bad Decisions? (And other Week 36 Observations)

Throughout my pregnancy I've had a lot of people ask me if I've had any strange cravings. And honestly, I can't say that I have. The only thing I've experienced that may be close to cravings is really wanting citrusy fruits in the first trimester. I couldn't get enough of oranges, lemons, orange juice and the like. This may have had something to do with quelching nausea to some degree.

Other than citrus, I haven't had any abnormal cravings of note. Now this is not to say that I haven't craved certain foods at one time or another. But, I really don't believe this is out of the ordinary for any person, pregnant or not. When you talk with some women about their pregnancy cravings, they usually list things like ice cream, oreos, chips, McDonald's fries, pop-tarts, sugary cereals, etc. Have you ever noticed they rarely list foods like broccoli, carrots, bell peppers, chicken breast, egg whites, etc.? Hmmmm.... I wonder if these are real "pregnancy cravings", or just everyday cravings to eat junk food that we all encounter. I mean, come on, who doesn't crave McDonald's fries every once in a while??

What got me thinking about this was watching an episode of TLC's Baby Story where a pregnant mom was caught eating oreos dunked in milk after a bag of potato chips at 1:00 am. Both husband and wife laughed it off as "those crazy pregnancy cravings". Ok, even if I crave oreos at one in the morning (and who doesn't?), I'm not going to get out of bed and go eat half a bag! Seriously, a little discipline people. And no, baby doesn't want oreos.

I must admit, however, that I have used my increased calorie requirements as an excuse to make poor food choices. Once at a restaurant this past summer, we joked that the seafood fettucine must be the highest calorie choice on the menu, and then what did I end up ordering? Seafood fettucine. Bad choice. Not a craving. I know I can get away with a less than perfect diet because I need more calories, especially from fat. But, the trick is not to go overboard and regret my pregnancy habits when I can't lose all my belly fat a year (or twelve years!) from now. I must ignore the old adage "eating for two" because I'm not really. I'm simply eating for myself plus a little extra...about the amount of half a sandwich more per day.

Disclaimer: I'm sure there have been numerous studies performed on pregnancy cravings, confirming it is a real symptom. I don't fault these studies or say they're wrong. I just think that most pregnant women have gone off the deep end with the findings. Yes, some cravings might be real, but so are bad choices. If you happen to "crave" pop-tarts at 3 in the morning, chances are your body and baby don't need a pop-tart...you're just on the verge of giving in to a food temptation.

OTHER WEEK 36 OBSERVATIONS
Well I'm at 35 1/2 weeks and in the heat of the battle. I'm sore ALL THE TIME. My hips hurt, my back hurts, my low abs are in a vice, and I get shooting pains through my pelvis. Everything is difficult. The worst thing is if I accidentally drop something on the floor...it's going to have to stay there for the next 4 weeks.

I'm trying to keep exercising. But this is reduced now to about 1 or 2 strength training sessions and maybe 2 yoga sessions per week. The strength training is somewhat pitiful (in my mind), but at least I'm still doing it. I'm pretty much ready to be done with this. I'm on the home stretch!!