Pregnancy Update

I didn't post pictures of my pregnancy first go-around, and I probably won't post pictures up to the end this time, simply because I don't like to be reminded of how I look 8 and 9 months pregnant. I know very few people who can pull off looking good with a watermelon belly and an extra 30 lbs.

I do want to post some of the fun and not-so-fun of this pregnancy. In general, I don't mind being pregnant. I fall into the lucky 45% or so that don't get sick in their pregnancy. I have felt a lot more nauseous this pregnancy than the previous one, but I have quickly discovered that I need to avoid taking my pre-natal vitamin on an empty stomach and that small snacks fend off the nausea. I enjoy going to the doctor visits to get a check-up and hear the baby's heart beat. I love that the doctor's visits are so frequent so that I can always ask questions and just feel reassured that the pregnancy is going well. I think I have already felt the baby move, and Matt confirms that he think he has felt it move as well, but I'm not entirely positive. Overall, pregnancy suits me, and I recognize how lucky I am not only to get pregnant, but to have healthy ones (thus far...knock on wood).

That being said, the thing I like least about being pregnant is purely selfish. I hate how it limits my physical activity. I love to be really active, and it's hard to have to slow down. I am still running every day with my sister, but our general pace has slowed down, as well as my times in the mile. Whereas 4 months ago, I could average 7-minute miles (when timing myself in 1 mile), I am now averaging between 8 and 8:30-minute miles. As long as my body will let me, I am still attempting to do long runs on the weekends. Up until 2 weeks ago, I was running 7 miles every Saturday at my usual long-distance pace of a 9-minute mile. These last two Saturdays have been very difficult, however. I have only run 5.5 miles, and have turned the timer off these last two weeks because my times were starting out horrendously after the first few miles. I don't have the ability to push myself faster, and this past Saturday I even had to take a short walking break every 2 miles. It's really hard for me to give up this new passion for running I've developed over the last 2 years, albeit temporarily. It takes a long time to build up to running long distances, so it's difficult to let that slip away knowing it will be a lot of work to train up to again.

Besides running, I'm playing tennis twice a week with Matt as well as some friends on Saturdays, and I hold my own (as the pregnancy progresses, then I'm sure Matt will be able to beat me ;o). We are also playing Ultimate Frisbee still, because it is one of our favorite things to do together. I'm afraid that with 2 kids, it will be a lot more difficult to ever play again though.

Along with the limited activity, I really struggle with the increased cravings and hunger. For me, it's difficult to find a balance between meeting those hunger pains, but not putting on an excessive amount of weight, which is just a pain in the butt to have to work off afterwards. Just like with my first pregnancy, I'm really going to try to keep it around a 25 lb. weight gain. (The first one I gained 30 lbs.) I read in a pregnancy book that you should gain 3 lbs in the first trimester, and then 1 pound per week after that. If I did my math right, it works out to gaining about 28 lbs. Right now, I'm on track with that.

Anyway, so that's an update. Less than 4 weeks till we find out the sex of the baby!