Easy Pregnancy 101

My first post was a little heavy, I realize, and it also didn't delve into the full pain and healing I experienced...that will come and go throughout my posts. I did feel that you, the reader, needed to understand where I have been in order to appreciate what I will be sharing with you going forward.

As I write this, our squirmy, happy, sweet baby girl is playing with a favorite book on my lap. It truly is a miracle and an amazing, indescribable feeling of love to be a mother.

I was fortunate enough to have an extremely easy and fun pregnancy with our Z. I experienced no complications and only really had complaints towards the last few weeks because of loose ligaments and inability to sleep the whole night through (couldn't get comfortable and peeing every few hours).

Some of the highlights which attributed to my easy pregnancy were...

...having been in the best physical shape of my life the year leading up to conceiving Z. For physical activity, I was an avid runner, avid yogi, played my work league flag football and softball, lifted weights to build lean muscle mass, practiced some barre and TRX. I worked out at least three times a week, if not more. I found a consistent way to motivate myself - I would go to a 5:30am class at my local studio (varied based on which day I had enough energy, but was either yoga, barre, or TRX) once a week. Whichever day we had our work league sport, that would be my exercise for the day. And most every day after work, my hubby or I would be the motivator to the other to get our butts to the gym or go out for a run (or jog, as he calls them - we still have a friendly banter about the difference. I swear a jog is a slow pace and a run is going for speed). I did my hot power yoga right on up to three days before Z was born - my ujjai breathing and yoga practice were lifesavers for the 36 hours of back labor (I don't wish back labor on my worst enemy... more on the labor story in another post).

...drinking at least three liters (yep, you read correctly) of water a day, if not more.

...eating my "rabbit food", as my hubby calls it. Rabbit food was usually: a spinach or arugula based salad typically for either lunch or dinner daily during the week; making healthy dinners for us with chicken, salmon, shrimp, or crab as the protein base; cooking with no salt (except in bakes goods); making myself green and fruit based smoothies occasionally with Greek yogurt to add in more dairy; eating Greek yogurt for lunch daily; eating a fruit for lunch daily during the week, at least; and starting out my day right with a hearty bowl of shredded wheat (getcha fiber!) and coffee - after drinking a 16oz glass of water upon waking.

...taking pre-natal vitamins (I swear by Nature Made) and magnesium pills, even before I got pregnant. I started my pre-natals once I went off birth control in anticipation of us trying to start a family.

...getting up to walk at least every hour during the work day, if I could. I have a desk job, and those liters of water I would drink definitely helped get me moving, if only to visit the restroom or to refill my water bottle.

...taking advantage of every social event with close friends and family and taking some big trips with my husband (We also had traveled a lot pre-pregnancy). Hubby and I did a lot of spontaneous things (hello truck bed camping at the beach!).

...using sunscreen whenever I was doing something outside.

...and lastly, be generally very happy and content with where I was in life. I knew I wanted kids and to be a mama, but I loved the life the husband and I had. I did start to feel like I needed a new "hobby" to take on around the time I got pregnant with Z. She filled the hole I was starting to feel in my life and I'm content with life at the moment.

I am sure my genetics and overall body type helped a lot with my pregnancy as well.

That's it for now! ¡Hasta luego!