New motivation . . .

I had my first midwife appointment yesterday, and its amazing how the pregnancy is much more real to me now! I feel great about the group of midwives I am using, but am still nervous about trying for a VBAC. And because if this, I've found more motivation to stay healthy during this pregnancy.

During my last pregnancy, I only gained about 30 pounds, which is a healthy amount to gain, with not a whole lot of extra. The thing is, I didn't exercise . . . at all. Well, until towards the end when my husband dragged me on walks at least every other day. I didn't eat very healthfully, either. I ate okay, but I ate mostly carbs in the form of breads, pastas, and fruit. They were what tasted good to me. I had a really hard time standing the taste of most vegetables for the majority of my pregnancy. And I ate a lot of carbs during my last trimester. So why am I mentioning this? Because I had a 9 pound 3 ounce baby who just plain ol' got stuck, hence the C-section. Now, maybe I just make big babies, which could be the case. But I honestly think that part of it was due to my diet and lack of movement. Oh, and I went a week late in my pregnancy, which I've read exercise can help prevent.

So, here's the deal. I have to deliver in the hospital, I have to have constant baby monitoring and an IV, and I have to go into labor on my own (and not a week late). SOOoooo . . . Beyond just general health for myself and our unborn baby, I really want to stay active and eat well to give us a better chance at a smaller baby size, going into labor on my own and on time, and overall a smoother birth. I know some of this will be out of my control, but there is so much evidence that exercise can help in all of these areas, so here's to new motivation! I'll do what I can, and I'll leave the rest up to the Lord.

Movin' on up . . .

I ran two miles today. I don't want to get to any huge numbers as far as mileage goes, but it was nice to go more than my one mile I've been doing lately. Oh, and the yoga video was great, but too slow moving. I want to just write down the poses and add it to the ones I like to do anyway. But it felt really good to do yoga again, and it did wonders for my back. :)

A great site . . .

Here's a great site on Runner's World where moms who ran during pregnancy and/or nursing share their experiences. It's motivating to hear about other women who kept active, how they did it, and how it helped.

http://thepackrules.runnersworld.com/2010/06/running-moms-share-your-tips.html

(Please note - running while pregnant should only be considered if the mom ran prior to pregnancy. But these are still motivating to keep exercising in any way during pregnancy.)