11.04.2013

eighteen

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this is the third time i've sat down to type this post. the first two attempts were me complaining about a number of things, which is fine i suppose, but i figured i might try again with a bit of a more positive attitude.

i have already gained more weight than i would like but i decided this morning to get things back on track. instead of giving up (which has been my bad attitude lately) i'm going to make the changes in my diet that are necessary. i truly wish i was one of those women that just naturally stay thin during pregnancy but i'm not. i have to work extremely hard to not gain a lot of weight. perhaps you think i'm exaggerating? well, with my first pregnancy i gained over 70 lbs. the next pregnancy i did really good and only gained around 35lbs but since then it's more like 50-55lbs weight gain. i know this is a very vain topic but i imagine most women are concerned about this to a certain degree. anyway, i'm fully aware of what has brought me to this place and i'm going to make a full blown effort to change. that's where you come in, dear reader. can anyone suggest a good online yoga/exercise site for pregnancy? what type of exercise did/do you do while pregnant? 

in other news, i finally got this book, which i've been wanting for years. i can't wait to make the moroccan sweet potato salad, it's sounds SO good! i also thrifted some great sweaters last week, one i'm wearing above. and... marianne has been fully potty trained for a month now. i'm so happy to be rid of diapers for a few months before it all begins again. lastly, my daughter and i watched The Whale a documentary about a lonely orca whale who befriends a small community on the coast of British Colombia. it was very good, so watch it if you get a chance. 

i hope your week is off to a good start!

♥ anne

10 comments :

  1. Well, I stopped weighing myself at the fifty pound mark with both of mine, and I still had a month to go thereafter, so i know i got bigger, my midwife and dr weren't worried about my weight gain so i wasn't either. And they did make me step on those scales! I guess it is a personal thing whether we worry about it or not? When I was pregnant with Oscar, I couldn't exercise at all, walking hurt, lying down hurt, it all did; so i just got pretty plump. With Mia, I was walking thirty minutes to an hour a day; i didn't drive back then so I had to walk everywhere; and that was my exercise with her. Funny though, it was still the same weight gain, but I looked better. You look beautiful Anne!

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  2. I gain a lot of weight during pregnancy too (nearly 60 lbs each time! though some of it was swelling at the end due to blood pressure). I always envy those 'bump only' women, but it's just not the way my body handles pregnancy, even with yoga and walking daily. Ultimately I just had to embrace it. You're growing a baby and that's a beautiful thing. You look small by the way, and radiant! Enjoy it.

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  3. You look lovely. I want to try that documentary out, thanks! You are not vain, walking/running through my second pregnancy helped me out a ton. And the past year, we try to eat vegan during the weekdays, and treat ourselves on the weekends. ?? Hope that's a trifle helpful?

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  4. sooo not vain, because it is a subject that gets mentioned frequently when you're pregnant, with that whole "healthy" weight gain thing being set at 25-35 pounds (excuse me? who gets to decide and based upon what research and whose bodies? i hate standardized medicine. i really do.) anyway i haven't worked too hard on either pregnancy to NOT gain too much weight as all i want to do is eat and i think about food A LOT. my hips and butt and legs have grown so much both times, what's up with that? is it really because i'm having girls, or i guess it is to prepare us for breastfeeding, some nice fat storage. my friend rebecca told me that from a scientific viewpoint it is much healthier to gain a little more as opposed to a little less during pregnancy, so i stand by that! this time i started out almost ten pounds heavier so i have been a bit cautious since the beginning. not that that means anything except in my head, haha, i have the best intentions to walk and do yoga every day and then i feel like i had a workout just making my bed and starting a load or two of laundry! seriously. scooping up a very active toddler and getting her in and out of the car, stroller, bed, sandbox, etc also adds to this as i'm sure you know! i have a doctor appointment on wednesday and i'll see how much i've now gained, my goal is to get to the same end point that i got to last time which will mean that overall i gained about ten pounds less since i started bigger. sheesh it does all start to feel pretty vain huh?! it is kinda silly when, like mama smith said, you are growing a baby and that is such a huge deal compared to a couple numbers. and i already know from experience that my body will maintain a healthy cushion of weight no matter how much i exercise once i am breastfeeding, for about a year probably. i think it is just genetic. you are looking beautiful and one would never guess that you've gained more than you would have liked because you look absolutely perfect for 18 weeks. i would love to hear your complaint list too ;) i bet i could relate. i find that i am a bit touchier this pregnancy, like literally if a little hair is tickling my face it drives me crazy! hormones do a number on us huh?! no matter if we "love to be pregnant" or not! haha much love and support to you mama, and comraderie. congrats on marianne's potty usage, good going girls! and i can't wait to check out that documentary, sounds amazing.

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  5. I tend to think pregnancy just gets harder as we get older. I did not "bounce back" with Rex like I did with Arlo, so even though my weight gain has been about the same each time, the after effects are not. Takes much more work, which I hate to even think about . . .

    I think you look great though.

    And, I want to check out that book. I like the idea of "simple" in the title. Any complex recipes with too many steps always turn me off. I'll have to look into it this one.

    also, speaking of whales, we watched a great Sundance documentary that CNN aired this month ("blackfish") about the mistreatment and injustices of the killer whales at Sea World. It's pretty crazy the story behind how it all came to be, and the things they keep quiet to ensure those whales keep the big $ rolling in. It's actually totally heartbreaking to watch, but a great Doc. if you can find it online.

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  6. You look great! Think that`s just temporary and for the best reason!
    Big kiss

    aliceinbo2.blogspot.com

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  7. You look so lovely and (based on pictures) it seemed like you didn't have too much trouble shedding your Marianne weight last time around (hurray for big girl potty-trained Marianne by the way). I of course have absolutely no advice to offer, except to say that I don't think it's vain not to want to gain lots of excess weight. Frankly if I suddenly gained 55 lbs in one less than a year period I'd be pretty miffed. I have a feeling that I'd be a weight gaining momma. I've always been pretty solid and never really "thin" and I gain weight pretty easily. So should we ever go down that path I'll be the first soliciting tips. That documentary sounds really good. It's right up in our neighborhood.

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  8. You look great!! I always gain a lot when I'm pregnant and I just have to accept that that's the way that my body does pregnancy and try to not let it stress me out. Easier said than done, of course :-) But you look wonderful and you're doing the incredibly amazing work of making a little human right now.

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  9. Oh, you do look so so beautiful! But I know our bodies are totally hijacked for 10 months... more if you breastfeed after! I walked a lot during each pregnancy, but I think I was majorly stressed- I had the opposite problem and was constantly hounded by my OB (never my midwives... huh) to gain more weight or the baby would be doomed, etc. I think our bodies do handle pregnancy differently. And yes to the bouncing back comment- it seems harder with each pregnancy, I think! Hang in there, lady!

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  10. Each body is special and Unique and has it's own requirements for growing babies. With that said, I'm a prenatal yoga teacher and highly recommend going to a group class as the support and community is well wroth it. But I understand that there are many reasons for not attending a group class, so to supplement you might check out yogaglo.com It costs $18 a month but has unlimited yoga classes including great classes for prenatal. Plus, since it does cost I think it makes you feel like you actually have to do it. You might look for some prenatal yoga dvds at your thrift stores. One good one to keep your eyes peeled for is, The New Method Baby & Mom Prenatal Yoga. It's mostly white cover with a women in a black and red 90's workout outfit lovingly gazing at her baby bump. Don't let the cheesy cover sway you though it has great exercises and mantras for pregnancy. You can of course search youtube for videos but I've found some not so great videos mixed in with good ones. The general rules for practicing during pregnancy are; no compression on the belly so nothing laying on the stomach, no closed twists, or deep backbends, be careful in forward folds. Some core work is acceptable and good but nothing extreme, like sit-ups and such. Let me know if you have any questions about this.

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thank you so much for stopping by. please feel free to leave a comment! i love reading them :)


anne