Hospital Bag Must Haves

I just had my handsome baby boy less than 2 1/2 weeks ago...but I wrote this while still at the hospital since it was fresh!


General Musts Haves for Mom and Dad:

1.  Toiletries!  I went to CVS and picked up travel sized toiletries for me and my hubby.  I bought 2 Shampoos, one condition, two body washes, toothpastes, contact solution, face wipes, and hand sanitizer.  The rest I just threw in from the house, like tooth brushes, hair brush, deodorant, and face lotion.  I found that having the small sizes and being able to throw them away was so nice because we are definitely leaving with way more than we came in with.  I also packed my makeup for when people are visiting.  I found it made me feel better to have a fresh face to feel more like myself and pretty.  My hubby had his glasses for when we were hanging out at night.  Daddy bought a razor so bring one haha

2.  DSLR Digital Camera!!!  I suggest showing your hubby some of the pictures you would really want or just seeing what others have captured.  It is a very intense, special, and overwhelming moment and you will NOT have the camera so help him with ideas before hand!

3.  Cell phone charges!

Mommy's Must Haves:

1.  Zip Up long sleeve shirt or sweater.  So I brought just a pull over long sleeve shirt and yes, it is keeping me warm but when I go to feed the baby it is kind of a pain.  I wish I could just unzip it and be able to be more skin to skin with my baby instead of taking it off or pulling it up.

2.  Nursing Tank Top or Tee Shirt.  For the ease of feeding the baby and comfort while you are there.

3.  Comfy maternity sweat shorts.  I brought a pair of old navy black sweat shorts to pull up while hanging out.  They go over those mesh panties easily and aren't tight in anyway.

4.  Sweat pants.  Now I brought yoga pants because I read other blogs saying that is what they did...Mine didn't work.  To tight, not comfy,  the pad and ice pack looked crazy under them.

5.  Nursing Bra or two!!

Daddy's Must Haves:

1.  Zip up long sleeve shirt.  My hubby brought a long sleeve shirt but again he would have liked a zip up so he could do the skin to skin with our baby more easily and not having to be shirtless completely. The nurses are in and out non-stop so he didn't like being shirtless (and his body is rockin ;)

2. Workout pants or shorts for night and hanging out during the day!

3.  A pair of Jeans for when visitors were here.  We had one day of visitors and he wore his pants a little nicer shirt that day!

4. 2 Tee Shirts for hanging out during the day and to sleep in.

5.  A hat!

6.  Socks and tennis shoes or comfy shoe.

Baby's Must Haves:

1.  The going home outfit! I brought a pair of sweat pants, long sleeve onesis with the built in mittens, a NB hat, socks, and a cute blanket.  It was fall here so we did warmer clothes.

2.  We brought our diaper bag thinking we were going to leave it in the car but we ended up bringing it in and packing some of the hospital blankets and stuff in it that they give you.  We also used our own NB diapers at times because we had the ones with the belly button cut out in them which are easier to use for baby's sensitive area.

Things we didn't bring and wish we had:

1.  Our boppie!  We didn't bring our boppie and used pillows but it would have been easier to just have it for feedings instead of stacking up pillows.

2.  Healthy Snacks.  I wish we had brought apples, bananas, or fruit that is easy to pack, nuts, and granola or protein bars.  The hospital didn't really offer all that healthy of food and it was kind of disappointing for us.  We ate kind of crappy for the 3 days.

3.  Advil for dad.  We bought some in the shop at the hospital but it would have been free from home.

4.  An extra outfit for mom and dad that can be left in the car.  We ended up having to spend an additional night at the hospital which we didn't expect.   I had a fever when delivering my baby which gave him a fever and for testing to make sure the baby was cleared to go home and didn't have a virus they made us stay one more night.

...and Of course:

All those must haves like Photo ID, Insurance Card, Car Seat, chargers, etc

I hope this helps!

LP

I Gained How Much?

31 Weeks pregnant now and I have gained 22 pounds! 

I am on track to be within the recommended weight gain range of 28-40 pounds for a female with a  pre-pregnancy  BMI below 18%.  My BMI started at 14% which is definitely low for a female but I workout and eat clean so yes, it is low but I was lean not skinny.  I am thinking I will max at around 33-35 pounds once my baby boy comes!  The normal weight gain range for healthy female with a
BMI of 18-24% is 25-35 pounds.

During my first trimester I gained around 10 pounds, 10 POUNDS!  I was freaking out because they say you should only gain about 1 to 5 pounds in the first 13 weeks.  There was no doubt in my mind I was going to gain a crazy amount of weight and was pretty scared.  It definitely didn't help that I was craving cupcakes and pizza and the thought of a veggie was gross!  First trimester advise, don't over think the weight gain during the first trimester.  You are probably craving weird things or like many are having morning sickness and eating way more carbs than normal like saltines.

Second trimester,  from weeks 13 - 27 I was able to manage my weight gain better.  Even though the gain was about the same as the first trimester, I was starting to be more on track with the recommended amount to put on per week which is 1 pound.  During that 13ish weeks I gained about 8-9 pounds which was actually lower than suggested.  Second trimester advise, it all even outs.  I was no longer craving anything at all and my energy levels were back in full swing.  Trimester one I was still working out as normal but the bad eating did not do me any favors.  Second trimester with my workouts in full swing still the weight was manageable!! Yay!!  I will say that I was doing cardio but not as intense just for the record!

Third trimester,  well I am about 3-4 weeks into the third tri and so far I gained about 3 pounds!BUT, my baby is weighting about 3 pounds now too! 

Don't let the weight gain control your mind during pregnancy. I have had friends tell me that it didn't matter how much gained as long as it was reasonable.  That they had put on 7 pounds in a month before and had other months they gained nothing.  We can't help it but to worry, I know!

10 More Weeks

Well we have 10 more weeks to go!  I'm very excited it is nearing the end but I know 10 weeks is still not all that close either haha! 

So, how am I feel at 30 weeks:

The day time is not so bad but night is starting to wear on me.  During the day I am pretty much feeling good and honestly not all that uncomfortable.  On the flip side, sleeping is more of a nightmare than a dream.  The not being able to get comfortable and my baby's new nighttime karate routine is my newest challenge.  I can't sleep on the tummy (Nor have I been able to for awhile now), sleeping on my back is only possibly if I am sitting up, as if I'm watching TV, and the baby kicks me really bad on my right side... So that leaves me with just my left side.  I can stand the left side for a few hours but then my side starts to hurt and I don't sleep much after that.  Plus, since I am sleeping bad it brings on the urge to pee. 

I have found that putting a pillow between my legs to support my belly and one behind me helps BIG time!  Get a body pillow, trust me :)

How have my workouts changed:

I find that I am more focused on cardio lately.  I am doing 25-30 minutes of stair climbing, walking, or elliptical machines.  I try to push myself as hard as I can with out hurting myself or the baby!  Lifting isn't out but I don't do it as much!  I have noticed my muscle mass has decreased but it's okay.  Baby is priority #1 right now and I can rebuild once he is here!

Weight gain so far:

I weighed myself this morning and so far I have gained 21 pounds.  Not to bad.  I am on track to gain a total of 33-35 pounds which is healthy.

Anything weird going on at 30 weeks:

I have actually been feeling alittle sick at night again.  It is almost like morning sickness all over.  Hope that passes haha!  They say it is not odd to have morning sickness again so I am not to worried about it unless it leads to something more serious or starts causing labor symptoms.

Third Tirmester - Workout

I just entered my 3rd Trimester, Yay!

I am still feeling really good at this point in the pregnancy and have continued to workout steadily.  My feet and ankles aren't swelling, rings are still on, and my weight gain is at about 19 pounds at this point.  I started out gaining pretty quickly but it's be slow going since about 15 weeks at about 1/2 a pound week which they say is good!

So how have my workouts changed from 1st, 2nd, now 3rd Trimester...

First Trimester:

Honestly, during the first trimester I didn't really change to much in my routine. I was still able to run as far and as long as I wanted and I was lifting pretty much the same amount of weight.  My list of first tri-cons -
1. TIRED, like seriously exhausted.
2. SICK, wasn't feeling to well and had to workout at lunch instead of in the AM which I was doing.
3. FEAR, during the first Tri. your baby is in a fragile time and I was scare to push myself to hard. 
First tri-Pros -
1. Cardio was no problem for me still
2. Baby was little and wasn't uncomfortable in my belly for one second
3. Didn't tucker out fast

Second Trimester:

During my second tri. I had to make a few modifications to my routine.  During the first few weeks of the 2nd tri. I wasn't showing really and it made it easier to workout.  Second Tri-Cons:
1.  DISCOMFORT - While running so I had to start using the elliptical or stair climber more
2. BIG BELLY - At the end my belly was getting bigger and Abs became a thing of the past haha
Second Tri-Pros:
1.  CARDIO - I could still do it!
2. Energy came back
3. Sickness was gone
4. Was feeling really good in general and embracing this new life inside me

Third Trimester:

Well I just started the third tri. so this will change for sure but here is what I got so far:
Third Tri-Cons:
1. BIG BELLY, belly is getting bigger so Abs are still out pretty much
2. DISCOMFORT, still not comfy to run and I walking a lot now or going at a snails pace on the elliptical.
3. TIRED, it's back and I get winded so fast
Third Tri-Pros:
1. MODIFY, I am modifying my weight training routine and focus on low weight, higher reps

Workouts -

Legs day:
25 pound slow squats
Cable side extensions
Leg Extensions
Cable Step-ups
Hamstring pulls

Cardio:
20 minutes on either the elliptical, stair-climber or walking

Arms Day 1:
Tricep dips assisted
Tricep pulldowns
Tri Kickbacks
Chest Flys

Abs:
Planks, I do what I can here.  Usually doesn't last long ;)

Arms Day 2:
Rows
Wide Grip pulldowns
Should press
Bicep curls
Should flys

Protein and Pregnancy

Protein is important in any diet so there is no exception to this rule when you are pregnant!  But why is it go important?  This is the question most people dont understand.

Well, Protein helps support lean muscles, healthy amino acids which is good for mommy and baby, and protein breaks down slower in the digestive system keeping sugar levels stable.  Check out this article
http://www.babycenter.com/0_protein-in-your-pregnancy-diet_1690.bc

Here are some fun ways to get protein in your diet;

Protein Shake - Banana Dream
1 Banana
Ice
Almond Milk
Spinach
All Natural Peanut Butter
Vanilla or Chocolate protein powder (I use Dymatize)

Berry Delite
1 Cup Strawberry
1/2 C Blueberry and Raspberry
Orange Juice
Ice
All Natural Plain Yogurt

Keep Pumping It!

22 weeks now and feeling really good!  Yes, Tri-mester 2 is awesome :)

Lots of people ask me if I am still working out as hard as I get bigger and the answer is a BIG YES!  You may not be able to everything you did pre-pregnancy but getting a work out in is still an option.  Don't be afraid to sweat it out still!  Do, however, lift and run/walk/climb with caution.  If it doesn't feel right or you in any way feel uncomfortable doing a certain exercise or move modify it or skip it all together.  For me, the bigger I get I find my knees start hurting during lunges and squats.  So for now I am reducing the weight I use to about a 20lb barbell instead.  I'm sure I will eliminate this all together or being using no weight after awhile.  I have also found that I don't enjoy running as much.  Which is crazy for me because I love to run! Especially in the summer months :(  I find I am losing my breath faster and I cramp up a little.  I encourage you do keep running though for as long as you can when your pregnant.  Some women have no issues at all and run the whole time while others are more like me and can only do shorter distances now.

Here are the two workouts from over the weekend; We just got back from the beach so had to work it :)

Saturday -
Chest and Triceps                                 Abdominal                                    Cardio
Assisted Dips                                         Plank                                                20 Min Stair Climber
Triceps pull down                                    Side Plank
Triceps extension                                    Mountain Climber
Cable fly                                                Side Lifts
Dumbbell press
push ups

Sunday -
Legs (I did a different leg workout then normal)                                     Cardio
Leg Extensions                                                                                               20 min. Elliptical
Hamstring pull backs
Resisted Step-ups
Inner and Outer Thigh Machine
Booty side kicks on all fours

Pregnancy and Cardio

So I haven't blogged in several weeks and I'm sorry for that!  I was super busy at work and life but I got a topic to share today!

Pregnancy and cardio, just because you are pregnant doesn't mean you can't workout and enjoy a nice sweat session.  Over the memorial day weekend I took myself and my 20 weeks belly to the track!  This is something I really enjoyed doing before I got pregnant and to be honest this weekend is the first time I've gone since.  I am going to share my pre and during pregnancy track routine.

Pre Pregnancy:

First Mile - Walk 1 lap, run 1 lap, walk 1 lap, run 1 lap (the run is faster then whats comfortable)
Bleachers - Run 5 minutes worth of bleachers (I could usually do 5 or 6)
Second Mile -  Walk the turns and sprint the straight aways as fast as I could to complete 4 laps
Bleachers - Run 5 minutes worth of bleachers
Third Mile - Walk the turns and sprint the straight aways as fast as I could to complete 4 laps

If I was up to it I would repeat the bleachers and the first mile again!



During Pregnancy:

First Mile - Walk 1 lap, run 1 lap, walk 1 lap, run 1 lap (I ran as fast as I could)
Bleachers - I complete 3 bleach climbs (I was able to run the first one and the last 2 I went as high as I could)
Second Mile -Walk 1 lap, run 1 lap, walk 1 lap, run 1 lap
Bleachers - I complete 3 bleach climbs (I was able to run the first one and the last 2 I went as high as I could)

I walked one final lap just to cool down some!

You can see I didn't make it as long or as powerful but I was still very proud of myself and happy I could still complete what I set out to do!