“Your baby is the size of a banana!” Lol, well that’s what my app, “What to expect”, says. I’m 21 weeks today and the baby is kicking more than ever before. It almost feels like he never rests but apparently babies at this stage sleep 14 hours a day. Lucky little monkeys! It’s so hard to get a good nights sleep when you’re constricted to sleeping on the right or left side of your body!
I’m hoping all this kicking is training for my sons professional soccer career! Although there are many moms that won’t feel the baby kick, not for another few weeks, it definitely makes it all feel very real now. What’s even more special is that my husband was able to finally feel the baby kick! He placed his hand on my belly and felt a few swift ones. It’s an amazing bonding experience to have with your partner.
My appetite has also increased. Well more like, I get nausea and know it’s time to eat, again! My babies taste buds are all intact. For example, if I eat spicey Mexican food, he will taste it! So it’s more important than ever that I eat healthy foods such as broccoli, carrots etc. because my baby will more likely continue to eat those foods and like them later on.
As for me exercising, I have taken on prenatal yoga 2 times a week because it makes me feel great! Although its a prenatal class, it challenges me and makes me stretch all the parts of my body that ache every morning. I highly recommend it for any pregnant mommy to be. Start slow so you don’t hurt yourself!
Ever take a prenatal yoga class while pregnant? Most classes are pretty easy with many modifications to keep a low impact workout. Other classes like the one I took yesterday at Yoga Works, Montana was a level 2 prenatal class that seriously felt like a regular level 2 yoga class. There weren’t any real modifications. Woman in their first, second and third trimesters were all bending and stretching like crazy! It was pretty shocking to watch and I kept feeling like, my body can do this but am I suppose to?
I stayed after class and spoke with the professional instructor from yoga works and she said yes, your body can handle it.
But as I dig deeper and read more about yoga and pregnancy there are a lot of descriptensies about which poses are safe and which are dangerous throughout your pregnancy. I always believe you should be your own doctor in addition to having a professional one. You should research and feel comfortable before doing anything that a professional tells you is ok to do.
Don’t get me wrong. Yesterday’s class felt AMAZING! It felt so good to stretch my body after being so stiff and sleeping badly, now at week 20 of my pregnancy. But again, we must be careful of over extending while we are creating a human!
Here is what I found in terms of danger of pushing yourself too hard in yoga during pregnancy numbers 1-6:
“Avoid or modify poses that compress the belly. This might mean that you offer a prop or two (like blocks under hands in a standing forward bend or lunge), present spinal extensions as forward-bend alternatives (such as dandasana, or staff pose, in place of a seated forward bend), or suggest a wider stance. It also means that pregnant students should avoid lying on their bellies (especially after the first trimester). In place of belly backbends like bhujangasana (cobra) or shalabhasana (locust), offer similar-ish poses that can be done on all fours, like cow or opposite arm/leg extensions. Compressive “closed” twists—i.e., twisting toward the front leg side (in an asymmetrical standing twist like a lunge), or the bent leg side (in a seated twist like ardha matsyendrasana)—should be avoided for the same reason. Offer “open twists” to pregnant students instead. This basically means “twist in the direction opposite to that of everyone else.” Pregnant students should also focus on opening up through the chest as they twist, not twisting from the belly.” -yogainternational.com
2. “During pregnancy, the hormone relaxin increases flexibility (the name itself is a bit of a giveaway!) and helps to prepare the body for birth. Because this influx of relaxin causes the ligaments to become more lax, pregnant students should take extra care not to overstretch. This can lead to pelvic and joint instability and/or pulled ligaments (which take a really long time to heal). To avoid overstretching, students should focus on strength and stability more than flexibility during pregnancy. This is especially important to keep in mind when it comes to hands-on adjustments. As a general rule, avoid giving “deepening” assists to pregnant students (i.e., assists that help them to experience a deeper stretch in an asana), and offer stabilizing assists instead (such as rooting a student’s pelvis in tadasana, or stabilizing her back leg in side angle).
3. “In general, if inversions feel good, students can continue to practice them, but it is a good idea to avoid inverting near the end of the first and beginning of the second trimester (weeks 10-13), when the placenta is attaching to the uterine wall. Pregnant students should also avoid inverting for long periods of time (stick with 30 seconds or less). If you’re teaching long holds in inversions, a supported bridge pose (with a yoga block under the sacrum) with feet on the floor or legs in the air, is a great pregnancy-friendly alternative for most students.
4. “Plank/Chaturanga: Encourage pregnant students to practice these poses with their knees on the floor, which will be more stable and supportive for their lower backs than practicing the poses in their traditional forms. (And it goes without saying that lowering all the way to the floor in chaturanga should be avoided! Stick with a few well-aligned “chaturanga push-ups” instead.)
5. “Cut Out Kumbhaka: Pranayama practices involving breath retention (kumbhaka) should be avoided during pregnancy (as should powerful practices like bhastrika and kapalabhati). Remind pregnant students to breathe smoothly, evenly, and continuously, and suggest nadi shodhanam (alternate nostril breathing) or bhramari (bumble bee breath)—which are both wonderful to practice all through pregnancy—as alternatives to pranayamas that are contraindicated.
6. “Avoid Lying on the Back If It’s No Longer Comfortable (or If You’re Not Sure): lying flat on the back for an extended period of time can compress the inferior vena cava (an important vein which returns deoxygenated blood from the lower body back to the heart).”
Kick kick kick! I think my baby is going to be a soccer player ?. It’s such a surreal feeling or experience and almost indescribable. I wish my husband could feel it but when he put his hand on my belly, he can’t yet. I love feeling the baby move or kick because I know that their healthy and just stretching their limbs and it shows me that I have a strong baby! I started feeling the baby kick around 17/18 weeks and it’s made the pregnancy a lot more real now!
One of the best things about the second trimester is that the morning I became 4 months pregnant all the nausea was gone. It was like magic! I got my energy back and was able to leave the house more and didn’t feel as tired as I had felt those first three months.
It’s not all fun & games in the second trimester! Now in my 20th week of pregnancy (5 months), I’m starting to get back pains as well as sharp Ciatica pains shoot down my spine. It’s harder to sleep since you can’t really sleep on your back anymore and can only sleep on your sides. It’s recommended that you sleep on your left side for better blood flow to the baby which can put a lot of pressure on your body.
Thats why I’m starting prenatal yoga today! ? I’m excited to start stretching and moving around again. I’ve been going on short walks but I really need a more intense but safe work out and hopefully I’ll get that today. It’s a great way to get your body ready for delivery and was highly recommended by my doctor.
Get moving! Keep your body in shape so you feel strong and healthy in your third trimester! (I’m talking to myself)
More like food aversions! I’m currently 4.5 months (18 wks) pregnant. I still have an aversion to chicken! I won’t eat it unless it’s fried or basically unrecognizable. In general I’m not craving any meat which is horrible because its a great source of protein!
The only foods I crave are any kind of cheese (that are allowed during pregnancy) and bread! I will say that I do crave Johnny Rockets chili cheese fries from time to time but generally speaking no meat.
Its important to get natural nutrients from healthy organic foods during your pregnancy. Taking a prenatal Vitamin is recommended by doctors but in addition, you should be eating a lot of vegetables, greens, protein etc to get the vitamins naturally.
Foods you should be eating during your pregnancy for the optimal health of your baby: Healthy eating guide
A friend of mine accidentally sent me this article via Facebook messenger when she actually intended on sending it to her husband. It was a stroke of luck since this article contains such great information on how to raise your child and therefore; I can pass it on to you!
http://time.com/4079009/arguing-with-your-child/
It teaches you that if you want your children to listen & respect you, you have to listen and respect them first no matter how impatient you are getting. In the long wrong, that extra time you take to really get to know your child and understand their personal needs, will help you as a parent as well as help your child grow expadentially.
Almost everything you need to know about ultra sounds is in this article: ultra sound guide
If you are under 35, you will usually only need 2-3 ultra sounds throughout your pregnancy. If you’re over 35, your doctor might have you do more scans to make sure your baby is developing healthy.
