Fitness in pregnancy - Part II (+ 4 exercises)

A few more things I want to say about fitness in pregnancy, before I am through with this very unique period in every woman's life (for the time being, anyway!).

Fit, lean and healthy
First of all, it pays immensely to enter pregnancy as fit as possible. I don't care if you don't run 10Ks in your second trimester, but you'd better be as strong, lean and healthy as possible when you are starting out. The female body goes through so many changes over these nine months and a good level of fitness makes everything so much easier. You will be able to carry the load much better, maintain your posture, keep your muscle tone, and not succumb to gravity without a fight. As for the health benefits: from keeping blood pressure at low levels, to even having to cut through less layers of fat during a c-section (gross!), there is a lot to be said about being in the right form prior to deciding to have a baby.

Nagging sport injuries
It was interesting to see some of my old sport injuries flaring up and resurfacing during the nine month wait. 'What' s with this old pains', I was thinking a lot of the time, 'I mean it's not as if I've been exercising myself to death here!' Plantar fasciitis, a bit of knee pain, arch pain, and, worse of all, my sciatica pain going all the way down the right leg, have all made their appearance with a vengeance. Some of these pains have come and gone, but the sciatica has been steadily getting worse over the past few weeks, to the extent that really it is an effort now to even take Lisa (our dog) for long walks any more. I do hope that recovery is fast and smooth on many levels, beginning next week. In fact, I consider myself injured at the moment!

Pregnancy exercises post-partum
The pocket-sized book "Your Pregnancy Day-By-Day" by Professor Stuart Campbell, and Alison Mackonochie (Carroll & Brown Publishers Ltd, 2005) is full of pregnancy information for the ignoramus like me (for example, according to the book, a full-term pregnancy is 294 days exactly, who would have thought!).
It also offers a few fitness exercises (mostly in preparation for labour) that I have found could be of use later as well. I am going to be practicing them post-op, as soon as I can.
Here they are.

Tailor sitting
This exercise releases tension in lower back (so, a blessing for me really!) and improves pelvic flexibility. After placing pillows under thighs and sitting with back straight and the soles of feet together, you draw your heels towards you, using the arms to push down on your thighs. Relaxing your shoulders and the back of your neck (yes! I need that so much!), you breathe deeply and hold the stretch for a count of 12. Repeat every day. As one becomes more flexible, one can remove the pillows and push knees closer to the floor.

Pelvic rocks
This is a good way to relieve backache in late pregnancy and during labour (and after, might I add!). You aren't meant to let your lower back sag while doing this exercise. Get down on your hands and knees, with knees about hip-width apart. Keep neck in line with spine and the back flat. Then tighten abdomen and buttocks and slowly round shoulders and back and let your head drop down. Hold briefly before returning to the start position. Repeat 10 times a day or whenever one feels tension (which for me is indeed very often during the day, also what a great exercise after a tough running session!).

Modified squats
This exercise strengthens the thigh muscles and is a mild form of the squat, perfect for c-section recovery as well as for anyone just starting out on the whole squat exercise set. Standing with feet hip-width apart about 2 feet from a wall, back and arms flat against the wall, you slowly lower yourself down until your thighs are almost parallel to the floor. Make sure your knees don't go beyond your toes. Hold briefly, then slowly stand up. Repeat 12 times, twice a day.

And one strictly for the girls: 
Power kegels
These pelvic floor exercises are good for every female runner wanting to regain full bladder control post-preganncy (not always as straightforward as one might think). You can perform them sitting, lying or standing (but not while you're urinating, as this may cause an infection). Draw up and lighten the muscles around the anal sphincter; then hold. Slowly tighten the muscles around the urinary sphincter as well and lift up through the vagina (as though you were ascending in a lift). Hold for a count of 6, release with control, then repeat - beginning with 4 sets of 4 reps and working up to 4 sets of 6 reps.

Fitness in pregnancy - Part 1

I have been thinking quite a lot about the past few months and how fast really they have whisked by. It is something that surprises me. I would say that I had higher expectations from myself during all this time, especially in terms of keeping fit and active and in shape. I don't want to beat up myself here at all, but somehow the whole experience ended up being a bit different than I expected.
I had my running pregnancy books picked out, ready and waiting for me, namely Runner's World Guide to Running and Pregnancy, and Exercising through your pregnancy (a much-welcome gift from fellow sports activist and partner-in-crime Christina, currently at the beginning of this wonderful journey into pregnancy herself).
And I did keep running at the beginning of it all, even if it meant doing the Oxford Town & Gown 10K on Sunday 15th May (a week after that Stratford marathon that was never meant to be) in about 55min (and that included speeding up in the end, simply because I could not take the cautious running any more).

That was early on in the pregnancy.
But after that I never appeared to any of the Motavation race series around Oxfordshire that I had signed up for. I did keep up running, mostly half hour runs around Oxford University Parks, and I did do some of the easier HRR Thursday club runs.
But I was not enjoying it much. I was constantly aware of my body temperature changing, the niggles and pains around my growing bump, and worried about how the fetus was taking the bumping around.
Maybe I worried too much. Perhaps I did. But when it is the first time you are experiencing a pregnancy, you are perhaps a bit more cautious than the next time (s) round? I am not sure.

Given that an elevated body temperature (102.5 F or 39.2 C or higher) can damage the fetus and increase the risk of birth defects of the brain and spine, I was always conscious and sceptical. And then, the anemia kicked in and I saw my hemoglobin levels so low for the first time ever (9 gm/dl!!) that I was actually scared.
Just a few days before our wedding, in early July, I ran for the last time, 30 min on grass around the cricket fields near our house. I remember it as if it was yesterday.
On top of everything else, the side stiches were so intense and uncomfortable that I had to stop and walk a few times.
It was the last straw, more or less. I was five months pregnant and I had had enough.

Walking, swimming and cycling have been my staple fitness diet since then. I am so envious when I see other runners, being able to gliss through the streets of Oxford, some more gracefully than others.
I already know that my post-pregnancy present to myself is going to a brand new pair of running shoes - and I can't wait!
It will be interesting to see how I recover from the C-section (with baby being breech, at the moment this is the way to go) and see how I feel when I start running again. The when, I am keeping pretty much open as well. We will see how things go.

First things first. Boy must arrive, healthy and happy. Then everything else will follow. Including the running, that has set my mind free for so many years and hopefully will continue to do so for many more years to come!

Music for a hospital bag

So, the time has come to pack my hospital bag.

Soon I will be heading to the JR, for the scheduled c-section, since baby is breech and that is what must be done now.

I have been putting things into my marathon running bag, which I have decided to take with me. After all, this is going to be a marathon - of another kind.
I know how to do this, I have prepared marathon bags in the past, this sort of emergency, hair-raising situation is something that I am familiar with and can relate to. I have also packed my first ever marathon finisher T-shirt, it is big and roomy, exactly what I will need for those days of staying in bed at the hospital. Perfect reminder to Never Give Up, necessary for the days ahead.
Then of course all the essentials as specified by the countless books and websites, each one with its own set of packing essentials.
The most interesting I have come up so far has been ice cubes in a cool box to cool yourself and absorb fluids during those long times of labor (OK so this will not apply in my case, but a most excellent suggestion courtesy of Virgil, my NCT antenatal class instructor). The most delicious tip on offer was the packing of smoothie drinks, delicious nourishment which always reminds me of baby food for grownups!

My bag will certainly include my favorite tunes of the moment, and I do hope at least a few can be played in the hours of waiting and the aftermath, hopefully even in the operating room!
I was pleased to find out that there are cd players in the delivery rooms of the JR, so I am not only taking along my updated MP3 player but also some of my most recent favorite Cds. I have been taking a closer look at them, and my goodness it doesnt sound like hospital music. Or does it?

OK, so here we go:

-Blink 182 - Greatest Hits.
Colin brought this one home one from HMV the other week and it got me jumping up and down in our living room within seconds (poor baby!). Released in 2005, it contains such great tunes as All the Small Things, Man Overboard and The Rock Show (that video also always makes me smile!). I just love the energy of these punk delinquents!

- The Vaccines - What did you expect from the Vaccines?
Expectations were high for the Vaccines' live gig here in Oxford at the O2 yesterday evening and apart from the disgraceful sound, they did not dissapoint! They are one of my newest favorite bands, just because some songs remind me of a more contemporary version of the Ramones, while others are more Brit pop sounding (and Family friend reminds me soooo much of the some low-key Jesus and Mary Chain). But all of them make me wanna boogie! I couldn't help doing a bit of dancing to their songs yesterday (OK I am 37 weeks, I know!). Not sure if the baby liked it though, he was eerily quiet (and woke up right at the end of the gig, as we were walking to the car, how strange is that!).

- Kasabian - Velociraptor!
I still can't pronounce the name of this album but when I heard it for the first time, I immediately had the feeling of bumping into an old friend. Something familiar but new, it was to me. I don't remember when was the last time I felt that for an album, what a gem this one is! Kasabian's 4th, released in mid September, and what I like so much about is its meta sound. It is like bringing together all theads of modern Brit pop and marrying it with a feeling of angst so appropriate to our times. It makes me wanna shout out loud "Hit me harder, I am getting rewired!". And don't let me get started on the haunting qualities of the chorus singing in Days are Forgotten, so mind-piercing!

-Ash - Free all angels.
I got this recently from the Poundland shop in Oxford, where everything costs, you guessed it, 1 pound! It is a second-hand copy, but I am relieved to say it works brilliantly. The name of the group reminded me something but I couldn't place them exactly, and then I listened to the album and I know at least half of the tunes in there! For the past couple of days, I have woken up with one of the songs stuck to my brain, so they have definitely affected me on a deeper level. The wake-up calls in question by the way were Sometimes, Shining light and Burn baby burn (the latter one appropriate for the occasion?).

- Dido - Life for rent.
This is one of my favorite albums ever for its comforting, like a nice home made warm soup, aura. I walked down the aisle in a Dido song last summer (Thank you, from the No Angels album). The entire Life for rent album fills me with nostalgia, warmth and a sense of going back home where I belong, wherever that is.

- Rhapsody in Blue -  Gershwin.
One of those 20th century classics that we all know more or less, but how many of many have ever really carefully listened to the whole piece lasting approximately 18 min (depending on the performer). For the past few months I had been listening to Gulliver Ralston, the music director at the University Church of St Mary the Virgin in Oxford, rehearsing parts of the solo piano version of this piece - over and over again. I took notice for the 'less well known' parts of the composition and realised how complex and difficult they are even for the more seasoned pianist. On Sunday, I also listened to Viv McLean's performance of the solo piano version in the Holywell Music Room, the oldest purpose-built chamber concert hall in Europe, a simple and beautiful space. The second half of his performance especially was brilliant. My fascination with Rhapsody in Blue continues, and I don't seem to get tired of listening to it. The cd that I will bring along features the Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra with Leonard Bernstein, perhaps a more traditional approach to the performance of this piece.

So I guess that I am all packed now. Well, let's not forget the toothbrush!


 

Counting down days

There was never going to be an easy way to write about finding out I was pregnant and what this whole experience has been like for me. Even now, as we are nearing the closure of this phase and getting ready for the next one, the most challenging one for sure, it is still difficult for me to recapitulate. 

Just a few days before posting my Delphi photos, and as I was getting ready to run the Stratford marathon on the 8th of May 2011, I had the pregnancy test that confirmed what I had been half-suspecting since spending Easter in Athens. 

I had even told my mother, half-jokingly to be fair, that I was under the impression my period was a bit late and what did that mean, did it mean the obvious!

As a runner, the only reason I would keep a note of dates and days was so I could be aware if I would be running a race when I have my period. I absolutely hate running a marathon on one of those days as it gives me awful cramps and forces me to make pit stops. 

So I ended up having to remember when was the last race, and if I had my period then, and how long before, and after... Complicated stuff... And still i have no clear idea. Girls, just jot down your dates, please!

I more or less knew that it would not have to be that way in Stratford. But the race was coming closer and closer and still no sign of my period. Little did I know that I would be free of that worry for good for the next few months! 

The last (out of a total of three- just had to make sure!) pregnancy test that I took on the Saturday evening before the race, was again positive, as I said already! My goodness, by then, all concern about the race had seriously dwindled! This was the real deal! 

And anyway, do you run a race - a marathon or half-marathon, at that - one day after having found out that yes, you are definitely pregnant (and five weeks into it according to the digi kit!)? 

I guess if I had trained properly for it rather than rely on my previous fitness, which at that point was not in a bad place though, I might have faced more of a dilemma. 

But as it were, I wasn't. 

I was feeling ecstatic and overwhelmed - and completely lacking focus on the Stratford race, which was never meant to be. 

Fast forward six months later. What a whirlwind few months these have been. A pregnancy, a wedding, a honeymoon, quite a bit of work, a bump that has been stubbornly getting bigger and bigger, a few fears and many joys. And a boy that will be arriving soon. Not too long to go now! 

And no running since July. Do I miss it or do I miss it? What do you think?! Luckily, the counting down the days to motherhood, and then eventually to my return to action, has already begun!

A couple of weeks ago, Colin took this photo of me, my bump and my smiling Mum in the background.