When I don’t feel like a lot has happened, I’m less inclined to post a pregnancy update. I just realized however that I haven’t posted an update since week 31! Surely a lot has happened, right??? Let’s find out. Also, check out my Cyber Monday blog post for deals you can find on my favorite sites here. Also, we are offering 50% off all packages at SFitGym membership until 11:59 PM PST tonight. Sign up using promo code 50PERCENT. We will be gearing up for a big January 1st challenge complete with full workout calendar for multi-levels (ie Challengers, Beginners, etc.)
Baby Update
Technically I am 34 weeks and 5 days this Monday. That means, I’ve got a little over 5 weeks to go until my due date. The average 34 week old baby in utero is about the size of a butternut squash or 5-6lbs and 17-19 inches long. Since he weighed 3lbs around week 28, I’m going to assume he is at least 6lbs at this point. Allegedly they gain about a half a pound a week in the third trimester. He can “recognize” and react to simple songs. We like to think he likes “Hello” by Adele. Last night when Nick got home however he decided to wake up and move around which made me think he recognizes his voice!
Weight Gain
To date I have gained officially 25lbs. It felt cathartic to write this blog post last week about how much weight you should gain and I still stand by it. I only gained .8 lbs over Thanksgiving which I think is a victory considering I had some epic eating days and minimal exercise. More on those below…
Pregnancy Eats
Last week, we made a lasagna on Sunday night and had leftovers on Monday and Tuesday before leaving for Portland, ME for Thanksgiving. Nick made it since i was super tired. I just requested veggies and chicken sausage to be in the filling. The recipe is pretty basic but it tasted delicious!
On Wednesday when we arrived in Portland, we visited DuckFat. It is probably one of the most well known places to eat in Portland but we rarely go because we had a terrible experience during the early days. They made up for it this time around. We ordered the fried Brussels Sprouts with bacon and breadcrumbs, french fries with truffle ketchup, the duck confit sandwich and a vanilla milkshake to go.
The truffle ketchup was my favorite with the fries but everything tasted amazing. I would not have ordered the duck sandwich on my own but it was a great decision. We also went out to dinner at an Asian restaurant Wednesday night but I was still full from lunch that I only ordered a cooked spicy salmon roll in addition to sharing some apps.
Fast forward to Thanksgiving morning, I bought these at Flour Bakery along with their duck fat stuffing to bring to Maine. The famous Flour sticky bun was worth every calorie. Nick didn’t eat breakfast because he was still full from all the food we ate Wednesday, hah.
Thanksgiving dinner was amazing and I tried a little bit of everything plus a lot of the duck-fat country bread stuffing that I brought from Boston. This stuff should be on the menu at Flour always as it is that good! I highly recommend trying it next Thanksgiving or if the sell it around Christmas, then as well! It is made with smoked bacon, currants and winter greens.
In addition to the turkey and stuffing, I had roasted Brussels Sprouts, broccoli, roasted parsnips, butternut squash and an amazing sweet potato dish with pine nuts and pomegranate seeds. Dessert not pictured includes a little bit of apple, pecan and pumpkin pie of course.
I didn’t need to eat for the next 3 days after all this… kidding. But I did take a break from photographing my meals. Ezekiel english muffins for breakfast with peanut butter, soup or smoothie for lunch and Sweetgreen and a stir fry for dinner were the “healthy” alternatives my body needed.
Workouts
On Monday I took class at BTone like I have been doing since before getting pregnant. I noticed that my hips were really sore after a few visits over the past couple weeks. After Monday’s class, I think I’m officially done with SPX Pilates 🙁 This makes me so sad but I think the dragging on the carriage is too much for my widening hips. With my due date just around the corner, my hips are stretching to make room for baby to pass through the birth canal and as a result it is very painful to put pressure on a single foot after and even during class after an exercise.
After leaving a not so complimentary Instagram about an experience I had at SoulCycle Back Bay a few weeks ago, the PR team gave me 5 classes to try more instructors. I took my third teacher on Tuesday and will have a full report once I’ve tried two more. I took Wednesday off as a rest day and Thursday Nick and I walked around the Peaks Island in Maine which took us about an hour. It’s a 3.5 mile loop. Friday again was a rest day.
On Saturday, I took an hour long yoga class and used the arch trainer for 20 minutes. My hips felt great afterwards proving that I think the reformer was causing my hip pain. Sunday I took class with Anni at Recycle Studio. This reaffirmed that it indoor cycling has become one of my favorite workouts for pregnancy and that I had a lot of carbo-loading energy to burn. If you haven’t tried Anni’s class yet, I highly recommend you do! It’s challenging and fun but not defeating like some can be in my opinion.
Symptoms
Achey hips after workouts! After my strength and even yoga classes, my hips often are really painful later in the day. When I go from sitting to standing I feel like I need a walker to take the pressure off of my hips. I definitely think the reformer was not helping. I enjoyed taking Pilates up until week 34 but I think I’m going to stop and stick with some back body weight exercises for the last 5 weeks. Spinning doesn’t seem to bother my hips which is good.
I still have heart burn but a single peppermint TUM before bed has been helping. I also bought papaya enzymes from Trader Joe’s but you need to take those with meals in order for them to work. I keep forgetting. I haven’t had a ton of cravings but I do love red sauce food items which doesn’t help heart burn with the acidity from the tomatoes. I’ve also been LOVING clementines which again with their citrus nature are not the best choice for someone with acid reflux.
PREGNANCY BRAIN IS REAL. I feel like a moron. I introduce myself to people I’ve met, I forget when I’ve last seen friends, congratulating them on the same news each time, I misplace everything and forget the rest.
Now that my bump is out in full force and getting larger each day, my stomach is so itchy! The skin is stretching and despite lotion, I still find myself scratching my belly all the time.
Frequent trips to the bathroom to pee are also still happening. It’s embarrassing at this point. I have to pee pretty much 24-7.
Lastly, my vision is still kind of bad. I feel like I need a prescription upgrade. My sister said the same thing happened to her so I’m just going to wait until baby comes to do anything.
Movements
Baby is such a squirrel. He doesn’t stop moving most days and then the following day, he will be pretty mellow. I like to joke that he “tuckers himself out” and needs a recovery. He is starting to get up in my rib cage which isn’t comfortable for obvious reasons but he hasn’t hurt me yet with any kicks. When he kicks me, his foot or knee starts near the center of my rib cage and then drags across my body to my right side. I didn’t know my uterus took up that much real estate! It is pretty cool to watch him move under my skin.
I’ve been lucky that I do not have much back pain but I do enjoy resting. If I had to be upright at a desk all day or standing, I may say something different. I get to sit like this if I need to whenever I want…
Feeling…
Less anxious. We took two classes last week, a breast feeding and a newborn essentials class at Mama + Me in JP. The breastfeeding was great and the essentials was repetitive for me but helpful for Nick so I’m glad we took both.
In the beginning of my pregnancy, I really wanted a natural birth. Due to my schedule leading up to these last few weeks, I didn’t have time to schedule taking a natural labor class. As a result, I don’t think I’m prepared to do so. My new birth plan is to just go in with an open mind. Use my yogi breathing techniques and my midwife/nurse for support and see what happens. If I move fast through the stages, I may try to have a natural birth but if the pain is too much, I’m not going to feel guilty getting an epidural. Labor scares the shit out of me to be honest. I asked my Facebook “fans” for advice and since the majority of women who have given birth both ways recommend getting the epidural, I am feeling better. No offense to you guys but do I really have to prove myself by opting out of drugs? I ran a half marathon at 29 weeks pregnant, I think I already proved I can take a challenge. The safety of my baby is #1.
My mom went 3 weeks early with my oder brother so if I want to get anxious, I think about him coming in 2 weeks… We are not ready for that!
Have enjoyed following your pregnancy, Sarah! I had my baby 13 days ago — came 2 weeks & 1 day early, very unexpected! So you just never know if that little guy will make an early appearance. Good luck!
ahhh!!! That is amazing for you -- if this happens to me, he will be a Christmas baby! Hoping to distance the two but I know I can’t control it. Did they have any idea why he/she came early? Did your mom go early with any of her babies?
I am 22 weeks prego with boy #2. My first turns 2 just 12 days after my due date with this little guy! I went into my first pregnancy saying I wanted an all-natural birth. I thought I had something to prove, that I was tough 🙂 Well in the middle of labor, I decided I couldn’t take it any longer and asked for an epidural. By the time the anesthesiologist came it was too late, baby was “right there” so I ended up not getting one. Yes, it was painful but I am SO happy with the way everything turned out, I’m planning on going all-natural this time around!
I had a quick 5 hour labor and the doctor said the fact that I worked out throughout my pregnancy helped it go so quick! I hope your workouts help your labor as well! 🙂
So interesting! I’m going to try to hold out until 7cm and hope that it goes from 7 to 10 really quick like you and maybe by the time the guy gets there I won’t need one. Thanks for sharing your own story. Every one I read helps! Also -- hoping I’m like you with a short labor thanks to working out 😉
Thanks Sarah! I have really loved your pregnancy posts. As a fellow preggo-trainer, I completely sympathize with some of the stresses we go through. I think there is also additional pressure on trainers to maintain minimal weight gain with pregnancy- which is even more stressful. I just announced my pregnancy on Thanksgiving, and I am excited to start blogging about my experience(s). Love it all- & again thanks!
-Marette
I love your pregnancy posts and updates! I’m 10 weeks this week and I have loved binge-consuming your fit pregnancy content. We were trying when you first announced and I was like “Good omen?! Maybe it’s contagious?” I’m one of your vegan followers from way back when, but with a few modifications that amazing-looking lasagne could totally happen over here! Good luck with the birth and thank you for posting your honest updates. I value your candid content so much and look forward to hearing about anything you want to share with us. Even if you decide sharing the birth story is too personal, I really want to know if you feel exercise helps with labor or prepares our bodies better. I’ve heard great things and will be crossfitting throughout, but I’m really curious to know how much of a difference (if any) you think it makes. Thanks so much for checking in- sending good baby vibes for the rest of your pregnancy!!
I’m exactly 35 weeks today, so we’re both down to the final weeks! I agree with you..I’m going to try and make it as far as I can without an epidural, and prefer a natural birth, but I’m not going to try and be superwoman if it hurts like hell and labor lasts a long time! It’s been fun and interesting reading and getting another perspective on pregnancy! Good luck to you and your sweet little boy!
I had my first in October and wanted to attempt natural as well. Unfortunately I went late and had to be induced, but it worked out in the end. I did have to have tons of medicine but I had a healthy baby so that’s what matters! 🙂
Not pregnant but I like reading these updates.
Ive loved following along, be kind to yourself about your birth plan, and try not to have any expectations going in, and you wont be disappointed. The drugs are there to help, so you can get some rest and be ready and present to greet your little one. You will not disappoint anyone for not having a natural childbirth.
Looking forward to updates and take care of yourself in these last weeks!
I’m 38 weeks tomorrow and hoping my baby boy isn’t too comfy like Jada was! I’m starting to feel that pressure in my pelvis towards the end of the day and am full on waddling. You look fantastic and I love following your journey!
At 18 weeks, I’m finally feeling like I have the energy to get back into working out regularly. I was fit before my pregnancy, so I felt like I could safely take it easy in the early weeks when I felt so crappy. I’ve loved following your preggo journey -- it’s like a mini “What to Expect” for a first pregnancy 🙂 Have you considered working with a doula? It’s something I’ve been tossing around for awhile & the hospital I’ll be delivering at is Baby Friendly (therefore loves doulas & midwives), but I haven’t made a decision yet.
I thought about it and really wanted to but they are really expensive. I’m pretty controlling and modest so I’m not sure how well I would do with someone telling what to do and seeing all my lady parts. I’ve decided to read lots of doula books and try to coach Nick with what to do. If they weren’t so expensive, I would have hired someone for sure!
Woot! Woot! Look at that sparkler on your left hand and I LOVE your baby bump! Too precious for words and NO do not feel guilty about getting an epidural!! I went in thinking I’d go natural but the pain is real. At 8cm, I caved. Best decision I could’ve made. My husband was more at ease and more importantly, I was. I was able to enjoy my child being born. And within 5 minutes after I got my epidural, I was 10+ cm and ready to push. He was out within 30 minutes!! Only a few big pushes. And nope, I don’t take one birthing class. Your body knows what to do and you know you need to stay focused and breathe. You’ll do great!! I promise!! God bless you !
Thanks Rachel for sharing! This is how I envision/hope mine goes
Love reading these updates and hope all keeps going well for you! I was really active until about 27 weeks or so when I had to scale back from the hip and back pain…and then at 32 weeks I actually got put on bedrest so it’s been a struggle for a really active person like myself! But am almost 37 weeks now and baby is doing great which is all that matters. My birth plan is similar to yours -- Ive been partially dilated for a few weeks already and they think labor might go fast so we will see how I feel. I think being open about the whole experience and doing whatever your body needs is the best way! good luck with the rest of your journey!
I know this is much too late as your little man will be here soon.. but the Honest organic belly balm works fantastic!!! I’m pregnant with my #2 and my mom got this for me and it’s better than anything else I’ve used! So maybe something to look into after while your belly heals or for the next one ;).