Sweet Relief

Chiroprax

I love my chiropractors! Yes I have 2. It is a husband and wife practice and they are both amazing. Dr. Brian is my go to for when my back needs to be "cracked" and I need a good purring. (Yes, I actually purr when I am getting my adjustments because it is so, so very nice and feels so very good.) Then there is Dr. Jen. She specializes in pregnancy and children chiropractic care only. She has been adjusting Mason since he was 3 days old. She will do the same for baby when he arrives!

I have been suffering from from low back pain for most of this pregnancy. The sacrum area to be exact. Ask my hubs, he can attest to the countless massages just rubbing that one little area. It hurt from running, walking, standing, sitting. It was a constant pain in my...low back. This past Thursday, I had a prenatal massage at their practice, a weekly occurrence until baby arrives (so lucky, I know), and also my normal "cracking" from Dr. Brian. Later that afternoon after my OB/GYN apt I made my way back to the office and met with Dr. Jen. She did a little bit of this, a little bit of that with the jackhammer like adjuster. She had me lean against a wall in a standing squat position putting most of the pressure on my sacrum and within 5 minutes I felt this little twinge in my low back just a smudge of discomfort, then sweet relief of my low back pain.

I don't know what happened. It was amazing though. Like my sacrum just aligned, or popped back in place. And my low back has not hurt once since last Thursday! IT IS A MIRACLE! No more hobbling around, no more bending over at the sink because it hurts to stand for long periods of time. I've been healed and it is such a blessing!!!

I highly recommend finding a great chiropractor and trying them out to see if they can help you too.

Girls Gone Sporty Ambassador

I have been accepted by Girls Gone Sporty to be an ambassador. I am already learning so much from other bloggers and amazing women in this tight knit community, in 1 day, and so excited to work with them in the future!

What is Girls Gone Sporty? It is a website that has various articles written by professionals and ambassadors, maybe even me one day, to help teach and motivate you in your exercise and fitness goals! There is also a recipe collection that looks great too.

The women who are ambassadors are real women who have done whatever they can to be fit and healthy. This is why I blog. Because there are so many others out here that have changed their life that I have learned from, but there will always be someone out there looking for that little nudge to help them start a new lifestyle. I hope to help inspire you that you can do this. Just 1 step at a time! Hope on. Journey on!

April Week 4 Workout Recap

So long, and farewell to April! Another one bites the dust as the months just tick, tick, tick by. It is so hard to believe that it is already May. I made it. 9 months ago my I started a few things and finally today I have accomplished so many things. I finished a year of concerts while pregnant with the Charlottesville Symphony including playing one of the most demanding symphonies for french horn as the last concert series, I ran through 3/4 of my pregnancy, completing 4 races including my first half marathon, and I started yoga. The past 9 months have been amazing!

Now only about 2 more weeks until my life will change forever and I will become a mother of 2! P.S. 2 weeks from today is Mother's Day!

I've been thinking about how these workout recaps are going to be over the next few months. I think they will be more of a weekly recap of my life and things that are going on and if I do actually exercise I will mark it down. But my plan of action at this point is to walk for fun after baby comes, not counting mileage at all. And beginning in June I will be walking more and more for the training program I am helping with. So pretty much once baby comes I will be recovering, allowing my body the full time of recovery before I start running and walking large miles again. I am sure you already figured that but I like to put it down for my own reminder!

Pregnancy Changes:  I feel like I am getting huge. I am my own zip code. But really, I am not that big. Considering I still have 2+ weeks before baby comes I am only going to get bigger. I am really keeping my weight in check and trying very hard to not gain too much. I am currently up 12-13 lbs. Crazy huh! But sadly I am craving sweets right now. And icy cold things. I feel like I am frying hot all the time! So I don't think the sweets craving is going to be good for me, but I am trying to limit how many sweets I eat in a day. (i.e. not the whole bag or only 1 cupcake)

I had my last concert today for the symphony and I am so thankful that that is over with. It is getting so hard to play horn with a huge belly and a lack of air support. I actually iced my lips for the last 2 nights after rehearsal and the concerts because I was using my face to get the notes out and not my breathing/air. NOT GOOD! But I did what I needed to do and we still rocked it.

For the first time in months I have been pain free in my sacrum. Thursday I went and saw the chiropractor, twice. The second time did the trick. And it finally is realigned and I feel so much better. It is amazing. I am actually feeling pretty good at this point. I still waddle a little as I am feeing my pelvis starting to open up and that's ok. I earned my waddle. Also after another check up at the doc this past week baby is still super high and tight. NO dilation, NO engagement. Doc couldn't even feel the baby on the internal exam to determine position of baby. So this coming week, if he can't find the position of the baby than I have to get an ultrasound to determine. I am pretty sure he is head down but just not in the pelvis yet. I am talking baby now to try and get him to get locked and loaded but not ready to fire!

Prepping For Baby:  Haven't done much in this area. But I am feeling the itch. Everyday I keep having the feeling to just get everything, toiletries and last minute packing stuff in my hospital bag. I have clothing and such but not the necessities that I need after baby. I will more than likely do this this week. As far as nesting urges. I just want my house to be clean and stay clean but I don't want to do it. Don't have the energy to do it. I still have 1 more week of teaching and when teaching is over I might actually get the deep cleaning done (actually hiring someone to do that, happy Mother's Day to me!)

Prepping Mason For Baby:  Yesterday we went to watch the Dogwood Festival Parade with some friends. They recently had a baby and after the parade we went and got some lunch. The baby started fussing and Matt helped feed the baby with the bottle and even held the baby to burp it and comfort it. Matt hasn't really been around a 3 month old. He missed that with Mason and did a really great job. Mason also saw Matt holding a baby. Mason pulled Matt's hand off the baby's back and put his head in his daddy's hand like, daddy hold me too. It was really good for Mason to see Matt holding a baby and Mason was pretty good. He really could care less cause he just walked away after that. But we will see. I am starting to think that there is some hope for us.

Workout Recap: 

Sunday: rest.

Monday: rest. Mason had to go to the doctor due to an infection on his hand from his fall a week ago.

Tuesday: rest. Let antibiotics kick in before he went back to the gym

Wednesday: 2 mile walk. 18 min mile pace. 15 min bike. I was planning on doing 3 miles but body and baby had other ideas. Baby started moving around and stretching out like he was going to come out completely and made walking really uncomfortable for me. Went on the bike but kneeing my belly was just uncomfortable.

Thursday: 1 hour 15 min prenatal yoga class. This class is starting to kick my butt. Scratch that, it is kicking my butt. I am having to modify the modified poses. I just can't bend over as easily, downward dog is a thing of the past, because it makes me want to puke. On the plus side, my triangle pose is rocking still! Plus I got an hour massage and 2 chiropractic adjustments!

Friday: 2 mile walk. Another 2 miles went better. Chatted with the lady next to me asking all sorts of questions about baby and how I was feeling. Makes the time go by very quickly. 18:15 min mile pace.

Saturday: 1.5 mile walk to and from the parade. It was a long walk from where we parked to where we watched. So I counted this as my exercise for the day. It wore me out because it was hot and pushing a stroller and such. But it wasn't at any sort of quick pace.

Total Mileage: 5.5 miles
37 weeks pregnant

~Heading to the gym for my last week before account is on hold for baby!~

Old Wives' Tales To Evict Baby

Are you one of those mommas who is READY to be Done being pregnant. We all get to that point. I was there the day before I was induced with Mason. I couldn't get comfy, I was excited to meet my little man and I just wanted him out. But to avoid the induction I tried a few Old Wives' Tales to try to self induce. They didn't work for me but some of these are worth a try if you really want to push the evict button on your little one. 

*Disclaimer: I am not a doctor. I am me, providing a speaking outlet and I have my own opinions. Consult your doctor if you have any questions about self induction or at least please, let them know prior to if you are going to try some of these so they can tell you the pros and cons.*

Please keep in mind that babies cook for their own time. If the baby is not ready to come out, then these will likely not work. Also think about possible healthy problems that can happen with an early baby. You due date is an ESTIMATED due date and can be off as much as 2 weeks either side of the EDD.*

Let's talk about sex, baby! - Yep, what got you into this can certainly get you out of it. Interesting thought. At this point if you are seriously considering eviction you probably feel huge and not sexy at all and don't want to even think about sex, but yes sex can help you out. Semen contains prostaglandins, a hormone that can help ripen (soften and open) the cervix and possibly lead to contractions. 

Also having the big "O" can release the hormone oxytocin, which is the natural form of pitocin, by the way and can help stimulate contractions.  (AVOID sex if your water has broken or there is bleeding. Great for lead up to due date.) Helps to strengthen your relationship with your partner too, considering that you won't be having sex 4-8 weeks after you have baby.

Nipple Stimulation: Another pleasurable thing. These are good for you and your partner to help strengthen your love for each other and it can be fun! Gentle rubbing or stimulating can release oxytocin, which can help stimulate contractions. (caution: contractions brought on in this manner may be long and intense and cause baby stress including slowing the fetal heart rate. So please don't go overboard with this.)

HOT! HOT! HOT Spicy Food- Cinco De Mayo is right around the corner. Go to your fav Mexican restaurant and enjoy some spicy tamales or hot sauce. Or check out Spicy Thai food or chicken wings smothered in super spicy hot sauce. Spicy foods help fire up your digestive system and bowels which can cause contractions. What do I mean by "fire up?" It will make you have diarrhea, especially if you are not used to eating spicy spicy food. I did this with Mason and I had weird contractions for 3 hours then they stopped and nothing more. It will possibly cause heartburn too or intensify your heartburn.

Go Tropical with Pineapple- Eating pineapple can also start labor because of the enzymes found in it called Bromelain. When eaten it can help soften the cervix. But you need to eat about 7 full sized fresh pineapples to get the desired amount and possibly well before that point you will probably have burned your mouth from the acid in the pineapple. So eat cautiously. But I still like to eat some pineapple for fun, or a virgin pina colada! YUM! 

Teas- Red raspberry leaf tea, or I am currently drinking the Earth Mama Angel Baby Third Trimester Tea, which has red raspberry leaf in it can help trigger contractions. It really helps to prep your uterus for contractions or as Earth Mama says to nurture all those mama parts gearing up for the joyous arrival of your angel baby.

Castor Oil- EWWWW! Is all I have to say. I tried this with Mason, didn't work. And it was ewwwww!!!It is an unpleasant-tasting veggie oil like laxative. Same side affects as eating too much spicy food. It will give you cramping in the intestines, it will clean out your bowels completely. It is a laxative. You can possibly suffer from dehydration because it cleans you out so efficiently. Keep in mind when your body recognizes that you are going into labor it will do this automatically, and nicely and everything will release. (laboring on the toilet is one of my fav things) 

Walking , Running, or Wogging: It may not start heavy contractions, it may make you lose your mucus plug which then can start contractions. Or you could have your water break on a walk. Walking is just good for you because as your hips sway from side to side it can help correctly position the baby farther down into the pelvis which can trigger the body into starting to dilate and then you know the rest. But it is still good for you! You will probably notice some Braxton Hicks contractions when you walk. I just decided last night that they are useful for helping to nudge the baby down since they usually occur at the top of the uterus. This is my thinking because my baby is super high and doesn't want (I don't want him) to engage quite yet.

Acupressure/Acupuncture: There are specific pressure points on your body that can cause the baby to descend and press onto the cervix which will the make softening and effacing and dilation occur. Some acupressure techniques are designed to directly stimulate contractions. Find a massage therapist or acupuncture that specializes in prenatal therapy and tell them, please use the pressure points. I am going for weekly massages right now, since covered by my insurance and in a few weeks time I will be asking for pressure points to be used. (after I discuss with my doctor of course) 

A few others that might help-

A bumpy car ride to help break your water.

Walking under a full moon to help break your water. 

Evening Primrose Oil taken orally and/or vaginally can help soften and efface. Usually started around 37 weeks pregnant until baby comes. I use a shampoo, John Master's Organics, with its main ingredient is EPO (found it at Whole Foods Market). Get a little aromatherapy everyday. 

A local bakery in my town has a claim to fame for getting pregnant women into labor by eating one of their lemon cupcakes. 

So here you have it, a fun list on how to evict that baby! Do you have any other Old Wives' tales I missed?

Thanks for reading! Also if you want to read more posts on all things pregnancy and baby check out the pregnancy tab at the top or just click here! 

Watermelon, Say What!?!

Woke up this morning to my pregnancy app that said, Baby is the size of a WATERMELON! I thought that watermelon was further along like 39-40 weeks but nope, apparently at 37 weeks my belly is bigger than a watermelon, cause the baby is the one the size of the watermelon.

Sad fact: I am allergic to watermelons. Thankfully not to my baby. Kind of scared as to what size I will be next week!

This week is my final concert with the Charlottesville Symphony Orchestra. Let's just say that playing the french horn with a HUGE belly has been a little tricky lately! Playing position, breathing (which is actually really good for me but really hard to deep breath), sitting for long periods of time without getting up! And having to hold going to the bathroom for long periods of time too (Don't you move baby!) Oy!

3 more weeks to go until I hit my estimated due date!

Wearing Pink

Looks like this summer, early on Saturday mornings if you wanna find me, look for me in PINK! Got the email asking if I still wanted to volunteer to help with the training program this summer and, yep I sure do! Just hope they don't mind me bringing a boy along. At least he will be super cute and a babe magnet!

In the area and want to join the training program? Check out the registration info at the website: Women's 4 Miler Training Program. Program begins Saturday, June 14th at 7am!

Want to run in the race? Saturday, August 30th at 8am. register here June 21 early, early, early morning because they only allow a limited number of participants and it fills up quickly!

Hope to see you there!

April Week 3 Workout Recap

I'm in the home stretch. As of today I have 3 weeks left until the week 40! CRAZY HUH! This week is super busy and next week not so much except for the studio recital at the end of the week but then after that only 10 days left. That is what blows my mind.

This past week though has been BEAUTIFUL outside! The weather has been amazing and we have been enjoying walks outside more than ever. Yes I look like I am trying to walk my baby out but seriously how can you pass up not going outside when the weather is gorgeous like this?!?

Pregnancy Changes: Still getting bigger, and bigger. Feel like I can't grow anymore, where is this baby going, but I still get bigger and bigger. Also some of my stretch marks are stretching more upwards now. I had a chiropractor appointment on Monday and got my adjustment and a wonderful prenatal massage (HEAVEN) and then a doc appointment on Tuesday. Doc said that I will have no problem making it to my due date because the baby was no where near engaged in head down position and I am not dilated at all, not one bit. I told him that was fine because I was telling myself not tom because I have things I still have to do. He just shrugged and said, "okay." Mind over matter people! May 4th I will allow my body to start making the changes needed but not till then.

Having massive pregnancy insomnia every night. 2 hours a night, can't sleep. But I require at least a 2 hour nap to function during the day. Kind of ridiculous. Getting the nesting feeling that my house has to be clean, but I don't want to clean it. OH MATT!  But other than that baby kicks a ton and he seems to be happy in there.

Prepping For Baby:  Just more sorting of his clothes for when he is a little older. Feel like I should have the bags packed. They are partially packed now, but just getting that feeling of, do it now! Ordered Mason's big brother shirt which he picked out. Excited for that to come in. Also ordered baby's sheepskin blanket, and waiting for that.

Prepping Mason for Baby:  Just same thing. Talk about babies to him. Point out babies. Have him point out babies to us. Say hi to babies. All that. It is kind of hard to prep him for something he really doesn't quite understand. Just enjoying my snuggle time with my little champ right now and soaking it in that these are the last few weeks before I will have 2 boys!

Workout: 

Sunday: rest day

Monday: Gardening day

. (Matt dug the hole for the tree and I helped hold it in place as he put the dirt back on the tree.) I did help put mulch out in the front yard. Matt did all the heavy lifting and I did the spreading of mulch and stuff.

Tuesday: Short walk with the family around the neighborhood.

Wednesday: rest day

Thursday: rest day. Mason got an owie yesterday from falling on his walk with Dad and the dog. He wouldn't keep the bandaid on and I had to monitor his finger to make sure it wasn't sprained or broken.

Friday: Longer walk with the family around the neighborhood. Mason walked most of it instead of being pushed in his stroller. I did run just a little bit to chase after Mason so I ran, yea me, but my hips were killing me the whole time.

Saturday: rest day.

Total Mileage: Not sure. Didn't track it at all. Just enjoyed family time and walking outside in the beautiful weather. I did get my waddle on.
36 weeks pregnant.

~Great angle hubs! I don't look that pregnant!~

 ~My little man for Easter~

Happy Easter!

I just wanted to send a little bit of love out there today and wish you all a happy Easter! I love holidays because it is an excuse for me to over cook and have fun and do my most favorite thing, family time! I miss not having my extended family near where we live but it allows Matt and me to build our own traditions.

Tonight will be a fun filled dinner of Chicken Scampi, recipe from Karrie at her Blog, Happy Money Saver (who has amazing freezer recipes and lots of other great stuff, check her out!).

And for dessert, well I will let the pictures speak for themselves! Made from scratch Chocolate cupcakes filled with homemade caramel sauce, topped with buttercream frosting, toasted coconut, peanut M&M's, and a licorice handle. I will let you soak that in for a bit...

I had a little bit of fun this morning in the kitchen with an almost 3 year old running everywhere throwing his new bouncy balls everywhere that were in his easter basket. My house might look like a mess right now, with candy wrappers and his fuzzy balls all over the floor but my desserts look like a million bucks!

Happy Easter!

At THAT Point...

~Here is why it is so hard to do things, THE BABY IS HUGE!~

I'm at the point in pregnancy where things are getting difficult. So here are the things that are really hard to do when you have less than a month left before baby comes. This is a vent post of things I have a hard time doing. Might as well get this out there. All you FTM this is what you have to look forward to. Don't worry we all go through it and we all survive, but I'm keeping it real!

~Walking- Hubs makes fun of me when we go on our nightly walks now because 10 ft out the door I am already huffing and puffing. We do have a huge steep hill right out our door that we have to climb up. But yeah, walking is wearing me out. I did run a little the other day chasing Mason on our walk, my hips were killing me. But I could run. That I am proud of.

~Stairs- Stairs oh stairs, how I loathe thee. And we have a 3 story house. I try not to go down to the basement all that often anymore because then I will have to go to the top floor and doing all 3 just, ugh! Sadly most of Mason's toys are down there, but he has learned to bring some up to the main level to play. Now just getting the toys back down to the basement when he is done is another story.

~Bending Over- My belly is big. It is only going to be getting bigger, but bending over to pick things up is getting challenging. Not to mention that I feel like passing out when I stand back up if I stand up too quickly. This includes picking up Mason's toys, loading the dishwasher. Cleaning up the laundry on the floor. Asking for help from Matt on these things now.

~Carrying things- Can't carry my own son for longer than 2 minutes before my back hurts. Carrying laundry to the wash is also a thing of the past. Since I have to bend over to pick it up (see above) but then squatting to load the stuff in the drum, yeah. I totally know that squatting will not be one of my laboring positions!

~Sleeping- I think my body thinks that sleeping is overrated. I am up for 1-2 hours in the middle of the night unable to get back to sleep. On top of the 2-3 times I have to get up to pee. Then in the middle of the day, I pass out for no reason. I know my body is prepping me for when the baby comes, but why can't the body try to store up the much needed sleep instead?

I think that is about it. My goal now, is to keep the house as clean as possible so that Matt doesn't have to do too much cleaning up after everyone. He has asked for a list of chores to help out with, which is really nice. And will hopefully save my back and my sanity. (I dislike having a dirty house)

Prepping For Labor: Mason's Birth

*If you are new to the blog click on the Pregnancy tab at the top of the page to see other posts on pregnancy!*

This is the original post from my family blog that I wrote back in July 2011 from Mason's Arrival. Enjoy the story!

MASON ROBERT ALLEN

7/18/2011

8:52pm

7 lbs 4 ounces

20 inches

Monday, July 18th 7:30am, Matt and I arrived at the hospital for our scheduled induction. I was induced with half a pill of cytotec and then we waited, and waited. I was 2-3 cm dilated when we arrived at the hospital. Doc didn't come back until 1 to check me. I was having just very small contractions up until then. Doc came in and I was unchanged and did the other half of the pill. I started to feel more contractions but really they were just like the braxton hicks I had been having for the last month just more regular every 1-2 minutes. Doc said at the check up at 1 that I would be picking up and that Mace would be here around 4:30. We called our doula to come in anticipating active labor to start. She arrived and we just talked and watched me really do nothing. She left around 3:30 to give us alone time and asked us to call after the doc did his check again.

The doc arrived at 5 and one look at me told us either he brakes my water or I go home cause he could tell I wasn't much further along. I didn't want to home so we let him break my water. I was 4cm dilated at this point. Within 30 min of my water breaking I started to feel what real labor felt like and was wishing for the barely there contraction I had earlier. I made Matt call the doula to come back in cause I didn't know what to do to get comfy. I asked Matt about 10 times if he really contacted her and he assured me he had. I was starting to panic because it hit me that this kid was going to be here soon. When my doula arrived she jumped right into action. At this point I can't really remember what happened. Matt and my doula have been filling in the blanks for me and telling me what happened. I labored in the bathroom for a while and the nurse had started the bath tub and I immediately wanted to go in there because I was hoping for a little relief. I got into the tub and for about 2 min had a little relief and then, bam, contractions happening again. My doula started timing the contractions and gave up because I was in hard labor but not having the regular contractions of hard labor. My contractions were for only about 30 sec and 1.5 min apart and STRONG! I hated the nurse because she would make me go into an awful position in the tub so that she could take the heart beat of Mason. She would take the doppler and push it into my stomach during a contraction. Every time she came in the bathroom I said, "He's fine, you don't need to check. Don't push." Every time she would check he was fine, as I said.

In the tub I started to feel like I had to push and by the third time I told my doula I think I had to push she ran out and got the nurse who checked me and told me to get out of the tub and go to the bed. As I made it to the bed I had another strong contraction and finally made it to the bed. When I got there the nurse said she called the doc and he was on his way. After what felt like forever the doc arrived and I never felt happier. He checked me and I could tell that there was a little pushing happening. He said that my cervix was pretty much gone but a little bit and said, "let's just go ahead and try pushing." I did one push and he said, "Oh, yeah this baby's coming out." He also said that Mason was sunny side up and that I had to push in the WORST position possible, flat on my back and use handles to pull myself up. I pushed for about 50 min. Matt was amazing during the whole day, but the look on his face when he told me that Mason had a TON OF HAIR, he was so proud. Matt couldn't believe what I was doing and what was happening and was so very impressed with how birthing is. I remember looking at him for strength to keep pushing and just looking at how happy he was was amazing. At the very end Mason did a 180 degree turn in the birth canal and was delivered in the normal position for babies to be born in which makes it a little easier. Right as Mason came out, I remember seeing the nurse and the doc jump backwards as the remaining bag of water attempted to soak them. I remember laughing slightly and thinking, "payback for you hurting me and the doc telling me to push harder when I was already pushing as hard as I could!" I still don't remember a lot of details and some things come back as Matt or my doula tell me but it just kind of feels like a cloudy dream thinking about it.

One detail I didn't forget to mention is that, I didn't have an epidural. I didn't even have time to think about it because from 5pm-8pm I went from 4cm - 10 cm. Once my water broke I was in hard labor and stayed there for the entire time. The doc let me do mother directed pushing where I call the shots for how long I push for and everything which was really nice. No one was screaming at me counting. It was just a great, but very difficult experience. My biggest frustration is that I couldn't figure out why I couldn't get comfy to help relieve the pain. The pain was more of just really, really bad cramps, but I just couldn't get comfy to help me thru it. I am so happy that I accomplished the type of labor I wanted and that I survived. I am so happy to have my little mini-Matt here with me. It is truly amazing what the female body can accomplish from making another human to delivering a human without too much harm to either party.

I am so thankful that I have been blessed to have a baby. For so many years I thought that it would never happen. I am just so thankful.

Check out some pix just after the birth!

~Us with my Doula, Merrie~

~Matt holding Mason for the first time~