Check out this inspiring article about Priscilla Lopes-Schliep, a 28-year-old Canadian Olympic hurdler who, at seven months pregnant, is training to compete in the 2012 Summer Olympics. This gives me a lot of confidence in my ability to regain my pre-pregnancy fitness level and body composition. After all, this woman will have to be in absolute top form less than a year after giving birth. Amazing!
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NEWSFLASH: I’M NOT THE ONLY CRAZY ONE! SEVEN MONTHS PREGNANT CANADIAN OLYMPIAN TO COMPETE AT LONDON 2012
28 Jul38 WEEKS (AND NURSERY PHOTOS)
24 Jul38 weeks… wow! I’m still feeling pretty darn good, and I suppose we’re about as ready as we’re ever going to be, except for a little more tidying and organizing to be done in the apartment (no, this is not nesting; these are just my usual cleaning and organizing compulsions, with perhaps a slightly increased sense of urgency due to pending but unknown deadlines 
). We’ve met with our doula and given her a detailed idea of how we hope the birth experience will unfold, including our preferences for the immediate post-birth period, so hopefully she can help to ensure that nothing happens without our explicit and informed consent. Thanks to J’s marathon cooking sessions, we now have at least two dozen delicious, hearty Paleo meals in the freezer!
Last weekend we had another growth scan (ultrasound), and the baby was right on target, with an estimated size of 6.5 pounds at 37 weeks. There has been no indication that labour is imminent, so the midwife advised me to take evening primrose oil and start drinking a uterine tonic tea that looks (and tastes) a lot like dried lawn clippings. I don’t know whether oils and teas will really help to speed things up, but I figure they’re harmless at worst, and worth a try.
As far as exercise goes, I’ve basically scaled down to walking only, which has been surprisingly tiring. After an hour or two of running errands on foot or wandering along the seawall, I’m usually quite ready to head home for my now routine afternoon nap.
38 Weeks
The nursery is pretty much finished. We’re just waiting on some wall decals and curtains, but he won’t be spending the night in there for at least a couple of months, so it works as is for the time being. (You can click on the photos to enlarge them to full size)
The nursery - mostly finished
I love the brown wall. Wish we'd done the whole room in that colour...
A bit of the view.
Lots of cars, trucks, buses, boats and sea planes to keep him amused!
I've ordered some cute hippo decals to stick on the wall above the dresser. Note the kid carrier on the right - as soon as he can hold his head up properly, we'll be doing lots of hiking and snowshoeing
Earlier today we headed up to Lynn Canyon for a walk through the forest and a dip in the creek. I think this is the first truly hot day we’ve had all summer, and the place was absolutely packed as a result. But it’s a beautiful spot — complete with cliffs, a waterfall and crystal clear glacier water — and I can’t wait to share it with our son next summer.
Glacial runoff is absolutely FREEZING!! This was my reaction after running into water up to my shoulders.
I had about 30 seconds worth of tolerance for the cold water, and then I needed to come out to warm up.
I guess I'll never be too pregnant to climb on things!
EXERCISING IN THE NINTH MONTH
7 JulWith less than a month to go, I am still able to be quite active, which pleases me immensely But as much as it pains me to admit it, I am definitely slowing down now. I’m also finding myself tired and in need of a nap by the mid-to-late afternoon. For a few weeks, I tried distracting myself from the tiredness by going out for a walk or having a coffee, but it would just return again shortly afterwards, and I’ve realized that the only thing that truly helps me feel better is a nap. So be it.
On Monday, a friend and I went for a 10 kilometre hike in Lynn Headwaters Regional Park. This is a trail that I would normally prefer to run, but instead, we hiked it at a very brisk pace. Later that evening I had some minor pain in my pelvis, which was mostly gone by the end of the next day, but my feet were surprisingly sore, even yesterday. I had worn my Vibram FiveFingers, as I always do on this trail, but the terrain is very rocky and uneven, and I think that I might have slightly strained a ligament in my left foot, no thanks to the pregnancy hormone relaxin. It feels much better today; however, so I think I’m going to take a shot at a gym-based workout this evening, as the weather is lousy today and I don’t feel much like being outside.
Speaking of gyms, another big change for me is that I am looking for a new place to train. I recently left my gym (for reasons unrelated to the pregnancy), and am in the process of determining where I will work out after the baby is born. For now, a combination of outdoor activities, workouts in the park (which I love!) and drop-ins at the community centre during inclement weather will easily get me through the next few weeks, but in the fall, I will need to find a permanent indoor training facility.
Unfortunately, this is easier said than done. Generally, the types of gyms that have on-site childcare are not the types that condone jumping, throwing, dropping weights, using chalk, and quite frankly, doing any hard work at all. Yet most CrossFit-style gyms do not have on-site childcare, nor any provisions for accommodating little ones during parents’ workouts. Both the YMCA and my local community centre have fantastic childcare, but their facilities are less than optimal for CrossFit training. It looks like J and I are simply going to have to be really diligent about scheduling our gym time in such a way that allows us to trade off kid duty.
If the sunshine returns, I will try to post some photos or videos of one of my park workouts.
TRIATHLON UPDATE
29 JunSadly, it looks like the triathlon is going to be a no-go for me this weekend, but I’m not overly disappointed because the reasons are very positive.
The baby has been confirmed to be in head-down position now (albeit on the right side rather than the left — not a huge deal), and has actually started his descent into the pelvis. I guess all that downward motion on our hike the other day was helpful after all! I have been noticing some soreness around my pubic bone over the past couple of days, mostly when I’ve been out walking or if I’ve moved in a certain way when lying down, and that makes sense now in the context of what the midwife has told us about his current position.
So I have decided to forego the triathlon, mainly because I think that two or more hours of swimming, cycling and running is liable to leave me feeling extremely uncomfortable, especially if the baby descends any further between now and Sunday.
J is not-so-secretly happy because it means we no longer have to be out of bed at 6:00 AM on the Sunday of a long weekend 
and can instead sleep in and then go for a nice brunch… which I will reluctantly admit is a rather appealing alternative.
It will definitely be interesting to see how the baby’s descent impacts my exercise capabilities over the next few weeks.
OBSERVATIONS AT 32 WEEKS
10 Jun
32 Weeks
At 32 weeks I am feeling fantastic — healthy, energetic and generally very comfortable. My recent physical complaints (heartburn, rib pain, occasional pelvic discomfort) have more or less vanished, though I expect this will be a temporary reprieve, since there is a whole lot of loosening up of ligaments yet to occur.
My “innie” is mostly an “outie” now (not completely; just mostly ), and my belly has actually outgrown some of my earliest maternity clothing purchases, which I find amazing, since they used to be so big on me. And judging by the bellies of some of the women in my prenatal class, my wardrobe is about to shrink even more, since the baby will roughly double in size between now and his arrival!
I am still going strong at the gym, usually doing three CrossFit workouts per week plus a recreational fitness activity. This leaves three recovery days, which seems to be just about the right amount to prevent any overtraining injuries in my *ahem* delicate condition .
My workouts are definitely going much better than I’d have expected by this point. I still have the occasional days where I top the score board, or come very close. To balance that out, I also have days where I am just proud of myself for showing up at the gym and slogging my way through a modified version of whatever torture has been conjured up for us.
In terms of exercises, the only ones I now consider wholly off limits are the dynamic abdominal exercises such as sit-ups, knees-to-elbows and toes-to-bar. My obliques remain very strong, but the rectus abdominis has relaxed considerably in order to accommodate the growing baby, which means that strenuous abdominal exercises could cause diastasis recti — an abdominal separation down the mid-line. This is a common pregnancy-related condition that generally corrects itself within a few months of delivery, but does require post-partum exercise to be conducted with much greater caution. And I can certainly see the potential for this to occur, since every time I sit up from lying on my back, my stomach — compressed by my obliques — comes to a sharp vertical ridge down the centre (it looks very strange, indeed)!
I am still doing regular push-ups and burpees with no trouble, but I have taken to using a resistance band for workouts with any large quantity of pull-ups. I can do handstands, but not handstand push-ups or inverted burpees. I have also switched to sumo (wide stance) deadlifts, to accommodate my belly in the low position, and have reduced my range of motion when rowing. Other than that, I can pretty much do anything that is required of me, including running, jumping, skipping and all of the lifts.
A few weeks ago I had a little bit of edema, but after two solid weeks of very strict Paleo eating, I have lost all of the excess fluid (about six pounds worth!) and can see my ankles again. It will be interesting trying to explain to the midwife on Monday why I have had a net loss of weight since my last visit…
For the first time in the pregnancy, I am finally noticing an increase in my appetite, but thankfully, no cravings. For a while, I was eating quite a bit less food than usual, as I found that having a full stomach intensified heartburn symptoms, but now I find myself hungry a lot more frequently. Bring on the fat and protein!
Lastly, I shall talk about sleep. Although I know that I should be sleeping on my left side to help the baby move into a proper birthing position (as far as we know, he is still in frank breech position), it seems that I roll onto my back pretty much as soon as I start to fall asleep, and that is where I remain until I wake up. I don’t think I’ve had a full night’s sleep in quite some time, as it takes me a while to get comfortable enough to fall asleep, and then I am usually awoken by early morning light and/or having to go to the bathroom. I don’t feel exhausted like I did in the first trimester, but the lack of overnight sleep is starting to wear on me, and as a result, I’m finding that I need the occasional afternoon nap in order to maintain my energy levels.
And thus concludes the 32-week report
Grouse Mountain snowshoe hike earlier this week. Still almost six metres of snow in June!
7 MONTHS (30.5 WEEKS) CROSSFIT WORKOUT VIDEO
31 MayI’ve had to do a fair bit of scaling on my workouts in the last couple of weeks. Yesterday’s workout featured 30 consecutive pull-ups, which I might have been able to complete unassisted in sets of two or three at a time, but I broke down and used the three-quarter inch band for assistance. In retrospect, given that even with the band I was only doing them in sets of five to six, the light band was probably an appropriate level of scaling for me. We also had to complete 20 consecutive handstand push-ups, which I knew would be impossible at this point (though I almost managed to get one out during the warm-up!), so I substituted 95 pound push-presses instead. In future, I will probably use a slightly heavier weight — perhaps 110 pounds — to more closely approximate the difficulty of a handstand push-up.
Today, however, I was treated to a perfectly do-able, short and sweet workout that didn’t require any scaling: 21-15-9 of sumo deadlifts (135 pounds) and box jumps (18 inches). Sumo deadlifts are perfect for pregnancy, since the wider stance easily accommodates the belly; however, I probably should have also widened my grip, as you will see in the video below, since it looks like I had to bend my elbows at the top of each rep in order to allow for full hip extension (pushing my belly through my arms).
I haven’t done box jumps for a while, so I wasn’t entirely certain that I’d still be able to do them, but when I tried a few before the workout, they were relatively easy. That is to say, they were easy in the sense that I’m surprisingly agile enough to jump both up and down without hurting myself, but the feeling was akin to doing them with a 20 pound weight vest strapped to me!
Without further ado, here is the video evidence. Unfortunately, the camera kept shifting each time I dropped the barbell, so the last set of box jumps is slightly off screen.
I CAN’T BELIEVE IT’S BEEN 30 WEEKS!
27 May
30 Weeks
Time is just flying by now, and it actually scares me to think we have only 10 weeks left (or who knows — maybe less than that) before we bring this baby into the world. This week, I had the sudden realization that my life will never again be as uncomplicated and carefree as it is right now. That scares me too. But then again, I also know that my life will never have been richer than it will be when the baby arrives, so I guess we’ll call it even
It really doesn’t seem so long ago that I was counting down the tedious days between prenatal visits or diagnostic tests, staring at my flat belly in the mirror hoping I would start to show, or waiting impatiently to feel that first kick. Now I am definitely looking and feeling very pregnant, and the baby-related engagements are coming at a fast and furious pace. Between our twice-weekly prenatal classes, twice-monthly midwife visits, other miscellaneous appointments/tests, and getting organized for the baby (oh my gosh, we have so much to do still!), it seems that the next 10 weeks are going to be all baby, all the time.
Last week we had another (medical) ultrasound as a follow up to our 21-week visit, where the scan had shown the umbilical cord was inserted towards the side, rather than the middle, of the placenta (marginal insertion). Because this type of insertion can possibly impede nutrient transfer, and therefore fetal growth, it was recommended that we have an additional ultrasound before 30 weeks in order to measure the baby’s growth and make sure everything was on track. Earlier this week I visited the midwife, who told me that the ultrasound report came back with most measurements in the 75th percentile, and that all of the baby’s physiology is normal, so there will be no further follow-up on that issue. As for the boy, let’s just say he’d better be a smart one, because I’m going to need some serious reward for having to push out that 75th percentile head!
The ultrasound also showed that the baby is presently in a frank breech position, but it’s still early yet, so I am optimistic that he’ll get himself properly turned around over the course of the next few weeks. Fortunately, there is a big push in this province towards encouraging natural births, so if the baby does not assume the head-down position by 34 weeks, I will be eligible to visit the Best Birth Clinic at BC Women’s Hospital, where they will explore the various options to help me avoid a caesarian.
Otherwise, things are great. I have been having a ton of Braxton-Hicks contractions, which I was a little bit worried about at first, but then the midwife reassured me that as long as they are not painful, nor establishing a regular pattern with increased frequency and intensity, there is nothing to worry about. She also told me that there is a positive correlation between the number of Braxton-Hicks contractions, earlier delivery and shorter labour, so as long as the boy doesn’t arrive too early as a result, bring them on! Right now, they pretty much happen whenever I roll over in bed, sit up from lying down, stand up from sitting, bend at the waist, walk uphill, run, think about them…
In terms of exercise, I decided this morning that I am no longer going to do dynamic abdominal exercises (sit-ups, knees-to-elbows, etc.), after slightly straining my abs sitting up in bed. Not that I’ve injured myself, but it made me realize that the current positioning of my abs no longer lends itself to safely and effectively doing those sorts of exercises, so I’ll have to stick to planks and overhead squats (great for midline stabilization!) for the remainder of the pregnancy. I’m pleased that I managed to get to 30 weeks before I had to stop, and I’m sure that will make a huge difference to my post-partum recovery.
And with that, I’m off for a weekend road trip, and still hoping for a bit of sunshine
WORKING OUT IS HARD TO DO
24 MayWow. After a week away from the gym, the sudden decline in my physical abilities is astounding. This was of course to be expected by this point in the pregnancy, but I just didn’t think it would happen over such a short time period. I thought it would be a much more gradual change.
For today’s workout, we were supposed to run one mile, then complete 10 rounds of five toes-to-bar, 10 power snatches (45 lbs) and 20 squats, then run another mile. I admit, it was a beast of a workout, especially since our mile run route requires us to run down five and a half flights of stairs to street level, then a half mile downhill, followed by a half mile uphill, and back up five and a half flights of stairs to the gym. (Oh, and hopefully nobody from my gym reads this, as I am very sheepishly going to admit that I actually took the elevator back up to the gym at the end of each of the runs )
To start, my one mile run was slow… and I mean pathetically slow. I don’t think I could have done 50 toes-to-bar if my life depended on it, so I tried doing knees-to-elbows instead, which were even more difficult. Then I tried reverse crunches, which were basically impossible due to my large belly. So I substituted plain old sit-ups, and you know what? Those sets of five sit-ups were tough — almost as tough as toes-to-bar would have been for me in a non-pregnant state! I guess this shouldn’t be surprising, given that I’m almost at 30 weeks now, but I had literally done hundreds of sit-ups through weeks 27 and 28, so I was genuinely shocked to find them so difficult in mere sets of five.
The power snatches and squats were fine, but I realized at about round three (and close to 20 minutes in) that I’d probably be there all night if I attempted to complete the full 10 rounds, so I cut the middle section down to five rounds and then bookended the workout with the second very slow one-mile run.
Total time: 36:11. Most of the morning class completed the entire workout in around 40 to 45 minutes, so this was definitely not my best showing. But on a positive note, I’m not at all sore from the running, even though I thought it would be hard on the pelvis.
Maybe tomorrow I’ll go to prenatal yoga instead…
…Just kidding! 
THE EXPANDING RIB CAGE
23 May
29 Weeks
I guess it makes sense, but it had never really occurred to me that my rib cage would have to expand to accommodate my growing uterus and upward-migrating belly. I’d been noticing some discomfort in my rib area for a couple of months now, which I had attributed to my bras becoming tighter and to pressure from a full stomach after meals. The other night, however, I was feeling quite achy and uncomfortable, and when I put my hands on my ribs to massage the area, I discovered that my entire rib cage has opened up and that the ribs I can see and feel have actually migrated a couple of inches on each side! Why have I never read about this in any of the pregnancy books? I can’t possibly be the only woman who has experienced this!
I continue to be truly amazed by all of the adaptations the human body makes in order to accommodate a pregnancy…
In other news, I realized last week that it has been months since I’ve had any substantial recovery period from my exercise routine, and I was experiencing a lot of Braxton-Hicks contractions, so I took an entire week off from working out, and will be back in full force tomorrow. I always feel much stronger and more motivated after a short break, especially when I have been taxing my body to the degree that I have been lately.
I’m really looking forward to this week’s workout roster. We’re doing the “Filthy Fifty” on Friday — one of my all-time favourites — and I’m curious to see whether I can still do all of the movements as prescribed. I suspect that knees-to-elbows might have to be ditched in favour of reverse crunches, or maybe just plain old sit-ups (which I am still able to do, albeit much more slowly now).
Oh, and here is my 29 week photo from last Friday — belated again
EXERCISE OBSERVATIONS FROM THE SECOND TRIMESTER (AND A BELATED 27 WEEK PHOTO)
12 May
27 Weeks
Please excuse my recent posting hiatus. I have been out of town visiting with family, and didn’t have too much time for blogging while I was away.
It’s been a while since I’ve talked about exercise, and now that I’m officially into the third trimester I thought I would take some time to reflect on my training challenges and accomplishments over the course of the second trimester.
The second trimester got off to a slow start. Still dealing with the last bits of early pregnancy exhaustion, naps sometimes took precedence over gym sessions. I found that I was noticeably slower and weaker at the gym than I had been pre-pregnancy, which was very frustrating, since I hadn’t gained much weight and my body hadn’t changed appreciably, so I felt almost as if I had no excuse for my poor performance. Physically, I was able to do absolutely everything that was required of me, including at my gymnastics classes, but I was frequently taking one and a half to two times as long to complete my CrossFit workouts as I would have pre-pregnancy. I also found that I was very easily winded and often needed to take short breaks mid-workout in order to catch my breath and bring down my heart rate.
As the second trimester progressed, I started to have more energy, and I was able to attend classes on a fairly regular basis (or at least get to the gym on my own time when I couldn’t make it to a class). I began shifting my focus from time, weight and intensity to technique, choosing to focus on perfect reps and perfect form, since I knew I wouldn’t be setting any speed or weight records. Outside of CrossFit classes, I mostly concentrated on my Olympic lifts, and I think I’ve made some marked improvements to my snatches and clean & jerks by scaling the weight way back and repeatedly drilling my technique.
At 21 weeks, I completed my annual military fitness evaluation, and although I didn’t come close to the levels I have achieved pre-pregnancy, I still blasted both the minimum and “incentive” standards out of the water, and achieved the highest score of any female being tested that day.
This was also the point where I started to experience some physical limitations. I stopped working on muscle-ups (that milestone is going to have to wait until after the baby is born), stopped doing handstand push-ups, chest-to-bar pull-ups and V-sit-ups, and and started to notice my belly getting in the way of rowing, sit-ups and certain Olympic lifts. I have also since stopped doing inverted burpees, wall climbs and handstands — basically anything that requires me to be upside-down on my hands — because I find that kicking up into an inverted position stretches my stomach in a rather uncomfortable manner.
Through the last month of the second trimester, I started to notice an increase in energy and strength, to the point where I have actually managed to get the fastest time or top score in the class on a handful of CrossFit workouts (even beating the guys! ). I have found that I am still able to lift fairly close to maximal weights on deadlifts, clean and jerks and shoulder/push presses, but I am keeping my squats at around 75 to 85 percent of maximum, as I sometimes feel a bit of knee strain in the lowered position. To be honest, my performance over the past month has completely exceeded all of my expectations for this point in pregnancy, but I also know that my body is changing very rapidly, so I accept that these gains will most likely be short-lived.
I have gained roughly 20 pounds over the course of the first six months, which is definitely slowing down my running and making bodyweight exercises (push-ups, pull-ups, etc.) more challenging. I am also noticing some dull aching in the pelvic area after certain types of workouts, and that running puts an awful lot of pressure on my bladder, giving me the uncomfortable sensation of having to use the washroom when in fact I do not. But at the same time, I am still doing burpees, box jumps, snatches, clean and jerks, sit-ups and double-unders — all of which I didn’t anticipate being able to do this far into the pregnancy.
From an aesthetic standpoint, I notice that I now have less muscle definition due to a slight gain in body fat (er… “energy stores”) and increased fluid retention. This might have something to do with the fact that we haven’t been quite as strict on diet as we would like to be , or it may just be a result of normal pregnancy-related body changes. In any case, we are going to make a concerted effort to tighten up our dietary habits through the rest of the pregnancy and beyond (no caloric restriction of any sort; just no more “cheat” meals!). It will be interesting to see whether I manage to shed the excess fluid I am retaining, or whether that sticks around until after the baby is born.
The Spartan Race takes place on Saturday, and I am really looking forward to it! I haven’t done as much trail running as I’d have liked to, but I feel confident that I can complete the course at my own pace, with the help of my team. Hopefully I will have a video and some photos to share with you afterwards.
ONE FIT MOM
Hi, I'm Carli! I am a 32 year old mom and fitness/nutrition enthusiast living in beautiful Vancouver, Canada.
I started this blog to document my pregnancy and parenting journey, in order to inspire other parents who may be considering bucking conventional wisdom in favour of following their instincts. This blog highlights my successes, challenges and experiences, and investigates some of the more specious pregnancy and post-partum diet and exercise recommendations.
Click on the "About (me and my blog)" link for more information.
