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Fit Pregnancy Round Up
Seeing as this is going to be the last one for our family, I thought I’d do a round up article for you. Here’s how the first pregnancy went and an article on Monica’s experience with our son’s pregnancy. Also, we recorded a webinar that included Monica talking about the entire process. The two most important things we learned this time were:
Those made a huge difference with Monica’s comfort for this third round. In terms of Monica’s approach to exercise, this pregnancy saw two main changes: much more yoga and a higher average intensity with her swimming. Monica had an active yoga practice right up to the end of the pregnancy (her last class was the day before Anabella was born). Yoga was the most frequent form of exercise at an average of five times per week. It’s a shame we didn’t get a picture of her doing dancer’s pose the day before the birth! Running was a lot less than previously, both in frequency (not more than every other day) and intensity (mellow from early in the pregnancy). By reducing the run load, she was able to run much later in the pregnancy. As for how long you could run in your pregnancy, Monica found that it was obvious when it was time to stop. You’ll also find that the baby’s position will impact when you need to back off. Once she had to stop running, she started hiking. I tagged along for a few hiking sessions, which were powerwalking and involved hills. For the most part, Monica stayed in the fast lane through this pregnancy, and the fast lane is pretty speedy in Boulder! Monica figured that sitting at the back of the fast lane (this pregnancy) was about the same effort as leading the second lane (pregnancy No. 1). One change Monica made in this round was to try to get 6,000-7,000 meters at least three times per week. So the weekly target was about 20,000 meters. There were five months between the pregnancies of Axel (No. 2) and Anabella (No. 3). Getting the “Axel weight” off before she was pregnant with Bella helped make this round a lot more comfortable. As well, staying active right to the end of the pregnancy helps with recovery because the first few weeks postpartum are exhausting.
Thinking back to the summer of 2004, we never know where life will take us. I never expected that Monica would end up being world class at making babies! The changes associated with creating a family are difficult for the self-centered personalities of high performers. We’re glad that we took athletics a long way before changing direction. Even with the success I had in sport, the transition has had challenging moments for me. I’ve yet to hear an athlete express regret over spending time with his or her family. Choose Wisely Gordo is the founder of Endurance Corner. You can find his personal blog here.
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by Gordo Byrn
Monica was fortunate not to have any postpartum depression but there was an emotional low that hit about five days after the birth. Having as much help as possible in the first few weeks makes a huge difference. We didn’t leave her alone much.