Race Recap

No I didn't go do a triathlon the day after giving birth!  Sorry to burst your bubble but it does take some pregnant woman a little time to recover.... I mean you saw the pics even the Princess had a post pregnancy pooch :-)  So why did I title this race recap?  Because pregnancy, labor, delivery, and bringing baby home has felt like a grueling quadruple Ironman race.  It took dedication,
perseverance, nutrition periodization, pain management, and in the end I got the ultimate reward.  It has been a hard and trying time I'm not going to sugar coat it, it's not always rainbows and unicorns pooping glitter but when he smiles or makes a cute face it reminds me why I did all this!

Pregnancy - This was like the months leading up to an IM.  It's lots and lots of training with some peak periods and some recovery weeks and you have to behave the whole time.  Watching what you eat, no drinking, keep up the exercises, and wait in anticipation for the big day.  For me this pregnancy pretty much followed the norm I experienced the normal aches and pains most people do and didn't love it or hate it (ok maybe parts of it).  I was nauseous for all of the first 3 months ok maybe 2 months because I didn't realize I was pregnant until about a month into it.  I only actually threw up once but the rest of the time both in the morning and evenings I felt like I was going to puke!  Then the 2nd trimester truly was bliss!  I felt awesome a new surge of energy and was still teaching my boot camp and 5k class!  I thought I can handle this!  Then the 3rd trimester I started to feel really HUGE and thought this will never end!  I couldn't workout as much the last month before the due date and I was crawling in my own skin waiting for the big day.  Luckily for hubs I never got any cravings and didn't send him out for food runs like pickles and ice cream.  He was the one that seemed to get cravings for ice cream a lot yet he was losing weight the whole time I was gaining it.  I gained a whopping 40 lbs but I came to terms with that because I knew I was eating healthy and my baby was a big boy! :-)   The biggest advice I could give is to not read everything under the sun about pregnancy unless you want to constantly be freaking out about what might or might not happen.  Save the what to expect when you're expecting specifically for when you have a question and just look up that one topic.  Also don't try to clean the tile in your kitchen on your hands and knees with a scrub brush in your 9th month of pregnancy or your husband will come home to find you crying covered in sweat, tears and cleaning products!  Ask for help when you need it and know it's ok to feel scared.  Lucky for me hubs gave me hugs even when I told him I didn't want them and no matter how much I didn't believe him he still kept telling me I was beautiful.  Pregnancy was pretty much what I had expected with it's ups and downs.

Labor and Delivery -  WOW!!!!  This part was not anywhere close to what I expected!!  I know they tell you to be ready for pain but I didn't expect to be so scared!  I was so worried about the well being of my child and I know I must have looked at my husband with my eyes bulging out of my head pleading that everything will be ok.  I was at 41 weeks when my midwife recommended I induce so we scheduled it for a Friday.  I went in and they gave me my first dose of medication at 9 am and then hubs and I went for a long walk outside and up and down the stairs.  I really didn't feel anything.  So around noon they gave me the second dose and around 4 pm hard labor started.  He was born at 1:51 am after 1 1/2 hours of pushing.  I was in lots of pain of course and I tried breathing but definitely could not stay calm and relaxed like they recommend.  My muscles tensed up every time a contraction came.  The music wasn't helping and I didn't want anyone touching me or talking to me.  Poor hubs!!  I also had told him not to let me change my mind about not having drugs.  But when he took a bathroom break and the nurse came in to see me she said something that changed it all for me.  "It only gets worse from here! and then you may not have time to change your mind about drugs."  I thought there is no way I can survive if the pain gets worse than this.  So when hubs came back in I demanded drugs.  He didn't know where it came from and he kept telling me no and telling me how I'd be disappointed if I did it.  I kept saying I'm so sorry to disappoint you and don't be angry with me!  All the nurses etc kept looking at him like he was evil but he was just doing what I had asked him to.  So I got drugs but by then the

First bath, not too happy...

worst was really already over and I had made it through most of it!  I am a little disappointed in myself but life moves on.  The scariest part was when A's heartbeat was too fast and at one point there were like 10 people in the room waiting for him to come.  The plan was that hubs would stay by my head and not witness any of it but when it all started there were only 2 other people in the room so they made him hold one of my legs!!!  So much for that plan he had to witness it all!!  Including the stitches.  So in the end at least I didn't have to have a C-section but I did have to be induced, cut and took drugs! :-(  The good news is that even though little A had to spend a week in the hospital because of some fluids in his lungs that caused an infection he is now as healthy as can be and thriving!!  They took him off oxygen a week after we got to come home.  After this experience you lose all inhibitions and don't worry about being embarrassed by anything ever again!

Postpartum - The first couple of weeks were the hardest because I was trying to recover and was spending day and night at the hospital with my son in the NICU.  It was nerve racking and my heart goes out to all the parents that had to spend months on end there luckily A just had a week to finish getting his antibiotics for 1 week.  I was sleep deprived and hurting and a nervous wreck.  But now it's only a month later and it's already starting to get better!!!  A is 10lbs already and such a big and healthy boy!  He is fussy at times and I may only get 2-3 hours of sleep but then other nights we get some awesome sleep in 4 hour stretches!  I'm so happy I'm able to spend the first 3 months with him before having to go back to work it makes such a huge difference!  I do go stir crazy and get major cabin fever day after day in the house with only A but the few days I get to go out and talk to adults it's pretty nice so make sure you keep your lines of communication open!  I still get nervous and wake up just to check that he's still breathing but those smiles he gives me now are awesome!  It also seems like you never get anything done during the day but you know what the house will just have to wait to be cleaned!  Being a parent is such hard work and I'm so lucky to have such a supportive family and that my mom will be coming here to help once I go back to work!  I know once I'm able to work out again it will help with any of the stress and anxiety I have left.  I am thankful to having a healthy boy and can't wait to see what life has in store for him!