Pregnancy and Exercise

JPEG image-4D31C48CF351-1
IMG_8588
 4169F213-EFAA-4920-817A-E4DDF5ED3CF3           IMG_7294

 

Day 1                                            Delivery Day

 

IMG_1075

My half marathon at 22 weeks pregnant went great!

The best part was the finish line when they

gave me two medals, one for me and on for the baby!

Maternity Photos

IMG_1505

 

IMG_2342
 CopeFamily-252
I am so excited to announce here on MarathonMomma.com that I am pregnant with baby number four! I can’t believe we get to add another little racer to our pack! We are all ecstatic and feeling so blessed.  We weren’t sure if I would be able to get pregnant after my surgery (read more about that HERE).
IMG_6408
IMG_2408
6 weeks along, 2nd place in my age group!
My oldest son demands it’s a boy, and my daughter “knows” it’s a girl, my youngest little man told me I was having two babies! One named “Hulk” and the other “Superman”— but whatever this sweet baby is (yes, one baby :), we are thrilled and praying daily for a healthy baby and pregnancy. So far so good!

You may or may not have noticed a lack of posts on my end (special thanks to Heather for picking up my slack!) I have dearly wanted to share my thoughts, insights, recipes, and fitness with you. But I’ll be honest, in the last three months, I have really had to ration out my energy and limit myself to the most important things.  Also, I could hardly entertain the thought of cooking at all!

Where I’ve spent my energy the past three months…
IMG_2409

If you haven’t grown a person before, it takes a lot of energy, effort, an some extra rest. Taking care of the needs of multiple other persons, a.k.a my family, (and the million things that entails) comes first. I have also tried to keep up my running and cross training the best I could (some weeks were better than others). Not to mention— we have had a huge garage sale, coached a running team for Team Kids Cafe, staged and sold our house (yes, we are moving in three weeks to Arizona, I will dearly miss Texas!), packing our belongings, my husband finished medical school (hooray hubby!!!), we travelled for a week to Utah for a funeral, and we are now in Europe! — i’m tired just typing all that out! :)

IMG_8679
FullSizeRender
How I’ve been feeling…
Truth be told, it has been a hard few months with consistent nausea, lack of energy, and still trying to carry on with as much normalcy as possible. Some days I didn’t want to move from the recliner, my spring allergies have been off the charts, sleep sometimes spotty at best. But WE did it! (When I say “we” I am mostly referring to my husband and myself… and my patient children :). My husband has been a rockstar through all of this, and helped me so much. I honestly don’t know how I could survive without him! Props to all you single moms out there, you are incredible!)
IMG_2038
 Logging weekly miles on the cruise ship in the Mediterranean. Excited to be wear testing a Mio heart rate monitor, and shoes for Skechers and Merrill. (More on this later!)
What life is like now…
I am 16 weeks pregnant now, due October 23rd, and feeling soooo much better in my second trimester! Yay! My energy is back and most importantly, this baby is growing well with a strong heartbeat. I am starting to experience the little featherlike flutterings in my growing belly… and seriously, is there anything better than feeling life, a sweet little human being inside of you? What an incredible miracle to be a part of. I am constantly in awe of God’s goodness in trusting me to bring one more of his children to this earth. It makes all of the nausea, vomitting, tiredness, and lack of feeling normal worth. every. second. For you moms that have a hard time with fertility, I am thinking of you HERE.
Looking Forward
You can bet that I will be sharing up to date pregnancy progress, challenges, products and exercises on MarathonMomma.com and my Instagram @MarathonMommaLa.  With three very healthy and active pregnancies already, I have learned a lot about how to put the baby and your health first with proper nutrition, rest, and exercise. I am also a huge advocate of following the doctors orders. I have had one baby via epidural, one baby natural, and one baby half and half (long story :) Needless to say, I have some perspective on the pros and cons of each for you moms considering which road to take.
Disclaimer
 
As I share what works for me and my pregnancy, I am not recommending you do the same thing. As I said previously, following doctors orders is key to a healthy pregnancy. Every pregnancy, body, and situation is different.  The most important thing you can do is listen to your body. 
 
FOR GENERAL GUIDELINES FROM THE AMERICAN COLLEGE OF OBSTETRICIAN AND GYNECOLOGISTS ON “EXERCISE DURING PREGNANCY AND POSTPARTUM PERIOD” Click Below.
My Weekly Exercise Log
 
So far this pregnancy, I have been able to log up to 36 miles/week.  That has been my goal, and I have not been able to reach it some weeks. One particular bad week of nausea in the beginning of my pregnancy, I managed 6 miles for the week! Sometimes rest is more important. My average has been about 32 miles/week, at 8:30-10 minute pace. As I’ve gotten further along, I like to run two miles, walk for .2 miles and allow myself a little breather, then run two miles, and so on.  I am training for the Utah Valley Half Marathon in June— representing Every Mother Counts.  Running for maternal health while striving for my own maternal health will make the race even more meaningful for me.
Thanks to everyone for all of your congratulations and encouragement on Instagram and the blog. I might not know most of you personally, but I love getting to know you and hope to encourage you in some way to be your best self — a better you than you’ve every been, many of you have done that for me!
Tell me about your pregnancy… e-mail me at MarathonMommaLa@gmail.com
XoXo- Laura

 

PREGNANCY MUST HAVES

IMG_1080

 I have been a bit frustrated in past pregnancies trying to find workout friendly maternity clothes that were good quality and that I liked to wear. Let’s be honest, maternity clothes can be kind of a drag… uncomfortable, unflattering, and worn out faster than a Walmart sports bra. :) If you plan on exercising or training for something while pregnant, here are a few life changing products for you!!!

#1- Ingrid and Isabel Knee Length Maternity Workout Pants

 Maternity Workout Pants Maternity Workout Pants #2

 I wear these workout pants all the time and they are seriously the best! They are high quality, wash and wear well, are not see through, no color fade, are sooo comfortable, thick, AND they give my growing belly the support I need to keep that baby girl snug in place. These magic pants will no doubt last me through multiple pregnancies including postpartum recovery. To me, that’s worth it! You can buy these in almost any length and cut. I was tired of squeezing into my workout clothes that became tight and uncomfortable on my abdomen— these are the perfect remedy.

You can buy your Ingrid and Isabel Maternity Work Out pants HERE. Just look at the variety of cute styles!

#2- Bao Bei Maternity Support Band

Bao Bei Maternity Support Band

Bao Bei sent me two of their Belly Sport Bras for me to test run. I received the package the day before the half marathon I ran 22 weeks pregnant and was a little skeptical at first because it is basically just that, a sports bra for your belly. I wondered if I would have problems with it riding up or down, comfort-level, and  whether it would be tight enough to give me the support I needed… AND I didn’t have time to test it before race day (which is almost always a bad idea to try something new on race day!) Lucky for me, it was a happy ending at the finish line. During my race, my Bao Bei Belly Sports Bra worked like a charm. I didn’t have to adjust it all the time, it was nice and comfortable, and kept baby snug as a bug.

Check out your Bao Bei Maternity Support Band HERE.

#3 Pro Compression Trainer Low Socks

Proc Compression Trainer Lows

If you are looking for the perfect short running socks, these have easily become my favorite… and believe me, I have nearly tried them all! Yes, I am a Pro Compression Ambassador, but if I did a blind test of short running socks, these ones would top the charts! And just for the record, I do not endorse products that I haven’t tried and LOVED myself.

The Trainer Lows feel thin and barely there as they form right to your foot with no excess fabric or seams to cause chaffing. I love all of the different colors and hope one day to have them all. :) When I’m not wearing my Pro Compression Marathon Socks, my Pro Compression Trainer Lows are on point!

You can find your Trainer Lows HERE.

I want to hear about your amazing maternity finds! Comment here or E-mail me at

MarathonMommaLa@Gmail.com

XoXo, Laura

IMG_1090

And just for the record, I do wear non-workout clothes too. 😉

23 weeks and happy.

EVERY MOTHER COUNTS

IMG_1072

Each mile of my recent 13.1 mile race, I thought about the Every Mother Counts cause. It was so meaningful to me to be able to  run pregnant and help raise awareness for mothers all over the world who are not receiving the maternal healthcare that they so desperately need.

I also thought about how blessed my baby and I are to receive care from professionals in clean facilities just a car ride away.

Learn more about the Every Mother Counts cause HERE.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *