By this point (35 weeks), many women are just about to wave
a white flag and demand eviction of this little person! You’re hot, tired and feeling more like a
bison than a pregnant lady. I
definitely have noticed some changes since I left the second trimester, but
luckily I’m not quite as ornery as I thought I might be at this point!
Despite some changing in energy (yes, back to short naps
here and there) and feeling rather “large and in-charge,” I’m doing pretty
well and for that, I’m thankful. I won’t declare this an easy stretch, however, my doctor said by this time many women are starting to look a
little disheveled and exhausted - he mentioned I looked “ok.” This may or may not be a compliment, but I’m taking it as one!
Some other interesting
events and observations in the life of a pregnant pro triathlete:
- I can no longer see my feet. I knew they would go eventually, but that time is officially here!
- I’m thinking about trying to insert my own catheter to get some real sleep at night. Seriously, how many times can a woman get up to “go” during one eight-hour stretch? If this part were a competition, I might be winning.
- Flip turns in the pool are now a thing of the past. This belly does not enjoy being crunched up so open turns it is until the time comes!
- Running, also a thing of the past! I hung in there as long as I could, but it’s now too much pressure to be bouncing down the road. I’m a walker, which is just fine with me for now.
- Clothes: While doing laundry, I realize that many of my husband's t-shirts that I have adopted during pregnancy, will graciously be returned to him soon and I can shop for some "cute stuff" with a normal-sized waist. I'm looking forward to not having to try everything on before leaving the house to make sure my clothes haven't become inappropriately too short. Prior to my baby shower a few weeks ago, I was planning to wear this great non-maternity strapless maxi dress that was tighter around the top, leaving plenty of room for the belly. Thankfully, the day before, I decided to try it on. As I managed to get it up, Kyle, who was observing from behind, informed me that there was no way on God’s green earth the zipper was going up. Luckily, I had a back-up that I had ordered for a wedding. Crisis averted!
Dress I had planned on wearing in my delusional state (pic from last year about this time)!
Change of plan! I had one other dress
that I had ordered for a wedding and it became the new instant winner. Whew, that was close!
Dress choice that made a lot more sense!
Mandy, Renee's Daughter and I at the shower
Many people have been asking me if I plan on racing again after the baby is born and it’s a tough
question to answer. It’s hard to wrap my brain around the idea of this human being outside of my body
and me finding time and energy to swim, bike and run again. Since this is our first child, we will figure
out as we go what works best for us. At this point, the short answer is, it’s too early to tell! I certainly
miss racing in many capacities, but it’s been kind of nice not having the pressure of checking off my
workout boxes each day. I plan to write a blog about this topic in the near future from a professional
triathlete's perspective. It’s been very interesting, the mental shift that happens during pregnancy. I’m
sure it’s biological - your mind is preparing, just like your body, for what has to be done. It’s a different
kind of “gun going off” than at a start line.
We’ve read books and finished our birthing class series, so we are aware of all of the fine details of
labor, complete with videos (all I can say is WOW, that was a LOT of information). I’m thankful to all of
the people in our lives, offering help and advice already. We’ve been given lots of helpful tips and tricks
and the “nursery” (which was already yellow) and crib are ready to go!
Our "little owl" theme in the yellow room!
Now it’s time to keep gaining weight (yay, so excited!) and wait until "Baby S" wants to meet the world,
in about four more weeks. After next week’s 36-week appointment, we’ll feel we’ve made it to the first
finish line of pregnancy. Anything after that will be a bonus!
In other news, the Fuel Your Passion team of athletes is on FIRE with results this season and we are excited that Ultragrain has sponsored the team!! The athletes received a beautiful gift basket with Aztec Tortillas made with Ultragrain, Hodgson Mill Pasta made with Ultragrain, Ultragrain White Whole Wheat Flour, Ultagrain All Purpose Flour and some fun kitchen preparation tools! Many of the athletes will be sharing their recipe ideas on the Ultragrain Facebook page so make sure you like the page and check those out as well!
Some members of the Fuel Your Passion Team after a sprint Triathlon a few weeks ago!
Beautiful and delicious goodies from Ultragrain / Ardent Mills
Thanks for reading! More updates to come!
Disclosure: Ultragrain by Ardent Mills is one of my sponsors and supplied free product for this post. The opinions in this blog are my own.
1 comment:
totally laughing about the dress- I get it!!!!! Enjoy the countdown. Life it good!!! And I am glad you are enjoying the walks. Some of my best memories being pregnant are the walks I got to do with my dogs, that I otherwise would never do because that was running/training time. It is precious time! :)
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