7 Month Update – Pregnancy #2

Let the countdown begin! That’s suitable for someone at mile 20 of the marathon, right?!

Well, here we are, two months out from my due date and approximately two months out from welcoming another baby into our family.

Are we excited? Yes, we are, but as I was telling my friend, it isn’t quite the same excitement that I get when taking a trip to Hawaii (for example) because I know what to expect during my trip to Hawaii. When you add a child to your family, there are a lot more unknowns, plus it affects more aspects of your life for a much longer time! What will life actually look like? What will I have to give up in this new stage? Will I be able to get back into running, stay injury-free, and get back to where I was fitness-wise? And if the going gets tough, you can’t just pack up your bags and leave!

At the end of the day, I remind myself that many other people have done this, so I can do it too. We’ll figure things out when the time comes and figure out what works for me and our family just as we did with Cullen. But I would be lying if I said I wasn’t a little anxious about this new stage of life we will be entering.

Running
I am still running, but the miles are starting to slow down, the walk breaks are getting more frequent, and the mileage is starting to decrease. I usually average around a 9 minute mile, which is about one minute per mile slower than when I am not pregnant. I’m taking quite a few walk breaks throughout the run and finding that after a hard workout I definitely need to take the following day off.

I have been running about 4 days a week and averaging about 20 miles a week with one harder workout, plus a weight lifting session throughout the week. There have also been times when I’ve taken four days off in a row because I am either not feeling motivated to run or wanted to do other things instead, so I take the break because there isn’t much fitness to be gained at this point in time. I’m still happy I can continue running and plan to do it up until the end of my pregnancy as long as my body allows it.

I also completed the Hightail Quarter Marathon this past month in a time of 47:08 and a pace of 7:10, placing 3rd for the women. Also, this might be my favorite bib ever.

VBAC (vaginal birth after cesarean)
I am still trying to make a VBAC happen! (See 6 month update for more details.) Right now I am working on getting a waiver from my insurance to be able to deliver at an out-of-network hospital, since it is the only hospital in town OB doctors will attempt a VBAC.

I first need to get a letter from Regional Hospital (my in-network hospital) stating that they don’t do VBACs. The staff at Regional say they do do VBACs, but virtually no doctor in town in willing to do them there. I have called around to nearly 10 different offices and not a single one said they will do a VBAC at Regional–including the “VBAC specialist” in town.

I am going to fight this until I get a definite yes or no, but I am not willing to give up because that’s how important it is to me. Even if I do all this work and at the end my doctor says I’m not a candidate for the VBAC, or the baby’s head gets stuck again, it will have been worth all the effort.

Food Cravings/Aversions
I can’t say I’ve had any food cravings or aversions lately. Sure I crave things from time to time, but the intensity doesn’t feel stronger than when I’m not pregnant.

I still love my carbs and whipped up a batch of granola and muffins the other day. I am not one to meal prep, but I will snack food prep. I really like having homemade snack foods on hand because it prevents me from eating convenience foods.

Nesting
Nest is in full swing right now. Although, I’m pretty sure I’m always nesting even when I’m not pregnant as I am constantly picking up my house, tidying up, and regularly purging things.

I did get the baby’s room done while Craig was gone hunting this past week. It was quite the process as it turned into redecorating nearly every room in our house, but I love how everything turned out, and I told Craig he saved $100,000 because I no longer feel the need to buy a new house.

Here’s a sneak peek of the baby’s room. I plan to do dedicate an entire post to this with before and after pictures as well as where I got everything.

Other Notables
– My feet are starting to swell a little. Often when I wake up or at the end of the day they will be somewhat swollen.
– The other day Craig asked me if a pregnancy was 40 or 50 weeks. (*face palm*) I would excuse someone who doesn’t have kids, but sorry Honey, you don’t get a pass on this one. (It’s 40 weeks if you didn’t know.)
– Bending down to pick things up and putting socks on is already getting a little difficult.
– I haven’t had any Braxton Hicks contractions and didn’t with Cullen either.
– My legs tighten and stiffen up every single time I try to walk up the stairs, get out of the car, and at other various times.
– Craig was out of town last week, and I scored some major “man” points by putting Cullen’s new bike together, mowing the lawn (My first time mowing our lawn, and the first time using a push mower as we had a riding lawn mower growing up since we had so much yard.), painting the baby’s room and bathroom all by myself (Actually Cullen helped and did a good job.), putting a cube shelf together, and hanging things on the walls.

Overall, I feel great these day and am so thankful I am having a “boring” pregnancy. Of course running is tough, but other than that I can’t complain. It is my hope/prayer that these last two months continue to be uneventful, and I can continue to run up until the end of my pregnancy and enjoy these last couple months before our lives make a big change–one that will bring new challenges but ultimately worth it!