Move It Monday: Working out with pregnancy #2

This pregnancy has been very much the same but very different than my first one. The similarities are big, although general - along the lines of things going pretty well aside from several weeks of nausea and fatigue. With each pregnancy, there were about 8-10 weeks where I felt like I would never feel human again, and then suddenly, I was human again.

The differences have been small but significant. This pregnancy has left me with a lot more indigestion and just a general unpleasantness regarding food. I've had a lot of weird pains with this pregnancy, from stomach pain to odd round ligament ouchies. In the last three weeks or so, I've dealt with severe sciatic nerve pain on several occasions.

The biggest differences actually involve my day-to-day life. With pregnancy #1, I was working a full-time job, part-time job and going to school through the end of my second trimester. Tim and I were on similar schedules, and we'd often go to the gym together in the late mornings before we both went to our full-time jobs, which required night and weekend hours.

 With this pregnancy, we have a toddler. We're on opposite schedules, as Tim works at night, Tuesday through Saturday, and I work during the day, Monday through Friday. If I want to go to the gym, I have to go before work, because after work involves picking Elle up from daycare, making dinner, giving Elle a bath and putting her to bed. I'm tired all. the. time. I don't HAVE to stay up and do homework or get up to work my part-time job. My full-time job is much faster-paced than the job I had when I was pregnant with Elle, and even though I'm working about the same amount of hours, my brain is constantly drained and I am mentally exhausted at the end of the day. I no longer commute 80-90 minutes a day - I am in the car for about 25-30 minutes on the way to and from work.

But despite all of the differences and changes in life in 2010 vs. life in 2013, I'm very aware of my weight-gain pattern and my workout tendencies during my pregnancy with Elle. I didn't work out much during the first trimester when I was pregnant with Elle. I think I worked out just a little bit more during this pregnancy's first few weeks. I started at a slightly lower weight this time, but I lost a few more pounds during the beginning of my pregnancy with Elle.

But at about this time in my pregnancy with Elle, I had two months of back-to-back excessive weight gain. I wasn't working out much because my classwork was ramping up, and my appetite had returned so I was enjoying the heck out of food.

This time, I'm trying hard to be as active as I can, but it's hard. I am still super tired, and work has been cra-zay. I try to take a quick lunch break walk or do 20 minutes of Zumba on the Wii at night, but some weeks it just doesn't happen. And the other issue is that I am having some intense sciatic pain, often the days after I work out. I've tried resting and I've tried moderate exercise to deal with the pain, and so far, the moderate exercise seems to be helping just a bit more. I'm trying to do more prenatal Pilates and stretching to deal with the pain, too.

I am also trying to be more aware of what I'm eating and when. I'm trying to eat more fruits and veggies. I'm trying to not just eat ice cream because I'm pregnant or take double or triple helpings because I'm "eating for two." I'd like to gain less weight overall this time, but I'd also definitely like it to be a more consistent gain.

Post-walk tonight, at 22 weeks, 3 days ... realized that
the battle of Workout Top vs. The Belly is getting more fierce every day.

I think I stopped running around week 22 with Elle. I ran a bit the last two weekends, and I was pleasantly surprised to find that aside from a little soreness in my lower back and tightness in my calves, it felt good. I remember at this point during my first pregnancy, it wasn't comfortable to run because I felt like my belly was unsupported. This time, I still feel OK while I'm running, and the only slight discomfort hours later is some hip/pelvic soreness. I figure this is natural considering I'm lugging around a banana-sized baby inside my stomach and then bouncing it up and down as I do my jog/walk intervals.

I don't expect to be in fantastic physical shape as my pregnancy continues - I didn't start in that condition, and I'm not delusional
about my fitness level. But I would like to be in decent shape, and it's important to my mental well-being to not just sit on my butt for 40 weeks and let the weight pile on. I think the relative ease I had with my pregnancy with Elle was a result of staying active (heck, I lost part of my mucus plug at the gym 24 hours before she was born). I cannot imagine pushing for two hours and going through labor with her on no sleep without having a solid  base of physical conditioning. And I genuinely enjoy working out most days, so it benefits me to stay active as much my life allows me to be.

I'm not sure how much longer I'll be able to comfortably jog, but I'm going to continue it as long as I can. I had considered registering for a 5K within the last few weeks and run/walking it, but I just haven't had any consistent training. I have another doctor's appointment this week, and while I know I've gained some weight, I'm hoping it's moderate. I'd like to be able to work out more than 2-4 times a week, but at this point, with a hectic full-time job, active toddler and a schedule that hardly ever matches up with my husband's, I'll take whatever I can get and be grateful for it. 

I'm linking up with new second-time mom Ashley for Move It Monday :)