My pregnancy journey: weeks 12-19

5 mins to read

I'm blogging about my pregnancy journey, and here are my thoughts throughout weeks 12-19. I look forward to sharing the ups and downs of my experiences with you!

Pregnancy and preconception

12 weeks and ready to share

Here I am embarking upon a journey I have travelled before. Not a completely familiar journey but I know there will be elements I remember along the way. I am now 12 weeks pregnant with my second child and having shared my Body Beyond Baby journey with you previously (www.bodybeyondbaby.blogspot.com) I will share the up and downs of this new experience with you. I am a personal trainer and I specialize in pre and postnatal health and fitness so there will be a definite spin on my ramblings – I hope you enjoy the ride.

13 weeks

I spent Christmas in the UK visiting family and friends so you would think I’d come back home and feel rested after having many helpful hands ready to take over the breakfast time, lunch time, playtime, story time and bed time of my 18 month old son - but throw two 24 hours flights into the equation and I almost feel like I never left and am maybe even more tired!

Now I must build back into my exercise routine after having a few weeks rest (probably at the worst time during early pregnancy as now is not the time to make gains but to maintain, and when you’ve had a rest over Christmas it makes getting back to where I left off almost impossible). However, I plan to listen to my body, rest when I need and can to get over the jet lag and build back up the exercise. Next week, I will be back into the swing of things, back to work and catching up with all of my mums and bubs at our group sessions.

14 weeks

We are back, I am back, sessions are back up and running, and after giving myself some much-needed rest, I am back into the swing of things with my own exercise routine.

There are some definitely guidelines that are important to follow whilst exercising during pregnancy, and although my body is very used to doing regular, intense training sessions, there are a few things I keep in mind.

Heart rate – During pregnancy many people have advised me to keep exercise to a mild to moderate intensity (relative to the individual). You can buy great, inexpensive heart rate monitors that will keep you in check. If you are exercising without a heart rate monitor, you could use a system called Perceived Rate of Exertion. Imagine that 1 is sitting on the couch doing nothing and 10 is you working so hard that you are almost about to drop to the floor. During pregnancy it is best not to push yourself about a 6 on this scale.

Type of exercise – This is not the time to try anything new. I go to the gym, lift weights and run, so you won’t find me embarking upon any new activities. If you are not currently doing any exercise and have recently fallen pregnant, that is not to say that you shouldn’t do any exercise to keep yourself healthy and strong. There are many reported benefits of exercise during pregnancy, and for some it can contribute to better a feeling of wellbeing and potentially an easier delivery and recovery. Investing time in some specific pre-natal yoga, Pilates or strengthening exercise under the guidance of a qualified health professional could be just what you need to help keep some of those aches and pains that may come with pregnancy at bay. And don’t forget, you could always head out for a walk or for a swim – great forms of low impact cardio activity.

Stay cool – On the inside your body is warmer than on the outside, and that little person inside you has no way of cooling themselves down or regulating their body temperature. It is up to you to make sure you exercise in a well ventilated area and avoid overheating. Time to give those spin classes and hot yoga a miss for a while.

No more crunches – I mentioned Pilates earlier and I can’t stress enough the importance of keeping your transverse abdominals or core muscles nice and strong. These are the muscles that support your whole inner unit and will help to keep back ache at bay – especially with extra weight that you will be carrying around. We also want to give the rectus abdominals (six pack muscles) a rest at this time in order to give your baby space to grow.

Maintain not gain – This one I find difficult from time to time. I generally like to train hard, but pregnancy is a time to maintain my fitness levels rather than reaching any new heights. It can very much feel like you are just going through the motions, but remembering that exercise is good for both you and your unborn baby may help you to stay motivated. Keep the body moving and keep your muscles alive, but stay comfortable. Exercising with a heart rate monitor on will help you maintain a steady pace.

15 weeks

Food can be a devil of a subject for many women at the best of times, but throw in a pregnancy, hormones and the ‘eating for two’ mindset and who knows where you will end up. I will be the first to admit that I have a sweet tooth and I also know that I struggle to keep a handle on it. Yes, personal trainers and health professionals are human too, but we just learn to keep our cravings (chocolate, mmm) under control. Generally, we know more about good nutrition than the average person, and I personally like to practice what I preach. During pregnancy it is especially important to maintain a balanced and healthy diet. If you fill up on junk foods now, it may leave you feeling run down and even more tired. Starting your day with a good healthy breakfast is the key to kick starting your metabolism and setting yourself up for a great day. Personally, I enjoy muesli (natural oats with not too much dried fruit), cottage cheese and ground flaxseed for protein, as well as good fats, yogurt and berries – it’s quick and easy to throw together and sometimes ends up in a container for me to eat along my way. There is no reason so skip a breakfast like this and it tastes really yummy too.

Keep an eye on what you are eating throughout the day – it is all too easy to grab a little bit of this here and a little bit more there. Try to include a good source of protein and complex carbohydrates at every meal, and steer clear off too many sugary treats that have absolutely no nutritional benefit for you or your baby. If you feel like your diet is getting out of hand, try keeping a food diary for a few days and looking at where you need to make a few changes.

16 weeks

Wow – how much does the female body change during pregnancy! Even the second time around I find it quite amazing what my body is capable of. I must admit, I don’t like all of them and in fact there are probably more changes that I don’t like that those that I do. I often feel uncomfortable in my own skin and struggle with a larger shape and size – even learning how to dress for a different shape can be a real hassle at times given I have to figure out what styles now suit my greatly enlarged breasts and growing stomach. I rapidly go from a small B-cup to upwards of a D-cup, and I look longingly at those women with smaller boobs that sit neatly on top of their tummy – whilst wondering what in the world to do with mine and hoping that they don’t grow too much bigger!) However, what I have now is a greater respect for my body than I did prior to my first pregnancy. I think I only even found that respect after Marley’s birth when I considered everything my body had been through: growing and producing such a perfect little human being and then reassembling itself afterwards.

I thought I’d have a look at some of the things that happen to a woman’s body during pregnancy and some of the changes you can expect if you’re not experiencing them already. (Keep in mind, there are many more changes that your body goes through during this period, and I am just touching upon those that are more exercise related.)

Relaxin, a hormone produced by the ovaries during pregnancy, causes the pelvis to relax and stretch in preparation for giving birth. It can however cause other joints to become more mobile leading to discomfort and pain.

Pelvic instability occurs when the joints around the pelvis loosen too much and this may lead to discomfort and misalignment, making it difficult to walk and carry out day to day activities.

Weight gain – like it or not, all women will gain some weight during pregnancy. This varies from person to person, but this extra weight will also put pressure on joints nd muscles.

The Pelvic Floor is stretched and weakened – during pregnancy, many women may suffer from some kind of bladder leakage or lack of bowel control. This is something that can stick around after giving birth so is important to be aware of and take the appropriate precautions.

The Rectus Abdominals can separate often in the later stages of pregnancy, leading to a condition called Diastasis Recti or Abdominal Separation. This is one of the reasons that we stop doing crunches during pregnancy.

18 weeks

I have talked about in previous weeks some of the general changes you should make to your exercise program during pregnancy, but whilst in the gym this morning I was thinking about how pregnancy affects your specific exercise choice within a gym training program. I find this almost second nature second time around, but I wanted to pass on some of this information so that you can make more informed choices whilst doing your own training. Do keep in mind that the best and safest way to exercise in a gym during pregnancy is under the guidance of a trainer who has the correct qualifications and experience in prenatal exercise. It is important to ‘vet’ your potential trainer, as not everyone is experienced for your needs at this time.

Here is an outline of what to do and what not to do during training in the gym in the prenatal period:

As the pregnancy progresses, avoid lying on your back for long periods of time. Lying on your back decreases cardiac output and the compression of the uterus on the vena cava can lead to feeling of dizziness.
Avoid exercises that see you standing on one leg for a prolonged period of time. Due to the more relaxed nature of your muscles and joints, this type of exercise can contribute towards pelvic instability and pain.
Avoid jumping and jolting exercises which will increase pressure to your pelvic floor.
Avoid lifting heavy weight over your head which can contribute towards instability of the shoulder joint.
Avoid crunches. I touched upon this in an earlier entry but it is important to give the rectus abdominals a rest at this time in order to allow the baby to grow.
Be aware of a change in center of gravity. As your belly grows, you become more front heavy and exercises that involve an element of balance that were previously easy may become more difficult. Monitor your progress and avoid any exercise that could contribute towards a fall.
Most importantly, listen to your body. No matter how much we stress that exercise is important, it is more important to stop if you feel uncomfortable or dizzy.

19 weeks

We went for our 19 weeks scan today and it was wonderful to see the little person growing inside me. We took Marley along too, and although he did say ‘baby’ whilst pointing to the image on the screen, I really don’t think he really knows that this little being is going to come into his world in such a big way. I am sure there will be some teething issues, but I also know that once we all settle in to a new routine, he will make a really great big brother. Although, it is also strange to think of my little baby boy being a ‘big’ anything. We decided we wanted to find out the sex of this baby, but the doctor doing the ultrasound was extremely unconvincing – I suppose they all have to be like that as they can’t say one hundred percent either way, but given we were planning on keeping it a secret anyway, this gives us even more reason not to tell! All seems so real now and time is flying. I’m past the half way mark and I have so much organising to do in order to keep my Body Beyond Baby group session running. I know I have to give myself time out too.