Pregnancy modifications

My Pregnancy Modifications

23 Weeks pregnant!

I’ll be honest, my first trimester I barely worked out and I ate lemons (yes lemons) every day just to get through the morning sickness. Then things took a different turn and we had a scare; and it was a big one. At just 16 weeks we had a placental abruption. In simpler terms, it means part of the baby’s placenta tore away from the uterus and caused a great deal of bleeding. It was one of the most uncertain and scariest nights I have ever had. My husband and I were not sure that we would be leaving the ER with a baby. I do not wish this on any expecting mother or couple. (This was one of the reasons we decided to wait to announce our pregnancy until after 20 weeks.)

Lord willing our little baby’s heartbeat remained strong and the ultrasound technician even had a hard time keeping up because our little one was moving around so much. (We also got to see baby’s heartbeat and hiccups!) I followed up with my OB 3 days later and heartbeat was still strong and steady. However, the placental abruption meant that I would be on restriction there on out.

NO WORKING OUT… for a while... 

Now at 28 weeks I am feeling GREAT and so it’s back to a routine, it’s just a different routine.

Just to be very clear, here are the modifications I have been doing for me during my pregnancy based on what my OB doctor recommended.

PLEASE check with your doctor prior to beginning any workout or dietary program!

#1- I am NOT focused on weight loss

This is shocking right?! LOL But the scale has gone UP since I found out I am expecting, but I know it’s just part of the “joy” of being pregnant I have gained about 5 lbs so far and it doesn’t bother me… Now. At first it was really hard to adjust; mentally I am so used to being focused on LOSING weight or keeping weight off, but I know it’s for my growing baby boy (who is doing gymnastics in my belly as I write this) and I am okay with that number. When I was pregnant with my first child I gained 52 lbs and that was not healthy. This time I want to do things in a healthier way. I initially struggled to keep my weight up due to extreme nausea, so now to see that scale climb is not such a bad thing.

#2- I am modifying the workouts

My doctor has since given me the "ok" for light exercise. Some of the moves in the 21 Day Fix are not exactly pregnancy friendly, mainly the crunches and moves on your back and in my case anything with impact due to my restrictions. So I have been mixing it up with Autumn’s Maternity workouts (add link)or Desi’s Pre- & Postnatal Yoga Classes! Instead of doing the schedule for the 21 day fix, I swap them out for maternity workouts On Demand as I really like those. I am very careful to follow only what my doctor has told me that I am allowed to do. 

#3- I am NOT counting calories

So if you’ve done the 21 Day Fix, you know that you will fall into a Calorie Target Range and then use the handy dandy containers to measure your food. Since I have done the program MANY times I am comfortable just eyeballing my containers and not focused on calories. Being pregnant I am eating around 1800 – 2,000 calories a day if not more, but I am not tracking them super strictly. Don’t get me wrong, I am still tracking my food, but if I am over or under a bit here and there, it’s ok (Remember the 80/20 rule). I am eating around 4-6 small meals a day.  I more focused on making healthy decisions for me and the baby and just overall being more AWARE of my food choices, but that does NOT mean it has to be boring!  

Last night I made steak and Ka-bobs on the grill and it was delish! Totally 21 Day Fix approved and the whole family enjoyed! I am eating these very same left-overs for lunch right now and they are sooo tasty!!!  

Disclaimer:

I want to disclose that I am not a doctor or a medical professional. At the time of writing this. That means I can share with you what’s working for me and my journey, but it doesn’t mean I have all the right answers for you. Every body and every pregnancy is unique.

If you’re pregnant and debating on whether or not to do the 21 Day Fix program, the first thing you need to do is check with your doctor. That’s because unless you were following the program safely before finding out the big news, in which case you would still chat with your doctor and be given the okay to continue on with it using obvious discretion with your changing body, you will want to ease into any new exercise regimen.

As long as your doctor has given you the green light, exercise is great during pregnancy. It helps you stay in optimum shape for the mighty task of giving birth, prevents gaining too much weight, reduces the risk of preeclampsia and gestational diabetes, as well as helps you be more likely to spring back into shape after your new bundle of joy arrives.

I am covering the adjustments I made at the suggestion of my obstetrician. Be sure to use your own common sense that you may want to take into account when following the 21 Day Fix workouts and the diet. I would suggest taking some mental or physical notes from this post and bringing them to the attention of your obstetrician at your next check-up.