Exercise was in fact one of the topics discussed at length in my birth class with Birthlings (@birthlings on Instagram) last February (yes kawan-kawan, that was me
in the February AMANI Birth group). Imagine my feeling awkward when I
raised my hand after my birth class instructor asked who exercises
during pregnancy. Though I stood out awkwardly for that, I felt reassured knowing that I was doing the right thing for me and the little one Alhamdulillah.
Pregnancy is also a reminder that my patellofemoral syndrome has moved into its second year already :( haha. It's not pregnancy-induced, but rather brought on by the I-want-to-kick-ass-in-a-partner-workout mindset, which to this day my husband keeps reminding me every now and then haha. My prolonged recovery is not because I'm lazy to do inner thigh exercises, it's more of the fact that the bump has made it uncomfortable for me to assume other exercise positions, except for when I'm in water where I'm featherlike, you guys. The extra pounds have put pressure on my knees too, no kidding.
My dearest husband and I bond over our passion for fitness (and food hehe) since we got to know each other. So when he had two weeks off for rest (and I was on medical leave woof), we took the time to spend quality time doing NTC. I remember one of them leaving me completely breathless and fatigued despite having done NTC on my own while he was away for so many times! Little did we know we were already expecting at that time.
And yours truly was jumping and attempting pull ups like nobody's business. (-_-")
When Aunt Flo decided not to visit as scheduled (LOL), I thought it had to do with events catching up on me, what with husband's homecoming, and work demands that are neverending. It doesn't help that I'm known to have irregular menstrual cycle for years, but after consuming some traditional supplements I was on track for a few months... except this time it doesn't seem to work. What gives eh?
The first week of October, I coincidentally had a follow-up appointment and that was where I found out I wasn't missing my period because I was a mess inside. I remember crying when I saw the two lines that sealed our fate as parents in the making, but I remember I was more overwhelmed by these:
"I AM NOT READY TO BE A PARENT".
"I HAVEN'T HAD ENOUGH TIME WITH MY HUSBAND".
"GOD IS GOING TO PUNISH ME FOR BEING MY PARENTS' WORST CHILD".
The third one is an exaggeration... but you get my point.
I was glad I did not have any bouts of morning sickness during my first trimester, but boy was I a sleepyhead. Some days, I chose sleep over dinner. Some work days, I chose naps over papers. My staff members were already speculating about a pregnancy, but I kept denying it. People say not to break the news so early until you're well into the second trimester, but me? There is absolutely no photo of yours truly sporting a bump because "not everyone is going to be happy for you" (I'll write on this more next time).
Frankly, I don't even know how two of my bridesmaids guessed I was already pregnant by the time we hosted our wedding reception last October!
Anyways, first trimester made me miss working out so badly that (I think!) I wept at the demise of my active life.
Thankfully, after some research and consultation, I went into my second trimester more energized (thank you hormones!) and ready to get back at it. Though le bump was starting to show, I was relieved that I did not gain as much weight as I thought I would! As it turns out, weight gain during pregnancy is limited to the 11-15kg range... and silly old me thought massive weight gain of whatever range was pretty normal because you are supposed to be eating for two literally.
Not the case, ladies!
Armed with some exercise guidelines from my doctor, I decided I should give swimming a try, since I cannot save myself when I'm in the water, and husband thought it would be a good rehabilitation phase for my weak knees and a good time to actually learn how to swim with breaststrokes. Imagine our excitement when our organization's sports afternoon is now moved to Friday; four and a half days of work in the week, and leisure afternoon to welcome the weekend? Sign me up!
At work, I hardly ever mind parking my car further from office despite the designated parking spots for pregnant ladies. I probably have accepted that because some inconsiderate people choose to take up the parking for convenience's sake.. until I find myself slowing down even further on the days that it rains heavily and I am prone to trips and falls if I don't slow down from my morning brisk walk to the office. Never mind the passers-by, I even had one lady who had the temerity to tell me that I walk as if I'm not pregnant and followed by a "mudahan saja murah beranak" wish, with a tone and an expression that was borderline sarcastic to me... after I told her that my doctor said it is okay to exercise while pregnant. *rolls eyes*
Swimming is how we usually spend our time on Friday afternoons, and at 34 weeks Alhamdulillah I can say I can do a barely confident lap. Of course, please don't push me into the deep end because I will not come up for air, and please for the love of God, don't make me swim in the middle part of the water just in case I need to stop halfway. Haha. For active rest, I would do some normal squats and some wide squats... all in the shallow end of the pool. My knees would not resist my wishes to do so, and having done them many times that way was as if no injury had been sustained at all.
It is somehow strange that exercising during pregnancy is something that many expecting ladies are told to avoid "to prevent the risk of miscarriage, extreme exhaustion or injury". Pregnancy is a good time to listen to your body about what you can and cannot do-- for me the principle of "stop if you feel faint, dizzy or fatigued" still applies.
Ladies, please know I am not an exception and an anomaly here; I am still like every one of the pregnant ladies out there. I listen to my body telling me "eat the chocolate", and I must tell you how heavenly the hazelnut milk chocolate bar I had few days ago, which still haunts me on a Sunday morning and my husband is not even home to help me grab a bar or a few... Chunky hazelnuts. Yum.
Then there would be other days where my guilt creeps in after remembering how traumatic glucose tolerance test was, and I would resort to eating fruit and muesli for daysss. Hahaha.
Bottom line? Labor means hard work... so are some exercises. You don't have to enroll in prenatal yoga stat, maybe try walking around your house compound for a start or park your car meters away from the office door where you know you are adding more steps for a change.
Stay active ladies! Your body and baby will thank you for it. :)
Pregnancy is also a reminder that my patellofemoral syndrome has moved into its second year already :( haha. It's not pregnancy-induced, but rather brought on by the I-want-to-kick-ass-in-a-partner-workout mindset, which to this day my husband keeps reminding me every now and then haha. My prolonged recovery is not because I'm lazy to do inner thigh exercises, it's more of the fact that the bump has made it uncomfortable for me to assume other exercise positions, except for when I'm in water where I'm featherlike, you guys. The extra pounds have put pressure on my knees too, no kidding.
My dearest husband and I bond over our passion for fitness (and food hehe) since we got to know each other. So when he had two weeks off for rest (and I was on medical leave woof), we took the time to spend quality time doing NTC. I remember one of them leaving me completely breathless and fatigued despite having done NTC on my own while he was away for so many times! Little did we know we were already expecting at that time.
And yours truly was jumping and attempting pull ups like nobody's business. (-_-")
When Aunt Flo decided not to visit as scheduled (LOL), I thought it had to do with events catching up on me, what with husband's homecoming, and work demands that are neverending. It doesn't help that I'm known to have irregular menstrual cycle for years, but after consuming some traditional supplements I was on track for a few months... except this time it doesn't seem to work. What gives eh?
The first week of October, I coincidentally had a follow-up appointment and that was where I found out I wasn't missing my period because I was a mess inside. I remember crying when I saw the two lines that sealed our fate as parents in the making, but I remember I was more overwhelmed by these:
"I AM NOT READY TO BE A PARENT".
"I HAVEN'T HAD ENOUGH TIME WITH MY HUSBAND".
"GOD IS GOING TO PUNISH ME FOR BEING MY PARENTS' WORST CHILD".
The third one is an exaggeration... but you get my point.
I was glad I did not have any bouts of morning sickness during my first trimester, but boy was I a sleepyhead. Some days, I chose sleep over dinner. Some work days, I chose naps over papers. My staff members were already speculating about a pregnancy, but I kept denying it. People say not to break the news so early until you're well into the second trimester, but me? There is absolutely no photo of yours truly sporting a bump because "not everyone is going to be happy for you" (I'll write on this more next time).
Frankly, I don't even know how two of my bridesmaids guessed I was already pregnant by the time we hosted our wedding reception last October!
Anyways, first trimester made me miss working out so badly that (I think!) I wept at the demise of my active life.
Thankfully, after some research and consultation, I went into my second trimester more energized (thank you hormones!) and ready to get back at it. Though le bump was starting to show, I was relieved that I did not gain as much weight as I thought I would! As it turns out, weight gain during pregnancy is limited to the 11-15kg range... and silly old me thought massive weight gain of whatever range was pretty normal because you are supposed to be eating for two literally.
Not the case, ladies!
Armed with some exercise guidelines from my doctor, I decided I should give swimming a try, since I cannot save myself when I'm in the water, and husband thought it would be a good rehabilitation phase for my weak knees and a good time to actually learn how to swim with breaststrokes. Imagine our excitement when our organization's sports afternoon is now moved to Friday; four and a half days of work in the week, and leisure afternoon to welcome the weekend? Sign me up!
At work, I hardly ever mind parking my car further from office despite the designated parking spots for pregnant ladies. I probably have accepted that because some inconsiderate people choose to take up the parking for convenience's sake.. until I find myself slowing down even further on the days that it rains heavily and I am prone to trips and falls if I don't slow down from my morning brisk walk to the office. Never mind the passers-by, I even had one lady who had the temerity to tell me that I walk as if I'm not pregnant and followed by a "mudahan saja murah beranak" wish, with a tone and an expression that was borderline sarcastic to me... after I told her that my doctor said it is okay to exercise while pregnant. *rolls eyes*
Swimming is how we usually spend our time on Friday afternoons, and at 34 weeks Alhamdulillah I can say I can do a barely confident lap. Of course, please don't push me into the deep end because I will not come up for air, and please for the love of God, don't make me swim in the middle part of the water just in case I need to stop halfway. Haha. For active rest, I would do some normal squats and some wide squats... all in the shallow end of the pool. My knees would not resist my wishes to do so, and having done them many times that way was as if no injury had been sustained at all.
It is somehow strange that exercising during pregnancy is something that many expecting ladies are told to avoid "to prevent the risk of miscarriage, extreme exhaustion or injury". Pregnancy is a good time to listen to your body about what you can and cannot do-- for me the principle of "stop if you feel faint, dizzy or fatigued" still applies.
Ladies, please know I am not an exception and an anomaly here; I am still like every one of the pregnant ladies out there. I listen to my body telling me "eat the chocolate", and I must tell you how heavenly the hazelnut milk chocolate bar I had few days ago, which still haunts me on a Sunday morning and my husband is not even home to help me grab a bar or a few... Chunky hazelnuts. Yum.
Then there would be other days where my guilt creeps in after remembering how traumatic glucose tolerance test was, and I would resort to eating fruit and muesli for daysss. Hahaha.
Bottom line? Labor means hard work... so are some exercises. You don't have to enroll in prenatal yoga stat, maybe try walking around your house compound for a start or park your car meters away from the office door where you know you are adding more steps for a change.
Stay active ladies! Your body and baby will thank you for it. :)
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