I can't believe I only have 4 1/2 weeks left till my due date! That's absolutely crazy! It's so weird to think that the squirmy little baby who is constantly kicking me in the ribs will soon be squirming in my arms and kicking my ribs from the outside! lol. It's starting to feel more real, that's for sure. Chris and I are really starting to be hit by the realization that our lives are going to be forever changed in the very near future, and my goodness is there a lot of stuff to do before he arrives.
A couple weeks ago we were blessed by family and friends who held two baby showers for us: one co-ed event with our friends, and a more traditional "ladies only" event with my family and women who I consider family. And they truly did shower us with blessings. We were touched not only by their generous gifts to help us prepare for our little munchkin, but also by their prayers and support. We were overwhelmed by their love and can't even begin to fully express our thanks and appreciation. Each person who came has had a profound impact on me and who I've become as a person and so it meant a lot to share this special time with all of them. I can't wait for everyone to meet Baby Burns!
A couple weeks ago we were blessed by family and friends who held two baby showers for us: one co-ed event with our friends, and a more traditional "ladies only" event with my family and women who I consider family. And they truly did shower us with blessings. We were touched not only by their generous gifts to help us prepare for our little munchkin, but also by their prayers and support. We were overwhelmed by their love and can't even begin to fully express our thanks and appreciation. Each person who came has had a profound impact on me and who I've become as a person and so it meant a lot to share this special time with all of them. I can't wait for everyone to meet Baby Burns!
Fit For Two
As many of you know, and as I had posted back in October, this fall I participated in the Tone It Up Fit For Fall Charity Challenge. My goal was to complete 150 miles over the span of 8 weeks. Normally not a problem for me, but being increasingly pregnant made it an ambitious goal. At the start of the challenge I could still basically hide the pregnancy with the right clothes, but now I have full on pregnant waddle. My mileage continued fairly consistently throughout the challenge but my pace definitely slowed. And for the first time ever I had to supplement in some elliptical miles and cycling to finish the challenge, as opposed to just running the whole thing as I usually do. But... I DID IT!!! This past Sunday I finished my last 5km with the TIU Winnipeg girls on a run through the Assiniboin Forest. 35 weeks pregnant and 150 miles of running, stairs, elliptical, and biking (you have to bike 3 miles to count as 1 mile towards the challenge since it's so much faster than running lol) under my ever expanding belt. I feel pretty good about that!
But I'm definitely feeling WAY more pregnant these days. Between the pregnancy hormones and worn out shoes, my adductor injury is just not going away. Plus my right glute is starting to seize from over-compensating for the injury which is perpetuating the waddle since I'm just always sore now. And then there was this weird thing a couple weeks ago where my calves swelled up for no good reason. It was so strange! My feet and ankles were totally normal but both calves ballooned like crazy! So I treated it as an athletic injury, put on my compression sleeves, elevated my legs and iced them. I had a really bad leg cramp that night that ended up causing a slight tear in my right calf which meant a full 3 days off from the gym to recover. That was not easy. I hate not working out. But the swelling went away and the tear healed, so all is well. My OBGYN said it wasn't any concern to the pregnancy since they look for asymmetry and swelling throughout the leg, ankle, and foot as indicators of blood clotting.
As many of you know, and as I had posted back in October, this fall I participated in the Tone It Up Fit For Fall Charity Challenge. My goal was to complete 150 miles over the span of 8 weeks. Normally not a problem for me, but being increasingly pregnant made it an ambitious goal. At the start of the challenge I could still basically hide the pregnancy with the right clothes, but now I have full on pregnant waddle. My mileage continued fairly consistently throughout the challenge but my pace definitely slowed. And for the first time ever I had to supplement in some elliptical miles and cycling to finish the challenge, as opposed to just running the whole thing as I usually do. But... I DID IT!!! This past Sunday I finished my last 5km with the TIU Winnipeg girls on a run through the Assiniboin Forest. 35 weeks pregnant and 150 miles of running, stairs, elliptical, and biking (you have to bike 3 miles to count as 1 mile towards the challenge since it's so much faster than running lol) under my ever expanding belt. I feel pretty good about that!
But I'm definitely feeling WAY more pregnant these days. Between the pregnancy hormones and worn out shoes, my adductor injury is just not going away. Plus my right glute is starting to seize from over-compensating for the injury which is perpetuating the waddle since I'm just always sore now. And then there was this weird thing a couple weeks ago where my calves swelled up for no good reason. It was so strange! My feet and ankles were totally normal but both calves ballooned like crazy! So I treated it as an athletic injury, put on my compression sleeves, elevated my legs and iced them. I had a really bad leg cramp that night that ended up causing a slight tear in my right calf which meant a full 3 days off from the gym to recover. That was not easy. I hate not working out. But the swelling went away and the tear healed, so all is well. My OBGYN said it wasn't any concern to the pregnancy since they look for asymmetry and swelling throughout the leg, ankle, and foot as indicators of blood clotting.
Medical Update
Speaking of my OBGYN, I had another appointment today. If you're from Winnipeg you know that today was also the first day of winter driving since we basically had a blizzard overnight. My mom and I left an hour before the scheduled appointment since it's really only a 35 minute drive... and we were 15 minutes late. I couldn't believe it! Ok, I can believe it. This happens every year. We crawled the entire way there. But everyone else was in the same boat so I didn't miss my appointment and still ended up waiting another 10 minutes to get in.
The appointment was a little bit different than usual because I was seen by a resident doctor instead of my OBGYN. She was really nice, but seemed pretty new to this. Having a selfish moment, I was frustrated that I had to see another new person who didn't know or understand my case, so I was very relieved when my regular OB came in. Baby still has a steady heart rate of 140bpm, my blood pressure is great (despite my stress-out in the truck over being late), baby is head down and starting to drop though not fully engaged. He's still measuring small, but growing so they're not worried.
Now it's just a waiting game since Baby Burns could show up basically any time. I'm technically full term on November 30th which is when I have my next fetal assessment and my OB seems to think he'll be coming early. I have a follow-up appointment booked for December 10th but she seemed skeptical as to whether I'd make it to that appointment. lol. I'm not sure what to think about baby's arrival. Lots of people are guessing he'll be early, but my family history is for late babies. So who knows!
Speaking of my OBGYN, I had another appointment today. If you're from Winnipeg you know that today was also the first day of winter driving since we basically had a blizzard overnight. My mom and I left an hour before the scheduled appointment since it's really only a 35 minute drive... and we were 15 minutes late. I couldn't believe it! Ok, I can believe it. This happens every year. We crawled the entire way there. But everyone else was in the same boat so I didn't miss my appointment and still ended up waiting another 10 minutes to get in.
The appointment was a little bit different than usual because I was seen by a resident doctor instead of my OBGYN. She was really nice, but seemed pretty new to this. Having a selfish moment, I was frustrated that I had to see another new person who didn't know or understand my case, so I was very relieved when my regular OB came in. Baby still has a steady heart rate of 140bpm, my blood pressure is great (despite my stress-out in the truck over being late), baby is head down and starting to drop though not fully engaged. He's still measuring small, but growing so they're not worried.
Now it's just a waiting game since Baby Burns could show up basically any time. I'm technically full term on November 30th which is when I have my next fetal assessment and my OB seems to think he'll be coming early. I have a follow-up appointment booked for December 10th but she seemed skeptical as to whether I'd make it to that appointment. lol. I'm not sure what to think about baby's arrival. Lots of people are guessing he'll be early, but my family history is for late babies. So who knows!
Bump-Date
Here's my bump as of exactly 35 weeks. I have noticed that my bump is noticeably bigger at the end of the day compared to first thing in the morning (this picture was taken at the end of the day). I'm pretty proud of the fact that I still have some oblique definition, though I am noticeably larger in the hips/thighs. I'm hoping that comes off pretty quickly after baby is born since I worked so hard to tone up those areas (I've always been very self-conscious of my legs). But don't worry, I'm not starving myself by any means. I'm eating often and eating good, whole, nutritious foods that help baby and mama to stay healthy and strong. And probably more than the recommended daily dose of chocolate... I have a problem lol. For those who have been asking, I'm 5'1". Yup, I'm a shorty. And while I've been cutting back on my cardio since completing the 150 mile challenge, don't expect me to quit the gym any time soon. You can find me in the weight room ;)
"If at first you don't succeed, fix your ponytail and try again" - unknown
Here's my bump as of exactly 35 weeks. I have noticed that my bump is noticeably bigger at the end of the day compared to first thing in the morning (this picture was taken at the end of the day). I'm pretty proud of the fact that I still have some oblique definition, though I am noticeably larger in the hips/thighs. I'm hoping that comes off pretty quickly after baby is born since I worked so hard to tone up those areas (I've always been very self-conscious of my legs). But don't worry, I'm not starving myself by any means. I'm eating often and eating good, whole, nutritious foods that help baby and mama to stay healthy and strong. And probably more than the recommended daily dose of chocolate... I have a problem lol. For those who have been asking, I'm 5'1". Yup, I'm a shorty. And while I've been cutting back on my cardio since completing the 150 mile challenge, don't expect me to quit the gym any time soon. You can find me in the weight room ;)
"If at first you don't succeed, fix your ponytail and try again" - unknown