One Month to Go

Today marks the beginning of week 36 for Baby Max. As he continues to grow each day, the simplest of tasks, like getting in and out of the car are becoming increasingly difficult for me. However, on a scale of 1 to 10, I'd say my comfort level is still about an 8.5 to 9. For there are times when I'm visited by Mr. Braxton Hicks - or as The B says, "Mr. Jackson Triggs." Still, at nine months, I'm feeling great (touch wood) and have continued my workouts and runs. I've also noticed that I have yet to be awakened by frequent bathroom breaks in the middle of the night.

Yesterday, while eating lunch, I happened to chance upon a TLC program called "A Baby Story." This show chronicles the adventures of veteran and newbie parents-to-be as they go from the last few weeks of pregnancy to a few weeks postpartum. The concept seems delightful and magical enough. At first, I was curious. Then I was put off. Perhaps it was the episode I happen to catch.

In this episode, the mom-to-be was a first-timer- just like me. Now I know pregnancy is not a magical or joyous experience for everyone, but this mother was downright miserable. She complained about everything. She admitted that she gained about 55 pounds and that the weight gain even caused her legs to develop fat rolls! She said gave into every single food craving. Hers, unfortunately, was fast food and akin to Morgan Spurlock in Supersize Me, this woman ate fast food daily! No wonder she gained so much weight and felt miserable.

Also -and a big difference between our experiences - this newbie preggo was out of shape to begin with. I'm not saying every woman should be athletic or super fit before conceiving, but in my personal experience, I've noticed that doing even mild exercise, like walking daily, is extremely helpful to enhancing mood and to preventing excessive weight gain.

Being a first-timer, I've been quite surprised at just how physical pregnancy is. In nine months, my body has changed so rapidly: I've gained just over 20 pounds in such a short period of time; grown boobs and have to now manage with a 38-inch waist line. This quick weight gain has caused my back to ache at times and my feet to hurt. Internally, my body is also undergoing a lot of stress as my blood volume increases and organs stretch to accommodate a growing Baby Max.

With all this happening in and outside, wouldn't it make sense to incorporate even a little exercise, like walking, daily? Granted, I know things are different if one is carrying multiples or has underlying conditions or complications, but for the vast majority of women who are in "normal" or "low risk" pregnancies, I think doing something even slightly physical is good for both mom-to-be and baby.

Then again, that's just me.

After about 20 minutes, before the commercial break where they previewed this woman's difficult delivery, I turned off the TV. Then I hastily changed into my workout wear and headed to the gym. With her in mind, I kicked-ass on the elliptical and did a nice core, weight workout.