Newly pregnant with 1st child

[Chris S.]

Hi Cathe, Sheila and everyone;
Just found out (Dec. 13) that I'm pregnant with our first child....Words can't express how excited we are. We told the parents yesterday as a Christmas present; it was pretty emotional, to say the least. I'm due the first week in August and though it seems like it'll be an awfully long wait, I hope to enjoy my pregnancy as much as possible.
I was absolutely thrilled to find this forum....I have been a workout fiend for quite some time--lots of step, hi-lo and weight training. Since my MD said it was safe for me to continue a modified routine, I was curious about others' pre-and post-natal exercise experiences. The tips and advice I've seen here seem really helpful, as far as exercise during/after pregnancy, and the sense of support and community really shines through.
Cathe, a belated congrats on your beautiful little boy! Thanks again for deciding to start this forum!
--Christine

 

[lwseymour]

Congratulations Christine! Hope you are feeling well. What a wonderful way to tell the grandparents that they are gonna have a grandbaby. I wish you a smooth, enjoyable pregnancy. When I was pregnant (4 1/2 years ago), I was walking about 4 miles per day at a moderate pace. Since it was my first pregnancy, I had the afternoons entirely to myself and had the time to devote to continuing my exercise routine. I feel like my daily walks helped to keep me active during my pregnancy, and also helped to keep my weight gain at a minimum. I was already 10 lbs. overweight, and was really nervous about becoming pregnant and gaining way too much. I believe that my daily walks helped me to avoid some of the problems with pregnancy such as constipation, fatigue, and back ache. Don't get me wrong, I'm aware that mostly this was just luck, but I do think that exercise definitely helps with the minor problems. Also, I would highly recommend for you to get the book "What to Eat When You're Expecting". It is excellent. I definitely cheated on it, but I believe that attempting it helped me to have a healthy baby.
I'm certainly not a professional (so why am I blabbing, right?)
but I believe that walking is the perfect exercise for pregnant women. Anyway, enjoy this special time!
Lisa

 

[Cathe Friedrich]

Congratulations Christine! Even though I'm a little late in getting here, I just wanted you to know that I'm sooo happy for you. Hearing that news just gives me goosebumps. It is especially euphoric when it is the first. Lots of love and hugs to you and your family. The forum will be very helpful for you. Feel free to browse through all of the posts over the last year to hear of other fit pregnacy stories. I'm glad that your doctor has given you the approval to continue a modified exercise program. The best advice I can give you right now is.... from this point forward take your workouts day by day. Modify and do what you need to do per workout rather than per week. Good luck and keep us informed of your progress!.

 

[KJT]

Christine,

Congrads on your wonderful news!!! I just found out on Dec 5 that I am pregnant and this is my first, too. My husband and I told my family on Christmas eve and it was very emotional--a very happy,sweet moment for all of us!

I gotta be honest and tell you that I am REALLY struggling with modifying my exercise routine. Prior to getting pregnant, I was doing a rotation of the CTX series and occasionally adding in Circuit Max and Cardiokicks, and getting great results. I have discovered that this is too much for me and I truly need to change my rotation and I have been very resistant in wanting to do so....for example, yesterday, I did Circuit Max with lots of modifications, but I still felt pretty fatigued afterward...my body is telling me something right there! I did purchase two Charlene Prickett videos that are low impact that are pretty good, but, it just isn't the same as working out with Cathe!

I do have a treadmill and have been thinking that my best course of action is to design a walking program along with strength training....I'm just frustrated with the concept of modifying!!! Let me know what you are thinking about in terms of modifying your routine...thanks for listening!

 

[LynnW]

RE: Congrats Christine and KJT

After reading your posts it brought back some memories for me. I have five children and I think we annouced three of them during
Christmas celebrations too. It was always emotional. The three girls were born- one in late July and two mid to late August. The youngest turned five this last August. The two boys were born November 21 and Jan. 1(the oldest just turned 13 the other day.)

Anyway, what a great resource the forum is for you. I wish I had such resources but I read the "What to expect" books ,etc and everything was great.

I believe my pregnancies and labors were uneventful ( and really pretty easy) because I kept to my exercise routine and modified when needed. I did a lot of step, walking and nordic track. I was also able to find a "Ladies in Wading" class which is water aerobics and they were wonderful, especially in the summer months when it was so hot. It was for pregnant women only which might be different from just a water aerobics class. I felt I could work out pretty hard and not injure myself since you are in the water. You may want to check this out with your dr. or hospital, It waw a program through our hospital here.

I remember the first trimester was one of the toughest because you are really tired and maybe feeling a little green. :-tired This might be what you are experiencing since you are in the early months. You will get a lot of your energy back so hang in there. :-jumpy


Congrats again and good-luck

Lynn W

 

[Chris S.]

RE: Congrats Christine and KJT

[font size="1" color="#FF0000"]LAST EDITED ON Jan-06-01 AT 02:58PM (Est)[/font][p]Thanks Cathe, Lisa, and Lynn for responding with your good wishes and your experiences... and congrats yourself, KJT!!! It's so nice to know so many of us are (or have been) in the same boat, and I love hearing about others' Holiday announcements!
I'm glad to know I'm not the only one who had a little bit of a hard time about modifying my routine. I'm learning to listen to both my body and my doctor, and to focus on having a healthy baby. I'm also very appreciative of the helpful hints I've read here! I've still been doing my regular tapes (mostly hi-intensity step and hi-lo)5-6 times a week, and simply keep as many moves low as I can. As far as my weight training, I only do about 2 thirty min. workouts per week and I keep the weights fairly light (5-8 lbs.). I take many, many more water breaks than I used to. And on the days I feel more "green" (I'm glad *that* won't last forever!) I just stick to walking. So far, this is what has worked for me, and I know I'll have to make more changes as time goes by.
Looking forward to learning and sharing with all of you!
--Christine

 

[KJT]

RE: Congrats Christine and KJT

Thanks to all for the Congrats!!! I am one of the lucky ones that isn't experiencing too many "green" moments. My main symptoms have been VERY sore breasts and fatigue!

I am now doing a walking(using a treadmill)and strength training program--I have some walking workouts that Shape magazine published a few months ago that seem to working very well for me--they are challenging, but yet moderate. For strength training I am doing MIS 2x a week and lowering my weights. It has been very hard for me to give up the CTX series!! Though, I think I will probably use some of the tapes occasionally as I have been getting better and more experienced at modifying the high impact and plyo moves. The Charlene Prickett low impact tapes are pretty good, too. Now that I have finally figured out what to do, I just need to get back on track--I usually workout 5-6 days, but have been only doing 3 days, so I am working towards 3 treadmill workouts and 2 strength workouts a week. Thanks again for all your support!!