Fit pregnancy

Now, I am in no way preaching about this topic. I am simply putting my experience out there of having an "unfit pregnancy" and a "trying to be fit pregnancy". You know, I look back at my pregnancy with Silas with a slight tinge of bitterness. "I hated being pregnant" is what you could most likely find me saying about it. And really, it was my fault that it was how it was. I gained an extreme amount of weight with him. By the end of my third trimester I was unbelievably swollen, Silas was facing the wrong way as a result of my laziness, and during labor I had high blood pressure. Now, whether that had to do with the weight gain...I'm no doctor. But deep in me I know that it possibly could have been a little more enjoyable had I focused a bit more on the physical well being of my body. I could list off a bunch of excuses on why I gained so much; living in a new city, winter weather of -10 degrees, etc., etc. But really, that's all a bunch of crap. I knew with this pregnancy I wanted...needed to feel better about myself. I mentioned to a girlfriend who had just started working at a new yoga studio that if they needed someone to clean in exchange for free classes I was so down. I have always been envious of my girlfriends who practiced on the regular and had attempted throughout the years to become somewhat of a yogi myself. It never stuck because I was always "busy". Well, here I am cleaning a studio two nights a week in exchange for unlimited access to classes and I am hooked. I have actually never felt stronger or more flexible since my high school cheerleading days. And the crazy thing is, I've only been at it for 5 weeks.

It's been an awesome experience fixing my "mistakes" from the last pregnancy and I am just really enjoying myself this time. It's also nice to get out of the house and spend some time working on me. Motherhood doesn't always allow you the privilege of that very often and I am relishing in it.

Here are a few of my tips:

*Don't overdue it or start something that is extreme. Know your body and its limits. One reason I love doing vinyasa is that it allows me to take it as far as I feel as I can. Or con the contrary, hold back when I need to.
*Find someone to work out with. My friend Rikki is an amazing little yogi ( Hi, Rickles!). We take usually one class a week together. She is definitely more advance than me, but I love having my mat next to hers because it's 1) inspiring (I want to do crow, dammit!) and 2) seeing her flexibility and knowledge of the poses pushes me to be better at it.
*Talk to your health care provider about what is best for you. Now, i see a midwife who is all for my yoga practice. But, I know that there is probably more than a few OB's out there who would say "OMG YOU'RE GOING TO HARM THE BABY!". Whatever the case may be, you should make sure that what you're doing is safe and that you don't have anything going on medically that would prevent you from whatever exercise you've decided on.
*Know your limits and don't push yourself to the extreme. Remember, you are pregnant. Things are different. Listen to your body. Today, I stopped about 5 times to sit and skip a pose and sip on some water. It's OK to take breaks and go easy. Little bits of exercise are better than nothing!