12 week belly pic & stuff I'm doing to try to stay healthy

Hello all,

Thanks for your patience. I haven't written much lately--sorry about that. I have a stack of Post-it notes literally an inch tall with blog ideas that I need to get around to writing "when I have time." I do mean to...

Here's what I've been up to thus far with this pregnancy. (Please consult your care provider regarding the best supplements, exercises, etc. for your situation. I'm not diagnosing, prescribing, or recommending anything at all, just sharing my experience.)

I'm on Rainbow Light One-a-day Prenatal Vitamins. I'm also on 5000 IU of Vitamin D3 and refrigerated Now brand acidophilus. I plan on adding garlic tablets for immune boosting after the nausea is gone altogether, and possibly Floradix Iron + Herbs as I approach mid-pregnancy to reduce risk of anemia.

I have been taking a Pilates class 3 days a week (30 minute class) on and off for 4 years now. After finding out I'm pregnant, I've been far more diligent to attend whenever possible. My 6 year old and 8 year old daughters attend and take the class with me while the 2 year old and 5 year old are in babysitting at the gym. Considering that this is my 6th pregnancy in 9 years (5th live baby), I can't afford not to have good abdominal tone. When a mom's abs and uterus have been stretched from this many pregnancies, it can tend to make the abdomen hang and stretch even further late in pregnancy. This is a less favorable position for pre-labor and labor. I'd like to do what I can to keep strong abdominal tone for optimal positioning.

I'm also taking water aerobics 3 days a week (1 hour class), back-to-back after Pilates. That sounds really intense until you find out that I'm one of 2 non-senior-citizens in the water aerobics class. I would like to try to find a way to continue taking water aerobics throughout this pregnancy, if possible. I also keep thinking that I need to add in 2 days a week on the treadmill in between the water aerobics days. The reason I'm so focused on this is that my pregnancy where I took the best care of myself with diet and exercise was my easiest labor, delivery, and recovery of all of them. I realize there are many factors, but that's the point. There are things I can control, and things that are out of my hands. I may as well stack the deck to my favor with the factors I *can* control.

I'm not strictly following the Brewer diet, but I am shooting to eat a minimum of 80-100 g of protein daily as outlined by Brewer's recommendations to help prevent pre-eclampsia, PIH, IUGR, and other problems. As with the other things, there are more factors than just diet, but I'd like to do the best I can proactively. I use the meal tracker on free site babyfit.com to track my protein intake. (Let me know if anyone knows of a more user-friendly free online diet tracker and food database than that one.)

I'm finally starting to get my appetite back and I'm hungry frequently. I graze all day long, nibbling on little portions, rather than eating large meals at any point. This helps stabilize my blood sugar which is very sensitive during pregnancy (I'm not diabetic though). I carry food with me everywhere I go. Usually in my purse or diaper bag is a string cheese, whole wheat crackers, a Luna bar, a Kashi granola bar, a Larabar, a pear or apple and a small Tupperware of dry roasted almonds. I carry 32 oz of water with me everywhere I go. I never drink soda. I drink 100% juice (no sugar added) a few times per week.

I'm trying to be mindful of posture to promote optimal fetal positioning and encourage baby's anterior positioning for the future. My posture *now* does matter. I'm trying to sit up straight more, slouch less, sit on the exercise ball more, engage my abs more, and avoid slumping on the couch. I'm also trying to train myself to stop crossing my legs (really hard to stop!) since the pelvis narrows in the front when momma frequently crosses her legs, which can contribute to posterior positioning (and a longer, more difficult labor).

I got established with a chiropractor who specializes in pregnancy chiropractic and the Webster technique, for preventative care during this pregnancy, starting at 7 weeks gestation. I had moderate SPD with my 3rd pregnancy in 2006 and severe SPD with my most recent baby in 2008, so I want to do what I can to prevent it from becoming debilitating this time. Some SPD is hormonal and chemical in nature (relaxin and other pregnancy hormones) and there's little that can be done beyond management of SPD symptoms, but some SPD is positional. It's then that chiropractic can help prevent and/or treat SPD.

I would feel better telling you all this if I hadn't had a donut for breakfast and an ice cream sundae after dinner today. I guess it's all about balance. No ice cream tomorrow. Pilates, water aerobics, and real food instead.

Here I am at 12 weeks along. And yes, there's only one baby in there.