Baby Break :)

Hey guys!!

Sooooooooooooooooooooooo very sorry for my hiatus. I was sick and then got really, really busy with work and the baby is getting REALLY big so I am LUGGING my belly around. :) Here is the latest pic:

I have gained 15lbs total so far. Average weight gain at 30 weeks is 21lbs. The GREAT news is that the baby at last ultra sound measurement (a week and a half ago) is estimated at 3lbs and they expect I will deliver a 7.5 to 8lb baby! So baby is getting all of their nutrients and necessary protein and fats to grow.

I am SUPER happy with my weight....its not jeopardizing the little bambino and I am going to have less work to do because I have moderated during pregnancy. My workouts have been consistent - except the week I was sick (which I took off) - I have been getting in 4-5 cardio workouts a week and 3-4 Body Pump sessions a week. I haven't had to lower my weights for Body Pump but definitely modifying my cardio based on my exertion level and hwo I am feeling.

I obviously haven't been updating my weekly workouts and need to do a month/weekly recap for all of you. For those of you out there considering children, pregnant or thinking of having another - you can be healthy and smart in how you approach your pregnancy weight gain. And working out makes you feel so powerful - I literally feel like I am going to just POP the baby out because of the steps I have taken during pregnancy. Now, that is yet to be seen - I am sure delivery day will be a BIG day. :)

Jody and I went to childbirth class last weekend which was really good. Probably more so for him than me because I knew a lot of the stuff already but we did a ton of breathing work and we learned a lot of great positions for back labor. We also did a really cool exercise where you hold ice in your hand for 60 seconds (OWWWWWWWW!!!) and then do it later with your partner massaging your other hand and talking you through the pain and that was awesome for seeing how those things help you deal with pain. The funniest thing Jody said at the end was: I didn't know about the dilating thing. :) WOW. Good thing we went to class. Hee hee.

A couple other updates:

• Having tons of Braxton Hicks.Kinda funny when the belly gets hard as a rock.
  
• Getting kicked in the ribs tons! Doc had me start doing kick counts - so how fast you get to 10 kicks after a meal or when baby is active - takes this little critter like 2 minutes - TOPS.
• Back is starting to feel the baby more but doing lots of stretching and stuff to work through the discomfort.
• NO stretch marks - YEAH! What has worked for me so far: I lather up my belly every morning after the shower with Palmer's Tummy Butter and then put my Bella Band on - I think this combo has made a big difference in my belly absorbing the lotion. I am also drinking a ton of water and my weight gain has been gradual - two things they say help a ton.

I love all you guys and hope you are working hard at your fitness goals!!!

I will do a VLOG this weekend (for Mama's Day) so stay tuned! :)
Jess