I’m a reader. I always have been, I always will be. As soon as I found out that I was pregnant (after sharing with The Mister of course!), I headed to the bookstore for information. So far I have read or am currently reading the following books:
- What to Expect When You’re Expecting
- The Joy Of Pregnancy
- From The Hips
- A Bun In The Oven
- The Mocha Manual to a Fabulous Pregnancy
- The Girlfriends Guide to Pregnancy
- Breastfeeding Sucks
- Easy Labor: Every Woman’s Guide to Choosing Less Pain and More Joy In Childbirth
- Exercising Through Your Pregnancy
- Runner’s World: Guide to Running & Pregnancy
- Pushed
I firmly believe in educating myself and I think that I’m well on my way to doing so with this small library of titles (and I still have more!). I find myself moving on now to more labor delivery-oriented books. I’ve been reading Jennifer Block’s “Pushed: The Painful Truth About Childbirth and Modern Maternity Care” and to say my eyes have been opened is an understatement. I’ve always imagined that I would happily take whatever drugs were available for me but now I’m not so sure. I’m beginning to see the epidural as a slippery slope from Pitocin (basically creates contractions) to labor not progressing fast enough to a C-Section and episiotomy. I do not want a C-Section and I do not want an episiotomy. I will not be happy if I am split open like a baked potato and then sliced from the rooter to the tooter!
Another book, Dr. James Clapp’s “Exercising Through Your Pregnancy” has been an equally important read. Dr. Clapp’s book uses actual research to explain how beneficial exercise can be during pregnancy. He studied a group of fit women prior to, during and post-pregnancy. This book is for the fitness enthusiast (people who do intense exercise regularly) who wants to keep on exercising during pregnancy.
Dr. Clapp’s book doesn’t tell you to keep your heart rate below 140 (outdated, very, very generic guideline) or to just take a prenatal yoga or swim class. It explains exactly why it is beneficial for you and your baby to keep up with your pre-pregnancy activities. It is a fairly scientific read but that is exactly what I loved about it. You hear so many things that “you shouldn’t do” during pregnancy but no concrete reasons why. There is also no consideration given to a woman’s pre-pregnancy fitness level which most certainly affects what she can do while pregnant. I mean, I ran a marathon back in November and just because I’m pregnant I should start a walking program and take yoga when I feel absolutely fine? Uh, no!
Having read Dr. Clapp’s book and reading Jennifer Block’s book, I am realizing that to possibly achieve the kind of delivery that I want, fitness is more important than ever. Dr. Clapp’s book details how women who exercise regularly at a moderate to hard level throughout their entire pregnancy tend to have shorter, easier labors. They tend to deliver on or near their due date and require less pain relief. The “stress” of exercise on the baby helps better prepare the baby for the stress of labor and delivery. I like to think that compared to some of my CrossFit workouts, my baby will find contractions a breeze LOL!
A greater likelihood of delivering on or near my due date means a smaller chance that I will be bugged about unnaturally inducing labor or having a C-Section. The better my baby can tolerate, the smaller the chance that I will be pressured to hurry things along with drugs because the baby is in fetal distress. Avoiding a bunch of unnecessary medical interventions in my delivery means a happier me! That’s why exercise has become more important to me than ever. I plan to keep this up until I’m ready to pop if I can! I might have to tone it down some, but right now I am feeling pretty great so I’m going to keep on keeping on.
I love the way you research EVERYTHING.
Congrats, Kia…couldn’t have happened to a better couple.
Thanks DD! This is my body and my baby! I want to (try at least) to do what’s best for both of us and not what is most expedient for my doctor. Hmmm…I wonder if the occasional round of fries from Zaxby’s bothers The Baby that much? LOL!
Big congrats to you and the Mister! I am just getting caught up here.
You might want to check out Jessica’s blog – she has been writing about her pregnancy and is a former fitness competitor. She is continuing to workout throughout her pregnancy.
http://juiceworthsqueeze.blogspot.com/
I don’t know her personally but we have exchanged emails. She is very sweet and always willing to share her experiences with others.
Best of luck to you! I will keep checking in…
Your “friend” in Chester, VA.
Jacey
Thanks so much for the link Jacey! I love reading blogs about how other pregnant women are working out! I found an older one a Runner’s World that I’ve been catching up on but fresh content is great!
Hi Keyalus! I’ve checked you out from time to time, coming from Babs’ blog. Congratulations again on your pregnancy!
I just had a baby in October. Like you, I changed my mind about epidural once I learned about how it often starts a cascade of interventions, ending in c-section. Through preparation, education and the assistance of a good doula, (and most importantly, the grace of God
), I had an unmedicated, completely natural vaginal birth. It can be done! I delivered at Dekalb Medical Center in Decatur.
I found Dr. Sears pregnancy book to be very helpful. I read it toward the end of my term and wished I had read it earlier.
Best wishes with everything!!
Wow! Thanks so much for the positive info! I am planning to attend a “Meet The Doulas” tea tomorrow actually. I’ll have to check out Dr. Sears book. I am planning to read “Our Bodies Our Selves” for pregnancy and birth next.
Hi Kia!!!
I am the girl Jacey referred to above – Jacey, thank you SO much you are a sweetheart to say such wonderful things!
Kia, congrats on your pregnancy – I am SO excited to follow along your journey! I am having a wonderful go of it with my workouts and just put in five miles running this morning and I am almost 6 months – you can do it girl!!!
I also read Dr.Clapp’s book and I LOVED it. While it is very scientific (a couple of times I think I actually fell asleep while reading it
) it was so helpful in letting me know it is ok to workout while pregnant.
I watched the documentary “On Being Born” and I must warn you – it is very anti-hospital and very pro-midwife/home birth. While I appreciate and respect the value of understanding home birth, I thought the documentary did a terrible job of showing more positive hospital experiences.
Anyhoo, email me or feel free to comment/question on my blog.
Congrats again! Btw, I was SO very sleepy and tired my first trimester. Like narcolepsy for 3-4 weeks while my body was constructing the placenta. It was all I could do to get to the gym for a lazy lift.
Listen to your body – you will know what it should do.
Best of luck and again, congrats!
Jess
Thanks for stopping by Jess! I’ll have to check out that documentary. There is another one featuring Ricki Lake that sounds interesting. Just from reading “Pushed” I do get the sense that they think home birth is the best option in a low risk situation. I can see how a lot of women who have bad experiences get driven to that. I’m not there yet so I’ll go to the hospital like most people. I just hope that my wishes will be respected.
Congratulations! I’ve only been around once, so I’m by no means an expert, but I exercised every single day of my pregnancy. My labor/delivery was short, painless, and unmedicated. I’m a firm believer that keeping my workout routine up was a huge factor in the world’s easier labor and delivery (in my mind, anyhow).
Keep up the good work! Continued blessings to you!
I love to hear stuff like this! I hope the working out helps somehow in the delivery. If it doesn’t that’s fine. It is important for me to keep exercise as a part of my daily routine so that when it is time to drop the baby weight being active won’t be a problem. I’m not one of those people who can easily drop weight without a strong exercise program.
“I will not be happy if I am split open like a baked potato and then sliced from the rooter to the tooter!”
LOL This is the sole reason why I don’t want to birth no baby.
Wishing you a healthy and quite painless pregnancy and delivery.
Thanks! It doesn’t have to be that way and it used to not be that way unless there was a true emergency. I’m going to try my hardest to make sure this doesn’t happen to me unnecessarily.
Just having a look-see after finding your comment at The Great Fitness Experiment. I’m also working out while preggers (and boy do I want to do Crossfit, although there’s nothing in my area so I’ll have to be happy w/ throwing a few elements from it into my regular routine).
My favorite book on labor has been Dr. Sears’ Birth Book. My first labor (this is the 3rd baby) was a medical intervention nightmare. The second was completely natural, had a doula (recommend it- although this time around we won’t be using one), took hypnobirthing classes beforehand (kooky name, but good info and such), and had a fabulous birth– both at the same hospital within 2 yrs. You just need to be knowledgable and assertive.
From your posting, I’ll bet you do fine.
BTW, if you have a C section, you won’t have to worry about an episitomy–it’s kind of a one way or the other thing. I had a tear with my first, nothing with the second. Relaxation is key!
Thanks! I will check that book out. I’m taking childbirth classes now and really figuring out how best to get what I want.