Weekly Workout Recap: 1/5-1/11

 

 

WOW-- it's been a LOOOONG time since I've done one of these! As I SLOWLY get back into working out, I'll track my weekly workouts here.

 

Sunday, Jan. 5: None
Monday, Jan. 6: Jillian Michael's 30-Day Shred
Tuesday, Jan. 7: 15 minute home made-up strength workout (while wearing Bailey in Moby Wrap... fun!!)
Wednesday, Jan. 8: Jillian Michael's 30-Day Shred
Thursday, Jan. 9: Jillian Michael's 30-Day Shred
Friday, Jan. 10: None
Saturday, Jan. 11: 3 mile run

 

To say I'm out of shape is an understatement, but I can tell with each workout, I'm verrrrry slowly getting better and better. Saturday's run felt waaaaaay easier than the one before. Speaking of... Woah! I can't believe I waited that long in between runs. With all the snow/ice/cold, it's really hard to run outside, which is my only option right now. Plus, I can't really do any mid-week runs right now, as we don't have a jogging stroller so I can't go with B during the day (even if we did have a jogging stroller, it's too snowy/icy right now anyway) and by the time the Hubs gets home it's pretty much dark and I want to spend time with him and B as a family. Family time trumps running time, hands down.  

 

I'm calling this a BIG WIN week. 5 days of working out with a 7-week old? VICOTORY in my book! As you can see, everything (minus the run, which was done outside) was done in my house. While I still have my work gym membership, they don't have a daycare (& I wasn't really up to leaving B at daycare before her first round of shots anyway) so it's home workouts for me. While I SO wish we had a treadmill so I could walk and/or run throughout the day (stupid ice & snow outside!), it is what it is. The home workouts are working for me right now. There's only so many hours in the day and a gym just isn't in the cards right now. Gotta make due with what you have.

Day In the Life: 8 Weeks

These days, my life looks almost nothing like it did 8 weeks ago, so I thought it might be fun to capture what it looks like today...

Sometime between 2-3am (I set my alarm for 3:30am and she's NEVER made it all the say to 3:30am... Someday!) I hear Bailey start stirring over the monitor. We moved her to her crib in her nursery a few weeks ago and she did really well. I think she's too little to know any different, so hopefully transitioning to the crib will be 1 less battle we have to fight. Famous last words. :) 

Anyway- I give her a few minutes to see if she's really starting to wake up or just a little sleepy-stir. Usually she's waking up, so I get up and nurse, change her diaper, and re-swaddle her. I don't really talk to her (except a few "Mommy loves you!"'s) and there's no playing during this time. I keep the lights very low, as well. The idea is to get her to know this is JUST a feeding time and then it's time to go back to sleep right away. She's honestly doing really well with this concept. It usually takes about 45 minutes to nurse her and change her diaper.

From 3ish to 6:30am it's time for SLEEP! Glorious, glorious sleep. :)

About 6:30am is wake up time! Sometimes I have to wake Bailey up, but usually she's just starting to stir/wake up sometime around 6:15-6:30am. I go into her nursery, turn on the lights, sing her a wake up song, change her, nurse her, and change her outfit, all while talking to her and playing music in the room. Again, trying to get her to understand that it's now daytime which means we're gonna play and be awake. Usually this takes about 40 minutes.

After we finish with nursing and diaper changes usually it's about 7:15am and it's playtime! We almost always do some tummy time during this wake-period, as she's always the most happy during this period. Sometimes we read a book, sing songs, etc.

The, at about 7:30am, it's naptime! I usually check her diaper again to see if she's dirty, the re-swaddle her, pop her paci in her mouth, rock her for a few minutes, and then set her in her crib, hopefully while she's awake, but drowsy. Sometimes she falls asleep really quickly and easily. Sometimes, I end up going up and down the stairs to put the paci back in her mouth 10 times. 

Between 7:30-9am-ish is my time! Well... sorta. I make some breakfast (oatmeal, as it helps w/ my b-milk supply) and then eat it while pumping. Not everyone pumps while nursing, but I exclusively pumped while B was in the NICU, so I got used to it. Now I keep it up so the Hubs can give her a bottle and to start a freezer stash for when I go back to work. After pumping, I try to clean up a bit, wash the pump parts and random paci's, and sometimes even get a shower in (we're on the every other day plan). Sometimes I do laundry during this break too.

Sometime around 9-9:30am-ish to 10:30am Bailey wakes up! Time to nurse, change her diaper, and play til 10:30am. Then, Bailey naps again til about 12:30pm. During her nap, I pump again, do more laundry/picking up, sometimes work out (loving Jillian Michaels 30-Day Shred, even though it KICKS MY ASS every time) or take a nap. 

Bailey starts stirring again at 12:30pm, and it's time for another nurse/diaper/play/sleep cycle. By 1:30pm-ish, it's time for another nap. This is usually her toughest nap. Usually she takes a while to go down and needs a little more rocking, but eventually- she does fall asleep. While she's sleeping I pump again and make/have lunch. Lately, that's been a cheese omelette and carrots and an apple or left overs and water. LOTS of water. Who knew breastfeeding would make you SO THIRSTY?

Usually Bailey starts crying about 2:30pm. Again, this is usually her worst nap. I know she's still tired, so I try to play the paci game or pick her up and let her nap on my chest. Either way, we make it to about 3:30pm, when it's time to nurse/diaper/play again. By 4:30, little girl is ready for another nap. This is OUR nap... It's my favorite time of day. I let her nap on my chest and we just snuggle. Lots of kisses and "I love you!"'s. LOVE this nap.

5:30pm comes way too fast which means our snuggle time is over and it's time to nurse and diaper again. Right around now, the Hubs gets home from work, which is great! He is a great daddy and jumps right in to help right after he walks in the door.

After we finish with this nursing/diaper session, I try to put Bailey in her swing or bouncy seat so the Hubs and I can eat dinner (usually leftovers of something we make during the weekend or an easy freezer meal). Usually this is a big, fat fail and more often than not, the Hubs eats while I hold Bailey, then we switch. This is Bailey's fussy period for SURE. Sometimes from 5:30-7:30pm we can't put her down at all without her crying.
At 7:30, we start our "bedtime" routine: I nurse her while the Hubs takes a shower. Then, he changes her diaper, swaddles her, and reads her a book. Sometimes I'll then read her a book too. Usually, she's still pretty awake, so then the Hubs or I rock her for a bit. We try to put her in her crib drowsy, but still awake. 

SOMETIMES, this'll be it and she'll fall asleep. But, let's be honest. Usually, it's not and she starts crying within a few minutes of putting her down. The Hubs and I take turns going upstairs and patting her back or putting the paci back in. Sometimes, we'll pick her back up and rock her for a bit or I'll see if she's still hungry and nurse her again. I'm nervous about starting "bad habits" with rocking or nursing her to sleep, but whatever. I know if she's fussy around now it's because she's tired and the only true solution will be to get her to sleep, which she'll fight with all her might. Silly lil' girl! I know she CAN fall asleep on her own, as sometimes she does and for almost every nap she does. I know some people say to NEVER put your baby down asleep.... whatever. It is what it is. We do what works for us. And, to be honest-- I kinda love the extra snuggles. Usually by 8:30pm, she's out. Sometimes more like 9 or even 9:30pm. Just depends just how much little girl wants to fight sleep that night. 


Then, the Hubs and I watch a little TV or do some work around the house or something. Pretty much every night I also have a snack (or two or three).

I head to bed around 9:30pm for a glorious 5 hour stretch of sleep. AMAZING what 5 straight hours can do for you after weeks and weeks of 3 hours at a time. 

The only reason I can get that long of a stretch is because the Hubs gives her a bottle of my pumped milk around 11. He then puts her back down to sleep. 

And, then we repeat it all over again the next day! Ya know... at least for a few days until Bailey decides she's over this routine and wants to mix it all up again. :)

Worst Things to Say to Parents of a Preemie

Having a preemie is HARD.

Not having your baby at home with you. The stress of the unknown. The cords and tubes. Nothing about it is easy.

The Hubs and I are lucky in that we have some AMAZINGLY support friends and family who made it SO much easier for us.

But, not everyone has that support. And, even for us, there were still a few asshat people in the world who said stupid, stupid things (NOT our friends/family... again, they were beyond words amazing!!).

Here are a few stupid things people said to me or that I overheard being told to other parents in the NICU that I would suggest never, ever saying to anyone with a preemie or with a child in the NICU.

-"Did the doctor tell you what you did to have her come early?" or (for me) "Do you think working out so much made her come early?" (Yes, I really had someone say that to me-- to my FACE.)
Seriously?!?!? This one was the WORST. What I did DO?? Meaning I did something to make my baby come before she was ready. Way to tell me I'm a shitty parent. Like I'm not already wondering if it was my fault and beating myself up. Thanks for affirming it. Hey shit head, I didn't DO anything. Sometimes babies just come early. I had a picture perfect healthy pregnancy. I did everything by the book. I took prenatal vitamins. I stayed healthy and active (though not TOO active, thankyouverymuch). I ate right (and not too much or to little, again-- thankyouverymuch). I went to the doctor when I was supposed to. I didn't drink a single sip of alcohol or smoke a puff of anything. I slept in the position you're supposed to. I talked to my belly. I even went to prenatal yoga for goodness sake! I didn't DO (or not do) anything wrong. Now, please get out of my face before I punch you, thankyouverymuch.  

-"At least you don't have to go through your last month of pregnancy!"
Ok, maybe those last few weeks of pregnancy are rough... clearly, I don't know, as I didn't GET TO experience them. I WANTED to, but didn't get to. Telling me I didn't HAVE to go through them is silly. I WANTED to. I would have LOVED to, especially as that would have meant Bailey got to keep baking longer and likely been born 100% healthy.

My last preggo selfie!

-"At least you can get some extra sleep!" or "Enjoy your sleep while you can!"
Yeaaaaah. Um, I didn't get any extra sleep. I likely got LESS than a lot of parents with their newborn at home get. I was up every 2 hours to pump and to help with her getting her diaper changed, temp taken, etc. Every 2 hours, like clockwork. I did not take ONE, SINGLE nap the entire time she was in the NICU. Not to mention the added stress and anxiety of having a baby in the NICU. So, NO...I didn't get any extra sleep. Thanks for that, though.  

-"She's so small... she doesn't even look real!"
Saying she's small didn't bother me (though it may bother other preemie parents). She WAS small. I was OK with that. But, dude. Don't tell me my baby doesn't look REAL. She IS real. Her cries are real. Her pain is real. Her smiles are real. She's real. I promise.

-On the flip side... "Wow! She looks like a regular baby!"
What... did you think I gave birth to a monkey or something? She IS a regular baby. Thanks.

-"She's in the best place [the NICU] for her right now!"
I know people meant well with this one. I really did. And, they were right. I knew that. But, it also felt like they were saying the best place WASN'T with me. And, as her Mom, that felt like a kick in the stomach.

-"She's be home before you know it."
Again, I know people meant well with this one... I really, really do. But, no matter how soon she got to go home, it wasn't soon enough. And, I didn't KNOW when she'd get to come home.



Most people mean well. I know that. I'm sure most preemie parents know that. Most comments aren't meant to hurt or annoy. And, even those above didn't bother me too much. I'm pretty thick skinned and not too easily bothered. But, some parents are. So, if you're ever in the situation with a loved one having a child in the NICU, take my advice and just tell them the baby is beautiful and ask if there's anything you can do to help. Simple as that. That's what our friends and family did and, let me tell you, it meant the world of difference.


And, to our my friends and family-- you're amazing!! THANK YOU!! We couldn't have gotten through it without each of you!!!

Snowed In

Like the rest of the midwest and much of the country, we're having a bit of cold weather in these parts...

  

And to think this is WARMER than it was yesterday... OUCH.

In addition to the rediculously frigid temps, we've got a smidge of snow.

 

  
Like 2 feet of snow... poor Sadie, it legit covers her entire body. Girl SPRINTS back to the door each time we take her out to go to the bathroom. I feel so bad for her! Right when we get back in, there's lots of puppy snuggles to warm her up. 

So, we're just kinda bunkered down and waiting out the weather for now. Good thing I have this adorable lil' baby to keep me company.

Other than the snowapocolype, since Christmas, things have been a blur! We spent the holiday at the in-laws, then right after Christmas the Hubs best friend stayed with us for a few days while he was in town visiting. Then, right after he left, my sister, nephew, their puppy, my other sister and her boyfriend all came and stayed with us. Phew!

It was SO, SO, SO great having them all in town for a few days. We all live so far apart and it's so rare to get all 3 of us sisters in the same place at the same time. I love them beyond words and it was so great getting to spend some quality time together. 

Plus, they spoiled the crapola outta Bailey which is just what Aunts are for! :)

Now, the Hubs is back at work and Bailey and I are trying to get back into our post-Holiday routine again. WAY easier said than done. By the time we settle back in, it'll be time for me to go back to work and we'll have to develop a whole new routine. Booooo!!!! Oh well. Gotta enjoy every single moment til then, even if they are snowed in moments trapped inside! :)

Hope everyone out there is staying warm and safe! 

Best Christmas Gifts!

Hard to believe Christmas was almost a week ago now. Obviously, my favorite Christmas present was my squirmy little peanut.

I might be biased, but girl is the cutest baby in the world.

Anyway- I had a GREAT holiday and, as if she weren't gift enough, I was lucky enough to score several great gifts. I won't list them all (Santa was SO generous-- too generous!!-- this year!!), but I will tell you about 2 pretty sweet ones.

First- my first post-Bailey race registration! I've run this race three times now, making this next one my fourth Sunburst. It was my VERY first race (a 5K) and currently has my half-marathon PR. My in-laws bought me the half-marathon registration for Christmas! They know me so well!! LOOOOVE it and cannot wait to run it.

What makes it even BETTER-- this race benefits the same NICU that Bailey was in for 10 days. I owe that NICU and their staff SO MUCH and am so excited to run this race for them. Cannot wait. 

Another great gift: A new 26.2 magnet for my car!! Mine was stolen this summer and I've been meaning to get a new one forever, but just haven't gotten to it. 

The Hubs gained major husband points for this gift! 


Hope you all had a great holiday, too! 

I RAN!!!! :)

Friday morning, I put Bailey in the Hubs' very capable hands and put on my favorite pair of (neglected) Brooks and set out for my first run in over 2 months. 

I'd LOVE to say "OMG! THIS RUN WAS AMAZING AND WONDERFUL AND SUNSHINE AND UNICORNS!!"... but, it wasn't. It was HARD and EXHAUSTING and SLOW. I had to keep telling myself "It doesn't matter how slow you go, just don't stop running. You can do this!". It was ROUGH. But, I did it.

I slowed down, concentrated on not quitting and just did it. (Note: I only wore the Garmin to track time and out of curiosity... not because I particularly cared about pace.) And, it was pretty amazing. I didn't love every second and I definitely wasn't smiling while I was actually running, but at the end- you couldn't wipe the grin off my face. I felt proud. A few years ago, I couldn't run a mile straight if you paid me. Now, even after taking over 2 months totally off and after spending the last SIX WEEKS basically completely workout free (minus the one strength workout I did last week and 2-3 1-mile walks when the weather wasn't totally frigid), I could bust out THREE MILES in the snow, at a 10:22 pace. I'm pretty damn proud of that. 

I have a looooong way to go before I'm busting out double digits or clocking any sub 9:00-miles. And, that's OK. I'm kinda looking forward to the ride.

While I was running, all I could think about was getting back to this face for lots of snuggles.

Oh, and having this waiting for me sure helped too.

Hey... I had to make up the calories somehow... gotta keep that breastmilk supply up! :)

My Pregnancy

Way back when I actually routinely blogged (remember those days?!?), I gave weekly updates on my pregnancy. But, as we all know, I fell off the face of the planet and stopped blogging, making my last pregnancy update Week 20 & 21. So, while I won't even remotely try to recap the following 14 weeks week by week, I will try to kinda recap the pregnancy as a whole...

Last preggo pics... taken at 34 weeks, the week before Bailey was born.

Size of Baby: It's just mind boggling to know that the baby grew from the size of a pen drop to over 5 pounds in just 35 weeks. Absolutely crazy. Bailey was measuring right on time throughout the entire pregnancy.


Total Weight Gain: The last time I weighed myself, which was at the doctor just a few days before Bailey made her surprise entrance, I was up about 20 pounds. Seeing as how Bailey came just a few days later, I imagine this was my total gain. Now, I had gone full-term, I'm SURE I would have gained a solid 10ish more pounds, but I suppose I'll never know for sure. 


Working Out: I think overall, I got really lucky with working out, especially on the mental front. Maybe that sounds crazy... so, let me explain.

I think when I first got pregnant I put a lot of pressure on myself and told myself I'd keep running ALL the way through the pregnancy and be super fit and active. I put a TON of pressure on myself and normal Meagan would have caved to that pressure and possibly been unhealthy to ensure I met those ridiculous expectations. Some how, a new Meagan emerged early pregnancy and I quickly became OK with just doing whatever I could, whenever I could and enjoying the ride. I know... I don't know who that person is either, but thank goodness for the transformation! 

I would have LOVED to run through the entire pregnancy. But, it didn't happen. My last pregnant run was on October 11. 

Yes, I did take a bathroom selfie of myself on my last preggo run. 

Could I have run the next week or the week after? Probably. But, it didn't FEEL good anymore. I ached and DREDED the idea of running. What's the point of that? I LOVE to run. If I don't want to do it, why would I? Silly. There were PLENTY of other things I could do to still be active and healthy. 

So, I did. The Hubs and I went on 3-mile walks with Sadie almost every day, including the day before I gave birth (and, NO! That is NOT the reason Bailey came early!!!). I ellipticalled during my lunch hour, keeping the pace slow and the resistance crazy easy, including a few sessions the week before I gave birth (again- NOT the reason Bailey came early!!). I did some light strength training til a little over half way through my pregnancy, then just got too busy and tired. 

In the early days of pregnancy, I did manage to run 2 official half-marathons and a handful of other races. I think that's pretty cool. When I ran, I felt incredibly connected to Bailey. It was such a quiet time where I could really talk to her (in my head) and think about who she would become and just really focus on thinking about her and nothing else. It may sound crazy, but I think we became even more bonded during my runs. 

Overall, I'm incredibly proud of both my ability to shut the f up and not drive myself crazy trying to workout just as much as I did pre-pregnancy AND of my ability to stay active and healthy throughout my entire pregnancy. I put a LOT of the credit of the ease of my labor and the ease and quickness of my recovery into staying active throughout the pregnancy and if/when I ever get pregnant again (in the DISTANT future!), I plan to try to do the same again... though I'm sure it'll be MUCH more difficult with already having a child, too. :)


Food Aversions: During my first trimester even the idea or smell of bacon made me want to gag, but that quickly went away (though bacon still didn't sound GOOD til after I had Bailey... now, yuuuuum!!!). Oh! And, salad. The idea of a salad sounded SO good, but the few times I actually tried to have one-- barf central. Salad is the only food that actually made me sick during pregnancy. 

Old pic of a salad from the early days of pregnancy... yeaaah, that got thrown back up about 5 minutes after this 

pic was taken. YUM.

Other than that, I didn't really wanna barf over anything in specific. I didn't crave a few foods I loved pre-pregnant, like grilled peppers and onions over rice which I ate like 2 times a week pre-pregnant, but nothing really made my skin crawl, either.  

Food Cravings: This is a tough one... I mean, I craved pretty much everything! I always do, so I don't really think it's fair to blame pregnancy on that one. Nothing really crazy different came up... just the usual ice cream, peanut butter, candy, chips... ya know, the normal bad foods one would crave. 

Greatest Moments: Feeling her squirm around inside me was definitely the coolest, greatest feeling. I wish I had realized I was in labor earlier so I could have realized and enjoyed the last few kicks. It feels like nothing I can explain and is pretty darn cool to know that Bailey kicking is a feeling only I will ever know. She was a BIG mover and kicker, too. Girl was ALWAYS on the go... and still is. The doctor comments on it all the time... she's just a squirmy lil' nugget. 

Seeing her on the ultra sound and hearing her heartbeat were also pretty amazing moments, especially when the Hubs and I first got to see her and it looked like nothing more than a little peanut and then a few short weeks later when we got to find out she was a girl and she looked like a real baby in the ultrasound. Crazy just how fast they grow in there!

My baby shower hosted by my sisters and MIL (THANK YOU!!!) was also a great moment. I got to see friends and family I hadn't seen since the wedding and it was just so nice to all get together and celebrate this new life that was on it's way to the world. Plus, the Hubs and I got a TON of stuff we needed thanks to everyone's generosity. I pretty much have the world's greatest family and friends. 

Biggest Symptoms/Complaints: I'd say overall I had an extremely good and easy pregnancy. I didn't have really any morning sickness and felt pretty good the entire 35 weeks. Now, I didn't experience the last 5 weeks where a lot of women get the most uncomfortable, so I can't really know how I would have felt at the end (though trust me-- I would have LOVED to experience all 40 weeks and had Bailey NOT need any time in the NICU. TRUST ME.). I'd say my #1 complaint was insomnia. I slept like complete crap for the last 20ish weeks. That's a long time to sleep like shit, especially when then you have a newborn and you REALLY sleep like shit (getting up every 2 hours to pump and/or feed is NOT an easy thing!). I was exhausted all the time and had little energy. I'm a VERY go-go-gooooo person, so not being able to be so go-go-go was tough on me. I also broke out like crazy during the pregnancy. I looked like a 14 year old boy! And, I got extremely chapped lips. Like, cracked and peeling and bleeding. Constantly. No matter how much lip balm I used. It was crazy! 


Final Thoughts: I know some women love being pregnant and some women hate it... I'd say I fell somewhere in the middle. I certainly didn't love getting huge and being uncomfortable. I also didn't love the crappy sleep and pepperoni face. But, I did love feeling so connected to another person. I loved feeling so bonded and in-tune with this little growing being in my belly. I loved knowing I was 100% responsible for my child's safety and well being. I loved knowing I was experiencing something no one else ever would (sure, tons of women get pregnant... but, none of them with my little girl!) and getting to bond with her in a way no one else ever could. It's unexplainable... but, it's definitely a feeling and time I'd never trade for anything in the world. 

35 weeks FLEW by. I honestly can't even believe just how fast it went. I'm glad I took moments (usually when running) to really think about and reflect on what I was feeling and really cherish those moments. They were gone WAY sooner than I expected and it's a feeling and they are moments I can never duplicate or get back.