The Longest WOD - "The Labor Room"

Aw, what does every mother LOVE to talk about? Their labor experience. And I am NO exception. Friends have been asking, "How was labor?" in which I reply with a long, detailed flashback of how it was, whether they wanted to hear it or not. So here it goes my awesome followers, an insight into the longest and hardest WOD I have ever encountered. I would, and probably physically could, do Murph 4 times and have more energy than I had after Thomas. But damn, as every mother also says, it was worth it.

If you have read my previous posts, you will know I wanted to do an all-natural, un-medicated birth. If you were coming to find out if that happened, let me save you some time and tell you, NO. I used medication and loved myself in the end for it! My birth plan was a very cute idea in theory, but literally everything I had planned went out the window. Which quite honestly doesn't bug me at all.

Here it goes! The break down of the 50 hours Joshua and I spent in the L&D Room:

Previously established: We had to induce because I was 2 weeks past my due date and my health care provider requires an induction once you hit 42 weeks. Plan derail #1. I went in at a generous 2 cm - 50% effaced.

8/31 - 6:00 AM: We walked in, anxiously anticipating the birth of Thomas Allen Harper. We were told we were scheduled for 9/1. Damn it. Pregnancy brain got the date wrong. Oh well, they admitted us anyway.
8/31 - 7:00 AM: A nurse comes in to hook me up to monitors. They call my Dr. to tell them I am a day early. She explains they are going to do a non stress test on the baby and if he passes, I get to go home. Awesome! Maybe then I can start labor on my own! She places monitors on my belly.
8/31 -7:15 AM: -Baby moves - *beep* *beep* *beep* 4 nurses rush in, I have oxygen on my face all of the sudden and I am told I am NOT going home. What the hell just happened? The baby moved, his "heart rate dropped" and the nurses wigged out. I still believe he just skipped off the monitor, but whatever. I was already at the hospital and I may as well start the process. Lets get going.
8/31 - 8:00 AM - My Angel nurse, Joanie, comes in and is about to hook up pitocin. She goes through my birth plan with me and explains how induction works. She saw some tears in my eyes and said "You don't have to do this right now. I can monitor him and see if I can have the doctor discharge you." Yes! Let's do that! He is a master at monitoring!
8/31 - 10:30 AM- Baby monitoring looks beautiful and even with Joanie at bat to let me go home, the Dr. was still concerned with the initial "drop" in heart rate. I'm getting induced.
8/31- 11:00 AM - Pitocin Starts.
8/31- 6:00 PM: Nothing happened for 7 hours. Nothing. So they took me off pitocin, put in a Foley Balloon (plan derail #2), let me eat food (YES!) and prayed for over night progress. That thing was a real joy. Caused partial cramping, but no unbearable pain. I slept as well as I could.
9/1 - 3:00 AM - Started pitocin again.
9/1 - 11:00 AM - Foley balloon is removed.  I am now at 4 cm - 75% effaced. Hooray! It's working!
9/1 - 2:30 PM: They broke my waters. (Plan derail #3) Still no pain, mild contractions.
9/1 - 5:00 PM: Sill no pain. They came in and broke the water again. That got me to 6cm.
9/1 - 5:04 PM: Aw! There's the pain. Started practicing my hypnobaby techniques. (In the plan)
9/1 - 6:00 PM: So many thoughts went through my head, but one final one stuck. Let's bring on the epidural! I was already pretty tired and I still had a while to go. My family was just in there and we were all laughing and having a good time. Now, I could hardly get though 2 minutes before I had to stop and breathe. It got intense very quickly. My nurses smiled and were so happy I made that decision. (Plan derail #4)
9/1 - 6:30 PM: Epidural is in and working. All is good in the world. Family came in again, I was laughing and Joshua and I were able to sleep.
9/2 -1:15 AM: Nurse came in to check me and said, "Are you ready to push?" Well, hell yeah I am! This is the moment we have all been waiting for!
9/2 - 2:15  AM: I pushed for a good hour, but was not progressing much. We decided to wait it out an hour and try again.
9/2 - 2:45 AM: I felt a lot of pressure, so I called the nurse in so we would push again.
9/2 - 5:30 AM: My midwife was called in to help. Great! That meant we were close!
9/2 - 6:00 AM: Small breakdown on my part. I was tired, frustrated and I still didn't have my baby. They let me cry it out for about 3 minutes. My mom started bragging on me and how I did Crossfit and how many pull ups and push-ups I could do… they quit feeling sorry for me and had me start pushing again/
9/2- 7:30 AM: Baby was in a bad position and even with my pushing getting stronger, he was coming down but stuck on my pelvic bone. They called an MD in to help. Bringing an MD in means there are some more invasive procedures about to take place. I pushed like hell.
9/2- 8:20 AM: The MD came in, watched me do another round of pushing. She was impressed and Joshua was proud. Then she stuck a vacuum on my baby's head (Plan derail #5) and told me to give it all I had. She said "this usually works with one try, but you have 10 minutes. If it doesn't work, you're going straight in for surgery." Oh, hell no. Not after all of this. I did 3 big pushes and we got his head out! One more big push, an episiotomy (plan derail #6) and a big pull from the MD and the next thing you know….
9/2 - 8:26 AM: Thomas Allen Harper was entered into the world!!

They handed me my slimy screaming baby and tears and emotions flooded my face. The was the prettiest potato looking newborn I have ever seen. I saw his hands looks like Josh's and his pretty blonde hair. His long lanky limbs and little lips. Joshua got to cut the cord and he was so proud of this new being we created. We got to do skin to skin for about an hour. My family, who spent the night in the hospital waiting room, flooded in to meet him. We recovered for 2 hours and then were moved to our room where we spent 2 more blissful days!

I have to give credit to my Crossfit conditioning. Without it, I would not have been able to push that hard, for that long. Thomas' vitals looked amazing the whole time because he was just as conditioned as I was. Hypno baby training also came in handy, even with medication. I needed to conserve my energy between contractions and self hypnosis assisted in that. After we went to our recovery room, I had nurses coming in the whole time saying, "That was the hardest and longest I have seen anyone push in "x" amount of years. You were amazing!" And "We are so happy you were strong and able to deliver naturally!" It felt so good to hear I did a good job. I was just doing whatever I could to help him along. In the end, even with all the plan derails, I am so happy with my birth and delivery experience. My angel nurses, Joanie and Jenny, made it possible. They looked after me and supported me in everything I did. My midwife, Pat, was so patient with me, even at the end of her 24 hour shift in which she already delivered 4 other babies. And of course, my mother and my husband. They worked hard to pull me through it and i needed them both so much. I am thrilled I was able to pull through and deliver him naturally, even if it took a needle down my spine to do so. I would do it again to feel the love I felt for Thomas that day, and every day after. Orange Coast Memorial really took care of us and we will be going back when #2 comes along!

A Letter to Thomas

My Sweet Son,

As I sit here in my hospital bed, anxiously awaiting your arrival, daddy sleeping on the couch next to me and grandma Buchanan on the ground, I can't help but stay awake and day dream about who you are.

You were a stubborn little guy during labor. I have been at the hospital for 2 days hooked up to cords and induction methods. I wanted an "all natural" birth, and as I sit with an epidural in my back, I am quickly learning I will adapt to YOUR plan now! I have had such a wonderful pregnancy. Though I gained 50 pounds, you accompanied me in a hundred workouts, hikes, trips to the beach, several states and we even worked until.. Well, today. I only cried 3 times and honestly, I think they were for legitimate reasons.

So putting the last 294 days behind me, I being to wonder who this child is that I am bringing into this world. I wonder if you will get my rule breaking attitude or dad's follow the book mind set. I wonder how you will respond to discipline, what athleticism you will inherit and if you will be careful or seek adventure. If you will like geometry or algebra. I pray for your future wife and her parents, just as grandma and grandpa prayed for your father while I was growing up. 

I am going to meet you in a few hours, so I will get to know what you look like. This moment is so surreal and I wouldn't trade it for anything. I will get to see if you got your father's beautiful smile or my broad shoulders. I will get to see your pretty eyes and most likely bald head. We will get to hold you and watch as your active hands and feet feel the air for the first time. You were so active in my belly! 

Your father and I are so excited to teach you what we know, to show you our world and to learn from you, too. Your father can't wait to carry you in the baby carrier and have you to show off. You are so lucky to have that man as your role model. He is already your #1 fan and beams when he talks about you. He is hard working, kind, well-mannered, loyal, the best friend anyone could have and just and overall superior human being. I hope you receive those characteristics. I am sure you will.

They say a mother's love is one like no other. I can't imagine the feelings I'm going to have tonight, and I know my life will be forever changed. We are so excited to have you in our lives, sweet Thomas. We planned for you, prayed for you and prepared for you for a long time. You have a huge, wonderful family here to love and support you for the rest of your life. I couldn't have asked for better people to surround myself with and I know you will reap the benefits of our "tribe."

I love you already my dear Thomas. I can't wait to meet you.

Forever and Ever,

Mommy

Week 34-36: My Unsolicited Advice

I am not too sure where time has gone, but it is sure flying by. I have been very busy clearing up projects from work, trying to keep up with a gym schedule, getting the nursery set up and nesting like a crazy bird.

To continue my downward trend, I have been slowing down (even more) in the gym. I have been going 2-3 days a week, continuing with 1-2 days of 10,000 steps and taking it easy the remainder of the week. I really just go in to move my body and get my blood flowing. I started getting a little discouraged and tired, so at week 36 I took an entire 7 days off. But I noticed that my back started aching, I wasn't falling asleep as easily, not drinking enough water and eating like complete crap. In  the past couple weeks, I think I was still trying to push myself too hard which really wore me out. So at week 37 I would take a look at the WOD, thought of a few exercises I felt I could do well that day, and substituted them in. For example, if the WOD consisted of jump roping, burpees and cleans, I would do 1/2 the reps in step ups for jump roping, do push-ups on a box for burpees and hang power cleans instead of full cleans.

Week 38 will be my last day of Crossfit until the babe is here, but not my last day in the gym. We have two beautiful gyms at our apartment complex that I am going to start using for the last 2-4 weeks of my pregnancy. I think my husband likes me going with him so he can keep an eye on me. I can also go at night because they are air conditioned!

I wanted to share a few bits of  unsolicited advice for expecting mothers. Things I have done, some I have not, but definitely ideas to budget for if you are pregnant. Here we go:

1. Work Out. I am not just saying this because it is a Crossfit and Pregnancy blog. It is my BEST advice for why I have such a comfortable pregnancy. All women are different and I am not a doctor, I only know of my own experience and comparing it to others. But, because of the gym, I have had very little swelling, I have slept GREAT this entire time, I don't ache, I am not uncomfortable and my baby has been healthy all the while. Now, I HAVE gained a whole bunch of weight (45# to be exact...so far) so if you're working out to keep slim, I can't promise anything. However, I can only imagine how much I would have gained if I didn't stay active! My fellow gym friends are used to seeing me and my big belly waddle through the gym. I went to the apartment gym the other day and I got a few funny looks when I asked the guy texting at the Smiths machine if he was finished so I could work on some squats. One woman even came up and said "I can't believe you can do that while pregnant!" And I said happily "I have been doing it the whole time, I'm used to it now!"

2. Plan a Girls Relaxation Day. I have the best friend in the whole world, the God Mother to my sweet baby, who planned out a fantastic Saturday for her and I to get mani/pedis, have lunch, eat pastries and sit and gossip. It was wonderful. It was hard to drag myself out to shower and get ready over the weekend, but it was so worth it. I won't be getting too many more of these opportunities when the babe arrives and quite honestly, I don't really treat myself to mani/pedis very often pre-baby because I just mess them up in a couple days. Do it for yourself.

3. Get a Massage. After the relaxation day with my BFF, and after a workout that engaged my back muscles too much, I decided that my husband and I should get massages. We had originally planned to go up to Big Bear (beautiful California mountains where the pregnancy all started, if you know what I mean) because Joshua loves the mountains. I looked at him, thought about the 2+ hour drive with an hour of hair pin turns, looked at my big belly and thought "maybe this isn't a good idea." Plus, we will be able to bring the babe there and make it a family affair. So I suggested massages because I know we won't get this opportunity again for a while. God, was THAT a good idea! We both felt so amazing and relaxed. Joshua has had a hard time sleeping and said he slept so well that night. It's hard spending that money when you are trying to budget for a baby and maternity leave, but I highly suggest putting some aside for you to "treat yo' self!"

4. Get a Professional to Deep Clean. This is one I have not done, but I should. With such small living quarters and a full grown chocolate lab, our apartment can get pretty dirty rather quickly. We do a good job keeping it neat, but I just don't feel like getting on my hands and knees to scrub baseboards and I don't think its a good idea to be sucking in a whole bunch of chemicals to clean the tub. Plus, I am really not that good of a cleaner so even when I do put work into something, I still see spots I missed. Leave it to the professionals... they know what they are doing.

5. Get Your Groceries Delivered. Since I get off work earlier, do the cooking and the meal planning, I am also the one to grocery shop. Seems fair, right? I normally don't mind it, but when it is 90 degrees outside, I have worked a full day, carried this 6-7 lb. chunk of love around in my belly and have to cook dinner, the last thing I want to do is grocery shop. I found a few grocery stores around me that deliver and I took advantage of the free, first time delivery from vons.com. You pick out your groceries and they deliver them to your door. My husband said, "What if the delivery guy is a creep?" I said, "He will be my favorite creep. Anyone to do my grocery shopping and carry the bags in for me is alright with me!."

6. Buy a New Outfit for Post- Delivery. This has been my mother's advice for 30+ years. She is a big fan of retail therapy and believes a new outfit can lift most spirits. She's right all of the time, so I know this has to be right, too. She told me to go buy a new outfit, doesn't have to be expensive, just new. And big. She said my body is still going to be big after I deliver, and putting on my old maternity clothes that I have been wearing for the past 6 months is going to be very depressing. So to get a new outfit that is too big for me will really help not only the body image issues, but my mood as well. It makes complete sense. So I am going to Wal-Mart for a $15 outfit that I am going to rock for the drive home! Why does the baby get to have all the new stuff?!

So those are my unsolicited bits of advice. Enjoy the pictures below!

 

 

 

A little preview of the active little boy that is about to grace us with his presence.

 

 

We went for a hike and I loved this bare-belly picture. It was a little too hot for a shirt. Plus, we were in the middle of the canyon so no one was there to judge my summer bod.

 

 

Week 32 and 33

These past two weeks, I have been really slacking at the gym. There are a couple explanations (excuses) I can come up with.

-The Heat! Since it has been so hot outside, I haven't be able to hit the PM classes, so it is AM or bust. With work, I have had a lot of morning meetings so if I can't get up for the 5 AM class, I am not going to be going to the gym at all. And quite honestly, I haven't been able to get up for the 5 AM class in about 2-3 months.

-Programming! The babe is getting MUCH heavier and I have notice a big change in my ability to do movements.  My gym is ALWAYS able to change the programming for me and baby, however I am always fearful to go to partner workouts and be there decider of an even number. If I am the odd man out, that works in my favor. But if I make the group even, they usually want me to push on. I can't blame them, however sometimes it is just easier to stay at home instead of worry about the anticipation of being odd or even!

-General Laziness! Sometimes I just don't want to do anything other than sit on my butt and eat ice cream. And my husband is too smart/scared to tell me to do otherwise.

I have, however, taken an interest in counting my steps. I noticed there is a program already built into my phone which has been tracking my steps. I decided I needed to walk more! I was only getting about 3000-4000 steps in a day. Granted, I don't keep it on me at the gym, when I take the dog out or walking around the house, so the number are a little flawed. However, I know I am not the most dedicated walker and so I recently started paying more attention and making a better effort to get 10,000 in a day. I think that may have a little to do with how tired I have been. 10,000 steps with a 40 pound weight gain (talk about #gainz) can take a lot out of my little feet and ankles. Then, if I add a workout to that, I feel like I am over working my body.

So, there are my excuses as to why I have been so bad about the gym in the past two weeks. I will try to do better so I have a better story for the next blog post!

 

Week 29 and 30 and 31

We are doing 3 weeks for this blog... I have been busy with work, baby showers, maternity pictures and other joys in life so I haven't been able to blog much. But hey, not too much changed in the bonus week!

Who would have thought you could PR during pregnancy? We continued testing these past couple weeks and  I PR'd my bench press and came close to matching my one rep clean. Not that I test my bench press all the time, but it is one of my weakest lifts and I had my goal set for 85#. I was able to push 105# and even attempted 115# (with failure). While doing cleans, I hit 115# which wasn't a big feat for me. When I went to attempt 120#, I got in a really funky position and bailed on the lift. I noticed when it comes to my strength, if anything I have gotten stronger. However, my "straight bar path" is now nice and rounded which puts me in bad positions for anything going from the ground to my shoulders.

I dropped out of my first workout in a long time. I decided to hit up a hot Saturday class that had a 20 minute team AMRAP followed by a 15 minute team AMRAP. I finished the 20 minute one, but I decided to sit out the second one. WIth the heat and the extra weight of the babe, I decided 20 minutes plus a warm-up was a good attempt for a workout.

It's interesting not completing a workout. I had to take Riggs for a walk after the gym and I reflected on not completing today. I thought to myself "I could have finished," but then I also thought, "But I have the rest of the day that I need to be functional." Days have been much longer when I incorporate a morning workout. I get much more fatigued earlier on in the day and other physical activities become much more demanding. When scaling back on my workouts, I have been more energized to go to a few more classes per week. I was able to hit 4 classes instead of my recent 2-3.

As mentioned before, I have completely quit running, even during warm-ups. The extra weight has just been too much on my legs and fatigues me before we even get started. Even ground to standing rope climbs have become ring rows due to not being comfortable on my back. As this baby gains 1/2 a pound a week, I am feeling the weight gain in my abdominals and round ligaments. And may I just have a moment of silence for my obliques? They have officially left the building. 

 

 

 

Here is a picture at the beautiful baby shower my mother and best friends threw for me!

31 Weeks!

 

 

 

 

Week 27 and 28

As with many pregnant women, with our growing bellies and urge to keep up with our fitness routines, what we hear almost every day is "Listen to your body."

What "listening to my body" has meant to me:
-When  get out of breath, slow down and catch my breath.
-If it feel too heavy, don't pick it up. (Cut all my weights in half, no max reps)
-If it hurts, don't do it anymore. (Running, double unders, jump squats)
-If  I have a risk of falling, scale. (running backwards, box jumps)
-Sleep in and don't go to the gym because I am tired and according to the world I am "NEVER GOING TO SLEEP AGAIN, EVER!!!" 

So basically "listening to my body" has been nothing, but restricting. Which is fine, but what I learned this past week while listening to my body, truly amazed me. The first thing I did when I started crossfitting while pregnant was scale back. I quit basing my rep scheme on my previous one rep max percentage and just did what felt good that day. Rarely did I squat more than 105#, clean more than 95# or push press more than 65#. Workouts typically involve 65# and under and I usually skipped "test day."

Last week I decided to go to back squat test day because I really liked the workout. I figured it would be fun to see what I could squat at 7 months pregnant, because I haven't tested in the last 6 months. Well, I started out warming up at 65# and figured I would get to 145# or so. I did 145# for three reps and figured, why not keep going? So I did and I eventually got up to a 175# back squat which matches what my pre-pregnancy 1 rep max was! I was so incredibly proud of myself and was on fire all day. How was this possible? My training has been so light, I am 7 months pregnant and I assumed I was getting weaker. LIstening to my body made me achieve what I never thought was possible. I felt good that day. I felt strong. I took proper breaks in between reps and lifted, with good form might I add, what I did at my peak fitness level. There IS a PR in pregnancy!

This made me really dig into everytime I have ever failed a 1 rep max attempt. I have tried for 180 and 185 before and kicked myself all day because I didn't reach it. I blamed it on months of "poor training" and inability to get better. Looking back, it just wasn't my day. I was probably strong enough to achieve a high max, but not that day. I bet if I went back 2 days later and tried again, I probably would have done it. It may be a mental thing, it may be a diet thing, it may be a strength thing, but when it comes down to it, all three need to come together in order to achieve more. I am happy I listened to my body that day because it taught me a very valuable lesson that I may have never learned.

Now, I wanted to shout this from the mountain tops, but I could only imagine the texts and calls I would be getting from my sweet, worried family about the health of me and my baby. Again, I listened to my body, thought about the baby, and made the decision to go a little extra. I have been professionally trained to weight lift for two years and I know when I am pushing my limits. Honestly, I really wanted to try for 180#, but I didn't want to embarass pre-pregnant me :)

Week 25 and 26 - Being Empowered

I love the video above for two reasons - It will give you ALL of the feels and it will make you want to go work out. At least that's how I felt.

Women have been some of my biggest supports lately. I have always had a few good girl friends, but primarily surrounded myself with boys. Being pregnant has really helped my bond with the women around me who have said some great things to empower me. Everyday they ask how I am feeling, tell me I look great and to keep up with my workouts. Women can be so caddy sometimes, but being pregnant has brought out a whole new side to them! I think the ones who have something bad to say just keep their mouths shut, and the rest just feel free to uplift me. I have to say that is something I love about being pregnant. It sets you apart from other people and I like being "special."

Do you know what else gives you all the feels and makes you want to work out? Your Crossfit gym posting a #wcw in your honor. My own sweet husband hasn't even done that. (He is going to read this and ask me what #wcw stands for.)

This couldn't have come at a better time. These past two weeks have been a little rough on me as far as getting to the gym and suffering from physical fatigue. It has been tough for me to get up in the morning because of the head trash I recently started reciting. Whenever the alarm goes off, I start thinking about how I only have a few more months to sleep in, how I can't do some of the movements in the workout, or about the long work day I have ahead of me. Then, the days I do get to the gym, I love to push myself and lately that has put a lot of work on my body. The fatigue I feel now is not like sleepy first trimester fatigue, it is the physical kind that you feel down to your bones. Where your mind is in the game, but you have been carrying 25+ extra pounds around all day and your body just taps out. Sometimes I tell myself I am going to go to the PM workouts and by the time 3 PM rolls around, I know THAT isn't going to happen either.

So to battle this, I have set my schedule to Monday, Wednesdays, Fridays and the occasional Saturday. That way I am getting 3-4 days to sleep in, I don't do two work outs in a row (except sometimes Saturdays) and I can't cherry pick work-outs based on movements that are hard for me to do. I have promised myself I am going to start slowing down and quit being so hard on myself when I am not leading the pack. I have to remember that Crossfit workouts are very intense and even doing a scaled version, though it doesn't feel like much to me, I am still getting a good workout.

On a side note, my parents got a new puppy named Hank and he is an absolute peach. He is a labradoodle, though he looks like more lab than poodle.

 

Week 23 and 24 - The Power of Restriction!

The Power of Restriction

Being pregnant has put a lot of restrictions on me which I recently discovered to be a wonderful thing. I have never been restricted. I have always been healthy and strong. I have never been put in a hospital, had surgery or broken anything. I have never been told "no" or been told to scale back. The world has always been my oyster, and up until now, I think I have taken that for granted.  This post is about how my workouts have been restricted due to my ever changing body and how that has altered my thinking for "post-pregnancy" training.

I sat back the other day and thought about why I started Crossfit in the first place. I was bored of my workout routine and that is what made me take my first step in the gym. I liked seeing the results and that is what kept me there for the next few weeks, but it was my husband's uncle that made me put my heart into my Crossfit training. Uncle Rick or "Uncle Bic" as they called him, was a sweet, passionate, hardworking man who stood about 5'8" but acted like he was 6'4". He loved that I was involved in Crossfit and would ask me about the gym all the time. He was diagnosed with ALS and unfortunately, lost his battle with that terrible disease. While he was alive, I would go to see him and Aunt Mary Ann and even with every struggle, Uncle Bic was always happy about something. "Well, I can't walk as well, but at least I can still talk!" "I can't button my own shirt, but at least I can still eat!" He started getting restricted in all areas, his speech, his motor skills, his ability to eat, but still with every hindrance, he found something to rejoice in. It was then that I started doing my own WOD dedications to him. I would embrace the "suck" that every Crossfit workout gave because of him. Why was I complaining about being sore or tired? Why did I bitch at burpees, wall-balls and thrusters? I have the ability to move my arms and my legs! I have the ability to run! My lungs work and I can breathe on my own! I can grab ahold of a bar and move weight around! My Crossfit journey began then and it was amazing to see myself change with every workout I embraced.

Some people, like me, have never been hindered or restricted. And unfortunately some never will. I  say unfortunately only because I wish everyone had the chance to feel the spirit that I am feeling. Or the feeling Uncle Bic felt being able to do the smallest tasks. Please note: I am not comparing ALS or any other long term disease to pregnancy. I am so lucky that my physical restrictions will soon be lifted in a few months and I can better myself. Not everyone gets that chance, either. I want to accomplish SO much physically once I have this baby. Right before I got pregnant, my training started getting a little sloppy. Between moving states, changing gyms and jobs, I had put my fitness on the back burner. I was still working out, but I wasn't trying my hardest. I complained a lot and was not excited to get out of bed for the gym in the morning. Now, I know getting up early to go to the gym is not going to be easy with a newborn, either. However, once I am in the gym, I can give it my all, because no one is telling me "no." I want to do more competitions I want to work hard to increase my personal records. I want to start running some races - A Ragnar in my future?! I was never a fan of running, but now that I am restricted, ALL I want to do is run! I can't wait to do sit-ups, and lift things heavier than my body weight and jump on boxes and completely exhaust myself. I am looking forward to working to get my body back in shape. 

I work out with so many strong mothers. My original gym partner, Shea, is a complete bad ass and she always contributed it to being "mommy strong." I get it now. And I haven't even gone through child birth. There is something inside all of these strong mothers that makes them hardcore and more head strong than any man could ever be. This pregnancy and little "break from no restriction" has been wonderful for me. It has made me appreciate all I have and all I can be. Watch out gains, you have a new crazy strong mama on your hands!

 What a change a week makes!!

Joshua took me deep-sea fishing for Mother's Day! It was such a blast!

We had to put down a very special family member last week. Magic lived for over 13 years and had a wonderful life. We are missing her every day. 

Week 21 and 22

The Power of Partner Workouts

 

Aw, partner workouts. Once my favorite kind of WOD, now they are terrifying. My gym recently declared Saturdays as "Partner Workout Days." They used to have three different time slots and now combined them into one, with the intention to have larger, more energetic class times. I am so grateful they did this because I love getting to see the PM gym goers. Working out with more people is why I love this sport so much and it is more encouraging to see so many faces on a Saturday.

 

In saying that, they program partner workouts every Saturday. As I mentioned before, I used to love them. I loved getting pushed by my partner to work harder, faster and heavier. They terrify me now for a few reasons:

 

1. I don't want to hold anyone back

 

I hate the feeling of being the weakest link. We have some great girls in our box who I know I could keep up with before, but now they get paired with me and I can see them dying a little inside. I can't do some movements, some I have to scale, and others I am just slow. Then they have their friends in there kicking butt, and I can tell it is hard for them to get beat and I know it is because of me. It is also frustrating for me when I have to do a movement and they have to hold a plank or something until I am finished with my movement, I know they are cursing me under their breath. They don't seem to complain as much when I take too long if they get a rest in between!

 

2. I don't want anyone to hold me back

 

Sometimes it happens where my abilities are underrated (usually while visiting a gym) because of my belly and I get put with a beginner. I have no problem helping and teaching and I understand the need for patience. Trust me, I was a beginner once too. There are times I have to use the same weight as my partner and a lot of beginners aren't comfortable lifting as much as I am. So in the end I don't think I put my best foot forward in a workout and it feels like a waste.  This situation does not happen very often and when it comes down to it, I just remind myself that I am still getting a workout in, regardless if I felt like I pushed myself to the max or not. Maybe sometimes it is ok to go a little slower and a little lighter!

 

3. I worry about pushing myself too much

 

This goes back to reason #1. If I am working out by myself,  I know my limits and where to stop. In a partner workout, sometimes I can catch myself pushing too hard in order to keep up or go faster so my partner doesn't have to suffer. I feel terrible asking for a break because I don't want to affect their scores or their workout. This is the reason for partner WODs, so that you will push yourself more than you would in a solo workout. However, this can leave room for injury to me or to the babe if I go too far beyond my comfort zone.

 

 

The partners I have had recently have been great. They don't act too bothered by me being slower and I feel like they understand what they are getting into when they are paired up with me. I have worked out with pregnant girls before I was pregnant myself, and I remember how amazed I was at what they were able to accomplish. I hope the girls at my gym see the same in me! I am looking forward to post-pregnancy, letting Joshua play daddy for a few hours, and showing my gym partners what I can actually do!

 

 

 

Note: I am not a week behind in posting. Well, technically I am, but according to Baby, I am not. The doctors pushed my due date back a week so I am doing "Week 22" all over again! His new due date is 8.25.15. Save the date!

 

 

 

Week 20 - How Pregnancy Benefits a WOD

As you know, this is a bi-monthly blog. But, I thought for my half way point, I could do a bonus one.

Looking back at the past 8 posts, I realized there is a lot of bitching that happens. "I can't do HSPU" "I can't run as fast" "My endurance has taken a toll" and so on... I also complain that sometimes the sub for particular movements is harder than the programmed movement. So for this post, I want to talk about the BEST parts about being pregnant and doing Crossfit.

How Pregnancy has been a Crossfit Blessing

Push-Ups
Because of my ever growing chest, push-ups have become much easier. And now that my belly is surpassing my boobs, it is making push-ups even easier! Other moves such as chest-to-bar and burpee dead lifts have also become easier. I don't have to go down NEAR as far to make sure my "chest hits the ground." Haha, suckers.

Burpees
Burpees have not become easier, but in the past 3 weeks or so my coach requested I just do "up-downs" for the remainder of the pregnancy. You don't have to tell me twice! Now I can fly through burpee workouts which speeds up my time and makes me look really awesome. I told a guy the other day "See, if you would just get knocked up, this workout could have been much easier for you."

Any sort of AMRAP
Please don't get me wrong, I still push myself every single day. However, when I hear "As many rounds as possible" I smile a little inside. I know that I wont be finishing last in anything which is really encouraging. If I need a little break, I can take a break and still finish with the rest of the group.

GHD Machines
I don't have to use these terrible ab-ripping, glute-blasting ponies at the moment. I don't do sit-ups anymore either, but sometimes the sub for sit-ups is harder than sit-ups. (Toes to Bar for example) But GHDs were never a strength of mine so any substitution is a great one. Thanks baby!

Weighted Jump Squats
I pride myself on making it to the gym an average of 4 days a week. However, some movements I just look at and think, "That's not necessary right now." When there are weighted jump squats, really jump squats in general, I will scale them with goblet or air squats, depending on how I feel. It really saves the hammies and helps me get through the rest of the WOD.

Box Jumps
Now that falling and losing my balance has become a fear, I do step-ups if the box jump count is high. Sometime we have EMOMs where we are only required to do 3 jumps, so I will still jump then. But if the count is 15-20 box jumps, I will do step-ups instead. Step-ups are great because you can get in a rhythmic pattern and you don't need any breathers in between. So just like burpees, I can zip through them and look speedy fast!

Post-Workout Snacks
Who needs a plate when you have a belly to hold food for you? Seems a little sloppy, I know. But at 6:00 AM when you're hungry and need to give your legs a break, there is nothing better than refueling and not having to do dishes after!

People love to joke about me being stronger because I have "4 hands" or that its not fair because "I have a partner to help me." I like to snap back and express that my partner is worthless and just eats while I do all the heavy lifting. In reality, I have the best workout partner ever.  Everything I do now, I do thinking of him. Though it is hard lugging around extra pounds during the WOD, I know he is benefitting from it with every step, hop and lift. Baby boy Harper can be whatever he wants to be, as long as he is happy that is all that matters. However, I am hoping all the work I am putting in now will lead to his active and healthy lifestyle!

Week 18 and 19

 

Changes. Changes. Changes.

 

The first and most OBVIOUS change is the shape of my belly. If you check out the pictures below, you will see I am really showing now! I woke up one morning and BAM! Baby bump. It was pretty cool.

 

The second change is the knowledge the world now holds and that is... IT'S A BOY! Joshua and I are very excited for this sweet little man to grace us with his presence in August. Yes, I have already registered for baby kettle bells and onesies that say "I get my muscles from my mom" and "I would flex, but I like this onesie."

 

 

Now onto Crossfit...

 

So much happened these past 2 weeks! 2 Open workouts, I went to Chicago and visited North River Crossfit downtown and a jump rope clinic. So much fun!

 

Well the open is completed and that is always a bitter sweet time. No more waiting by my computer at 4:45 anxiously waiting for the Open announcement. No more cursing at Dave Castro, a man I have never met, but seem to have an unnecessary grudge against. And no more Crossfit friends coming from across the country to brag/bitch about their times and scores.

 

15.4

A workout like 15.4 is something pre-pregnant Paige typically loves. As you know, I love handstand push-ups. I wouldn't have been able to get through the heavy cleans, but my "gym-nasty"ness would have given me a decent score. I haven't felt comfortable doing hand-stand push ups lately. I am about to do about 5 and I go find a way to scale them. So instead, I did the scaled version of 10 power cleans and 10 push presses. I went pretty light, I think 45# and 55#, but got through 7 rounds and 5 cleans. I was more winded than anything so I had to take a few breaks to catch my breath.

 

 

15.5

15.5 was another joy in itself. I have recently learned to quit hating rowing because I figured I am going to have to do a lot of it in the near future. I learned to become more efficient with stronger pulls and a tighter core. Have you ever watched a "good" rower vs. a "bad" rower? It isn't about speed as much as it is their pulling strength. But man, that workout smoked my legs. I did the crossfitmom.com workout and did 21-15-9... right after, I looked at the clock and was like, "eh, I'm already here. I am going to do the other 27." So I finished the other 27 at the end of the workout. I went light again, only 35# on the thrusters. I probably should have done 45#, but I was tired and I didn't want to so quit judging me.

 

Chicago

Chicago was an absolute blast. I would love to go during the warmer months, not pregnant, and go enjoy it with my husband. The cold wasn't very motivating when it came to exploring that charming city. However, I did get to do what I love, and that is visit a Crossfit gym! North River Crossfit was about a mile from my hotel so I took a taxi (like I said, it was freezing) and headed down there for a 7:00 AM WOD. I took my own advice (see week 15 and 16) and e-mailed the gym before to be sure they had experience with pregnant athletes. They were quick to respond and extremely friendly. I looked forward to it all week.

 

I walked in and their front desk guy was extremely nice. The coaches came right up and greeted themselves. We did some from squats and the WOD was 4 rounds of 20 Cal row, 10 thrusters (M95#/W65#) and 10 lateral burpees with a minute rest in between. Kinda looks like 15.5! I wasn't feeling very strong so I dropped to 35# and did up-downs. The coaches were encouraging, but not too pushy. I really had a great time and suggest you visit that gym if you are in the area!

 

 

Jump Rope Clinic

And finally, I went to a double under clinic that we had at our gym. It was extremely helpful, up until we started jump roping and I had some round ligament pain. It was awful. I kept trying to push through it, but I had to stop myself and remind myself to "listen to my body." It really sucked. I have slowed down in workouts, or skipped a minute during an EMOM, but never have I just had to STOP moving. Whatever I was doing was too much for the babe and my body told me to stop. So I sat and listened to the remainder of the clinic with my arms crossed and a pouty face.  I was not a good sport about it!

 

 

 

Enjoy the pictures below. Joshua and I got a kick out of how much I changed in a week. I didn't see him for 3 days when I went to Chicago and when he picked me up at the airport, all he could say was "Heyyyy Preggo!" I guess he noticed a difference too!

 



 

Week 16 and 17

My, my where is the time going? Two more weeks and I am half way there. Whoa, living on a prayer.

My two great topics for this post are going to include 15.2 and visiting new gyms while pregnant. Why not 15.3? Well, because I wimped out and did not go to class that morning. So big respect to any of my expectant mamas that did!

As many of you know, the second Crossfit Open workout was a repeat of 14.2. For those who don't know, it was a combination of overhead squats and chest to bar pull-ups. You have 3 minutes to complete two round of 10 OHS and 10 CTB. If and when you complete that round, you have another 3 minutes to complete 2 rounds of 12 OHS and 12 CTB. The reps increase by two every three minutes, assuming you complete your rounds. This was my favorite workout last year. I loved being able to complete the chest to bar when I know that is where a lot of women...and men... struggled. I believe last year I finished one round of 14  at an RX level.

This year I had to scale it down to 45 pounds and I used a band for pull ups. I completed one full round of 14 and then 5 pull ups on my second round. This time felt a little more "punishing" in that the harder I worked to complete the rounds, the more work I had ahead of me. The squats and pull-ups felt fairly easy, I just had a hard time catching my breath. I went way too fast on the first round and had about a minute and a half rest. I think if I would have slowed down, I would have had the ability to complete the 14 rep round. Overall, I achieved a great workout and was proud of the work I did.

Now, I wanted to talk about visiting new gyms while pregnant. Last weekend we went to Las Vegas for my brother's 30th birthday. What a blast, right? It actually wasn't too painful. However, instead of going to a Las Vegas pool party, I decided to hit the gym instead. There aren't too many Vegas opportunities where I feel good enough early Saturday morning to go to the gym, so I took advantage of this one.

The gym I went to was in a nice and convenient location. The coach was very welcoming and I wasn't hit too hard with a big drop-in fee. However, I would suggest one thing if you plan on dropping in on a gym, call ahead. Call ahead and ask if the coach has experience training pregnant athletes. They will probably automatically say "yes," but I challenge you to ask them questions such as "When do suggest pregnant women quit doing sit-ups?" or "what is your substitution for sit-ups?" or "what are other restrictions you have in place to protect your pregnant athletes?" These are simple questions that they should immediately be able to answer. My mistake was choosing any gym, walking in and telling the coach I was 4 months pregnant. "Great!" he said. And proceeded to check me in - or check me out... I'm still not sure about that.

Anyway, I could immediately tell this guy has never trained a pregnant woman before. For the warm up run, he assigned every athlete a weight for a med-ball to run with. I did a 500 meter run with a 14lb med-ball for my warm-up. Luckily, I have been at this for a while and was fairly strong pre-pregnancy, so I completed it and didn't die. However, I am not very big and I don't look very strong, so he could have easily assigned that weight to someone who couldn't handle it. Not too smart on his part. My home gym knows my strengths and they would never assign a weight to me while pregnant, even if they think I am sand-bagging a workout. I have had a harder time with my balance lately and I felt it was liability for the gym if, heaven forbid, anything were to happen.

The next red flag was the sit-up debate. We did a Tabata with sit-ups, which I have been told not to do after month three. I asked him what else he would like me to do and I got a "Why, because you're pregnant?"  *My thoughts: No, you moron. Because I would rather do something harder like toes to bar or box jumps.* I feel like that shouldn't have even been a question. We agreed upon leg lifts and I went on my Tabata little way.

Then, during our cool down, he had us pushing our hips against kettle bells, with the quote, "Ladies, here is a way to kill those ovaries." *My thoughts: Well, I am growing a baby close to my ovaries so I am going to skip that part.* I gracefully declined the movement and stretched my hips instead. He looked at me like I was trying to ditch out of the workout. It was pretty annoying.

So there you have it. If you are ever going to visit another gym besides your own, call ahead to do some screening. I never realized how lucky I am to have coaches who have experience coaching pregnant athletes and what it means to do so. In my opinion,  as a pregnant woman, you should never be told what weights to do, told to go faster, or questioned when you don't feel comfortable doing a movement. If you are feeling any of that at your home gym, sit down with the owner or head coach and explain your goals and expectations. That way everyone can be on the same page and you can get a safe, yet effective workout!

Now for Pictures!

Week 14 and 15- 15.1 Workout Review

The Crossfit Open. One of my most favorite/hated events last year. Last year I was signed up on the first day, was able to RX all of the workouts and though I was no regionals competitor, I stood hard in the middle of the pack. It was definitely $20 wasted, however it gave me something to work toward and be excited about each week. My most competitive side came out and that is a feeling I didn't appreciate until today. I missed my competitive side today. It was roaring in my heart, but my mind was smart enough to keep me grounded. I wanted to RX this workout, burn through toes-to-bar and PR on my clean and jerk.  I hated to scaled the Open this year, but I am RXing this baby makin' thing and I think that is pretty remarkable.

What I love about the Open is that it brings all Crossfitters together. Of course we have "the girls" and "hero WODs," but these are workouts we are ALL doing in the same weekend. I love seeing how my friends across the country did and see their improvements. I love the feeling of gathering around an iPad or computer to watch that bushy-eye-browed man tell us how he is about to challenge us for the next 3 days. I love the events gyms have to "celebrate" Crossfitmas. It is just a great time of the year.

Here is how the workout shaped out for me:

My thoughts for Dave Castro may be impartial, but my thoughts for 15.1 were pure joy. I dig toes-to-bar, easy deadlifts and moderate snatches. Pre-pregnant Paige calls them fairly light. However, pregnant Paige thought they were too heavy, so here is how I scaled it:
Toes to Bar for 2 rounds - the last few rounds I did knees to elbows
Dead Lifts- 55#
Snatches- 55#
Total Reps = 155
Clean and Jerk = 105#
 *I probably would have attempted 115#, but I think I was worrying the girl who was counting my reps. My max clean and jerk pre-baby was 125# and I was just on the peak of going over that. The clean and jerks were surprisingly fun. I was so amped up from 15.1 I felt like I could lift for days!

I took one solid minute to rest between 15.1 and 15.1A. This gave me more energy so I took less time between clean and jerk attempts because I wasn't winded.

The thing I struggled with the most was my hands. Oddly enough, I had a hard time gripping the bar for an extended period of time. I think this is what made me scale to knees to elbows. I had to remind myself I was not competing, just trying to get a workout in. If I spent too much time resting my paws, it would defeat the purpose of the light weights and low rep scheme. I didn't want to lose the cardio benefits of this work out. While I believe this WOD does need to be done quickly, keeping a steady pace will help make every second count.

Best of luck with 15.1 everyone!

 

 

A little beach day... I love how slim you look while lying down! I am taking a beach picture once a month to show progress!