And On A Positive Note...

With all of this new wackiness with both the size of baby and the amount of fluid, I feel like it's time to share some really good stuff. Now, I've been holding back on putting any of this in "print" because (a) as soon as I say it, it will backfire and change and (b) there are a lot of people who don't have this kind of luck and I'm not trying to push mine (luck that is). However, it's time. So, throughout this pregnancy, I had about two weeks of nausea near the beginning, and one illness that required medication just a week ago. Besides these two relatively minor things, I've been feeling GREAT. I haven't had to restrict any activity and even with the size of the belly, I haven't had any discomfort. There was one day of sciatica, but that was one day. I feel like I've had certain symptoms in order to develop an understanding of them and how yucky they are, however I've had nothing to complain about. A lot of people don't believe me, but quite frankly I have the best excuse ever to complain and I'm not. So, I have not had discomfort, shortness of breath, stretch marks, loose wobbly joints, etc.

I feel like a lot of this is due to yoga. I've been doing yoga since the start, except for part of the first trimester when I was just too tired. I wake up every morning and do Wii fitness and a pre-natal yoga program. I've found quite a few through the public library. Lindsay Brin does a neat program where she has a separate DVD for each trimester with different levels of activity to correspond. Denise Austin has a prenatal exercise video called "Fit and Firm Pregnancy" that is good for getting moving as it is more of a low impact aerobic workout. The programs I use with Denise Austin and Lindsay Brin are just shy of a half hour, so when time is tight that's what I choose. Shiva Rea has a pre-natal yoga DVD with corresponding accommodations for different levels as well, but is a little longer. And my favorite by far is a pre- and post-natal video (I haven't viewed the post-natal part yet, but plan to) which at first I thought was the kookiest thing, but now I love it. This DVD is called: The New Method Pre and Post Natal Yoga and features Gurmukh Kaur Khalsa. She is a yoga instructor based out of Los Angeles and according to the biography on the DVD her Sikh spiritual name means "One who helps people across the world ocean." I think she's super. Again, when I first viewed this segment, I was VERY skeptical, but once I did it a few times, I was really into everything she was saying and the movements that she has participants do as part of the exercises. There is also a live band with very soothing music playing in the studio during the session and an eclectic collection of women, many of whom remind me of people I know and Sandra Oh - the one woman looks just like her! The copyright is 2002 on this DVD, but I can't imagine looking at the clothing that that was when it was originally taped, which makes it all the more interesting. I hope that others can take this to heart and replicate the kind of comfort and feelings of well-being that I've had throughout my 8/9 months of pregnancy. Originally, I planned to invest in a DVD that I liked, but I decided to first try them out at the library. Then I decided why pay when I can continue to renew and or return and re-request these programs that I've found and enjoyed. So, at the same time I'll plug the library. It has been a great source for both reading and viewing to learn more about this exciting adventure.