I thought I would do a quick post on how my health and fitness was overall during pregnancy #2 since I actually get this question a lot. I wasn’t as diligent with my workouts and health as I was with my first pregnancy because, well, I have a toddler. But, I was pretty close to being just as active especially considering I was chasing said toddler around all. the. time.
I kept up with my running mostly. I was running about four times a week and doing anywhere from 3 – 5 miles. Towards the end though it was around 2 – 3 miles and during the last month I slowed down A LOT. I would just do a jog/walk/waddle sort of thing to get myself moving.
I typically did my runs in the morning. During the week I would get up at 5 am while everyone was still asleep and run before work. This wasn’t as hard as last time because I didn’t sleep very well with this pregnancy unfortunately. I slept like a log my first pregnancy and never had any issues but there was a lot more going on in general with this past one so I think that contributed to my interrupted sleep. Either way, I always felt better on the days that I ran than on the days that I didn’t. On the weekends I would just go out as early as I could while Brett watched Ady.
As for doing weights, this is where I slacked the most and wish I wouldn’t have but such is life. I was doing some strength training but it was maybe once a week and not for as long as I should. I wish I would have kept up with it only because I can tell that I lost some muscle and am pretty weak right now. I should have done more core work because this is what suffers the most during pregnancy. I am going to work on building back up my core and also strength as much as possible.
My nutrition was pretty similar with both pregnancies and honestly how I normally eat pregnant or not. I generally eat healthy but if I really have a craving for something I don’t hold back. My meals were a little more simple and basic this time since Brett was traveling a lot during my pregnancy and I had a toddler to take care of. I just had to make things that were quick and easy.
As for my weight, I actually weighed only 1 pound more at the end of pregnancy #2 than I did with pregnancy #1. I also had Mason almost 3 weeks later than I had Adyson. I have lost the weight in the same exact way (so far) as I did with Ady too. I lost almost all my weight (about 25 pounds) the first week and a half after birth except for 10 pounds. I have plateaued just like I did in my first pregnancy at the same weight. With Ady I kept trying and trying to lose those last 10 pounds but nothing would work… until I quit breastfeeding. As soon as my body stopped producing milk I lost the weight very quickly. So I am at the same spot right now and assume as soon as I stop breastfeeding Mason the same thing will happen.
So my focus going forward is just getting back into a regular exercise routine. I can’t wait to start running again once my doctor says I’m ready (soon!) and I plan to work more with weights too. I want to build muscle and really work on strengthening my core (planks are going to be my new best friend for a bit!).
Overall, I felt pretty good throughout both pregnancies but this past one was definitely harder because I was more tired and there was more going on. I have been told by doctors that my labors were fast and easy because of my healthy pregnancies and the fact that I kept up with exercise the way I did. So for that, it was all worth it!
