This picture was taken at the Sledgehammer Brigade Ball at the Rivermill in Columbus, Georgia! We are loving life at Fort Benning, and I couldn’t be more proud of my husband! He was recently promoted, too! He works his butt off, is always striving to help others be better, always pushing himself, and all while watching out for me, my best interest and our family!

How Far Along?

30 weeks (7.5 months)! 70 Days to go!

Weight Gained?

20 pounds

Cravings?

I was eating a lot of salty foods in early weeks, but my typical sweet tooth has returned! Except for my recent addiction to Whole Grain Goldfish, which I don’t feel is a craving, I haven’t had any real cravings!

Workouts?

My workouts now consist of:
PiYo for flexibility & strength training.
Occasional Turbo Fire workouts (I love the Low HIITs workouts).
Occasional elliptical/bike/walking.

Being as healthy as possible right now is really important to me, so exercising, taking care of my body and eating well is a priority. I don’t always FEEL like doing it, but I know that labor will be easier, I can eat more food, and I’ll have a speedier recovery if I stay active!

I love the new PiYo program because I can make modifications for my growing belly, yet it challenges me to be stronger and more flexible with every single workout. Monday started my first PiYo test group, and I’m excited to go through the program with a great group of ladies!

Eating Plan?

Right now I don’t feel like I have a very big appetite. There isn’t as much room in my belly for food with this growing almost 3 lb baby! So I find I am eating even more frequently, but smaller portions.

• Meal 1: Chocolate Vegan Shakeology blended with ground flax (or chia seeds) and maple brown sugar high fiber oatmeal
  (is shakeology safe while pregnant?)
• Meal 2: Hard boiled eggs
• Meal 3: Frozen bananas or fresh fruit
• Meal 4: Salad or leftovers
• Meal 5: Dried cereal or nuts
• Meal 5: Vegetarian dinner (most of my favorite recipes are posted on my blog)
• Meal 6: Shakeology no-bake cookie or fresh fruit

At 28 weeks, I traveled to Las Vegas! My trip was AMAZING! I was there for the annual Beachbody Coach Summit, a time to learn, network and have fun! I got to see a lot of my friends, family, sneak peak at new programs, learn from top leaders and so much more! Feel free to check out my Photo Album with more pics!

Symptoms?

My back isn’t as achy anymore, mostly it is the discomfort of little Isabella doing somersaults! It’s hard to sit comfortably without her pushing up into my ribs or doing Turbo in my belly, so I end up going to bed early and reading so I can lay back.

If you read my update at 26 weeks, we were due for another ultrasound. Well, that ultrasound showed that the placenta has moved, YAY! This means I can have regular, vaginal birth! I am planning on doing as natural birth as possible. I want to be “with it” as much as possible, want to walk around when I want to walk around, want to nurse right away and want to do skin-to-skin right away. I want suffer with the pain of labor to have, what I can imagine, the best birth experience possible for me and the baby.

Varicose Veins: I noticed a few weeks ago what looked like bruising down the inside of my right leg, then I realized it is varicose veins. From BabyCenter.com,

“Many women first develop varicose veins – or find that they get worse – during pregnancy. As your uterus grows, it puts pressure on the large vein on the right side of your body (the inferior vena cava), which in turn increases pressure in the leg veins.

Veins are the blood vessels that return blood from your extremities to your heart, so the blood in your leg veins is already working against gravity. When you’re pregnant, the amount of blood in your body increases, adding to the burden on your veins. And your progesterone levels rise, causing the walls of your blood vessels to relax.”

I noticed they burn some days, usually if I’ve been wearing heals and have been really active. Here are some tips for other pregnant women who have varicose veins from WhatToExpect.com:

• Keep your blood flowing. Get off your feet whenever you can, and keep your legs elevated when sitting. When standing, put one foot on a low stool and alternate legs. Flex your ankles every so often, and break the habit of sitting with your legs crossed (this strategy also helps keep spider veins at bay).
• Get moving. Exercise is key in preventing varicose veins – so take a walk (or even better still, several walks) each day, or do some other form of low-key, circulation-increasing exercises.
• Keep it comfy. Make sure you wear clothes — including underwear — that fit well and don’t bind, especially around the tops of your legs. Don’t wear tight belts or socks with tight elastic tops, and stay away from tight-fitting shoes and stiletto heels (as if you could balance in them anyway).
• Cinch it in. One kind of tight that’s helpful: support hose, which can counteract the downward pressure of your belly and give the veins in your legs a little extra upward push. OK, they’re not exactly sexy – but putting them on before you get out of bed in the morning helps prevent the blood from pooling.
• Watch your weight. Keep your weight gain during pregnancy down to what your practitioner recommends – usually 25 to 35 pounds. Extra poundage only increases the demands on your already overworked circulatory system.
• Sleep on your left side. This helps avoid pressure on your main blood vessels and keep circulation going strong.
• Don’t strain. Heavy lifting or straining on the toilet (if you’re feeling that other fun pregnancy symptom, constipation) can add to vein visibility (hemorrhoids are just varicose veins in the rectum).
• Get your daily dose of vitamins. A balanced pregnancy diet keeps veins healthy. Make sure to eat lots of foods with vitamin C, which your body uses to produce collagen and elastin (connective tissues that repair and maintain blood vessels).

 

Baby Nursery?

My mom and grandma came to visit a few weeks ago right after my friends and family in Michigan threw us a little baby shower. We had a great time with my mom and grandma and got so much accomplished with the baby room! We are moving in a few weeks (just down the road), so I haven’t put anything on the walls yet. We repainted the dresser, got a comfy rug, got shelves, and just started getting everything together! I can’t wait to fill her shelves and baskets with all the cute items we’ve received!

These were some of the onsies from our friends and family they designed at our baby shower! How cute are these!

What Does Pat Think?

Pat is very excited and has been an amazing support to me!

When I asked for a quote from him he said, “My wife says she doesn’t waddle… yeah… and penguins can fly.”

 

Stay tuned for more updates!

 

 

Other blog articles you may enjoy reading:

• Pregnancy Update Week 26
• Pregnancy Update Week 20
• Pregnancy Update Week 18
• What is Shakeology?