This weekend, I finally had the opportunity to try a great new product discovery for pre- (and post!) natal momma's. It is called the Belly Sport Bra by Bao Bei Maternity. This is one of those pregnancy accessories that you don't know you need until you try it. A few weeks ago, I connected with Bao Bei on Instagram and discovered this product. I procrastinated and only got around to ordering it approximately 1 week ago. Shipping was prompt and I didn't have an opportunity to really try it out until yesterday. Nothing like waiting until the 11th hour huh? Oh well, I still consider it a good investment since I will enjoy wearing it up until delivery day and beyond. It is proving to be a great accessory for postpartum tummies as well, especially after a c-section. While I don't anticipate needing a cesarean at this point and anticipate another uncomplicated vaginal birth (fingers crossed!) I know plenty of momma's, cesarean or not, who would benefit from this support after baby as well.

The "bra" is a modern take on your traditional maternity support belt. Suzanne Koval designed this product and she specializes in Women's Health Physiotherapy. 

For weeks I have been dealing with immense pressure on my pelvic floor including moderate symphysis pubis pain, SI join instability, low back aches, and round ligament discomfort. I don't remember these issues with Connor. I guess that's the struggle with having an over 9 pound baby the first time and going for round 2 just 9 short months later. Not a whole lot of time to rehab your core and pelvic floor! I got some minor relief from a PT with some kinesiotaping for my SI joint and some pelvic adjustment and pelvic floor exercises but I really should have been using a product like this sooner. Better late than never though! I obtained almost immediate relief wearing the band and noticed a difference in my comfort level during a BodyFlow workout and some walking. 

I absolutely adored the 4 way stretch fabric. I wasn't entirely sure just how "supportive" it would feel but the fabric choice felt sturdy and supportive without being uncomfortably tight. Honestly, it provided the sensation of a supportive "hug" for your midsection. The fabric was breathable and stayed put during activity. I was worried it would ride up or require constant adjustment but I was able to complete an entire BodyFlow class with virtually no tugging or rearranging. The fit was also spot on. Just follow the recommendations for sizing from the website. 

Given that I hopped on the belly sport bra train so late, I'm really excited to get continued use out of my band postpartum. I love this Q&A from their website:

"Can I wear it postpartum?

Yes!  Please do!!  We are putting the CORE back in COREset.  The belly sport bra will give you coverage and cuing to your abs as you heal and restore your body from pregnancy.  You should not wear products that squeeze or squish your abdomen postpartum as they can put harmful forces on the body and pelvic floor.  Lots of Bao Bei Maternity customers find that their Belly Sport Bra provides the perfect amount of support and some even purchase the next size down as their body changes postpartum."

I purchased the product in black but it also comes in two other stylish colors that would coordinate with your exercise wardrobe including an eggplant purple and turquoise blue. Unfortunately, since most of my prenatal workout gear is black and gray, it's a bit difficult to see the outline of the band in the pictures I took. I swear I'm wearing it though! Wish I'd purchased a different color just for contrast sake so I can show it off but I'm a plain jane and wanted to be sure it coordinated with all of my gear both pre and post baby.

I'm really excited to continue to wear this band especially as I get back to teaching my classes in a few weeks. I plan on attending another fitness certification for a core training class we're bring to our gym and I know this will help give me the extra support I need to get through the training comfortably.

While Bao Bei connected with me on Instagram to tell me about their product, I chose to purchase it independently and review it on my blog. I have not been compensated by Bao Bei nor collaborated with them for this review. All opinions are my own. I loved my experience with this product and felt compelled to share this awesome discovery. 

Jaime Eason's Post Pregnancy Fitness Trainer Coming Soon!

 I have been waiting for this!

I have been a HUGE Jaime Eason fan for years. I have followed her through various publications and on social media and just love how down to earth, knowledgeable, and motivational she is. Not only is her physique a source of inspiration, but she has been incredibly generous with connecting with fans and using bodybuilding.com as a forum to offer a completely FREE training program which I'm sure many of you are familiar with. It's called the LiveFit Trainer. I had started it approximately two years ago and then became preggo with Connor so I had to switch gears. Jaime gave birth to her son a few months before I had Connor and not too long ago announced that she was working on a new project with bodybuilding.com to offer a free post-natal training program. I've been CHOMPING at the bit for info and announcements and as luck would have it, she posted to Facebook today announcing the official countdown. T-minus 5 days! The timing could not be more perfect. With 5 weeks of this pregnancy to go, I'm already making a plan of attack for my post-natal training. I am already incredibly grateful to have this free and accessible resource to jump-start my program. It will be comprehensive including training plans, meal plans, and supplementation. It also sounds like many of the workouts can be performed in a short amount of time and AT HOME! Woohoo! Take a look at this amazing video introducing the program:



I also really admire that Jaime shared a peek at her post-baby body. She is HUMAN. I love how she is acknowledging honoring the hard work and changes our bodies go through to build a human and how with a little diligence, support, and a focus on fitness and nutrition, women can achieve their goals. Whether it be general health and fitness for energy to chase after the kids or for true changes in physique and body composition to achieve a specific look.

So, I was thinking. You may be aware I am a Beachbody Coach and run challenge groups using the companies amazing fitness products and supplements. I receive a commission on the sale of these products. While I intend to offer some challenge groups using these programs in 2015, I know so many new Mom's who have had kiddos or kiddos on the way that I would VERY much like to offer a FREE challenge group starting this Spring. We will all go through Jaime's new program together. No purchase necessary. Just a completely free support group hosted by ME where we will share our experience, keep one another accountable, and get through the 12 weeks as a community of awesome women. What do you say!? I'm thinking May/June time frame and we'll utilize a private Facebook group for all of our motivation and communication. Message me here or via email (see my contact info above) to let me know you're interested and I'll keep a list going. After I deliver Declan and settle in, I'll message everyone and we can get a better idea on when to start the program and finalize some details. More to come!!! Can't wait!

Why I'm Not Looking Forward To Breastfeeding...and Dysphoric Milk Ejection Reflex

I do hope you were able to make it past the title of this post. Do me at LEAST that courtesy. I really hate that my immediate reaction to thoughts of those reading what I'm about to write are to run and duck for cover or steel myself against venomous commentary or lectures about breast is best...save it. Please. Because I do agree with breast is best (for the most part). I just sometimes wish it weren't. 

The breastfeeding debate has become exceptionally tiresome, has it not? More and more I come across blog entries, news articles, and Facebook chats with exhausting, often downright vicious, back and forth over the breast vs. formula debate. My husband and I discuss this occasionally...since together we made the decision on how to nourish our first child, and now how we will nourish the next...and in his ever sage observations made the following comment...and I'm paraphrasing... "at what point does everyone realize we're all winning here? The sheer fact that the participants in this debate even CARE to WORRY about where their child's sustenance comes from already makes them parents of the year". I couldn't agree with him more. Andrew honey, if you're reading, you're always right (haha there, I said it, forever etched into eternity on the worldwide web...and yes people...my husband is generally always right even though I don't always want him to be). Anyway, I'm not sure why this is such a polarizing issue. There are various methods to effectively nourish a baby. Some of us use a substance our bodies naturally produce and some of us choose not to. So. WHAT. Again, as long as you choose something, breast milk, or formula, or gasp, BOTH...congrats! You're doing a good job. 

When we were expecting Connor, I never really thought twice about breastfeeding. I wasn't voraciously consuming tons of literature and I didn't necessarily spend inordinate amounts of time studying about breastfeeding. Actually, I'm not really sure how I decided that we would be breastfeeding the baby except to say that it just felt inherently natural. I didn't even really have much context to go by since, to that point, I wasn't particularly exposed to close family or girlfriends breastfeeding their littles. I was not breastfed. My mother in law claims to have breastfed my husband but couldn't offer much in regards to experience or recall as to the timeline. So, while I didn't read every breastfeeding book at my local library, my studious tendencies did lead me to do a little reading and we decided to take advantage of a breastfeeding class offered by our hospital. It was all beneficial info and I very much went into feeding Connor with an open mind. I was aware there may be challenges and felt prepared to handle any issues that may arise. I also gave myself ample permission to truly play the process by ear. If we hit a speed bump, I would deal with it as it came, roll with the punches... and I gave myself permission, with the full support of my husband, that if for one instant the stress of trying to figure it all out was impacting how we felt about feeding our baby, a transition to bottle and formula it was. We both agreed that it would be far more important for us to feel emotionally stable and with a low level of stress than FREAKING out at 2am because I couldn't get milk out of my boobs or because I was in excruciating pain or something. Honestly, which benefits baby more in the long run? A strung out, stressed out parent grasping at straws to make something work or a cool, calm, collected parent, at peace with their decisions and able to easily adapt to challenges and overcome them with little emotional upset, regret, or shame. So while I mentally prepared for challenges, expected them even....here's the thing...my little dude latched and we never looked back. Ok, you can hate me a little for that part. 

So, Connor loved to eat from day one (you should see him now...shoveling fistfuls of anything you put in front of him). His precious little mouth was made for nursing and apparently so were my boobs. I am eternally grateful and proud of my body and my baby. While I went into breastfeeding with the notion that its success was NOT going to be the be all end all of my experience as a new mom, I was certainly happy it was working. Actually, my husband and I used to joke that we should probably keep the success to ourselves since it's no secret that many struggle. My milk came in right away, the lanolin and ice packs sat unused on the nightstand, and when I started pumping I made enough milk to make any dairy barn a small fortune. There was ONE small problem though...I didn't really enjoy it. Collective gasp! I'll give you a minute... seriously, try to compose yourself. There are all sorts of things we don't enjoy and yes, quite frankly, I didn't enjoy breastfeeding all that much. For awhile I felt guilty about this..."I have NO reason to feel this way!" "My baby is a champ". "I'm such a selfish bitch". "Some people can't do this, you should be grateful!". I would repeat these notions in my head constantly. Still didn't change the fact that more than 50% of the time, I would have rather not been breastfeeding. 

I should probably take a minute to clarify here. I didn't COMPLETELY hate it. There were certainly some precious, amazing, tender moments with my little guy. But honestly, there were other moments where I just wanted my body back. I wanted to share the feeding responsibility. When I went back to work I despised, DESPISED, being attached to that damn pump. While he never caused me pain, Connor was just a frantic feeder and you literally couldn't get him latched fast enough. As he got a little older, he was sort of aggressive and it became physically exhausting to be punched, scratched, and pinched all the time. When I returned to work when we was 8 weeks old, I expressed milk with a pump. While it was relatively easy and pain free, it was just incredibly time consuming to now have to figure out how to set aside time in my busy day of patient care. For the record, my employer was super supportive...and as a matter of fact, I don't think would have ever had the foggiest idea if I had spent fifteen minutes pumping or two hours... so the time constraints were completely self imposed but still real. I was busy. And some days it came down to a struggle between making sure my patients got seen and scheduling pumping sessions. Working in a hospital, it's not exactly easy to know when you're patients are ready to work with you or when you can get them down to radiology for a swallow study... which may need to happen at a moments notice... so some days it was hard to fit it all in. I also like my personal space. I know, I KNOW! To a degree this goes out the window when you become a Mom but I just got to the point where I refused to feel ashamed for liking my personal space and the acknowledgement that my body needed a break and I needed a minute to physically and mentally regroup. It became far more important for me to share the feeding responsibility with Andrew or other family and be able to pick up my baby refreshed and happy rather than resentful that he needed to use my body, AGAIN. So, while I hated pumping, at times it was a blessing since a bottle of expressed milk could easily be given by someone else if I needed a break. Although, I admit this was still rare since I know the most important way to keep supply up is to breastfeed directly so many times before work, after work, overnights, and on weekends it was still up to me.

Yes, because pumping and doing your patient care notes is JUST as comfortable and easy looking as this... I will admit though, the bra for the pump flanges was pretty clutch. 

Here was the other problem...initially, breastfeeding made me feel weird. Not weird as in boobs are sexual so why are we using them this way weird. Not weird as in I don't want people to see my boobs I'm too modest weird. Not weird as in this isn't natural why am I doing this weird. Breastfeeding, literally, gave me the strangest sensation, physically and mentally. During my first few weeks of nursing, every time I would begin a breastfeeding session, I would literally have a few minutes of the oddest feeling...almost like a mild panic attack. At other times, it's hard to describe...it would feel like this dropping sensation in the pit of my stomach...and sudden restlessness and irritability and then onset of extreme thirst. I couldn't nurse without water or Gatorade nearby (and I HATE Gatorade). I thought I was a little crazy honestly. It only ever lasted a few minutes...and was moderately uncomfortable at best...and then it would go away and I'd sort of forget about it until the next time. After the first few weeks, it went away altogether. As I begin to mentally prepare for baby #2's arrival, I've been recalling that feeling so I decided to do a little Google search to try to figure out if there was something to describe this experience. And would you know it...there is! No joke, there is a legitimate medical diagnosis for what I was experiencing... ha! Leave it to my body to have some obscure issue with breastfeeding. But it's real, and while not well researched or reported on, the theory is MANY more women than have been identified experience it, and yes it has a name. Dysphoric Milk Ejection Reflex (D-MER). Seriously, there is even a dedicated website (www.d-mer.org). You are not alone! 

According to D-MER.org "“Dysphoric Milk Ejection Reflex is a condition affecting lactating women that is characterized by an abrupt dysphoria, or negative emotions, that occur just before milk release and continuing not more than a few minutes. This is a physiological response (not a psychological response) that appears to be tied to a sudden decrease in the brain chemical dopamine immediately before milk let-down."

Who would'a thunk it. It is important to note that the site goes on to clarify that D-MER IS NOT an aversion to breastfeeding, related to postpartum depression, a psychological response to breastfeeding, or a general dislike of breastfeeding...although, arguably, it's experience could potentially contribute to these other issues. Rather, D-MER is thought to be related to an inappropriate drop in dopamine that occurs when milk is released during let-down. When dopamine falls inappropriately, it can cause symptoms of negative feelings. Fascinating really, and interesting to have a true explanation for my odd symptoms!

So, I should probably circle back at this point. As the title of my post suggests, I'm not entirely looking forward to breastfeeding. I'm more nervous about it this time around. I have other factors to consider including what will be a needy 18 month old and a return to work after only 8 weeks once again. Not to mention the knowledge I now have about the pros AND cons from my first go-round. As I buckle down for the home stretch of this pregnancy, I'm reminding myself of the following: I give myself complete permission to take it day by day again. I certainly do believe in the benefits of breast milk and I'm happy to attempt to feed my next baby like this again. I'm allowing myself the permission to play it by ear as I did last time. The minute something isn't working and the minute the scale tips towards distress with the process I'm allowing myself permission to throw in the towel. If our next little guy is as much of a nursing lover as Connor...great, we'll do it. If he sucks at it, haha no pun intended... fine, we'll trouble shoot a little and see how it goes. And depending on IF and HOW my symptoms of D-MER present themselves...that will factor in too. With Connor, we quit breastfeeding at 6 months. Honestly, it was a combination of my being ready to call it quits and that he sort of was too. He started solids and was showing a lot more interest in those and his bottle than he was in me. At that point, he was getting really used to receiving expressed milk via bottle and his lessening desire to actually nurse directly from me effected my milk supply, not to mention I got an abscessed breast cyst which needed treatment so my supply tanked. The stars aligned and it was just sort of a naturally good time to quit. He transitioned to formula with no issues, and no guilt from us, and is currently a thriving, rarely sick, 17 month old who hasn't met a food he doesn't like and is ALMOST weaned from his bottle. I've seriously given the kid a pass with the slow wean from the bottle since he NEVER accepted a paci and he's slept 12 hours straight since he was 6 months old. You can start hating me again for that. This kid rocks. 

So, time will tell! I'm incredibly excited to meet our new addition and I'm curious to see how nursing again will all pan out. Either way, I am already at peace with whatever decisions we will need to make and I feel good that no matter what we are doing the right thing for our baby.

So, talk to me. Be honest with yourself and not ashamed... have you ever felt less than in love with breastfeeding? Have you experience D-MER? I'm especially interested to know what other Mom's have experienced this. 

DVD Review: Fit & Sleek Prenatal Physique

I'm a self professed fitness DVD fanatic. My personal library has well over 100 titles...now I'm curious, I know it's a lot...I should count. At some point in the near future, I'll do a post on my history with fitness DVDs, why I love them so much, and give you a glimpse into my personal library. But for now, I'd like to begin reviewing my recent prenatal fitness DVD acquisitions.

As I mentioned in my previous post, I've had to change my routine for my third trimester. I ordered a few programs to get me through the last few weeks of pregnancy. Actually, they are all so good I wish I'd ordered them to have on hand sooner! That's ok though. Upon initial review and completion of each program, I'm realizing that these serve as excellent post-natal programs as well. With Connor, I was able to resume light activity virtually right away. Yay for uncomplicated vaginal deliveries! 4 days post partum I was able to begin short walks and within 6 weeks had progressed to returning to light yoga, resistance training, and walking. By 3 months I was pretty much back to my regular fitness levels with the exception of core strength...that took a little longer to return. My Flow peeps know how long I struggled to hold my planks with them again! Anyhow, while I only have a few more weeks to enjoy these DVDs while pregnant, their exercises and intensity are just what I'm sure I'll need to get back into my fitness routine for the post-natal period.

Up first:

Fit & Sleek Prenatal Physique

Instructor: Leah Sarago (www.leahsaragofitness.com)
Fitness Level: All
Cardio: Yes
Strength Training: Yes
Flexibility: Yes
Equipment Needed: 3 sets of hand weights (light, medium, heavy: example 3, 5, and 8 lbs), chair or bar for balance, mat.
Overview and Impressions: This is an excellent workout. It is broken down into the following segments: 5 minute warm-up, 15 minutes each of Upper Body Cardio Sculpt, Upper Body Mat Work, Lower Body Barre, Lower Body Sculpt, Prenatal Core, and Prenatal Stretch. I love that each of these segments can be done alone or you can mix and match segments based on your fitness level, time availability, personal movement limitations, etc. The DVD also includes a weekly training plan targeting the beginner, or intermediate/advanced exerciser. The schedule recommends segments on different days of the week targeting different workout lengths. For the advanced exerciser, for example, the schedule recommends you perform two of the segments twice through for a 60 minute workout.
Leah is an engaging instructor and presents herself as motivating but down to earth. The DVD visuals are pleasing. The instructor wears modern workout clothing and the studio set is bright and modern. Looks like a neat group fitness studio space! I'd love to work out in it live. The music choices for this DVD are also very good. There are several recognizable covers of popular radio hits such as "Titanium".
She demonstrates proficiency throughout the workout in proper instruction and offers many explanations and demonstrations of modifications for all stages of pregnancy. She consistently reminds the home participant to acknowledge limitations and do what feels comfortable and doesn't hesitate to recommend you change or stop a movement if it doesn't feel right.
Also worth noting, there is a flare of "barre" based movement patterns throughout this entire workout. While many of the chosen exercises feel like traditional resistance training moves, there are twists to how the upper and lower body workouts are performed that very much possess the "barre" element. Upon visiting Leah's website, it is clear that a lot of her training style revolves around this type of movement as many of her other DVD offerings are centered around the barre concept. I feel that this DVD is accessible to all but my only word of caution may be familiarizing yourself with barre style movement as early as possible in, or even before, your pregnancy. I could see how some of the movements might feel a little bit awkward if you weren't familiar.
I'm really enjoying this DVD overall. At this point, I LOVE the 15 minute segments...at 32 weeks, anything much longer than 30-45 minutes is killer. I love that I can commit to 15 minutes, get a good workout, and tack on another segment if I feel like I have the energy to do so. Briefly, here are my impressions of each segment.
Warm-up: Great low impact warm up that targets all areas of the body to prepare you for any segment  or segments you choose to do.
Upper Body Cardio Sculpt: In this segment, you perform a combination of cardio intervals with a focus on upper body strength while holding light (3 lb) hand weights. You can certainly go lighter (1-2 lbs or use no weight at all). The weights are held while you do a series of low impact cardio step touches, punches, and reaches. In between each interval, you perform an upper body sculpting exercise targeting shoulders, biceps, triceps, back, and chest.
Upper Body Mat Work: I think I was expecting to use weights in this segment but was surprised when none were used. This segment is barre-style. If you are unfamiliar with this type of training, then this might be the segment that feels the most unusual. Alignment and maintaining core strength are important. You do a series of isometric movements in various plank and push-up positions targeting the upper body. This segment was one heck of a core workout as well!
Lower Body Barre: Targets just what it says and in the manner described! Using a chair for support, Leah guides you through sets of plies, pulses, and targeted glute, hamstring, and thigh work using small isometric movements and stretches.
Lower Body Sculpt: This segment targets lower body in a more traditional way. Using a heavy dumbbell, you'll perform plie squats, deadlifts, and various lunges. You'll also get a little taste of barre style work with some pulses thrown in here and there.
Prenatal Core: Great core segment focusing on modifications that are appropriate for use during pregnancy so you can still target abs. Being in my third trimester, I found this segment difficult which is surprising since I've been training abs consistently. My favorite exercises were the table top and pointer series at the end of the segment.
Prenatal Stretch: Great 15 minute flexibility segment. Great combo of athletic style stretching with yoga based flexibility poses. The stretches were appropriate and easy to modify as necessary. The sequence flowed nicely and I can see myself performing this segment several times per week. Great poses to help keep the hips open and flexible in preparation for labor.

Overall, fabulous DVD with an engaging instructor and good music. Accessible for all fitness levels through all stages of pregnancy. I'll be incorporating this one into my rotation several times per week. As I stated previously, I definitely feel this makes for an excellent post-natal workout since the program is gentle, low impact, and modifications are appropriate for the post-natal period as well.

Preview the workout here: 



 Ready to try it out? Snap up your copy at my Amazon shop!



(This is my own independent review of this fitness DVD. I purchased this DVD independently and offer an affiliate link from my amazon shop for its purchase. I receive commission on any purchases made through my amazon store front.)

Staying Active During Pregnancy

I've been incredibly lucky. I enjoyed one complication free pregnancy in 2013 and am about to conclude another in March. And yes, if you've started trying to calculate how close in age my sons will be...that'll be 18 months to be exact. It's beginning to sink in that I will have a toddler (who all of a sudden learned how to tantrum) and a newborn on my hands at once. Thank goodness for stress relieving sweat sesh's and wine (<-- j/k, sort of...). I digress... I'm incredibly lucky because I have been able to remain active and able to support two healthy pregnancies. Through my first pregnancy, and this one, nothing really had to change much until my third trimester. With both, I dealt with the first trimester exhaustion and shortened or eliminated a workout here and there depending on how I was feeling that day. Of course, rest is important too. But by and large, I think staying active actually helped me keep my energy levels up and I often commented to my husband that I felt so much better after getting my workout in than if I had skipped it all together.

I teach group fitness and with both pregnancies now, I have had to throw in the towel on leading my classes at the 30 week mark. The class I teach regularly, BodyFlow, is designed in such a way that the instructor is really required to perform the whole class along with the participants. Due to increasing mobility limitations for many of our poses, and my worsening symphysis pubis pain (sorry TMI but the struggle is real) I needed to change my routine. It also becomes difficult to lead a class when the cues and instruction can't be presented in the intended way. Though my darling participants always assure me they can follow along, and they can, I just feel my limitations impact the integrity of the instruction. Alas, I'm officially on maternity leave and plan to return to teaching in the spring. 

The break has given me a fun opportunity to explore some new workouts and prenatal fitness routines I may not have otherwise had the time to try. My doctor has given me the green light to continue light workouts unless I start to feel pain and discomfort, which seems to be a little more frequent than last time. At this point, I'm able to tolerate a 30 minute workout 3-4 times per week before I feel like I need to lay off. Last pregnancy, I kept mostly to walking and light weight training and yoga sequences of my own design through my last trimester. This go-round I discovered some awesome prenatal fitness DVDs. I exercised my Amazon Prime membership and ordered a few programs to take me through these last 2 months. I plan to review them here. Every few days, as I go through each new program, I'll publish my impressions and recommendations. Please feel free to share with all of your preggo buddies and if you're expecting, let me know if you have any questions! 

One month pregnant and Connor at 9 months. Love rides in the jogger.

Prenatal/postnatal fitness has become a passion of mine. I believe all pregnant women should be active in some way (if possible and not contraindicated medically!) This will look different for all of us but I promise, there is SOME activity you can engage in safely and enjoyably. Some of us will be Cross Fitting until week 39 (well, I hope not but you get my drift) and some will only count walking as their program for 9 months (which is awesome!) Either way, find something that works, that's safe,  and that you can stick with. You are giving such a gift to yourself and your baby with a healthy lifestyle and physical activity. And when you birth that beautiful bean, keep it up! You'll be amazed at how quickly they grow into toddlers and begin mimicking your choices... Connor loves to dance to workout music and flip himself around in yoga poses. What better example to set! 

25 weeks

Here are some tips to get you started:

- Consult with your doctor before beginning any fitness program. 

- Try to begin physical activity before pregnancy but don't hesitate to start a program once you discover you're pregnant.

- With either scenario, it might be a worthwhile investment to consult with a personal trainer who specializes in pre/postnatal fitness for a few sessions to learn proper form and receive recommendations on programs or exercises to take you safely from trimester to trimester.

- For many of us, with physician clearance, you can continue your regular workout program once you are pregnant. Always listen to your body. Begin to modify as needed by switching to low impact modifications etc.

- Keep body temperature cool and perceived exertion at the conversational level.

- There is a lot of chatter about avoiding lying flat on your back starting in the second trimester. Honestly, based on my personal research, the jury is somewhat out on this. The assumption is that the pressure of uterus and baby on the vena cava can impact blood flow to baby and make you feel winded, dizzy, etc. Generally, short amounts of time are probably ok. But always, talk to your doctor and listen to your body. I was personally able to lie comfortably on my back until about week 25 for short periods of time and now I need to avoid it because it makes me feel lightheaded. Exercise caution and do what feels right.

- Prenatal yoga or pilates are excellent low impact choices. Many have a light cardiovascular benefit and you can't beat the strengthening and flexibility they provide to prepare you for labor and delivery. On that note, always be mindful of form. The hormone relaxin is circulating through your body is generally at the highest levels in the first and third trimesters. Basically, this hormone can cause loosening of the joints and ligaments (especially for the pelvis, obviously) so extra caution should be taken regarding form. Be sure to exercise good alignment and avoid pushing past limits of flexibility to avoid injury.

- Now is not the time to begin achieving new fitness goals. Your goal is maintenance of current fitness or small changes to introduce activity if you're more sedentary to prepare you for birth. Labor is one of the hardest workouts I've ever done. Really, training for a half marathon shouldn't seem as daunting when I remember I survived labor and delivery...hmm, I should really think about that next time I make excuses for not working harder towards a fitness goal!

Do you have any favorite pregnancy tips or workouts? I'd love to hear them.