Thank God For Pamela's!!

As mentioned in my previous post, Pamela's continues to demonstrate its amazing support towards my endeavors (whether it be Ironman or growing a baby)! The message that I try to convey through my lifestyle and daily challenges is that there is always time for "health." Proper nutrition involving a gluten-free diet is just as important while pregnant as it is training for an Ironman.

Over the past few weeks, now that I am out of the 1st trimester "sickies" I have been eating like a champ and craving a lot of carbs! Pamela's has a great baking mix that can be used to bake almost anything!! Here are two of my favorites:

Bannana Bread: http://www.pamelasproducts.com/recipe_frames.html

Muffins (I use blueberrys): http://www.pamelasproducts.com/recipe_frames.html

You are lucky I got a picture because they did not last long!

Another great use for the baking mix I have found is dumplings!! Just mix the Pamela's baking mix with milk until it is thick and you can roll a ball with it in the palm of your hand. Then drop it into any soup/stew you like!! Yum!

I have been doing a lot of reading with regards to athletes who are gluten-free. It seems as if many athletes are becoming more aware of the "gluten allergy/intolerance" and a lot are discovering through elimination diets that they improve performance and general feeling/energy with a gluten free lifestyle. Check out this link:

http://team.firstendurance.com/group/GlutnFreeLiving

Although I am not in training nor really prepping for race season, I like to keep myself "active" and follow a healthy diet. Now, that is not to say I am perfect; I am far from it! There are days when I fall off the wagon, both health-wise and gluten-free wise. There, I said it, somedays I fail! and that is ok! I know it is hard for people starting off with a gluten-free diet and there will be mistakes and hiccups along the way. I like to think of it as a learning process. Just one thing to keep in mind though; it takes 2-3 weeks to fully eliminate the gluten from your diet, so if you "cheat" you are not 100% better until that gluten and the inflammation in the gut has subsided.

The best piece of advice I can give you if you chose to go gluten free is to read and educate yourself. Also, consult a nutritionist; if you are in the Boulder area, I recommend Megan, my nutritionist: http://www.forbesnutritionalconsulting.com/index.htm

Finally, I do have a "bump" post! This is taken at 15 weeks and the little "gluten-free bun in the oven" is finally showing. I am finally using the elastics on my pants and feeling the my tummy start to grow "out" which is good, because I think it has taken up all space inside of me! My bladder and tummy are squished!!

Right now I am in my 17th week, so I should begin to feel the little guy/gal move soon! We had an ultrasound on Friday and it was too soon to tell the sex; well, there was a little "itty bitty" but, that can turn into a boy or girl, so for now we wait one more month.

On the health front, I am feeling much better and we did get more of an explanation for the "spotting" that gave us such a scare a few weeks ago. Turns out that in addition to the infection, I do have a low placenta (nothing to worry about), which, will move up as the pregnancy progresses. So, I have been given the clearance to go ahead with my activities (yeah!), continue running....which, has become an adventure in itself; I only run on a treadmill close to a bathroom because every 5 minutes I have to sprint to the bathroom to "relieve" myself. I swear, what feels like it is going to be niagra falls always turns out to be a teaspoon. Always an adventure!

I was also told to swim.....I knew it was inevitable......

The hard parts...

Planning…I am learning that planning while carrying a child is difficult! I used to take pride on knowing what I was making for dinner throughout the week, now I don’t know what I want to eat for breakfast let alone lunch and dinner. I am actually enjoying the craving part of the process as I am trying new foods that would never appeal to me before….but, I digress….

Last weekend Gregory and I had big plans. Saturday was supposed to be “get the extra storage day” and move all the boxes out of our apartment, followed by a night out with friends and then head up to the mountains on Sunday. It was supposed to be a late “Celebration” for my birthday since we really couldn’t do anything a few weeks before with the morning sickness etc… needless to say NONE of this happened.

Turns out my pregnant body had different plans. On Saturday morning, Gregory heads out to run with his training group and I get to head out with my itunes and do my own sort of “run” thing around a little loop by our house (will plenty of opportunities for pit stops!). I have been keeping active throughout the pregnancy, alternating no impact activity with jogging (I have a hard time referring to my running as “actual” running) and have had no problems. Of course this is something everyone needs to check with their doctors (mine cleared running at 7 weeks). When I returned home after a really good run I was in total shock to find that I was spotting…

I don’t think I have ever been so panicked or worried in my entire life. First thing I did was call my doctor who was on call; I had to wait 10 minutes for her to call me back, it seemed like an eternity. During those 10 minutes I cried and realized how important this baby was to me. Everyone hears of the “mother’s love” and how it is a magic thing you somehow acquire when you have your own baby. It’s true….

Gregory returned home from his run to find me a shaking, mumbling mess and I got out enough to let him know what had happened when the doctor called. To make a long story short, because it was the weekend, I would have to go to the ER for any sort of “medical” treatment. But, she told me that whatever it was could probably wait (unless the symptoms got worse) as it is extremely rare for a miscarriage to happen this far along and that anything that was causing the bleeding could wait till Monday because there is nothing they really could do in the mean time. Um ok….I feel so much better….So there I was, panicked, and told not to move for the rest of the weekend until Monday. Monday could not be further away….

Next step was to cancel any plans we had. I only ended up telling a handful of people what happened as I didn’t want to cause a big stir; and did my best to put myself into the doctors shoes when describing “it probably is nothing” when every bad scenario was going through my head. And, poor Gregory being the “rock” through this process, checking in on me and making sure I had enough “movies , food, water..pretty much anything!” too keep me going.

Four hours later my phone rings and it was my doctor calling to check-in and tell me she had a bunch of deliveries so why don’t I come in so they could hear the baby’s heart beat. I swear, this was one of the kindest acts anyone has done for me. Here was this doctor, on call, between 3 deliveries (turned out she had been up all night the previous night) thinking to call me to come in ON THE WEEKEND to calm my nerves and make sure the baby was ok.

Of course Gregory and I sped to the hospital and within 10 minutes we heard the “thu-thump, thu-thump” loud and clear. I have never, ever felt such a large rush of relief!

For the record, Boulder Women’s Care is awesome! Gregory and I feel so comfortable with the kind, knowledgeable and patient staff and doctors.

This did not mean we were out of the woods. I was still on “bed-rest” till Monday when they could check out what was going on (as it Is not normal) but I was definitely put at ease hearing the baby’s heartbeat.

Cut to the chase, Monday rolls around and Boulder Women’s Care gets me in for a morning appointment (once again, great service when they are a busy clinic) with one of the doctors I have seen already. I am ready for the news “it was the running”…or “you overdid it”…because trust me, I had heard enough of that already (gotta love unsolicited advice from those who believe it is their God given right to tell you what to do but have no medical knowledge to back their opinions). But, instead I got:”You are healthy and the baby is fine, however, you have an infection.” Yes folks, I have spent hours on end on a bike with sweaty bike shorts soaked in chamois cream and I have never had a yeast infection. Until I got knocked up! As humorous as it may sound, we are very lucky we caught it early as these can turn into more serious bacterial infections. Apparently yeast infections are very common once you are pregnant and can re-occur easily..sigh…and I thought the second trimester was the “honeymoon period.”

Now, here comes the brutal honest part of things. Gregory spent the rest of the day picking up the pieces of “Erin”. You would think that I would be ecstatic that everything was ok , the baby was fine and that it was just a “yeast infection.” But to me it was so much more. After spending 3 months sick as a dog, emotionally and physically drained, on a hormonal rollercoaster, realizing that some people will never be there for you like you want, only to enter the 2nd trimester with a yeast infection was a bit too much. The weekend traumatized me….but, heck that is what friends are for, right?

Trust me, I have some GREAT friends. I had emails and calls from those who knew what was going on to just see “how I was doing”. My awesome friend Laura came over Sunday afternoon while I was pondering away time just to “visit.” You have no idea how important such an act of kindness is. When you become pregnant, you world changes and you have a bunch of insecurities such as how your friends will “react to you” when you get hormonal and huge. Also, if they will accept your life changes; with few exception, my friends have been outstanding! A few even surprise me!

I think one of the most touching moments this week though was after Gregory talked to my Mother-in-law Joelle and Auntie-in-law Claude to let them know the news and there was nothing to worry about. Well, my email box filled with French messages from both Claude and Joelle to hear the news straight from me and then a message on my phone Wednesday afternoon from Joelle “wanting to see how I was.” When your MIL stays up late to leave you a message in English (when she speaks French) because she is concerned, you know you are extremely fortunate! These kind gestures warm my heart and when everything feels so overwhelming and out of control, I am reminded that I have an amazing support system.

It has been a week since these events transpired and I am almost as good as new! As for the baby, well “it” is fine/great./super/awesome/perfect….Ok, so I have to say it; Gregory and I are a little confused about the “how’s the baby” question. Of course the baby is fine and healthy, but sometimes it is like “well, I don’t know, it’s not like we have had a conversation today or I have met the little dude face-to-face”. I think Gregory sums it up best in his blog:

http://www.pyramedium.com/gm/details.aspx?uid=246

Which is much shorter, more concise and a lot funnier!

All I can tell you about our baby now, is that scientifically it Is larger than a baseball, it makes me hungry, I am growing a little pot-belly, it makes me hungry, it has not started kicking yet but in 2-3 weeks I should feel it, and oh…did I say it makes me hungry??

Tuesday I have the clear to get back to aerobic activity; including swimming, elliptical, weights, and running…YES, that’s right, running. There is no scientific evidence to support running has a direct correlation to yeast infections (that is unless you wear the same pair of unwashed sweaty spandex to run in for a week straight!). Does that mean I will go back to running? Honestly, I don’t know, I am still pretty shaken up about the whole thing, BUT if I DO;I swear I will go postal on the next person who tells me to “stop running” as if this whole series of events was MY fault! There you have it, I am putting my foot down…this is the one piece of unsolicited advice that I will not just “shut-up and take.” And for the record, I have my doctor’s support on this decision.

On a more positive note, and a little hint for my next post, Pamela’s Products has demonstrated their amazing support once again and allowed me to stay on the Pamela’s team through my pregnancy! I have a gluten-free bun in the oven. More great news about Pamela’s and great gluten free recipes for the pregnant lady in my next post!

Cheers!

The First Trimester

So, as I said in the last blog entry, the last 14 weeks have been pretty interesting. At week 4 I ran 20 miles (not knowing I was preggers); at week 5, I could barely get out of bed. I will be honest and admit I totally underestimated what pregnancy would do to me. I was one of those people who would hear other people’s horror stories and tales of fatigue/naseau, and never give it a second thought because I figured I was “fit, healthy and ready for pregnancy.” No problem, right??

That statement could not be any further from the truth!!

At 4.5 weeks, I felt like I had been hit by a truck, and then backed over by the same truck and then a 16 wheeler…..you get the hint. My “late” 10 pm bed times and “early” 6 am wakeups quickly became 8 pm to bed, 8 am to wake up. My hour runs became 30 minutes, 20 minutes…walking….

By week six, I was nauseous and would swing from one food craving to the next within 10 minutes. We spent the month of December NOT stocking the Fridge, but rather taking 2-3 trips to the grocery per day, just to make sure we were not wasting food as my normal eating habits were long gone!! The sight of any raw vegetable made me want to gag! BUT, I figured, I was “ok” because if I felt bad, that means the baby’s ok…plus, I wasn’t puking…….yet….

Then the fun started in Canada. The kid got the upper hand of me, and anything I put into my stomach he/she didn’t like came right back up. We learned a lot! No oatmeal, no salad, pretty much nothing healthy. However, I could take back a pint of Dairy Queen Ice Cream with no problem. And…I learned cheese makes everything better!...I have not had my cholesterol checked.

In addition to all these lovely “pregnancy” side-effects is the notorious constipation. There is no way to sugar coat this topic; I was/am constipated and had to pee every 20 minutes. They say it is due to increased progesterone, whatever. One word: Metamucil ! (and apples if it’s a really bad day)

The funny thing about “morning sickness” is that it is not just in the morning; it can be ALL FRIGGIN DAY! From weeks 7-11 I only gained ½ pound (living off of ice cream). Now, I know that none of this seems very fun (well at least the ice cream is)but, the tradeoff of knowing in a few months I will have a beautiful bundle of joy to look at and know it was worth it (at least that is what many mothers tell me)

For now, my instant gratification for the 1st trimester suffering is the boobs. Last summer in France I bought some bras, but I got the wrong size and they were too big. Not anymore!! I am filling those cups up like a champ! And nobody better rain on my parade and tell me and A cup is still small!! I am almost B now!

Throughout the first trimester, albeit tired and sick, I was encouraged to keep active from my physician. When you are extremely active and become pregnant, going from a lot of physical activity to nothing can be worse for the baby than exercising in moderation. Now, that does not mean it was easy on the days I felt cemented to the bed. Some days it was hard to just get moving, but once I did, I felt SOOO much better. I have no idea why, some attribute it to diverted blood flow from the stomach, but the only time I did not feel like hurling was when I was running or on the elliptical.

Don’t ask me how fast I was running…..I am not sure if I resembled any form of running. Enough said.

The funny thing is just as sudden as the symptoms appear and in the exact reverse order, they begin to resolve, right around 12 weeks (except for the constipation; that’s the 9 month bonus plan!). At 12 weeks, right after my birthday I started JUST feeling nauseous; you can imagine Gregory’s and my surprise when I kept breakfast down. Then the next day, breakfast and lunch….and at the end of the week, I was eating 3 meals with snacks and enjoying it!

Then, I knew I was fine when I got hungry and thought I could hold out 10 minutes to finish up a piece of work. Well, I think I almost passed out due to low blood sugar and ripped Gregory’s head off when he would not give me a bite of his lunch (he was joking, but I failed to notice it and instead went into a hysterical fit). Note to self: when hungry, EAT…there is no time to waste… if not, I will self destruct and take down everything around/with me. Hence, I keep snacks by me all the time, even on the bed stand. I am a great wife and like to wake Gregory up to share with him at 2 am (I am a notorious sleepwalker/talker as well).

So, I think that sums up my first trimester. Not the easiest, but definitely interesting…

I still have a lot to write about, like how the 2nd trimester is off to just as an exciting start as the first, how much I am showing, all the crazy things people have said, the unsolicited advice (I know everyone likes to read about that), and the sex of the baby(that will come in a few more weeks). Stay tuned…