Week 36 (month nine) Celebration Pose! Daily inversions reduce the pressure in my pelvis and makes walking easier!
Avie says, "Mom, are you done yet?" Hanging out upside down with baby! At week 36, we've entered into month nine of pregnancy! Sing! Dance! Leap! Smile! Cheer! Jump with joy! Do a headstand!
Say what?! Yes, inversions, I say! They relieve the pressure in my pelvis and upon my public bone.
Plus, Salamba Sirsasana is one of of favorite poses. Chalk one up for mom! Even more, Spinning Babies can give you a thorough understanding of the benefits of simple inversions during pregnancy.
Note: Inversions do not only mean headstands. I do not recommend standing on your head while expecting unless you had a bomb-proof Sirsasana, meaning that you can do one without a wall and without kicking up into it, for a looooong time prior to pregnancy.
Back to my feelings about week 36! The day we meet our second child nears, and my husband, Eric, son, Avie, age three and a half, and I are bursting with eager anticipation!
Avie continues to ask me adorable questions such as, "Is the baby poppin' out today?" and makes even cuter statements such as, "Baby can't wait to meet big brother!" He lies his face upon my belly and smiles, talks to his younger sibling and covers my belly with blankets to keep baby warm. The pure love radiating from his being melts our hearts. I simply cannot wait to witness the moment they meet and Avie's first reactions to this tiny, bare, beautiful soul.
While pregnancy winds down, I'm feeling great! Energy levels are steady - I still sleep in wayyyy past my usual, pre-pregnancy 5:15 a.m. wake-up time (think 6:45 a.m. at the very earliest and 8 a.m. at the latest) and rest throughout the day when the feeling calls. Also, this month, my yoga teaching schedule has reduced. At first I was reluctant to let go of my regular teaching schedule, but now I am enjoying the extra time to prep for baby's arrival.
Since the start of pregnancy, I've been sharing my running-while-pregnant journey, which evolved into a walking-while-pregnant journey in the sixth month. Follow my journey by clicking on the links below:
With month eight behind me, I give you a breakdown of what I did to stay fit during weeks 32-35. My hope is that the following information inspires expecting mamas to find a relaxing form of exercise that has a positive impact on the health and well-being of themselves and their baby.
You will see that I have been walking 1.5 to 2.7 miles. The 1.5 to 1.8-mile walks take about 30 minutes while the two and a half-milers take 50-55 minutes. On the days when I've walked with my son, I do not take my Garmin but instead time it. His nice, easy toddler pace is a welcome relief and teaches me to really slow down - a positive thing during pregnancy!
Yoga makes up the rest of my fitness regime and is what I use for strengthening, with lots of squats, Warrior, one leg-balancing and Goddess pose variations, planks and push-ups paired with stretchy, feel-good Yin poses and fun, invigorating, powerful Kundalini kriyas. To mix it up, I was even able to log in two days of cross country skiing in this very snowless winter!
Here's what month eight looked like:
Week 32 (Jan. 30-Feb. 5):
Week 33 (Feb. 6-12):
Week 34 (Feb. 13-19):
Week 35 (Feb. 20-26):
Say what?! Yes, inversions, I say! They relieve the pressure in my pelvis and upon my public bone.
Plus, Salamba Sirsasana is one of of favorite poses. Chalk one up for mom! Even more, Spinning Babies can give you a thorough understanding of the benefits of simple inversions during pregnancy.
Note: Inversions do not only mean headstands. I do not recommend standing on your head while expecting unless you had a bomb-proof Sirsasana, meaning that you can do one without a wall and without kicking up into it, for a looooong time prior to pregnancy.
Back to my feelings about week 36! The day we meet our second child nears, and my husband, Eric, son, Avie, age three and a half, and I are bursting with eager anticipation!
Avie continues to ask me adorable questions such as, "Is the baby poppin' out today?" and makes even cuter statements such as, "Baby can't wait to meet big brother!" He lies his face upon my belly and smiles, talks to his younger sibling and covers my belly with blankets to keep baby warm. The pure love radiating from his being melts our hearts. I simply cannot wait to witness the moment they meet and Avie's first reactions to this tiny, bare, beautiful soul.
While pregnancy winds down, I'm feeling great! Energy levels are steady - I still sleep in wayyyy past my usual, pre-pregnancy 5:15 a.m. wake-up time (think 6:45 a.m. at the very earliest and 8 a.m. at the latest) and rest throughout the day when the feeling calls. Also, this month, my yoga teaching schedule has reduced. At first I was reluctant to let go of my regular teaching schedule, but now I am enjoying the extra time to prep for baby's arrival.
Since the start of pregnancy, I've been sharing my running-while-pregnant journey, which evolved into a walking-while-pregnant journey in the sixth month. Follow my journey by clicking on the links below:
- Walking & Yoga for an Active Birth: Month Seven (Weeks 28-31)
- The Joy of Birth & Running Uphill: A Meditation to Bring Baby Into the World
- From Running to Walking While Pregnant: Month Six (Weeks 23-27)
- Running While Pregnant: Month Five (Weeks 18-22)
- Running While Pregnant: Month Four (Weeks 14-17)
- Running in the First Trimester: Gratitude & Playing the Edge
With month eight behind me, I give you a breakdown of what I did to stay fit during weeks 32-35. My hope is that the following information inspires expecting mamas to find a relaxing form of exercise that has a positive impact on the health and well-being of themselves and their baby.
You will see that I have been walking 1.5 to 2.7 miles. The 1.5 to 1.8-mile walks take about 30 minutes while the two and a half-milers take 50-55 minutes. On the days when I've walked with my son, I do not take my Garmin but instead time it. His nice, easy toddler pace is a welcome relief and teaches me to really slow down - a positive thing during pregnancy!
Yoga makes up the rest of my fitness regime and is what I use for strengthening, with lots of squats, Warrior, one leg-balancing and Goddess pose variations, planks and push-ups paired with stretchy, feel-good Yin poses and fun, invigorating, powerful Kundalini kriyas. To mix it up, I was even able to log in two days of cross country skiing in this very snowless winter!
Here's what month eight looked like:
Week 32 (Jan. 30-Feb. 5):
- Day One - 15 minutes Yin Yoga
- Day Two - 30 minute Vinyasa Flow Yoga and one-hour hike with son and husband
- Day Three - 40 minutes Vinyasa Flow yoga
- Day Four - 50 minutes Vinyasa Flow Yoga; 33 minute walk while pushing stroller; and 45 minutes Yin Yoga
- Day Five - 2.6-mile walk (50 minutes) and three 10-minute yoga sessions (morning, noon and evening)
- Day Six - 45 minutes Slow Flow with Yin Yoga and 45 minutes cross country skiing
- Day Seven - three miles cross country skiing (75 minutes) with 15-minute yoga cool down
Week 33 (Feb. 6-12):
- Day One - 2.7-mile walk with 20-minute yoga cool down
- Day Two - 68-minute Prenatal Kundalini Yoga; 1.6-mile walk; and one hour Gentle Yoga at LPS Strength & Meditation yoga studio
- Day Three - 30 minutes Prenatal Yoga
- Day Four - 15 minutes morning Moon Salutations (yoga) and 30-minute walk with 15-minute yoga cool down
- Day Five - Rest Day
- Day Six - 30 minutes Heart Opening Yoga; one hour Prenatal Yoga; and 2.7-mile walk
- Day Seven - 30 minutes Prenatal Yoga; 1.7-mile walk; and 30 minutes Restorative Yoga
Week 34 (Feb. 13-19):
- Day One - 1.73-mile walk with 10-minute yoga cool down
- Day Two - 30-minute Vinyasa Flow Yoga and 1.74-mile walk
- Day Three - 15 minutes Shoulder-Opening Yoga Flow (morning) and 30-minute Prenatal Vinyasa (afternoon)
- Day Four - 50 minutes Yin Yoga
- Day Five - 10 minutes morning yoga and one hour walk with my son
- Day Six - 45 minutes vinyasa, yin and kundalini yoga combo and 1.8-mile walk
- Day Seven - 25 minutes Yin Yoga and 30 minutes Restorative Yoga and 1.8-mile walk
Week 35 (Feb. 20-26):
- Day One - 30 minutes Prenatal Vinyasa Flow Yoga & 45 minutes Yin Yoga at LPS Strength & Meditation
- Day Two - 45 minutes Prenatal Yoga and one-hour walk with my son
- Day Three - 30 minutes Prenatal Yoga and 25-minute walk with my son
- Day Four - 30 minutes Prenatal Yoga and 1.5-mile walk
- Day Five - 30 minutes Prenatal Yoga and 2.6-mile walk
- Day Six - 30 minutes Prenatal Yoga and 2.6-mile walk
- Day Seven - 15 minutes Moon Salutations
Now, it's time to head out for a walk! Until next time, I leave you with these words:
“There is a secret in our culture, and it’s not that birth is painful. It’s that women are strong.”
~ Laura Stavoe Harm
“There is a secret in our culture, and it’s not that birth is painful. It’s that women are strong.”
~ Laura Stavoe Harm
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