So I'm 28 Weeks Pregnant.....

And these are some of the things I've realized so far: 1. Golf is never easy but with a belly and a new center of gravity it is not fun. Chris and I went on Easter weekend and I that's when I realized how much core is involved in golfing and how little I have of it anymore. 2. I thought I'd be one of those pregnant ladies running around in my heels until the very end. I've always loved wearing heels to work but I realized early (around 10 weeks), and with help from my osteopathic doctor, that it wasn't a great idea for me and it actually was making my nausea worse. 3. I may know a lot from a textbook perspective about pregnancy and prenatal care but when you are experiencing it, it takes it to a whole other level. My training as a Naturopathic Doctor has helped not only me but many women in the past 9 years of practice, going through preconception healthcare, prepping the body for pregnancy, and throughout the trimesters. I even did a doula course because I started to become more and more interested in pregnancy and wanted to be able to offer even more to my patients. I don't attend births but the knowledge I've gained has helped countless women throught the barage of information or lack of information about pregnancy and childbirth. I always knew this is truly a miracle of life from a medical perspective but to actually experience the nausea and fatigue (and have no control over it!) and the kicking and stretching (I swear this baby does downward dogs all day) from inside is amazing. 4. One thing has been solidified in my mind: preconception healthcare is the most important thing a woman can do. How many times have I heard from women in their first trimester "But Dr. Carol I just can't eat my dark green veggies", "I just want carbs not fruits", "I'm struggling with protein" and I've gone on to give countless tips on how to incorporate these things in different ways while explaining how important what you eat during pregnancy is and why. You want to set the baby up for nutritional success I say! However full disclosure here: I can't believe how many times I had to run to Tim Horton's for a bagel in my first 16 weeks because that was the only thing that was going to make my nausea settle. Those times of guilt, sitting eating my bagel, all I could think about was thank goodness this baby has so many good reserves to go on and I was thankful that I had been eating so well before and taking my folic acid and prenatal well in advance. The egg takes 120 days to mature so I usually say to women you need at least 4 months of preconception work for good healthy eggs. Sperm maturation takes 90 days so men have to be equally vigilant for good sperm. I've seen women that struggle with nausea and vomiting for longer than the first trimester... heck even all the way until the last few days and this struggle for good nutrition for the developing baby can be really compromised. 5. I miss my moksha hot yoga! Even though I've been doing it for 10 years I still knew the heat could compromise the baby's development and it could increase risk of miscarriage, especially in the first trimester and I knew myself well enough that I wouldn't be able to go and do a 'toned down' routine. I also thought I was going to be one of those pregnant ladies that would be running and not really skip a beat when it comes to my exercise routine. Well I was wrong and my feelings have really changed ... you have to do what feels right for you and baby. There are countless research articles on the benefits of exercise throughout pregnancy and staying active not only for mom-to-be and her labour and delivery but also for the baby! My general rule for patients was if you have been doing a particular exercise for at least 3 months before conceiving you can easily continue into pregnancy with probably some modifications. Nothing new. For the first 18 weeks I didn't do a lick of exercise. Only a little bit of walking on the weekends. I just didn't feel well enough. Then all of a sudden a switch turned and I could function again and surprisingly my body was trained enough that I just slid back into a exercise regime doing a vinyasa yoga at home and power walks outside. Although I've always loved to run it didn't feel right for me so I just went with the flow. 6. I love my midwife. She is wonderful and Chris and I have loved our visits, getting 45 minutes to chat through things and prepare. Each time I go she gives us the scoop on any upcoming testing and why it is necessary or why it's not .... it's all about informed decision making which is so powerful. I always recommended midwives before for normal low risk pregnancies and now it's wonderful to have an experience to base that feeling on. A obstetrician from the UK was telling me that midwives only deliver all low risk babies over there. OBs only come into the picture in high risk pregnancies or when there needs to be a transfer of care or an assisted delivery. When she came to Canada and started practicing in Toronto she was so surprised to see how many normal low risk pregnancies were being delivered by OBs. Also very interesting when you put that into the context of how high our C-section rate is here in Canada (almost double of the World Health Organization's recommended rate of 15%)!! 7. One last thing.... there is an amazing culture of mothers that was foreign to me. It's kind of like a secret club. I have been surrounded by so much love and support by not only my friends and family but people I had never expected. Patients dropping off maternity clothes, random people at make-up counters (yes I've already gotten some breastfeeding tips from the lovely ladies at one of the makeup counters at Holt Renfrew!), friends sharing experiences that I guess I wasn't ready to hear before..... It is truly the lovely feeling of being part of a village. And even before this lovely baby arrives I already feel like I have a better understanding of the saying "It takes a village to raise a child". Stay tuned.......