rules for exercise when pregnant

I took this a couple of days ago.  I've been running with my boys in the double stroller, but my weight gain plus the weight of my growing boys plus liking to sleep in 'til it's already hot outside made it not so easy lately.  This carriage my Dad got us a while back is perfect.  Plus, the kids love it.  Once the "you're on my side, move over" gets forgotten, they laugh to the point of almost annoying, but definitely embarrassing.  They laugh for no reason at all and love opportunity to use their outside voices. 

 Meanwhile, a time zone away, my cousin is being much more careful with her little girls.  I wish our kids could be friends, but they're honestly pretty different.  Boys who wear the same thing (notice it's not plural - usually just shorts) every day vs. girls who wear perfectly put together outfits. They are similar in that they love nature walks and lizards and frogs and puppys too much.  So, I'm adding this photo I stole from her to leave you with a better example of what to do with your kids. 

To further illustrate why you shouldn't do what I do, here's my story of running the other day. 

Remember, I'm almost 5 months pregnant and clearly showing. 
It's difficult to run pushing 2 kids in a regular Graco Duo Glider stroller, so after dropping my kids off at preschool, I went running (at a really slow jog pace) yesterday.  I normally run with a cell phone because what if I overheat or see an accident or get a phone call, you never know.  I run with a water in the other hand.  This day I decided to run w/o my phone since I wasn't planning on being gone long at all.  I did still grab my water since I got dehydrated the other day so I learned from that mistake.  I ran along the water on Coffee Pot Road.  Since I'm slow, I considered running up on the sea wall so I would be out of the way of the bikers and real runners.  But luckily the prompting came to my mind that I'm big and pregnant and that's a dumb idea.  I love admiring the landscaping those houses have and love seeing manatees in the water.  I don't like seeing trash in the water.  There was a chips wrapper in there and after thinking how sad it was that people use the water for their trash can, I actually forgave it's previous owner because I thought maybe wind blew it out of his/her hand and into the water.  I was feeling good and was ready to head back after some light calf stretching.  I turned to spit in the water (gross I know, sorry) and some how lost my balance.  And I couldn't recover!  My feet didn't get under me fast enough which was so weird.  I hadn't tripped on anything.  Then I had to put my hands down.  I put one hand down and the other wrist and water hand.  Well my water hit the pavement and FLEW out of my hand -- right into that water.  I had littered, oh no!  You would think my fall would have ended there, on all fours, but oh no.  The law of inertia kicked in and I continued to roll to my back like a vulnerable turtle.  My belly was protected, but my pride was shot.  What had happened?  A guy in a black truck with a big dog in his front seat slowed down to see if I was okay.  I was already back to my feet at that point.  I was fine, I said.  I didn't stop to assess the scrapes on my knees or look where my water bottle had splashed.  I jogged all the way back to my car.  I'm glad he had come from behind and maybe hand't noticed my baby bump.  He would have wondered what a pregnant lady was doing running out there.  You know you would have thought that too.  Back in my car, I checked out my minor scrapes and was still a bit in shock.  I've tripped before, but have recovered.  This time I didn't even trip, and yet somehow had quite the trip down the sidewalk.  It's funny, yet made me think.  I thought I could be the exception to the off balance pregnant lady rule.  Now I know. 



Here's a list of dos and don'ts I've compiled. 

Do drink lots of water before and after being outside in the hot sunshine. 

Don't try to push a 3 and a 5 yr old in a regular Graco duo glider stroller, you'll hope they throw a toy out so you get an excuse to stop.  Then you'll want to turn around and jump in the pool. 

Do run close to home so you can jump in the pool in your sports bra and shorts. 

Don't run on the sea wall on Coffee Pot Road.  Run by the road, not even close to the water on that wide side walk. 

Do go potty right before running so you mentally know that you don't really have to go even when the baby bounces right on it. 
Don't stretch too much.  The muscle that doesn't seem to grow with the body is the sartorius muscle, AKA the groin muscle.  It has been the muscle that gets sore while pregnant and after when recovering with all 3 pregnancies so far.  If I stretch too much, it just hurts. 
Do teach your kids about not littering, but don't judge others because you never know the story behind the mess. 

Don't run with your cell phone in your hand. 

Do laugh at yourself, but evaluate and learn from mistakes (and smarter cousins who keep safety first.)