Happening Lately: Scaling Back.

This is a little bit of a hard one.

I've had a great pregnancy thus far, but about a month ago, things got a bit more challenging. Our month-long stint in New York was wildly adventurous and fun, but I think I might have pushed myself a little too hard. 4 weeks of being in a new place with an active toddler, without any helping hands, and walking miles everywhere might have been too much for me to handle. It's a little hard to admit, actually. It doesn't sound that hard, and I didn't feel like I was running ragged, but unfortunately towards the end of our time up there I had a few episodes of really intense Braxton Hicks and low pelvic pressure that was a little alarming. Like, I suddenly found myself in tears on the floor of Target with sharp pain that felt like labor. I've been in labor before, I remember that pain. These weren't your run-of-the-mill Braxton Hicks. Since I was only at the end of the second trimester, having a few of these episodes (which lasted for about 20 minutes each time) really scared me, and after a call to my midwife back home, I found myself at the White Plains ER. Not the kind of way we wanted to spend our Labor Day :( But the great news is that even though I was feeling crummy, the baby was completely fine (and still is!) and I had no signs of pre-term labor or dilation. Just an exhausted mama who needed to put the feet up. And keep them up.

I have always been told that walking during pregnancy is a good thing, one of the best forms of exercise. So I was really confused about how walking could have brought all of this on. Especially since I am in pretty good shape - I had been lifting light weights, doing Pure Barre, swimming and of course, walking. Apparently, I had just been walking too much, doing too much, pushing too hard for too many weeks. And I was dehydrated, which can bring on really intense Braxton Hicks. Who knew?

Honestly, I have spent the past few weeks reflecting on all of this. It's really hard to wrap my head around, because when I look around me, I see so many pregnant women who are active and doing well. Thriving, even. And you know what? Comparing myself to them doesn't help me feel better about myself. Even comparing myself to my own last pregnancy doesn't help. I've said it before and I'll say it again, comparison is the thief of joy. Okay, Teddy Roosevelt is the one who originally said that, but I really identify with it. I can't look to the right and left and let others' pregnancy experiences inform mine. It's true when they say that every pregnancy is completely different.

So there you have it, friends.

In an effort to ensure that this little man stays inside of me until he is full-term, Stevie and I have decided to scale everything back for the fall. No more travel, no more intensity. No more running on adrenaline for weeks at a time. Just lots of resting at home, snuggling up with blankets and baking and finishing house projects. Stevie's entire side of the family is on a special trip at Disney World this week, and we sadly had to pull out of the fun last minute. (When your midwife recommends that you should only be at the parks for 2 hours in the morning and avoid the heat and walking at all cost, then you re-think those expensive Disney passes :) Plus, walking for forty-five minutes at a time still has me feeling light-headed and brings on some seriously sharp pains, so I can't imagine that would have been super fun at the happiest place on Earth. I'm feeling a little blue today as I think about all the fun they are having together, but we will reschedule our trip for next year and then we will get to bring little man #2 with us, too!

I'm counting my blessings today. I have a healthy baby boy growing steadily inside of me. I just have to take some extra measures for the next few months to rest more than usual. That's not bad news, it's just not my normal. Have any other of you mamas experienced something like this before? Any tips for how to make the fall season festive close to home? I'd love to hear from you, friends. Thanks for letting me air and share this heart of mine. Now I'm gonna go drink my body weight in water and put my feet up. XOX