Spring is here and that means… our family road trips! Timmy and I decided before Hudson even arrived that we were going to continue to travel and live our active lifestyle and just bring Hudson for the ride! After all, your children have to live with you… not the other way around. Last weekend we packed up the truck and headed north to Burke, Mtn. for our annual 42 mile, grueling, gravel bike race. Of course this year I took the role as a cheerleader with Hudson, but we made a family weekend out of it. I wasn’t sure how traveling with a newborn was going to go, especially with our breastfeeding schedule, but I was pleasantly surprised of how do-able it was with a little preparation. If you too are deciding to travel with your little one, I am so happy for you! Traveling as a family is such a wonderful bonding experience and babies, even when they are the littlest, love to see and be in new places. Plus, how fun will it be to tell your little one about all of the adventures you shared and show them pictures. Now, all that being said… being on the road with a baby while breastfeeding can present a few challenges, but with a little preparation, you will be all set. Here are some tips that I gathered after taking our first road trip to Burke, VT with our little one.
Have you and your family traveled with the newest member of your family? Would love to hear about your adventures! xo
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Yesterday we were welcomed back into our local cyclocross family at the Coonamessett Eco Cross Race hosted by International Cycling and Event Services and Corner Cycle Cape Cod Inc. It was so awesome to see our fellow teammates from Cape Cod Sea Sports and friends of C4. This year was a little bit of a different experience for me. Rather than lining up to race with the Category 4 Women, I took the side line to watch, and enjoyed taking on the cyclocross experience from a different angle. As the men raced I ran all over the course in an effort to snap some great shots of Timmy and our friends. It was fun to see Timmy jump on his bike off the couch and have a great race! Cyclocross is such a tough sport that you cant really understand unless you have tried it, but essentially its 40-50 mins of riding (or carrying) your bike through mud, sand, woods and over barriers all while working at a max heart rate. I think many of us would agree that we have such a love-hate relationship with the sport. You line up for your race with the thought "Why the hell do I do this to myself every weekend?!" and finish with the sweet satisfaction of..."I am such a badass, that was fun!" For obvious reasons I have had to take a very different approach to my usual rigorous race and training schedule. I have had to learn to adapt with the my ever changing bump and really listen to my bodies needs. Around week 16 or so, my cyclocross bike was getting uncomfortable because of the position it put me in. The small bump was creating this feeling of ALWAYS needing to pee while I rode and the bent over stance caused pain in my lumbar spine. While some may have suggested I just take the season off from riding, that wasn't an option in my eyes. Getting outside and riding my bike is more than just a workout- It's a form of meditation for me. There is something about just getting outside and riding whatever direction I decide and for however long, that just does my body & my mind so much good! So, when Timmy and I decided that my cyclocross and road bikes were going to have to take a long winter nap, we looked into a few different entry level mountain bikes that I could cruise around on and would allow for me to have more room for my growing bump! After liquidating one of our older CX bikes, we went with the Specialized Rockhopper and I couldn't be happier with it. We have so much fun just heading out and riding around the bike path and trails that are offered around the Cape. Its definitely a ride at a different pace, but it is still so much fun and allows for me to stay active during my pregnancy, which for me is a priority. Staying active during this pregnancy has always been a priority of mine since the beginning. What exercise looks like for me has been a constant shift as my belly grows and my energy levels shift from week to week. But what is most important to me is that I continue to listen to my body and adjust my workouts accordingly so that I can remain active. At 22 weeks pregnant, my body has been craving lots of restorative yoga, bike rides and walks with our dog. My energy has shifted slightly, and I think some of that could be that I am still taking on my usual client schedule and on my feet for most of the day. One of the most important things I could suggest to any mama to be is to listen to your doctor, but your body is ultimately boss. My doctor had told me that I could continue my pre-pregnancy exercise as usual, but before I got pregnant I was training like an athlete, and that just became uncomfortable once I was pregnant. My advice to all mama's-to-be-You’ve got to trust your body. If something doesn’t feel right, don’t do it. I honestly spent my entire first trimester lying on the couch, watching TV, napping in my car between clients and I ended up losing some of my hard earned muscle... and thats okay. I wasn't going to do anything that didn't make my body feel good. I try not to dwell on my limitations at this point in my life... I am building a human being, a beautiful life force, and that ultimately is more important than any race won or personal record made in the gym. Rather than dwell on my limitations I focus on the movements that I can do and that make me feel good. I seriously can’t walk up a flight of stairs without puffing. It feels as if I’ve just run sprints while holding weights. When I get to the top of a staircase practically out of breath, I can not help but laugh at myself. When I am in the gym now, I do the exercises that feel comfortable for me: dead lifts, squats, kettle bell swings, and resistance bands. Nothing intense, and I use very light weights, with higher reps and more rest in between. And if there are days when I don’t exercise, I know it’s not the end of the world. This has been an absolute beautiful ride and I have enjoyed the constant lessons of slowing down and listening to what my body needs. I will continue to enjoy and share with you guys what exercise looks like for me, and I also look forward to bringing Baby Dow along to Coonamessett Eco Cross next year! xoxo What types of exercise did you do when you were pregnant? What does movement look like for you mama's to be out there? I would love to hear from my readers! |
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