The longest race of my life

Natalie is 2 months old now and I thought I'd better document an abbreviated version of my birth story before it becomes a distant memory. I won't include any gross details so those of you with weak stomachs or birthing fears can read on.

On September 6th I had a long day at work and was feeling quite stressed. As I left work my friend suggested that all the stress would probably make me go into labor. Sure enough that's what happened. Or, maybe our little baby was ready to come that day regardless of the days events. I went to bed around 10:15 and woke up at 11:00 thinking "wow I'm really sweaty".  I quickly realized that I was not sweating at all but that my water had broken. I got up and thought about not waking Doug but I didn't realize he had just gone to bed moments before this happened. Doug sprung into action and started to put our hospital bag out. We planned to not go to the hospital until I was well into labor. So, what did I do you might ask? Well, I picked up the house, did some laundry and made some energy balls to take to the hospital. At 1am Doug went to the couch to sleep some and I laid on a garbage bag on the bed and tried to sleep. I was having contractions all night but nothing regular or intense enough to make me want to go to the hospital. I must have only slept for 5 minutes here and there. The sun came up and I still was not ready to go the hospital so we watched some bike racing on TV and Doug glued up some tubular wheels in the garage. At about 10 am I felt like we should make our way to the hospital since my contractions were coming every 5 or so minutes.

We got to the hospital and I was overcome with a feeling of NOT wanting to be there. I heard so many stories of women being forced to proceed with birth in a way that was not in line with their wishes even when there were no complications or risks. I really liked the doctor I saw throughout my pregnancy but she was not on call that weekend. The doctor who was there was quick to suggest they start me on pitocin because my contractions were only 7 minutes apart and she "needed to see a baby by 11pm" (24 hours after my water broke). I can't tell you all the expletives that were flying around my head as this doctor so quickly suggested this to me minutes after I arrived. Did she not look at the nice birth plan I wrote up that was sitting right next to her?!?!  Doug supported me in refusing this and it took us refusing pretty strongly several times for the staff to allow my labor to proceed. I believed and trusted my body could labor naturally. I had a very healthy, relatively easy pregnancy and was in good, if not great physical shape. My intuitions and trust in my body were right and more hard core labor started around 1pm. I started to lose track of time and could no longer eat any food. Good thing I took in some energy balls and Honey Stinger chews before this happened because there was no turning back. The next 7+hours involved me walking around the room, doing lunges, leaning over the bed, bouncing on an exercise ball and making primitive noises that I never knew I was capable of doing. I also spent some time in the tub when my contractions were at their worst. I found it interesting that the most painful and horrible time was when I tried to lay down or sit down, hence my walking and standing for nearly all of my labor. Doug later told me it was horrible for him to watch me as it looked like someone was torturing me all afternoon and there wasn't anything he could do. His reassuring words did more than he knows and his insisting that I drink helped me remain hydrated.

I have no idea what time it was when I was begging to be "done with this". I was going to go back in the tub but the nurse then told me "nope this baby is coming". I'm not sure if our little one was ready to meet us or I was overly motivated to be done but after only 5 pushes we welcomed a crying baby with a head of dark hair into the world. The nurses said "it's a girl" and I believe my response was "oh shit, I can't believe I did that" (referring to laboring naturally). As my little girl was brought to my chest I apologized for calling her a boy the whole time she was in utero and was instantly in love! We had a boy name and girl named picked out. Natalie was one name that I did not negatively associate with any former clients and Jean was my grandmothers middle name. Natalie Jean Schuler 9/7/13, 7lbs 2oz, 20 inches long, 8:48pm, 22 hours after my water broke and contractions started...the longest race of my life!

I was truly transformed by my birth experience. It gave me confidence that I didn't have before and I loved the process (albeit very painful). Watching my husband for the first few moments as a father was a highlight as well. He always refused to hold babies and I was worried he was scared of them and wouldn't hold his own child. Turns out he's a natural and gives Natalie some of the best snuggles of anyone.

What my birth taught me (or powerfully reinforced):
1. Women are amazingly strong in so many ways, sorry men, I know we can handle much more pain than you. Don't even try to argue this one!

2. Your mind is a powerful thing. Visualizing my body relaxing and opening up to allow room for baby to arrive combined with my mantra of "trust and believe" helped me stay focused and move through challenging periods.
3. Advocate for what you want in life.

Welcome to the world Natalie! You are loved and we think you are going to be a pretty amazing girl!

One foot in front of the other

I had ideas of posting more about my journey through pregnancy but I seem to have an issue with making time to sit down and document much of anything. I'm feeling very lucky at almost 27 weeks! I'm convinced that exercise is playing a role in having few complications and overall feeling good. I know some athletic women actually have "training plans" when the are pregnant but that's not for me. My goal is to do something everyday and just go with the flow. It has been really fun to run and ride with friends that I don't normally get outside with when I'm focused on my training. Spinning around the bike paths with my best friend and pseudo niece singing me the "Aunt Sara song" makes for a very enjoyable ride! This might be topped by your husband agreeing to go "pregnant speed" and ride the long way on dirt to the donut store and back with you!

No. I did not eat all those donuts myself

When I first learned I was pregnant I quickly ordered the book Exercising Through Your Pregnancy by James Clapp and Katherine Cram. This is a must read book for any athlete wishing to learn the science behind exercise before, during and after pregnancy. Bottom line, continued aerobic exercise during pregnancy is beneficial and not dangerous for mom or baby. Generally speaking, moms who exercise throughout pregnancy have shorter labors with fewer complications and recover more quickly than those who do not exercise. I do not subscribe to any heart rate zones like many people feel is necessary (um yeah, I don't even own a heart rate monitor, crazy huh?) and just go based on feel. I keep all my exercise comfortable, meaning I can still talk easily while I'm out there. A few thoughts on how the body feels with each of my 3 "sports":

Swimming:
I'm still swimming 2-3 days per week. Not only have I dropped down a lane but I'm in the back and often I'm that annoying person that rests for a 50 or flips around in the middle of the pool to catch back up. The best part is Coach Wolfgang (strict German) can't even find it in himself to yell at me for this. The bigger my belly gets the less I can rotate in the water. I feel like a novice swimmer with a nice flat body position that doesn't move much. Nonetheless, I foresee more swimming in my near future now that Summer is heating up here.

Biking:
I'm trying to ride 2-3 times per week. I'm only riding my mountain bike simply because it is more upright and therefore more comfortable. I'm sticking to dirt roads and trails to avoid being around cars. I know I've morphed into a mountain biker when riding on the road scares me but trails don't. Other than having to have multiple bathroom breaks and then feeling like I need another one right after I get out of the stinky outhouse I feel good riding. I'm not below walking up steep hills or walking down anything where there is even the slightest chance that I could fall. My balance is starting to get a little unpredictable so I'm getting more cautious to compensate and keep baby safe.

Running:
Again trying to get out there 2-3 times per week. I thought that I would feel horrible running at some point but knock on wood I still feel decent. My stride is becoming more of a shuffle and I walk up hills that I used to run up, but I'm getting out there! In my Utopian pregnancy land I want keep running or woging (walk/jog combo) until the day this baby comes out..it really is my therapy! The realistic part of me knows that this probably won't happen but you can count on seeing a very pregnant lady out there putting one foot in front of the other as long as she can. There are fancy belly support bands out there designed to help lift the belly off the bladder and provide some supposed comfort. I tried my friends on for a hot second one day and knew it wasn't for me. It actually made me feel constricted and too sweaty. The worst struggle I've had running is when it's hot out. I dislike carrying a bottle but I think doing so will be my new norm this Summer, even early in the morning. Pretty sure this sums up my pregnant look on my wogs:

First Trimester Tales

We knew a family was in the cards and Doug let me decide when I was ready to take the big step and have a hiatus from racing. After my season ended with a broken collarbone and not a run at a podium spot at Xterra Worlds like I planned, I almost threw out the idea of trying for a family for another year so I could return to racing this year. Truth is though, I'm not getting younger and at some point I knew I would need to step back from racing to brew a baby Schuler. Going into this journey after dealing with a broken collarbone was perfect prep:

1. I put on a few pounds while hurt, which may have helped me get pregnant. I realize how lucky we are that things happened so quickly for us and not a day goes by when I'm not thankful for this. 

2. I had several months of practicing slowing down and not being able to do all the training and 10,000 projects I wanted to.  

I've heard horror stories of the first trimester and have friends who were beyond miserable. I have to say I was pretty lucky. I never got sick but just felt really, really hungover for about 2 months. I had plenty of meetings with clients where I had an escape route to the nearest trash can planned but luckily never had to use it. The biggest change was sleep. After working 8-10 hours it was all I could do to throw some semblance of dinner together before I moved to the couch and fell asleep. I'm talking being out cold at 7:30. Needless to say, my list of things to do at home, work and in life is really long now since I didn't get much done for a few months.

Now that I'm well into the second trimester things feel a little more normal. I can stay awake until 10pm, I'm back to being able to workout more and now that my belly is getting round it's really starting to sink in that I'm going to be a mom! I'm a bit worried about how big my belly will get. My friend put it in perspective, "some women have a 3 story condo to grow a baby in, you are stuck with a studio apartment". Yep, my 5'3" frame doesn't leave much space. Doug is thrilled with what the "boob fairy" has delivered to me but I just find it a burden that I'm suddenly in the market for all new undergarments. It's been hard to watch my athletic physique slowly fade away but it's all for such an amazing outcome that it is worth it 10 times over. We are so excited for the journey and adventure ahead of us!

Some questions we keep getting:

1) Due date?: September 10th (my mother-in-laws Birthday)
2) Are you going to find out the gender?: No. We have our big ultrasound next week and we plan to make it very clear to the staff to please not let us catch any glimpse of suspected genitalia. Not knowing until the end feels exciting and I believe the total surprise can help motivate me during labor.
3) Are you going to keep racing?: I plan to. I'm setting my eyes on racing Cyclocross Nationals in January as my first race back since they are being held in my own backyard. No expectations, just a goal to help me get out there and we'll see where it goes from there.

If you happen to be one of the runners going uphill who passed me last night while I was riding my mountain bike uphill, you did not discourage me, I made it to the top of the climb and refrained from yelling, "I'm slow because I'm pregnant". It is true, I've slowed down a lot but I still love getting out there and know that exercise is one of the best things I can do for baby Schuler and myself. Happy mom, happy baby!