Third Trimester

At 30 weeks, I am officially into the third trimester. 10 weeks to go!

I'm still riding to work (about 4.5 miles), but I think my days are numbered. DC summers are notoriously hot and humid, and I can't risk over heating. I've been very lucky the last few weeks, as the weather has been cool and dry. I'm still able to physically ride, but I'm not going to risk heat complications. My midwife was starting to give me the concerned clucking when she saw me in bike shorts at my last appointment. "Yes, we might have to stop riding soon...it's getting hot out there!".

My belly is now pretty obvious to everyone. I was riding to work the other day, and a man in a truck very cautiously pulled up beside me, his eyes as big as saucers when he saw the belly. "You feeling okay?". Haha, yeah, man. I'm feeling okay.  My midwife has warned me about changes in my center of gravity, but I honestly haven't noticed anything different. My balance is still the same, or at least I'm not noticing a difference since I ride nearly every day. I did notice a huge difference when I went swimming last week and got out of the pool. It felt like I weighed a million pounds! I still haven't had to adjust much of my riding. I'm still riding the Orange Velo Polyvalent with drop bars (aka Kermit). I still wear pretty much what I usually wear on a bike (bike shorts, jersey). My feet haven't suffered any swelling, so I still wear my usual bike shoes (Keen Commuters). My belly hasn't bothered me for my short commutes, so I haven't adjusted my saddle or handlebars. I try to avoid hills as much as possible, because I do notice some niggling pain in my belly (similar to RLP) sometimes when I'm riding up a long hill, and I don't want my heart rate/breathing rate to get too high. Luckily, my commute doesn't involve any strenuous hills.

Some big changes are coming up very soon (changes at work, buying a house and possibly moving), so I'm just trying to take things day by day and not let unnecessary worries bother me. This is one thing pregnancy is teaching me: I can't let things that are out of my control bother me. I just need to trust that everything will work itself out in the end.

My virtual ride for the Police Unity Tour went fairly well. I had to shorten it to one day (instead of 3) because I managed to catch a nasty Spring Cold, and couldn't breathe through my nose anymore; so I spent the rest of the week in bed. I was disappointed I wasn't able to ride the C&O canal towpath like I had planned, but I felt physically awful.  Still, that one day of riding was great. It was a perfect day outside, and even riding around in one big loop didn't get boring. It will be nice to ride with the group next year, though.

And since I've seen other folks do it:

Number of weeks pregnant: 30

Belly button status: Still an innie!

Worst symptom: I'm actually suffering from an annoying leg cramp right now. Ow. Oh, and the heartburn has begun too.

Exercise: Daily bike commute (4.5 miles), walks around the neighborhood, and the occasional squat set.

Weight Gain: I believe its been around 15lbs, the last time I checked.

Feet: I can still touch my toes and put my shoes on, but I can no longer see my feet if I look down. No swelling either, and I still wear the same size shoe.

Baby Movement: Kiddo has been kicking/punching up a storm lately. It's a little weird. Still haven't spotted any extremities poking against my belly, but that's mostly because I refuse to look...because CREEPY.

Reading: Wheels within Wheels: The Making of a Traveler (Dervla Murphy); Natural Hospital Birth (Cynthia Gabriel).

Craving: Ice cream. Smoothies. Milkshakes. Anything cold & creamy.

Awkward Moments: I haven't really experienced many, yet. Mostly it has to do with well-meaning folks and riding my bike.