there is nothing like a good nap...

i am laying in bed, freshly showered and in my robe. dogs are cuddled up next to me. and it is 2:30pm. i LOVE naps. especially when they are so well deserved, aka running and pilates bootcamp today! i love the flexibility of my job, there is always some down time from 2-5, perfect when i really need a nap. oh, and i forgot to mention there is also a bowl of mini snickers next to me right now. i couldn't help myself when i saw them at the grocery! actually, i realize now two days ago someone told me a story about a snickers and i haven't been able to get them out of my head since. so, finally i am here, eating snickers right before a nice easy nap :)

didn't sleep well last night, had my first night of feeling really uncomfortable and uneasy. i don't have a belly getting in my way yet, but i always sleep on my stomach. i gave that up a few weeks ago as it was no longer the most comfy and settled on my right side and back. however, last night i was laying on my right side when i started to feel a tingling sensation inside, like my organs were going to sleep. weird i know. but i learned in my prenatal yoga teacher training that after the first trimester laying on your right side or back are not advised, not for long periods of time anyway. this is because your vena cava, a major blood vessel that supplies blood all through out your body, runs down the right back side of your body. so, as your baby starts to grow and your uterus expands, your organs have to find new space. when you lay on your back and gravity moves your uterus/baby/organs onto your vena cava, you can stop blood supply to you and then ultimately your baby. now obviously as your baby grows, you have to take more and more caution to avoid any numbness or tingling. so, i guess i felt that? anyway, it freaked me out a bit. we learned it really only happens about 8-15% of the time, so you don't have to say never lie on your right/back side it is just important to be aware of. anyhow, i was able to place a small pillow in-between my legs and lay comfortably on my left side. having the pillow there seemed to really help me relax. and now, i am just going to be more aware of that feeling!

so, if you are in a class, whether yoga, pilates or bootcamp, the goal after the first trimester (esp after 20 weeks) is to keep the head elevated in comparison to the heart, and the heart elevated in comparison to the hips. this way, gravity doesn't allow for the vena cava to have any pressure on it and you can do all the exercises you would do on your back, just propped up on blankets, a bolster or sitting up against a wall. :)

click here for a great prenatal sequence to do at home. ;)

off to rest before i head back to work. i will take more pictures of the belly when it looks less like nothing and more like a bump! :)

xo

ps. i have to share this blog, i met meg yesterday at a group interview we were hosting for the store, she is such an amazing girl who has this simple but genius idea to start a blog about the things that bring her joy each and every day. so, check it out, it is sure to bring a smile to your face: http://www.350lights.blogspot.com/