Weight Gain = Food Intake – Exercise ???

We also started exercising during the second trimester. Coz I’d put on so much weight in first trimester – but couldn’t exercise them (for fear of miscarriage)- so we started exercising with a vengeance. Dr Ang wanted me to “walk more”. But I had hurt my ankle since December 2006 and it was still hurting, and swollen, so I didn’t wanna walk coz it hurt. So we decided to go swimming. It is often said that swimming is the best exercise for pregnant women, is it not? So, at first, we went swimming once a week. 25 metres long pool, to and fro to be considered one lap (ie. 50 metres), we swam a minimum of 15 laps each time we went swimming. Alas, I still piled on the kgs. Dr Ang was like: ”Once a week is insufficient!”

So, we went swimming twice a week. Occasionally even swimming up to 20 laps when we had the time. But still... I was expanding at a constant rate of approx 2 to 3 kgs a month… So we upped swimming to 3 to 4 times a week… but still the kgs just piled themselves onto me… And I really didn’t think it was what I was eating. I mean, after CNY, I had controlled my intake to cut down on carbo (was loading up on those early on… coz I’d “felt like it”) But now I was eating some carbo for breakfast – bread etc, but for lunch I’d usually have yong tau foo without noodles/rice, or, ‘economical rice’ of fish and vege dishes with just a few spoonfuls of rice. I made sure I did not choose deep fried food items either. For dinner, we usually ate at my parents’ or at my in-laws’ place, so it was home-cooked food of which I ate more dishes, and only a few spoonfuls of rice. So, together with the exercise, it was really puzzling why I was piling kgs on like nobodies’ business. Frustrating that.

All through my pregnancy, Dr Ang has been telling me to go walking as a form of exercise. But as my ankles hurt badly and was getting worse as I put on weight. I’d not want to strain my ankles and that was why we went swimming instead. But during my third trimester, Dr Ang was growing more and more exasperated with me and my weight gain, and frankly speaking so was I. Also, I started to get tired very easily from short walks in my day to day moving about. That scared me coz I was afraid I would not have stamina to push – something which Dr Ang has been harping on too. Thus, finally one day, I told my dear hubbs, that perhaps we should heed the good doctor’s advice and do some walking to build up my stamina. And so the walks begin. We would quickly go back to parents’ or in-laws’ place after work to eat (skipped the swimming – which we used to go before dinner), then quickly go home to JW, where I would change into shorts and tees before donning my running shoes to go for a walk downstairs.

We’d just walk round the garden downstairs our flat. The first time we walked, I was soooooo slow… was very tiring… We walked 2 rounds and had a short rest, after which I did 5 squats (Dr Ang’s instruction to do squats now that we’re in 3rd trimester – supposed to help open up the cervix), then another 2 rounds and 5 squats, and another 2 rounds and squats. I was dead tired by then, and sweating buckets. Hubbs, who had come down with me to walk, was in his singlet, shorts and slippers – hardly broke a sweat during the evening stroll. Hiaz…
But the walking was good. Immediately, the water retention in my feet subsided – I could even see the veins in my feet again. Day by day, my walking “improved” – I was faster and not as breathless as when I had first started. And for the very first time that we went to the gynae’s after we started walking – I did not put on any weight at all!!! It was astoundingly good news! Now I swear I’d start walking every night the moment we know we’re pregnant again! So regretted not starting earlier this time round!

So if you're pregnant - start walking NOW!!! :)