I’m 38 weeks pregnant! Ah! I did this fun comparison of when I was exactly 38 weeks with Currie posing in our old playroom, and then a picture in our new house playroom with my current bump. I think I look pretty similar, but I think this baby is slightly bigger. What do you think?
38 weeks with Currie on the left, 38 weeks with Baby Boy Bigham on the right. Both taken in toy rooms of different houses.
So, what’s new? I’m still chugging along with the running, but chuuuuuuuhhhhh…ggggingggggg slower by the day. I’m just running with a regular old Timex watch, and I glance down occasionally to see where I am, just because I’m curious. I always look down at the first street past my house, and it’s usually right around 1:00 exactly. Yesterday, it was 1:14. It doesn’t take a math wizard to know that’s a significant slow down in a week’s time. While I’m DYING TO RUN FAST AGAIN, I really don’t mind that my pace is slowing now. Afterall, I am giving birth in less than 2 weeks! The 14 second slow down is just a fun fact to chew on.
Another thing telling me I’m slowing down is: 3-year-old Currie is faster than me! Well, she’s not exactly faster than me, but she did legitimately beat me at the playground this week. We were taking turns running and timing laps around the blacktop area. I was conveniently dressed in running apparel as usual, and Currie wanted me to run a lap while she timed me with the iPhone. Then she did the same. I wasn’t really racing on my timed lap, but I thought I was keeping a respectable pace. As a side note, the only other parent on the playground, a dad who had 2 little ones, was all-but-begging me to stop running. He was sure he would be the one delivering my baby when I went into inevitable-running-induced-labor. I was shocked to look at the iPhone clock and see that Currie’s time, 42 seconds, beat my time of 43 seconds. Whoa! The kid can run, and I’m only getting slower…
Currie racing a real track meet a few months ago.
I know, she should have been racing in her Oiselle Weebird tank, but they weren’t out yet!
More evidence of slowing down… today I felt GREAT on my run. The weather was perfect! I was wonderfully caffeinated (not too much, not too little) from my first pumpkin spice latte of the season! (I know, I know, I talk about how I’m a straight up black coffee girl, but I make the exception for a few soy pumpkin spice lattes each fall.)
I don’t always drink pumpkin spice lattes, but when I do, I drink them without pants.
My body was just moving well and feeling in sync. I ran my WHOLE normal route, and took zero walk breaks. On a normal day when I run/walk and stop to walk at least 5-6 minutes this route takes 29 minutes. It took 27 today with no walk breaks… hmmm… math not adding up…
Have I beat this horse into the ground yet? Do you know to expect significant slow downs week 38 of pregnancy (if you are anything like me anyway)?!
I feel like I’ve complained a lot lately about all the rude comments I’ve received while running. Do you know lots of people are really supportive of my pregnant running? First of all, everyone I know IRL and interact with online is super supportive. Maybe a bunch of people will attack my blog/twitter/instagram with rude messages someday, but so far I’ve received nothing but supportive messages (THANK YOU ALL, I APPRECIATE IT! *Surround yourself with good people!) Everyone in my doctor’s office is really supportive of my running as well, and they comment about how healthy the baby is and I am because I run. Then today, a girl stopped me to say “You are so awesome! Just amazing! Look at you! Just look at you!” as she pointed back and forth from my belly to my legs running. Made me smile ear to ear.
Other than that, we are settling into our new home and I’m slowly getting unpacked. Baby Boy Bigham is welcome to stay in my belly as long as he wants… more time to get things organized around here! Will I make it to a 39 week and 40 week post? Time will tell…
I love that you are still running! I had a low lying placenta with Aaron so was told by my doctor to cut it out, even though she was totally supportive of my running. I missed it so much. I have another friend who cross-fitted up until her delivery day.
Thanks Amy! I feel fortunate every day I can run because I know not everyone can (pregnant or not!)
Random observation: when pregnant with girl you stand in front of a dinosaur and when pregnant with a boy, it’s flowers. LOVE that! Ha!
You look great! Hope you have a great last couple of weeks (days?) and a smooth delivery!
Haha, I know… Currie’s favorite color happened to be orange and she loves all sorts of things, typical girly and typical boyish. Wonder what this little guy will be like.
I love reading your pregnancy posts and I truly cannot believe how fast this time has gone. It really does feel like we were just running together in Rochester (hopefully time will fly until we run together in Pittsburgh too…well run at the same race ha ha).
Anyways- I think the people that attack you via rude comments don’t understand you and running. If you were someone prepregnancy running 10 min miles and still pushing yourself to run 10 min miles and the same mileage…it would be different. But you aren’t. You are clearly taking it easy and doing what is good and working for you. I think with pregnancy and parenting especially (not that I’m a parent) people always have more opinions to say. I’d take it with a grain of salt. You have clearly raised one adorable child and will raise the next just as well.
You are truly an inspiration Jen!
What a great point, Hollie, and I didn’t really think of it that way. People see me running and have no idea that I’m usually training 2-4 minutes per mile faster when not pregnant!
SO much motivation and inspiration in one post. I hope I can be half as active as you if I ever have a baby! Love the comparison shot with 38 weeks as well, baby boy doesn’t seem to be sitting as low though! I’m pretty sure Currie is the cutest and fastest little girl ever, I remember that night you took her to the track meet!
I can’t wait till you have the little boy and can start running faster again, I know it will feel amazing for you. And I can’t wait to plan a trip to visit you and meet the new little one!
You are doing great! I wanted to run my entire pregnancy but after 34 weeks my hips disagreed! I also got a lot of rude comments, mostly from co-workers who never run. “Doesn’t it jiggle the baby too much?” was one of my favorites. Also seemed like everyone had an opinion on how much I should eat “You’re ONLY eating that much, you’re eating for two remember?!” Or…”You should eat that (huge, sugar loaded, non nutritious) cupcake!!!” But the best was “You’re so tiny, how much weight have you gained?”–Seriously. Gave birth to a healthy, 7 pound, 3 oz baby girl!
I ran until the day before Marshall was born and felt like people looked at me like I was crazy all the time. What those people don’t realize is how much healthier you actually are for it and how much better recovery will be right?! I loved pregnant running- soooo carefree.
Best of luck during the next few weeks!!! Can’t wait to see a picture of the new little one!
Looking good mama! You continue to inspire me.
Fingers crossed that I can keep running through my whole pregnancy as well!
I am completely supportive of your running. It is AWESOME that you have kept running and I know that you would never do anything to hurt you kids and if you felt like your body needed a break, you would take one. Full support over here, and best of luck to you in these next couple of weeks!