High Intensity Interval Training Advice

This article first appeared on Pear Sports in November 2013

Three important factors to achieve workout

Women are the most determined, powerful, strong willed creatures on this planet. When we put our minds to something – watch out! Anything is possible, we can take over the world. But when it comes to weight loss, understanding what works versus what doesn’t is half the battle! Often times people jump from one workout method to the next without sticking to something long enough to see substantial results. I’ve narrowed down what I think are the most important factors, what I call the “3 Ms” that will provide the building blocks for any good fitness regiment.

MINDSET | MAP | MUSIC

GET YOUR MIND RIGHT from the start! Know that reaching your goal will take work. It will not be easy, it will not be free. No one is going to give you anything. You must do it yourself.  So get it in your head that you need to spend 30-60 minutes working out 3-5 days a week.  The harder you work, the better and faster the results. Working out is rewarding, therapeutic, and empowering.  Don’t look at it as a punishment; look at it as 30-60 minutes that you get to take 3-5 times a week for just YOU.  No significant other, no job, no kids. Let this be the time you can take care of yourself.

MAP OUT YOUR GOALS so you know what success looks and feels like. What gets measured gets managed, so be clear in setting your goals. Use the SMART method when it comes to setting your objectives. SMART is an acronym that stands for specific, measureable, attainable, realistic, and time-specific. Once you have established a goal, draw your map. It should consist of an exercise plan combined with a steady dose of exercise.

In my professional opinion, HIIT (High Intensity Interval Training) is definitely the best bang for your buck if you are looking to promote lean mass while torching as much fat and calories as possible. HIIT protocol is pretty basic. Plain and simple, you spike your Heart Rate up and drop it back down, then repeat over and over.  These intervals can be cardio or weight focused. My clients have seen best results from spiking their heart rate into Zone 5 and then doing an active recovery until they drop into the bottom of Zone 3 and then repeat.  I always practice Zone 5 to Zone 3 method with active recovery in between.

If you are like me and need someone in your ear telling you what to do, I would strongly recommend using PEARsports App and heart rate strap.  On the Pear App you can download several HIIT workouts for free.  You can purchase the heart rate strap at www.pearsports.com for $80 plus free shipping (use the promo code Halterman002).  The professional coaches will do all of your intervals for you.  Just choose your workout hit start and the real time coaching will take care of the rest.

Here is a weekly workout plan you can do that is available for FREE on the Pear App that is all HIIT based training and will give you this sought after burn.

Monday:         Core-Cardio 6 pack     (34 Minutes)

Tuesday:         Fat Burn 2                   (45 minutes)

Wednesday:    Quick Tone                 (40 Minutes)

Thursday:       Tempo Treadmill        (35 Minutes)

Friday:            Recovery 3                  (40 Minutes)

MUSIC MUSIC MUSIC!!! Who says working out needs to be boring? Have you ever tried working out in total silence? Yeah, me neither. Don’t be afraid to spice up with your favorite music! Studies have shown that upbeat music helps you workout harder and longer than without music.  One of my favorite DJ’s is DJ Role Model. He posts monthly free podcasts if you are looking for a motivating high energy mix to carry you through your workouts!

You can download the Podcast App for free. Once you download, search “DJ RoleModel”.  He has endless remixes that are an hour long that will sky rocket your energy and keeps you in the ‘zone’ throughout your workouts. Best of all they are ALL FREE! You can play these during your Pear workouts.  Just turn your podcast on first, and then start your workout in the Pear App! Get your workout on!

Transform Your Body With The Bible Diet!

This article first appeared on Pear Sports in January 2014

It’s a new year and if you’re also looking to make it a new you, I have got just the thing! Transform your body with the Bible Diet that I have used to transform many clients bodies (including my own) over the years.  So we all know (hopefully), that in order to get a toned and healthy body on the inside and out, working out (strength and cardio) is absolutely necessary.  If you’re wondering what workouts will do this best, check out my favorite HIIT workouts here.

Now, to get those sexy toned muscles to actually show up through that layer of fat (yea that’s fat on top of your muscles, not just skin) eating clean plus those HIIT workouts is absolutely ESSENTIAL!

Ladies and Gentleman let me introduce you to the Bible Diet.  This is the nutritional plan that I have developed and been using in my own life and in my clients lives for the past 7 years.  I call it ‘Bibling’.  When I see my clients first thing Monday morning I often ask, “Did you Bible this weekend?’ ‘Have you been bibling since our last session?’  What this means is have you been following the plan? Have you been eating clean with proper portions, proper foods, and proper timing 80-90% of the time? The Bible Diet is my FOOL PROOF plan that is simple and effective without ever feeling like you are starving yourself!

First Things First! Pick one protein, pick one carb and pair it with one vegetable for each meal (except NO carb for your last meal of the day).  To give you an idea of proper food choices please see below

Next up! Ok you have picked your carb/protein/veggie now we need to measure your portions out.  After the first few weeks this won’t be necessary but I do recommend doing it at first until you get an eye for what your portion sizes are.  An inexpensive food scale and kitchen measuring cups will do the trick!

LADIES:  Your portion size falls into 3-4 ounces. Keep in mind that:

4 OUNCES = ½ CUP = 25 GRAMS

GENTLEMAN:  Your portion size falls into 5-6 ounces. Keep in mind that:

6 OUNCES = ¾ CUP = 35 GRAMS

Let’s talk recipes! 

These are a few of my favorite recipes that I have developed over the years.  These are simple, quick, and delicious!  These recipes are based off of my own portion sizes so be sure to change them accordingly.

Just a few more things…

So now you know what to eat, how much to eat and you have some recipes to put it all together,  I have a few more things that you need to know before getting started…

Meal Spacing:  Spacing your meals properly (2.5 to 3 hours apart) will help to ensure that you are constantly giving your body the proper calories and nutrients to keep your energy up and to keep burning calories in the fat burning zone. It is VERY important that you do not skip meals. Eating every 3 hours trains your body and metabolism. You are telling your body that you are going to feed it no matter what and that it can trust that you ARE going to be giving it energy (food), so it can get rid of extra stored fat that it has been saving for you.

Tracking: Tracking your meals, your meal timing, and exactly what you are eating in each meal is a great way to stay on track and hold yourself accountable.  I highly recommend using an APP such as My Fitness Pal to track your foods.  My Fitness Pal is now able to synch with your PEAR Sports App.  So you can log your meals and your workouts all in the same place!

Fighting Cravings: When you think you are about to cheat (on a non-cheat day), drink a full glass of water to fill your stomach. Mental strength is the only tough part of this plan. It’s a low sugar diet, so if you’re used to eating sugar, you may miss it at first. It takes at least 21 days to break a habit, after the first 21 days, things will start to fall into place and should start feeling routine to you and if you are craving old foods you are used to eating, the cravings should begin to subside.

On The Go Meal Replacements: If you are on the go, then Quest Bars (these are a protein and carb), Power Crunch Bars (these are protein only), and Oh Yeah Wafer Bars (these are protein only) are great meal replacements that I use on the regular.  I buy mine from Amazon, but you can also find them at some grocery stores and most nutritional stores.

Don’t Skip Your Workouts: Ok let’s keep it real here; we all know (hopefully) that diet is going to account for a majority of your fat loss.  However, it is SO important that you pair cardio and strength training (HIIT preferably) into your programming.  I recommend using the Pear Sports mobile training system to help with this.  Check out my workouts on the PEAR sports APP by clicking here.

My Tread N Shred workouts can accommodate beginners, intermediate and advanced levels.  These workouts will get your muscles toned, lean, and get you burning a ton of calories.  Pear Sports uses audio coaching, so I will be right there with you, telling you what to do and when to do it through your headphones.  Pair my Bible Diet with my PEAR workouts and watch out!  That is a recipe for some serious RESULTS BABY!!

Overall, Bible Diet will be enough to give your body all the nutrients and energy it needs, but low enough to put you in a calorie deficit each day (so you will lose fat).  I know this may seem strict, and might take a little time to get used to, so feel free to take a cheat meal once or twice a week. Just make sure you are still eating every 3 hours. I can’t stress the importance of this enough.  I know this may seem like you are eating often, but this works. It gives your body everything it needs and will ensure that your body doesn’t go into starvation mode, which makes your body hold on to fat and store it.

Learn more about me (Nancy) and Pear Sports here.

For my full Bible Diet menu, recipes, and programming feel free to contact me for more information via my Twitter: @NancAndersonFit

**As always please check with your doctor before starting any exercise or nutritional plan.**

Strength And Cardio

This story originally appeared on Wahoo Fitness in April 2016

Strength and cardio are the main focus for this week’s highlighted workout. While there are definitely people who want larger muscles, there are also those who just want to tone up. In order to do that, you need to gain lean muscle mass and lose fat. So, how exactly do we accomplish putting on muscle mass and losing fat with an end result of perfectly toned arms, legs and bottom? That’s why I’m here.

In order to grow muscle mass over time, we need to use progressive overload training. Progressive overload training simply means to place more tension on your muscles over time, and the Wahoo Strength and Carido section in the PEAR app can help you do just that. Basically, you have to continually put more demand on your muscles over time in order to successfully build strength and lean mass. Bret Contreras, Ph.D. and leader in the strength and conditioning world, explains how we can achieve strength resulting in lean muscle mass by using the process of progressively overloading muscles. The following list includes the main ways to implement progressive overloading into your workouts including the ‘Strength & Cardio’ workout:

1. Lifting the same load for increased range of motion
2. Lifting the same load and volume with better form, more control and less effort
3. Lifting the same load for more reps
4. Lifting heavier loads
5. Resting for a shorter period of time between sets.
6. Lifting faster with higher intensity, working not to sacrifice form
7. Doing the same work in less amount of time (density)
8. Performing the workout more often during the week

The Wahoo TICKR X heart rate monitor is a great tool to use with this specific workout because it will help keep you accountable for the range of motion you’re performing (see 1 & 2 above). This is an excellent way to achieve progressive overload (building strength and lean mass).

Improvements in range of motion should always come first. Once you can achieve the full range of motion as credited by your TICKR X, then it is time to add more tension or weight to the workout/exercise. Using the Pear and Wahoo tools will also help you to track your time and rest periods (see number 5 above). Improving on both of these will give you a practical way to implement a successful approach for progressive overloads setting you up for the best results.

When completing this strength and cardio workout, the strength portions require you to complete the full range of motion with each exercise, lift with proper form and control and lift the same weights with less rest time in- between rounds and exercises.

As always, I would love to hear how the workouts are going and how you are progressing.

Protein and Patience

This article was first published by Pear Sports in December 2014

Nancy Anderson’s Keys to a Healthy 2015!

1. Eat Your Protein First! At holiday parties we always want to go for the carb filled, sugary, empty calories at first glance.  Instead of doing this, look for protein or a veggie option first.  Fill up on the best option available then treat yourself to the carb filled treats last.  If you have already satisfied your hunger with the good stuff (protein and veggies) then you will be less likely to over indulge in high calorie, high sugar, high carb holiday foods.

2. Wait 10 Minutes to Go Back for Seconds! After you have been to theholiday spread table and finished your plate, don’t jump right up and head back for seconds.  Make yourself wait 10 full minutes.  Drink some water during that time, chat it up with the rest of your table and then after you have waited 10 minutes, if you’re still hungry then let yourself grab another serving.  Usually if you just wait it out a few minutes, and let your stomach catch up with your brain, you realize you’re actually not feeling hungry any more and voila! You just saved yourself hundreds of unneeded calories!

3. Get in Your Workout First! Before holiday events and even carrying this tradition into your New Years fitness routine, get your workout in first thing in the morning.  This way it can’t get pushed back throughout the day only to be never completed because you end up getting “too busy”  with work, family or holiday activities. Get up, workout, and remove that thought of “Man, I need to go workout still…” from lingering over your head all day. Get it in, get it done, and stay on track.

Nancy’s Favorite PEAR Workouts

1. Pre-Natal Fitness 1-Legs & Butt by Coach Nancy Anderson

2. Fast Finish 1 by Coach Matt Fitzgerald

3. Fat Blaster 1 by Coach Jenny Hadfield

4. Core Cardio 6-Pack by Coach Ben Greenfield

5. Tread N Shred 1 by Nancy Anderson

It’s Not If You Squat, It’s How You Squat

This article was originally published by Pear Sports in June 2014

OK- so your summer goal is to once and for all get those legs toned, tight and lean.  You’re incorporating squats, lunges, and even deadlifts into the mix.  You’re sure you’re doing everything a Trainer would suggest to strengthen and tighten up  your back side, but you still can’t get rid of the cellulite, your booty still isn’t sitting as high as you want it, and you’re not quite as firm as you had hoped. So what’s the deal? The deal is it’s not IF you squat, it’s HOW you squat.

Reality is, you probably are dealing with a muscle imbalance which will LIMIT you from working the muscles you want even with the RIGHT exercises.  Most people today sit in chairs for hours every day, which will continuously weaken the glute muscles.  Same thing happens to our shoulders as we slouch over to work at our desk, eat at a table, or text on our cell phones; we develop overuse of the upper trapezius muscles.  Bottom line- our bodies were made for MOVEMENT and we don’t move very much anymore.  Over the last century our movement has come to a halt with cars, elevators, computers and the demand of sedentary jobs. Our bodies literally need daily movement in order to maintain proper posture awareness, structural alignment and proper mind muscle connections.

All of this has basically caused almost everyone to at least have a muscle imbalance between your glutes/hamstrings and your quads.  The glutes and hamstrings are turned OFF and the quads are not only turned ON but stronger and more dominant than ever, creating a huge imbalance.  People are always asking me how to best tone, tighten, and round out their backside.  As I mentioned, the natural thought to accomplish this would be to squat, lunge and deadlift. However, you can do these exercises all day long, but if you are insanely quad dominate (which most of us are) and not engaging your glutes, you can kiss that plump tushie Goodbye!

The average person, who sits most of the day, has flat, underdeveloped glutes.  Because of this, when they squat or lunge their brain is MUCH LESS likely to send a signal to recruit the glutes to help out due to their weakness and lack of overall use.  The person might be squatting, they might be lunging, but they will perform these exercises with most of the work load getting sent to their quads with little action coming from the glutes.

Of course they can still have strength gains, we can make their quads stronger and stronger because those are dominantly the muscles that are getting recruited when they lift legs, but they are going to continue having that imbalance while diminishing their ability to meet their goals of toning and tightening their backside, not to mention risking injury along the way.

The glutes are the largest and should be the strongest muscle in the lower body and ideally be your brains first choice to send them to help perform squats and lunges.  Unfortunately for most, this isn’t the case. Are YOU engaging the right muscles?  Here are a few tips to make sure:

SQUEEZE AS YOU GO!

When you Squat, at the BOTTOM of the range of motion, clench your butt together as hard as you can and USE that contraction to stand back up.  Do the same thing when you lunge, clench the hamstring and glute of the leg that is in FRONT and push through the heel and middle of that FRONT foot as you stand and bring your feet back together. Doing this will FORCE the right muscles to engage and work the problem area that you are after.

TIME UNDER TENSION!

When performing a squat for example, don’t free fall on the way down.  Control your body as you squat down, hold for a count of 1 at the bottom of the range of motion (SQUEEZE) and then stand quickly and repeat.  Try not to lock out and rest at the top, keep tension on the working muscles throughout your set! Take your time and perform quality reps.  Slow it down and focus on using the right muscles!

LOAD YOUR HIPS!

Not your knees! Try performing your lower body workout in front of a mirror watch your knees during each movement.  Are you leaning into it with your knees and going even slightly forward? ‘Cause that’s not what we want… when you are squatting sit your butt BACK behind you (use a chair to help if you need to) and lower down SLOW AND CONTROLLED, load that weight in your hips, PAUSE at the bottom, CLENCH & SQUEEZE that booty, then stand and repeat! If your glutes are on you should FEEL them working.  You should FEEL the burn during and after your leg workout.  Here’s a tip: Start with body weight squats and hold your arms out in front of you parallel to the ground.  This will help you force your weight BACK into your hips.

LET’S IMPLEMENT!

Now you know what to do and how to do it, I encourage you to try one of my short but killer leg workouts on the PEARsports or Warrior Dash Training APP.  In just 15 minutes, I will coach you through a hardcore leg and butt routine that will leave you feeling toned, tight while ridding cellulite!

Strength Legs

Muscle Endurance

#SummerSixPack Tabata Workout!

This story originally appeared on Wahoo Fitness in April 2016.

This workout will apply the proven and effective Tabata interval formula to functional strength exercises. These intervals help to increase athletic performance, improve VO2 Max and decrease body fat. Tabata protocol consists of 20 seconds of max effort, followed by 10 seconds of complete rest repeated for 6 rounds. No jumping necessary, as there are modifications offered for all fitness levels.

Tabata protocol has become popular among high-intensity exercise gurus in the past few years. It’s known to be an effective protocol and an efficient workout, which is probably why its popularity has quickly expanded across the fitness world. Let’s dive in a little deeper and take a look at why it’s effective and why this workout could be a great option to implement as a staple in your routine or a workout.

A study conducted at Auburn University Montgomery Kinesiology Laboratory took a look at the Tabata protocol to track exactly what happened to the body and metabolism when exercising using this formula. The research specifically used squat jumps to measure movement, completing 20 seconds of squat jumps, then 10 seconds of complete rest. This study, as well as my Tabata workout on the Wahoo Pear Sports App Channel, performs 8 sets for a total of 4 minutes. The calorie burn per minute averages 13.5 calories (this was just the average, some burned much more!). Participant’s metabolic rate DOUBLED in the 30 minutes following the workout.

Lead researcher, Michele Olson, Ph.D. stated,

“this particular style of interval training has

profound effects even on short-term post-exercise metabolism…

it would take five times the amount of typical cardio exercise

to shed the same number of calories you can in a four-minute Tabata.”

There is one thing to remember about this workout. The reason that all these great things happen, like sky-rocketed metabolic rates and an impressive amount of calories burned in a short amount of time, is due to the exertion of energy during the 20 seconds of work. For example, this energy level is not equivalent to leisurely body weight squats. We are talking about MAXIMUM effort given for those 20 seconds of work.

Keep in mind when completing this workout you want to get as many reps as quickly as possible during the 20 seconds. This is an ALL OUT effort. Olson states that “to burn major calories during and after, your metabolic rate needs to be very high on the interval effort scale since it is just four minutes of exercise.”

Using the Tabata workout with the Wahoo TICKR X is a perfect combination. You can implement it one day a week as a toning and cardio routine or as a quick and efficient workout during your travels. This program will provide the perfect workout anytime.

Get connected: #summersixpack

Your coach

Nancy Anderson

MJ's Birth Story!

I was SO positive that I would deliver on my actual due date.  So when April 25 came and went I was super disappointed that there was still no baby.  Once I hit 40 weeks, my patience was running thin.  I had a huge tight belly that felt like it was STUFFED to the max with baby. I was so over being pregnant.   I wanted to get the show on the road😀

Taking a step back really quick.., after my 20 week anatomy scan my OB informed me we had what was called a marginal cord.  This basically means that the umbilical cord attached off to the side of the placenta and not in the center.  Since the center is the most nutrient rich area of the placenta this could potentially face us with some growth issues with the baby.  She assured me that since I was healthy and low risk that this probably would not be the case, but we would monitor his growth more closely for the rest of the pregnancy just in case.  We then got ultra sounds and measured growth once a month.  The baby was always right on target around 50th percentile and was doing great.  Once I hit 37 weeks I didn’t need to measure growth anymore but we still needed to monitor heart rate and fluid to make sure there weren’t any issues there and if there was that could signal that the placenta wasn’t doing its job efficiently anymore and we would have to decide if we needed to induce to get him out and get nutrients from my breastmilk rather than the placenta.  I did fetal monitoring 1-2 times a week from there on out and baby looked great.  Until my final visit at 40 weeks and 4 days…

40 weeks and 4 days I went to do fetal monitoring at my doctor's (OB) office.  The baby’s heart rate was always great at these visits so I didn’t expect anything different.  My OB came in after being monitored for 20 minutes and said “Did you hear it? I thought I heard a tiny drop in the heart rate from the other room… it was really short only 10 seconds.”  I didn’t hear it.  She looked at the data and sure enough she said his heart dipped to 90 something for just a few seconds then came back up.  She told me “it’s probably nothing but I want you to pop over to Hoag (our hospital) and do another fetal monitoring session for 2 full hours.  I just wanted to make sure this isn’t a pattern happening.”  So my first thought is “Fuck- they are going to have to induce if this is a pattern.”  Since I had been planning for a natural birth… induction was not on the birth plan.  Before I left my OB”s office she did cervical check on me (my first one).  I was 1.5 CM and 50% effaced.

So I went to Hoag.  We monitored the baby again for a little over an hour. I was pretty upset.  I was worried about the baby, my birth plan, the fact that I did not want to be induced. It was just really overwhelming.  About an hour in to the monitoring they came in and said that they had another drop in his heart rate… this time for 8 minutes.  They said baby is totally fine and healthy and not in danger, but they couldn’t let me go home in case his HR dropped and then couldn’t recover on his own.  I was pretty upset at this point.  One b/c I was worried about the baby and two because I didn’t want to have any medical interventions.

LABORING NATURALLY WITH NO PAIN MEDICATION:

They sent me down the hall to L&D and put us in a room that would end up being the destination of a very intense 24 hours to come. My OB of course got the update from the fetal monitoring and came over to the hospital to see me.  I was having pressure waves at this point… but I usually did just about every night.  This was happening in the morning this time, but I didn’t really think anything of it.  I got hooked up to the HR and contraction machine right before my doctor arrived.  She came in and said “Nancy are you feeling your contractions?  Look at the monitor… you are already in labor!”  I didn’t notice this- but I looked at the screen and I was having contractions every 2-3 minutes.  They just weren’t intense.  She explained that just checking my cervix at her office must have gotten my body in gear and labor had started on it’s own.  My OB said she was staying on call for me and she expected to deliver our baby by midnight (it was about 1030AM at this time).  To continue to progress things she also stripped my membranes at this point, gave me the blessing to drink castor oil (natural induction method) and scheduled to have the doctor working come in and break my water at 5PM if it didn’t break on it’s own.  I started to feel like, ‘OK maybe I can still have a natural birth, my body and baby seem to be getting on board and things are progressing’  MY OB checked me around her visit at 11AM and I was now 3 CM and 80% effaced.  NATURAL PROGRESS! YES!!

After my OB stripped my membranes, my pressure waves started to get more intense.  Still 2-3 minutes a part.  I drank the castor oil (which by the way is fu%&ing gnarly) chased it with some rootbeer and called my doula.  At 5PM the doctor on call came in, checked me I was 3.5CM and 80% and then broke my water.  Oh my so much water.  After my water was broke shit got intense. Pressure waves were now every 1.5-2.5 minutes and stayed that way for about 13 hours.

I labored on the floor in this position (above) for a lot of the time.  I also labored on the toliet, which was by far the most intense discomfort that I had.  Every 3 hours or so (I’m guessing-I truly lost track of time, I couldn’t tell if 10 minutes had passed or an hour during all this) they would come in and check me.  They kept saying “ok now you're 4 CM, now you're 4.5, you’re still 4.5” I was like “WTF! I have been busting my ass for 3 hours and I’m still 4.5CM?!” I don’t even think I could talk so who knows if that actually came out of my mouth but that’s what I was thinking. My doula (who is amazing) kept telling me I was progressing at a normal rate and I just had to keep going. So I did.

I labored naturally with no pain medication for 20 hours total with contractions coming just about every 2 minutes.  It was truly intense but empowering.  My husband was such a trooper and so awesome the whole time.  I had SO much front labor in my lower belly and thighs.  During every contraction I would have my husband squeeze my thighs as hard as he could! He literally did that every 2 minutes for hours and hours.  He was amazing.  I would not have been able to labor without meds without his support and presence.  It was truly so intense (at least for me).  Do-able, but truly INTENSE. I was making sounds I didn’t know my body could make and I was saying things like “Jesus take the wheel” to myself in-between contractions.  You know shit is getting cray when I’m begging Jesus to step in and take over. Lol.

The last few times they checked me, they warned me that my cervix was swelling and I was actually going backwards because of this (my effacement went back to 40%).  All I am thinking is HOW IS THIS POSSIBLE.  I am in good shape, I’m healthy, I prepared in every way possible for my body to be ready to do this how am I progressing backwards now after all this time laboring?!

My doctor called and told me that after hours of my cervix swelling more and more that a vaginal birth wasn’t going to happen unless the swelling went down.  It wasn’t going down on it’s own so she told me that if I wanted a vaginal birth I needed to get the epidural, rest, let my cervix go down in the swelling then start progressing in labor again.  By this point, I’m 20 hours deep in busting my ass to have a natural med-free birth and she just told me that it’s not gonna happen. I’m heart broken.  I’m exhausted, I haven’t slept or eaten in over 24 hours and I am getting hit with the most intense pressure waves back to back to back. What other choice do I have? I agree to the epidural.

THE EPIDURAL

Well- I def see why women get them! There is a WORLD of difference between pressure waves with and without pain meds.  It was such a relief however I didn’t like how I couldn’t really feel what was happening in my own body.  I also didn’t like the side effects (insane shaking, felt so out of it- not at all myself and very cloudy).  But it made everything bearable.  I could relax bc I couldn’t feel what was going on. It look 10 minutes to kick in and took 5 minutes to administer.  Once I found out that I HAD to get the epidural and there was no way around it- I was like “Where is the anesthesiologist?! UGHHHHH get him in here!!!” Lol.  It literally took him like 5 minutes to get to me, but after 20 hours of hard work and it not getting me anywhere, 5 minutes seemed like forever.  I didn’t want to have to feel one more pressure wave if I didn’t have to.

After resting with the epidural for a couple hours my OB came in.  By this time its morning of the following day.  She checked me again and I was STILL in the same spot.  My cervix was STILL swollen.  She couldn’t even tell me how dilated I was because of the swelling. She checked the baby’s positioning and that’s when it all took another turn far far away from my birth plan.  She told me he was posterior (sunny side up) he was also tilted and therefore stuck.  She tried to turn him, and it didn’t work.  She then broke it down for me and said she didn’t think with the baby’s size (BIG) and my size (LITTLE) in a sunny-side up position he would make it out vaginally. She basically said in a nutshell- we are going to need to deliver him via c-section. (Once she opened me up she indeed saw that he would not have been able to make it out vaginally and the reason my cervix was swelling and swelling was because of his position).

THE C-SECTION

A c-section? Nightmare. NO. NO. NO. NO. It’s one thing to not be able to birth without medicine IE a epidural, but to have to have MAJOR surgery? To not be able to vaginally birth my baby? What? Ugh HEART BREAKING. I cried. A lot. Talked with my husband and of course decided the most important thing is to have our son arrive earth-bound safe and healthy and if that meant c-section, then c-section we would do.  I then was prepped for surgery and less than an hour later my son was delivered via c-section at 9:59AM on April 29 2015. I would love to say that none of it mattered and when he was delivered I realized it happened exactly as it was supposed to, but that’s really not how I felt.  I was totally out of it, foggy, shaking uncontrollably from the epidural and completely clueless to what was happening around me because there was a sheet up in front of me.  A room of 15 strangers saw my baby before I did.  I saw a picture of him before I even saw him in real life.  My husband was crying years of happiness and I was crying tears of sadness as I stared at a big blue curtain in front of me and heard my baby crying across the room.  The 5-10 minutes they examined him before I got to see him might have been the worst 5-10 minutes of my entire life. It truly broke my heart. The whole experience was just something I would never wish on any Mom. Now with that raw honesty said, on the other hand I realize I have to be (and truly am) so thankful for modern medicine because if we were not privileged to it, who knows how it would have ended.

IN CLOSING

This wasn’t the plan.  I’m disappointed and will probably always be disappointed in how it turned out.  I know I did everything to prepare to be successful in the birth that I wanted, but because of things that were out of my control it didn’t happen.  Of course I am happy and feel lucky that we had our baby arrive safely and the baby was healthy, but none the less I am disappointed.  There are things in life that can happen that are a million times worse than this, and I know that.  This was just something that was personally a really big deal to me. It was a personal goal that I didn’t get to accomplish and I am sad for that.  I have struggled with feeling like a failure for my body not being capable of vaginally birthing the baby that it made med-free or not.  My outlook on it is getting better and I realize this is an event in my life that I will grow from- as they all are.

It took me a little longer to feel “connected” to my son.  I’m not sure if this had to do with he c-section or not.  It’s getting better each day, but I am sad that I couldn’t experience a vaginal birth and the moment when your body brings your baby into this world and on to your chest- but I couldn’t bring him into the world… doctors had to do it for me.  It makes me feel broken in a sense. This is what I  was made to do as a woman, and I couldn’t do it? I always knew there would be a chance of an emergency situation and I could end up having a c-section. I just didn’t think that if it did happen it would make me feel the way that it did. It literally took me a couple weeks to be able to even talk about it without getting upset.  Maybe the hormones were to blame, I’m not sure. It’s getting better.

Now I look at my son and care a lot less about how it all played out because I have him and of course he is worth the worst, longest labor ever. However, at first it was pretty devastating.

I wanted to be raw and honest in telling my birth story and not put ribbons and bows all over it. This is real life and this is the real story.  I think women should know that it’s normal to feel this way because no one told me it was.

I will, as we all do, get back on my feet,  pick my head up and keep moving forward.

Xo

Nancy