Pregnant Again

Almost 23 weeks, past halfway mark, second trimester!

By Kasandra “La China”
December 28, 2009

Everybody’s sleeping except me.  Again.  I’m always waking up around 3 or 4am these dayz.

I am already more than halfway through my second pregnancy and the second time around is different than the first.  The first time, I remember dancing shows all throughout my first trimester, worrying about my weight and getting into costumes and having people know in general.  Last time, I didn’t dance in public after the first trimester at all. 
This time, I’m not worried about any of that crap…hence, me dancing below at 4 months pregnant on the big stage.  Thank God for stretchy spandex fabric.  I can say I’m still a size Small.  Ah hahahaaa!

Honestly, from the moment I conceived, I lost my waistline so anybody who has known me a long time and watched my butt teaching at the front of class knew something was up from the moment I started classes in September.  Sad but true.  I guess your body just goes back to marshmallow mode quickly since it has known marshmallow before… 
Ah yes, there was no hiding it this time.

Just for fun, I didn’t tell my students right away.  I just wanted to see how polite people would be before calling me on baby #2.  Some students were very astute and noticed in the second month.  By the third month, everybody either thought I was fat or pregnant.  So I’d say, THIS TIME, people were not so polite because LAST TIME nobody noticed for about 4.5 months.  This time I’d say everybody noticed within 2 or 3.

Ahaha!  All in good fun.  It’s all ok.  I know that I’m going to dance as long as possible, I know I’m going to gain about 50 lbs and I know I’m going to be able to get back to it in about 2 months.  So I guess just “knowing” approximately the chain of events has helped out tremendously.

I continue to dance with reckless abandon, as I performed at 20.5 weeks with my dance company in a Verdiales by Guadiana.  It was great fun to perform with my best of friends and we had a good time putting it together.

I continue to teach without any problem.  I don’t expect I will have any problems until the final month.

I know I can work very hard and push my body for approximately 2 months or so.  I’m putting a formidable last ditch sprint effort into my Cafe de Chinitas Vignette Collection over the next 6 weeks, remounting my 2007 choreography called “Vete y No Vuelvas” by Pedro Ricardo Mino and attempting to put together a second line, brand new dance company for a Dorantes number by mid-February. Ambitious?  Yes.  Necessary?  Yes.  I know I have to get the hard work done by end Feb because I don’t think I can have successful late night rehearsals later on.

How do I feel?
I have to say the first trimester was generally punishing on the back.  I am not sure why because I have never had back problems.  But this time, I guess because lifting Baby #1 all the time and being pregnant was not a good combination.  Often I would wake up with terrible lower back pain.  Jassmone was 25 lbs by August/September and I am quite sure I was lifting her about 100 times a day.  This is NOT good.  I had to learn to let her walk around by herself and let other people pick her up instead.  This was difficult, but now, I enjoy a really speedy and active toddler.  We have entered a new phase…I have to bribe/intice her to do what I really want.  Either that or negotiate with toys or stickers.

The second trimester is much much better.  I feel good, the back feels fine.  I guess what is bothering me is round ligament pain at the end of a busy day.  Since I’m on vacation, I’m trying to go to sleep around 9pm.  Once I’m back to work, I probably won’t be going to bed until 11pm.  It will be interesting to see what the body says about that.

Eating?
I am neither eating tremendously nor being cautious.  I don’t have any major cravings this time.  Last time, I ate a lot of beef and bacon…probably because my body was iron starved since I barely ate any meat for years.  I have been eating plenty of protein for about 2 years now, so there has been no meat cravings.  If anything, I am mostly craving tasty foods with a lot of zing….like pickles, curry and vinagrette.  Everything kind of tastes bland to me.  The salt shaker is my friend. 
The first trimester, I could not stand the smell of coffee.  The second trimester, I’m back to mocha in the morning. 
I suppose I can be more careful about what I am eating and really watch the calories.

Exercise?
Honestly, aside from flamenco, exercise hasn’t been the greatest.  I walk the dog and stroller for about an hour every morning but I don’t have a disciplined workout regime.   I go for the odd swim or to the gym to do some cardio but I could be a lot more disciplined in this area.  I’ve had a cold over the holidays so it’s been a good excuse not to work out, but I’m finally getting back to normal, so I have no excuse. I really need to get to this.
 
For now I’m happy.  Flamenco is on track, ticketyboo.  I am feeling energetic, energized and ambitious about it!