Holiday baking: Hungarian honey-christmas cookies

Almost ready for my long, 5 months absence at work! Next week 2 more days at work and then I'm off at 36 weeks pregnant. Up until now everything went perfect, no problems, pains at all. I was told by everybody that it is practically impossible to continue working as a nurse longer than 34 weeks pregnant, but I proved them wrong. Of course, not having major health issues and staying very active (plus not gaining a lot of weight) during my pregnancy was essential to be able to do this.

Stopped with running at 33.5 weeks, simply because my stride changed putting more pressure on the outer part of my lower legs which didn't feel right. Now I'm running up- en down the stairs at home instead... and of course, bike to work every day.

My new invention: this year's personal Christmas gifts: cookie jars, filled with delicious, home-made Hungarian honey-christmas cookies (Mézeskalács). The spices are very similar to pumpkin spice mix and also to the dutch 'speculaaskruiden'. Personally, I prefer to use the Chinese 5-spice mix instead because of the little kick of ground pepper in it! My icing looks quite basic and not as beautiful as those of the professionals, but I think it's just perfect for these home made cookies:

Second trimester - pregnant running experience

Above is the proof of my only race during pregnancy: past week at 25,5 weeks pregnant I've run 5km with colleagues during the yearly city run! I was just 1.5 minutes slower than last year and finished in 27 min 28 sec.
Entering the last week of the second trimester it is time to look back at the past months.

to consider when running pregnant:
Below is my own experience. I've been running (recreational) for more than 10 years now, doing an occasional recreational race once in a while. What I love about running is being active, being outside (love running in the woods), the fact that I can think over things or just not think of anything when running. I've learned to listen to the signals of my body and don't push myself to the limits.
I'm not an expert or an athlete, so my message is mainly: listen to your body, just as you always do! Important thing to mention: being pregnant it is not the moment to start with any physical activity, but if you were running before, you can continue safely to do so. I already wrote about exercising and the benefits of running during pregnancy and the 'official' guidelines you should take in consideration HERE.

on weight gain:
getting ready for a run at 27 weeks pregnant:

Before you ask: I haven't the slightest idea of how much weight I gained. After my 'thyroid crisis' back in 2012 (diagnosed with Graves' disease and was more than a year on medication) I gained weight while on medication and the bathroom scale had to go. Past years I was feeling like being myself again so basically I never looked back!

I believe that running during pregnancy (besides not 'eating for two') is the most important thin that helps me to keep my weight gain within normal ranges. Of course I gained weight, I can see (feel) that when looking at my face and upper legs, but I believe almost at the end of the second trimester it is a fairly moderate amount. Gaining weight when pregnant is normal, your body 'stocks up' on reserves while expecting. While my bump starts to 'get in the way' sometimes, I'm happy to report I can handle this size at the moment well.

The weird thing is that my first thought after finishing a run is: will I be able to do it again in a few days?... Up until now the answer was yes, but since the baby needs to grow 4-5x as heavy as he is now I wonder how running during the last next weeks will go...
By the way, while eating a lot of veggies, occasional baking & tasting doesn't hurt! This weeks chocolate-apple cake creation:

the benefits until now (I believe)
- overall: lots of energy (and speed) at work
- no 'waggling'
- no swollen ancles
- no extreme weight gain (of course, I try not to 'eat for two')

It is important that you 'recharge' after running! I do this with a protein-rich low-fat cheese. It contains way more proteins than milk of yoghurt (only 3-4 gr protein per 100 ml)

my favorite protein-rich after-run snack of this summer:
- about 200 gr of low fat soft cheese with a whopping 13 gr (!!!) protein per 100 gr
- with fresh seasonal fruit (last weeks I switched to 2 bananas)
- a handful of oatmeal (the rolled ones) for fibers
- and a handful of walnuts for essential oils
- 1 teaspoon of Nutella for some fast, after-running sugars

running - my first trimester
Before I got pregnant I was dreaming of being sportive and running through pregnancy. I wasn't sure how to approach it I just went with the flow.
If you can believe literature, blogs, personal experiences, the second trimester seems to be the easiest of the 3.
You've got rid of the worst first trimester symptoms and your energy levels should be rising. As far as first trimester symptoms go I really can't complain. I've been really, really tired, and had several weeks of 'blown up' feeling in my stomach, but the morning sickness remained mostly feeling nauseous in the morning and being okay for the rest of the days during weeks 8-11 (didn't have to throw up once!).
By week 11 almost all of those symptoms were over and I felt pretty normal again. Even on the worst days I tried to go for my run, every few days and it was worth it! By the time I entered the second trimester I was back into running 10km in every 5-6 days. At a slower pace, but still running the same distance.

running - my second trimester
Below the only pregnant picture of me in my running outfit (far left)
Proud with my 25 weeks baby bump:


I can be short about this: I managed to keep up with the same mileage as through the first trimester, running an average 10 km's in every 4-6 days. No walk-breaks needed (yet). Running went really well and I felt good. (Except for about 1.5 week due to having a bad cold and SI-joint pain (wrote about that here.)

pregnant running 'fuss':

Of course, there were quite a few challenges to deal with. While before the pregnancy I could go for a run practically any time of the day, any temperature, after my morning coffee or even a few hours after a meal. Right now, during pregnancy there are a lot more things I need to take in consideration before I even can leave the house:

• weather conditions

I can't stand the heat anymore! This summer the worst thing was the otherwise nice and hot summer with high temperatures during the day. Since I'm not a morning runner by the time I normally start (around 11-12 AM) it was so hot outside that I couldn't really enjoy running. My pace slowed down though running itself wasn't uncomfortable. Luckily we leave close to two walking- and running friendly woods, so once I arrived there after the first 3 km's things got better.
The few morning runs I did when it wasn't too hot yet, went much better. Now that the average temperatures dropped a bit and the fresh autumn days arrived I enjoy running a lot more!

• bladder and bowel urgencies

The worst thing for me was losing track of my bowel activities: my belly seemed to have an extreme reaction on running. Sometimes, suddenly after the 2 km's I had to head home with diarrhea. After that I could continue running without any problems, but it made me really conscious about making my toilet pit-stop before leaving the house.
I must say, the bladder problems weren't near that urgent until now. It was much more a mental thing for me. Not thinking about it all the time was the best solution to be able to run longer than an hour outside.

• no running with a too full or too empty stomach

While running after my morning coffee can be an option on some days, running to short after a meal is no fun. It's like digestion is sucking all the energy out of my body and makes me feel already tired after the first minutes.
As for running with an empty stomach, it seems like the feeling of being hungry can be so overwhelming (almost undeniable) during pregnancy that you almost can't function normally. A light meal an hour or 1.5 ours in advance will do the trick.

• start with 'circles' close to home

After a while I discovered the best thing was to stay close to home for the first few km's just in case of any 'emergencies' (bladder, bowel, baby-bump or other) and if that went well move further away from home. The thought of being close to home was comfortable.

• run for fun - easy runs are the best

I didn't have the urge to do tempo runs or intervals while pregnant. My pace slowed down during the first months and I accepted it. I was already happy about the fact that I could maintain the same distance as before.
Interestingly, last weeks 5 km city run at 25 weeks pregnant went really good, I was just 1.5 minutes slower than last year, even without interval trainings and only running long distances at an easy pace as preparation.

• take time to recover

Rather than running 3 times a week I run once in 4-6 days. I feel that I need a few more days to recover than I normally (=non-pregnant) do. The great thing is that I still can keep up with my mileage when I allow myself to rest between my runs. I consider to go for a more frequent but shorter runs when my bump gets heavier, but not yet.

• take it easy on running days

Important thing is to take rest on the days you plan to run! Working full-time as a nurse I try to plan my runs on days when I'm off or when I have an evening shift. In the last case I try to finish my run before noon and take a nap before taking the bike to work. By the time I get home after a morning shift (around 4 PM) I'm just too tired to anything at all.

• uncomfortable contractions during running

Strangely around the time I first felt the baby moving (19-20 weeks) I had a few runs when I experienced uncomfortable Braxton-Hicks contractions. Most of the time they occurred in the beginning of the run, after the first 2 km's and around the 7km mark. For me, slowing down and always helped.
I must say I start my runs at a slow and easy pace which I believe makes my baby comfortable. This way my heart rate rises slowly and is not 'racing' all the time (that seems to make babies uncomfortable because they are able to your heartbeat).

• drink a lot

This seem to be very important, but I must say I drink a lot (mostly water) anyway, so wasn't new for me. After the first trimester when I tried to limit my coffee intake to one morning cappuccino a day I went back to my daily routine of starting the day with 2 nice cappuccino's (bean coffee - love my Jura coffee machine!) and drinking about 2 liters of water during the day.
No sport drinks for me, they are only excess calories and certainly not a necessity.

• taking vitamins

You may or may not take vitamins during pregnancy.
They say you don't need them, but I choose to do so because I want to prevent infections, anaemia and simply want to feel as good as possible. I believe this helps me continue running as well. Pregnancy weakens your immune-system which makes you more vulnerable for infections. Once you are ill the number of medications you can safely take are limited and I certainly don't want any antibiotics in my body while pregnant! Here is my daily 'mix':
- I'm still taking a prenatal multivitamine-mix which consists of vitamin B's folic acid, iron*, vitamin d and some calcium. Remember, the baby needs calcium for developing strong bones and his source is your body's depots like your nails and teeth!
*Iron and folic acid are both essential to prevent anemia, and are essential for oxygen transport in your body which is essential for physical exercise!
- Around week 17 my nails started to break very badly so I added extra calcium with good results.
- Omega-3 oil seems to be good for the development of baby's brain so I take those too.
- Finally a slow-release 1000 mg of vitamin C to prevent bladder and other infections.

• running gear

- Up until now I was able to squeeze myself into my running shirts (actually quite like how the tailored Asics ones accentuate my baby bump). I'm afraid, after the second trimester I need to find other running shirts.
- Boob-support (double!): a combination of one bra + one comfortable running top do the trick.
- I have two 3/4 running capris which are low rise and sit comfortably under my bump. It appears baby doesn't tolerate any kind of elastics or tight things sitting higher than that...
- No extra belly-support needed (yet).
- I occasionally wear my pelvic belt - one day it feels fine, on other days it doesn't. 

How to get rid of SI-joint pain in pregnancy!

I thought a little update on running might be interesting.
Yes, I'm still running at 26 weeks pragnant. Most importantly, I still enjoy running at 26 weeks pregnant! A few days ago I comfortably ran the 5 km city run and lost just 1.5 minutes as opposed to last year's time. Isn't that great? I certainly feel better about myself. Actually, it felt like having my own body back for almost 30 minutes. More about that in my next post.


The past month I couldn't run as often as I wanted. First of all, until a week ago the weather was too hot during the day, then around week 20 I caught a bad cold (though worked through it, I wasn't able to do much more after my work days) and I had a week of injuries: first SI-joint pain (=sacro-iliacal joint) and a few days into that I fell with my bike and luxated a finger on my left hand. It seemed like the end of the great pregnancy days but I'm happy to report it's all-right now! 

my story:
As a nurse I'm used to work hard: helping patients in and out of bed, lifting sometimes, we all have our own routines on how to do that. Up until the 20th week (the week when my bump 'suddenly' started to grow!) I didn't experienced any discomfort at work and I wasn't aware of the weakening of my joints and ligaments at all.
Sadly, because of this I didn't pay attention to my body and made quite a few wrong movements (like lifting heavy patients, not paying attention for my posture during activities and when standing still, doing to much bending movements...) which resulted in a terrible back-pain, with painful muscle cramps on the right side of my back (even while just sitting).

In the first few times I thought I just overstretched my back muscle and the pain would go away as usual. But the pain recurred and I've had those painful muscle cramps like 6-10 times a day. A few days later I've got lower back pain as well.
At a certain moment while I was biking home after my very last nightshift (at almost 21 weeks) I had a stabbing pain sensation on the right side of the lower back all the time. Honestly, I barely could make it home.
Because the pain was situated so high I thought that I had a kidney infection, rather than pregnancy-related pelvic problems. Another very typical thing was that I couldn't sit or lay down comfortably. Sitting on the kitchen chair was the most comfortable. This seems to be typical when having SI-joint pain (sacro-iliacal joint pain or posterior pelvic pain)

what is the SI-joint:
It is a strong and stable weight-bearing joint that permits very little movement due to its natural structure:


Hormones released during pregnancy relax the ligaments of the body to allow the pelvis to enlarge, in preparation for childbirth. As the physiotherapist explained to me, if you stretch the SI-joint too far, due to the relaxation it won't be able to retain it's original position and remains slightly overstretched, keeping the pelvic bones in the wrong position. As a nurse I know our bodies have the amazing, amazing ability to compensate everything that seems to be not normal in a natural way.
Our body tries to compensate the wrong position of the joint with muscle cramps above and below the joint, in an effort to pull the pelvic bones back to their normal position. (That was the reason of my returning back cramps!)

the diagnosis:
After an appointment with the doctor the diagnosis was easy: SI-joint pain, which is one type of PPGP or 'pregnancy-related pelvic girdle pain'. I haven't even thought about having that, especially so early in the pregnancy, with a relatively small bump! Of course, the size of the bump doesn't even matter that much if you do the wrong movements.

Getting diagnosed as early as possible can help keep pain to a minimum and avoid long-term discomfort. The doctor advised taking rest and painkillers. Well,  as we all know, the amount of painkillers which can be taken safely during pregnancy is very limited and after almost a week on Paracetamol for the flu that was the last thing I wanted to do. So I made an appointment with a physiotherapist, who is specialized in pelvic floor and pelvic support physiotherapy hoping for better advice and suggestions.

how to get rid of the pain:
I must say, after 4 appointments I was completely pain-free. I just wish I've had these suggestions much earlier in the pregnancy.
Here are the most important things:

• alternate sitting-walking-standing positions often 

This way you reduce the stress on the pelvic bones and the back. You'll see, standing still is the least comfortable position. In the beginning when you still have pain you need to lay down for about 20 minutes every few hours. This was an advice that really helped me!
Actually, I've had a few days at work when I did this and could work comfortably for the remaining hours of my shift. By laying down on a bed or bench you allow the back muscles to rest and 'recharge'.

• watch your posture when standing:

Squeeze your (remaining) stomach muscles to keep your back straight! This reduces the stress your bump puts on your back by pulling forward. I wasn;t conscious about this but such a simple thing helps a lot.

• choose a brisk walk instead of waggling:

'Waggling' stresses the pelvic bones and ligaments because you completely relax the abdominal muscles. Also, you allow your heavy bump to pull everything forward. When walking faster you'll be surprised that you automatically squeeze the abdominal muscles more and keep a better position of the torso. Just try!

• avoid the following activities:

bending too often, reaching over things in front of you, turning your torso too far to grab things, heavy lifting

• do exercise your abdominal muscles!

In contrary to what they say, you really need to exercise your abdominal muscles during the pregnancy!!! Of course, don't think in terms of situps and leg lifts after the 12th week, but there are exercises you safely can do and need to do. Just think of it: the abdominal muscles are the only support for your bump! The two parts you can exercise are the lower and the side muscles.

Lower abdominal muscle exercise:
Try to squeeze them whenever you can, when standing and when laying in bed. Of course, your bump won't be able to move, but what helps is to concentrate on 'sucking in' the lower part as if you trying to pull the zipper of your jeans. Then you should feel the tightening and relaxing of the muscle on the inner side of your pelvic bone in the front.

Side muscles exercise:
Modified Standing oblique-twist or ab-twist. You need a simple rubber resistance band to do this.
1. Tie the band to a stable object (somewhere between bust and waist-height)
2. Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart and your knees slightly bent.
3. With the band on one side grab the band with both arms extended to one side, without turning your torso (this is the main difference with the original exercise!)
4. Tighten your abs.
5. Pull the band from one side to another in a horizontal line, until it is in front of you and then a bit further, keeping your head and hips facing forward (keep your torso in the same, straight  position at all times!)
6. do this slowly and try to do 3x10 repeats for both sides

• sleep with a maternity supporting pillow

From the 20'th week I sleep with my diy supporting pillow and I love it! The only thing I changed past week in my own version (as expected) is to shorten it a bit as the filling (made out of cheap IKEA pillows) has got compacter.

• wear a supporting (pelvic) belt from time to time

This is a controversial suggestion though. As my physiotherapist explained, wearing a supporting belt too often makes your abdominal muscles relax and by getting weaker they won't be able to perform their task anymore.
As long as you exercise your abdominal muscles you can wear a supporting belt occasionally if you need to do household activities or for fitness and running. Avoid wearing the belt too often or for longer time periods!
I have bought one and don't wear it really often.

• you can keep up with other regular activities if they aren't painful

Like running! While running you make completely different movements than when walking and as an extra benefit you exercise your side muscles as well.

thoughts & facts on exercising during pregnancy

As you might know I have been running before and planning to continue running during my pregnancy. While I wasn't in a 'top-shape' certainly had a good base-condition. Since I didn't have major problems during the first few months (besides being exhausted, blown-up feeling in my belly and just about 2-3 weeks of morning sickness) I was able to run.
It was hard sometimes, feeling sick during the first km's, or being tired overall, but I'm glad I had the discipline to go! The last few months 'before' pregnancy I ran 9-11 km's in every 4-5 or 6 days. Now I still do the same, run even more frequently, but definitely getting slower.
I believe it is very important to stay active during the first months, since you are not gaining a lot of weight yet. Also, your body is increasing your blood volume which makes your heart work harder.
Believe me, if you stop during the first months you most likely won't be able to 'recharge' and restart later!!!

Note: Of course, this is not the time to start with any type of exercise which requires endurance, but if you were active before your pregnancy you should continue.

the facts:

• There is proof that exercise during pregnancy, like running limits weight-gain (keeps you more mobile during pregnancy), helps to get rid of excess fluid in your body (no swollen legs), and increases the blood and oxygen transport to the placenta which makes your baby (and yourself) healthier. Apparently, babies of moms who exercise throughout pregnancy score higher, on average, on general intelligence tests by age five.
• The blood-volume will be rising throughout your pregnancy which means your heart needs to work harder. You might notice elevated heart rates during the first months already. While in the past there were warnings about elevated heart rates during exercise nowadays there are no limits. The most recent ACOG guidelines (=American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists) state that "30 minutes or more of moderate exericse on most, if not all, days of the week is acceptable for pregnant women without medical complications." Also, they dropped the guidelines on increased core temperature which in the past was thought to be harming the foetus.
• However, they talk about a daily (!) 'moderate' exercise 30 minutes. Why? Because moderate exercise longer than 30 minutes could result in a decrease of oxygen transport to the placenta. But, no worries! Let me tell you, as soon as you are pregnant, you won't be able to do any 'moderate' or 'heavy' type exercise at all, unless you are an athlete, which most of us aren't... 
• Generally, the best pace to run or exercise is one which is slightly tiring but you are still able to speak full sentences.
• While I'm still able to run (jog?) the same distance, my speed dropped right away, and that's okay. I don't care, because I'm glad I'm still able to exercise, and that is my goal right now. There is no use of doing hill-training or intervals anyway, because the next moths only will be slower and slower. The most important thing is to listen to your body and do what feels good to do! I start with a small round within a few km's from the house and if it feels good I run further.
• I would strongly suggest to invest in a pair of good fitting (and expensive) running shoes! Your joints and tendons get weaker due to hormonal changes, so I pulled out my unused pair of running shoes which have a better cushioned sole than my worn out pair which I like to wear when running in the woods. (I use the Asics Gel Nimbus shoes since about 2000. Unfortunately every new Nimbus version has slight changes in fit, and while I loved the Nimbus 6, I hated the 11 which had a very hard heelcap. Currently I use the Nimbus 12 which I loved so much that I thoughtfully bought a second pair just on time before version 13 came out. It is light weight, softly cushioned, has an offset lacing and enough room for my wide feet.)
• Since I tend to look like stuffed sausage right now instead of a pregnant woman with a well-defined baby-bump, I use the few wider running tops instead of my tight ones (which is about 90% of the stuff I own). I might take a look in my BF's closet...
• I also noticed I'm only able to wear a few of my running tights, which have a wide elastic waist casing instead of a narrow one.

Above: athlete Alysia Montano 34 weeks pregnant running an 800 m race at the US Championships this year

why you shouldn't run (so they say...)

• You've probably heard you shouldn't exercise during the first months because it can lead to miscarriage, but that has absolutely no scientific background. Of course, ideally you don't start with running when you are pregnant. Ideally you already an exercised runner, so your body is used to it. My idea is that if the baby is healthy exercise doesn't hurt. (Most of miscarriages have an internal, or genetic cause)
• I don't know about you but I have actually never seen a pregnant woman running...though I see a lot of of people running nowadays. I might be the first one in the area. We'll see how it goes! For now, running the yearly, easy 5 km city run in october is still an option. (25 weeks pregnant by that time) Participating is more important than winning, right? 
• It's sad, but prepare that people can be very judgmental! Here is an interesting article about that.
• There are women who experience 'leaking' of urine during and/or after they pregnancy. This is caused by weakening of the pelvic floor muscles and it is not related to exercising during pregnancy! It has many different causes, like the strength of the pelvic floor muscles before pregnancy, amount of weight gain during pregnancy, size and position of the baby, how the delivery was and it also can be hereditary. 
• There are stories of Paula Radcliff (marathon runner), who has had a stress-fracture of the pubic bone after giving birth and because training so hard... Well, I think we just shouldn't compare our training routines to those of world class athletes, like Paula Radcliff...
• Luckily, there are enough bloggers who run pregnant and share a lot positive stories, tips and tricks online.