One year ago - cycling

I rode outside until about 20 weeks I think, really can't remember actually, but I do remember doing a pool triathlon on my 20 week mark, after that I stuck her on the trainer. As I got bigger though I moved to the spin bikes. I love the trainer but don't love spinning, but it's a lot easier to drastically change my bike fit on those than my own. I rode till 39-40 weeks (not the last 5-10 days after that because I was just sure she'd be born the next day, hahaha) and by that point I was basically in beach cruiser bike position :) Sitting up almost straight, bars in as close to me as my belly would allow so I wouldn't have to lean over, because there really wasn't any room to do so.

Like swimming I felt quite normal cycling. Took the weight of my belly down and allowed me to get my heart rate up and feel my muscles work without killing my pelvis. I grew to like the spin classes more, defiantly a good workout, I just think I like knowing what's coming and being in control of it.
I managed to wear my regular bike shorts, just low on my belly but definitely didn't wear my bike jerseys. Instead I LOVED wearing my Fit2BMom tops. Oh how I loved those.  Looks like one of my favorite tanks is on sale too

Anyway, I got back on the bike at about 2 weeks, still on the trainer. Much easier to work with baby's feeding and sleep schedule just being downstairs. It really didn't hurt to sit in the saddle.  If I'd attempted this after my first baby....oh wait, I never would have.  I couldn't sit comfortably in a padded chair for months, I even remember trying to strap a pillow to my bike seat to ride it on my trainer.  No good.  She was my smallest baby but involved lots of drugs, intervention, the bed, and nothing natural really.  Everything but a C-Section.  Getting on the saddle 2 weeks out with this baby I attribute that not tearing and no prolonged pushing with Miss 9lb14oz. I believe a gentle birth in the water with no drugs allowing me to push quickly but with control and midwife assisted perineal support and the warm water aiding stretching of the tissues made all the difference, water birth, amazing stuff I tell you!  Cycling postpartum felt good to not have gravity working on or bouncing my pelvis, pelvic floor, and recovering core muscles and ligaments, again, I could just sit down and work my lungs as muscles. But you gotta do what you gotta do when dad travels for Altra a lot.

I only rode with her on the trainer like this for a few minutes really, she wasn't fond of the idea.  

And now at almost a year old miss Ella had to have her right of passage ride on the aerobars all of my other kids have.  We don't ride like this for a long, a couple minutes.  It's not nearly as fun as it looks for mommy, but I'll do what I have to do