Letter From America Part 9
It’s a Runner!
Motherhood has been the ultimate reward for nine months of training. July 7 th was a banner day in New York. My daughter, Chiara Alexandra, was born at 12:21 p.m. I am happy to report everyone in our family is healthy and thriving.
Chiara decided she was ready to meet us on July 6th, my official duedate. My water broke in the early evening and we waited for the contractions to begin. David and I shared one last dinner for two before packing up and heading to the hospital at midnight. Labor went pretty smoothly and by ten the next morning I was actively pushing.
I can attest that childbirth is the ultimate workout. I felt pains that are incomparable to anything I’ve ever felt before. My husband did an admirable job massaging me and providing moral support throughout the contractions. Keeping fit during my pregnancy paid off–I needed every ounce of my strength to help her find her way into the world.
David and I were saving the surprise of her sex until the delivery room. When the doctor placed her on my belly and announced, “It’s a girl!” we were completely overcome with joy. We swaddled her up and started to bond as a family. We went weepy while looking intoher expansive eyes. She seemed relatively calm as she rested on my chest. She took her time observing the room and studying the faces peering at her. It was as if she had resigned herself to the thought of, “I have so much to teach these people.”
After two nights in the hospital, we were sent home to start our lives as a threes ome. The learning curve is steep, but fortunately, Chiara is patient with us and our bumbling efforts as neophyte parents. As an auspicious sign of her benevolence, she has even been known to sleep at five hour stretches during the night.
Now three weeks old, we are out strolling and showing Chiara the neighborhood. It is so amazing seeing the world through new eyes. Every day is a discovery for her.
Predictably, it’s been a few weeks since my last run (I ran two miles on the treadmill the day I went into labor). I injured my piriformis muscle while in labor making mobility an issue for the first few days athome. I’ve gotten a few rounds of physical therapy and I feel at about 90%. Perhaps, this weekend I’ll test out my running legs again. I’ve done some gentle yoga stretches and madeit to the pool to swim a few laps. I’ve given my body the chance to recover from the enormous feat it performed. There will be plenty of time for jogging strollers and family workouts in our future.
I look forward to hitting the road again, but right now I am doing the exactly right thing at exactly the right time.
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Filed Under: Running and Pregnancy
