Diet and Exercise

Have you been excercising throughout your pregnancy? If not, definitely check with your OB or midwife before starting a new regimen. Aside from that disclaimer... :)

Yoga is great - but be careful starting out at 31 weeks. Your joints are much more elastic now in preparation for birth, and you don't want to damage them by over-stretching. Walking is also excellent exercise for the end of pregnancy. Also, I have an exercize ball that I lived on at the end of my pregnancy. I didn't do any of the crazy exercises for non-preggos, but even just sitting on the ball while watching TV or reading is a good workout for your core muscles. It can also help baby get into position.

As for foods - lots and lots of fiber. Fruits, veggies, meat if you eat it, etc. The farther along I got the easier I filled up just because DS took up more room.

I have the Giam brand Prenatal Yoga With Shiva Rea (2000), I liked it because it has 3 women at different stages of pregnancy so you can follow the modifications that work best for you. You could try looking at Whole Foods, I know they carry some of that brand of yoga DVD. You could also buy it at Amazon.com, that's where I bought mine.

I took yoga classes at the St. Paul Yoga studio on Selby Ave. S. was the instructor and she was great. You can take one class for free to try it out.

Do check with your Dr. or Midwife before taking a class though. :)

Good luck!
J.

I bought a dvd off of amazon. Its called ZenMama. I really liked it and did it through both my pregnancies.

I needed protein to fill myself up. I ate peanut butter and celery and a slice of cheese with lunch meat wraped around it! Carbs and sugar made me sluggish and tired. I also ate a lot of fruit! Oranges and grapes. Think fresh food and less processed!

For exercise I did the treadmill, even at the end pretty slow. And then I also went to the pool and did walk and leg lifts etc. It helped me with the swelling of my ankles! Just keep moving it will be worth it and help with your birth!
Good luck the end is closer then you think! Enjoy your last weeks of your own time!

I might still have my Prenatal Yogo DVD; if you're interested let me know- I'll look for it. You can have it if I can find it. I am done having babies and don't think I'll need it again. Otherwise, I believe I bought mine at Motherhood Maternity.
also, at 31 weeks; not so sure if it's good to start a New exercise plan - you may want to check with your doc. first.