Dad-to-be: Staying fit during pregnancy

When my wife and I learned that we were expecting our first baby, we knew immediately that change was coming. Not just the change of converting the spare room into a gender-neutral baby room, or the change of how we are going to both work full time with a newborn in the house, but more immediate change.
It must have been instinctual because before I knew it I was assuming the role of protector and provider. In order to see my wife through a healthy pregnancy (both of us at age 39) I was going to have to set good examples. The first thing on my list was getting my wife to exercise.
The options for exercise during pregnancy are somewhat limited; thankfully my wife has never been a jogger or cyclist. All my research lead to the conclusion that simple frequent walks were the best activity for pregnant women and something we could do together.
After buying her first pair of sneakers since high school, we set out on short slow walks around our neighborhood -- 10 minutes here, 20 minutes the next time, working our way up to longer, brisker walks. It was a great opportunity for us to talk, hold hands, and get some fresh air – all things we have come to appreciate. Our walks are “our time” and help us both de-stress and keep my wife healthy.
Another healthy exercise practice is prenatal yoga. We started taking beginning yoga about a year ago as our pushing-forty-year-old bodies began to cry out loud. It was an early Sunday morning class that we stuck with for about six months. Although my working late on Saturday nights got to be too much, those classes sparked an interest in my wife. The same studio offers a prenatal class every Wednesday evening and she’s back in her yoga pants, standing on one foot with her adorable baby-bump. I adjusted my work schedule so that she can be there every week, get some exercise and spend some time with other mommies-to-be.
And my wife’s return to an exercise routine has inspired me to get back into jogging. I’m not training for any road races or anything, just a short 20-30 minute loop around the neighborhood. I like to run at night when the streets are quiet and relatively car-less. As I run, I practice my own breathing, thinking of baby names and planning the best driving route to the hospital over and over in my head – back roads or highway?
And that’s what it’s all about – leading by example, sparking an interest, and making sacrifices. These things that my wife and I are doing for each other during pregnancy are the same things we will do for our baby: lead by example, spark interest, and make sacrifices.