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BROOKE HANSON, Olympic Champion writes about SRC Pregnancy Shorts
Brooke Hanson, Olympic Champion commenced wearing SRC Pregnancy Shorts at 26 weeks. Brooke will be posting her diary notes made during pregnancy and after delivery on line, so that she can share her experiences with other women who are “on the same journey”!
This is what Brooke wrote after week 29!
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Brooke's Diary - Week 29
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I’ve just finished the 29th week of my first pregnancy and I’m feeling great. Since my 26th week I’ve had the opportunity to wear SRC pregnancy shorts and I believe they are fantastic.
Half way through my pregnancy I noticed that my lower back was already beginning to ache. I also had sore hip flexors and found that my posture was changing, making my whole body feel out of whack.
As soon as I started wearing SRC pregnancy shorts I felt an enormous change in my body. The shorts immediately alleviated my back pain and hip tightness. The extra support gave me the relief and stability I needed to feel aligned again.
By regularly wearing the pregnancy shorts I am much more aware of my posture. I believe that the support the shorts are providing to my lower back, hips, thighs and pelvic floor is very beneficial.
The increased stability that I now have from wearing the shorts will be very important for my mobility throughout the final trimester of my pregnancy.
I wear my SRC pregnancy shorts under my jeans, tracksuit pants, suit pants, skirts, dresses and pyjama’s. After a few days I hand wash them and can’t wait to wear them again.
The lightweight material is so comfortable that you forget you even have them on making them feel definitely like a second skin.
I highly recommend that all pregnant women try SRC pregnancy shorts. Give them a go and notice the difference they make to your body!
- Brooke
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Brooke's Diary - Week 30
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The past week has flown by and although I have been extremely busy with work I’m still feeling really good. I spent all of last Sunday out and about starting with breakfast, the baby markets, the MCG for the football and then a family dinner.
I wore my SRC pregnancy shorts for the entire day 7am till 11pm and they were fantastic. I’ve found that they are definitely helping alleviate the tightness I’ve had in my lower back and hips.
This week I have fitted in two yoga classes, five 30-minute walks and a swim at the pool. By wearing the shorts during yoga and walking I’m getting the extra support that I need as my bump grows.
I had my 30-week check up with my obstetrician and everything is perfect, no problems so far (fingers crossed) and with only 10 weeks remaining my husband Jared and I are very excited about meeting the little person growing inside of me.
- Brooke |
Brooke's Diary - Week 31
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Over the last week I have started feeling very tired, my bump has really grown and I can’t believe our little bundle of joy will be here in 8 weeks.
I’m finding that wearing my SRC pregnancy shorts is even more imperative now. At 31 weeks I’m feeling the strain the extra weight is putting on my back and the shorts are helping ease the pain.
This week I have started to “nest” the nursery finally looks like it’s ready for a baby to live in instead of a junk room.
My husband’s family brought us some amazing manchester for the cot, basinet, pram and bath time and it’s made the whole room look and feel complete.
I have spoken to a few ladies about the SRC pregnancy shorts and how great they are.
If your pregnant or have a girl friend or sister who is pregnant or if your attending a baby shower get a pair of shorts for someone who is expecting.
They are a great gift idea!
- Brooke |
Brooke's Diary - Week 32
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After a great weekend away in Sydney where I caught up with girlfriends and had a lot of fun at my baby shower the last week has been terrible. I returned to Melbourne with a cold and haven’t gotten over it since.
I have been sleeping 16 hours a day and have felt like I’ve been hit by a tram. A visit to the doctor put my mind at ease that it was just a common cold and not the swine flu!
I was told that rest was the best recovery and cancelled my week of work to try and get better.
Although I have been unwell I did have a chance to wear my SRC pregnancy shorts on the plane and they were very beneficial.
Flying can be uncomfortable at the best of times and now that I’m pregnant I find it extremely difficult to find a comfortable position. The shorts were fantastic and I found that the lower back pain I had been recently feeling on flights didn’t affect me at all.
The rest of my week has been spent sleeping, coughing, blowing my nose, resting and keeping up my fluids.
The highlight has been a short trip to the obstetrician who reminded me that being pregnant meant it would take extra time to recover from my cold. The good news was that although I’m doing it tough the baby and my pregnancy are running smoothly.
- Brooke |
Brooke's Diary - Week 33
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The past week has been a lot better than the previous week but I’m still not back to one hundred percent. The doctor told me it would take longer to get over my cold because I’m pregnant and he was right!
I’ve continued to rest and recover as much as possible but can’t get rid of my cough or runny nose so I’m really not feeling my normal bubbly self.
I have been given a cough medicine to take that is safe during pregnancy but it hasn’t made a huge difference.
I’m always tired and I’m only feeling about seventy percent of my usual daily energy levels. I’ve continued to ease back on my workload and have continued to sleep and rest as much as I can.
On a more exciting note Jared and I had our first pre-natal class, which was informative in a very casual atmosphere making it a lot of fun.
There is just six weeks remaining and I’m really looking forward to the whole birthing experience.
I have had my final interstate business trips out of Melbourne to Hobart and Sydney and I’ve continued to reap the benefits of wearing my SRC pregnancy shorts on a daily basis.
- Brooke |
Brooke's Diary - Week 34
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The count down has begun only five weeks or 35 days to go. Although everyone keeps telling me only a small percentage of babies arrive on the due date, I don’t mind if my baby is late as I will have more time to relax.
I’m enjoying my last few weeks of work before my life becomes dramatically different.
We had the filming day for the television commercials for the SRC pregnancy, recovery and sports shorts. It was a lot of fun and I can’t wait to see the final product.
Jared and I finished our pre-natal classes and we now feel a lot better prepared for the birth.
This weekend my sister Jade is hosting my Melbourne baby shower and I’m really looking forward to catching up with my girlfriends.
One of my friends throughout my teenage swimming years is coming over from Perth to join the celebrations. I can’t wait to exchange notes, as she is also pregnant.
The baby is moving a lot more frequently and I’m getting use to its sleep patterns.
I’m getting very tired especially at the end of the day.
I’m finding it very important at this stage to wear my SRC pregnancy shorts as much as possible to help with my different aches and pains.
- Brooke |
Brooke's Diary - Week 35
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The last week has been very social and a lot of fun.
I have spent a majority of time on my feet and I’ve been wearing my SRC pregnancy shorts everyday. I have found they are helping with the dull ache I’ve been feeling in the back of my legs, lower back and bum.
My sister Jade hosted my Melbourne baby shower and invited 20 of my girlfriends. I had a great afternoon socialising, eating and playing games. Most of them guessed that I’m having a boy but my gut instinct still says girl.
I was very spoilt receiving some amazing presents for the baby and myself. Everyone was so generous with their gifts and their time, it made me realise what a great support network I have around me.
I’m still working and find the time I have at home has been spent washing and ironing all the new baby clothes, sheets and wraps I’ve been given.
After the amount of presents I have received over the past 8 months and the big item shopping that I’ve done I can finally say the nursery is complete!
I picked up a copy of Pregnancy and Birth magazine and saw the new advertisement for SRC shorts on the inside back cover. I hope that other pregnant women realise the great benefits the shorts provide.
With only a month or 28 days remaining (yes I’m counting) I’m getting so excited about meeting our baby it can’t come fast enough. But like my mum always tells me good things come to those who wait!
- Brooke |
Brooke's Diary - Week 36
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I’ve reached the end of my 36th week of pregnancy and I’m feeling wonderful. My last day of work is finally complete and I’m looking forward to having some extra rest time.
This week’s visit to the obstetrician showed that all is going great. The baby has dropped into the right position for birth and its heart rate is normal. I was told that although the baby was still growing to make sure my bags are packed, which made me very excited.
I’m continuing to wear my SRC pregnancy shorts and have been measured for my SRC recovery shorts to make sure I’m ready for post birth.
In the last week I’ve continued to walk the dog each day and have done two yoga classes and had two swims. All these activities make me feel happy and relaxed and I hope the baby enjoys them as much as I do.
The count down continues daily and my husband and I can’t believe the twenty-day milestone has almost arrived.
With not long to go it’s great to know I’m at the business end of my amazing pregnancy journey.
- Brooke |
Brooke's Diary - Week 37
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With only two weeks remaining until my due date I am getting very excited about finally meeting the little person that has been growing inside of me since January.
I’m organised and ready if the baby decides to come early, the towels are in the car in case my waters break when I’m out and about and my bags are packed.
I’ve been enjoying dates with my husband; dinner parties with friends and daily excursions that are getting me out of the house to stop me from nesting.
I did a breast feeding class with some of the girls from prenatal class and it was great to catch up with them for lunch afterwards to gossip about how we are all feeling.
I had a pamper day which made me feel like a million dollars a new hair cut and a few hours with the beautician was definitely something I needed. I can no longer touch my toes so having a pedicure and getting my toenails painted was a real treat.
It was exciting to see the story on SRC shorts on A Current Affair during the week and I’m really looking forward to moving from the SRC pregnancy shorts to the SRC recovery shorts once the baby is born.
I know that the SRC pregnancy shorts have made a huge difference to my pregnancy and I’m keen to be back in my normal jeans as soon as I can.
It was wonderful to see the amount of women who achieved this goal using SRC recovery shorts only two weeks after giving birth and it gave me the added incentive to know that it’s realistic.
- Brooke |
Brooke's Diary - Week 38
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I’ve made it to the end of my 38th week of pregnancy and I’m feeling great. The single digit countdown has been very exciting and now there is only seven days remaining until my due date.
Everyone keeps telling me I’ll go way past my due date because it’s my first baby and I really don’t mind. Others have picked an AFL grand final day baby and I wouldn’t mind that either.
The baby can come early, on time or late as I’m feeling confident and relaxed about the birth and can’t wait to be a mum.
The SRC pregnancy shorts continue to be a great asset to my pregnancy journey as they are making me more aware of my posture when my heavy body gets tired.
My legs, hips and bum muscles have no tightness or fatigue and I can’t believe I haven’t needed a massage my entire pregnancy.
I definitely have the SRC pregnancy shorts to thank for that, they are just like a second skin and I feel fantastic wearing them.
My husband and I are still tossing up names and haven’t yet got favourites that we can both decide on, I’m starting to think it’s going to be a lot harder than I first thought.
Another check up with the obstetrician assured us that everything is normal and going according to plan and now it’s all up to the baby.
- Brooke |
Brooke's Diary - Week 40
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When I was pregnant I thought the entire 40 weeks felt like years and that it was taking forever to meet my baby for the first time. Six days after his due date I delivered my first baby a son Cooper John Clarke born on October 8th 2009. Now time is flying, Cooper is already nine weeks old and growing everyday. Christmas is almost here and I can’t wait to share Christmas day with my family and show off the newest addition.
Becoming a mum was more than I thought it would be. I definitely have a greater admiration for my mum and how she coped with four kids under 6 years of age. It seems unbelievable to me as it’s hard work getting used to just one baby.
I know I am biased but Cooper is gorgeous and is the most amazing baby. Already his personality is very similar to his dad’s. Like my husband Jared he is quite laid back and hasn’t been too much trouble so far. Of course we have our rough days and nights but I cant imagine our lives without him.
During the pregnancy I continued to walk, swim and did yoga when I felt up to it and now I’m slowly getting back into my exercise regime. But my hidden secret throughout the pregnancy and now in recovery are the SRC Pregnancy and Recovery shorts which have helped my body get back into it’s pre-pregnancy shape.
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As an athlete I trained my body to peak for one competition when I fell pregnant I embraced the new changes in my body although I knew the labour would be tougher than the Olympic Games.
During my pregnancy I listened to my body and was fascinated with how my body was changing and adapting ready for mother hood. I loved being pregnant and tried to prepare as best I could for the birth and delivering a healthy baby.
I was fortunate to have a spontaneous labour, normal vaginal delivery with no drugs and no stiches and I believe wearing the SRC pregnancy shorts everyday as well as staying fit and healthy before and during pregnancy helped me achieve my dream labour.
The SRC shorts helped my lower back pain, assisted in regaining my core stability, improved mobility, reduced swelling and gave me that extra support you need after delivering a baby.
I’m already back in my old clothes and I will continue to wear the SRC Recovery shorts until I’m back to one hundred percent as they are just fantastic.
I’m loving being a mum and I believe it’s the best job in the world, it’s encouraging to hear from people how great they think I’m looking and I have the SRC recovery shorts to thank as they really do work!
- Brooke
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And for those who would like to know more about Brooke......
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| BROOKE HANSON O.A.M. |
Olympic gold and silver medallist Brooke Hanson made her debut for the Australian Swimming Team in 1994.
Representing Australia over 20 times at major international championships, Brooke claimed several podium finishes along the way including the 2004 World Short Course Championships where she made history, winning a record six gold medals.
Brooke’s work on the TV Week Logie winning show “What’s Good for You” earned her a nomination for best new female talent.
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Photo courtesy of the Nine Network |
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Since her retirement from competitive swimming Brooke released her autobiography ‘When Silver Is Gold’.
Brooke now continues to balance her blooming professional media career with, sponsor appearances, motivational speaking, charity events, swim clinics and her commitment to promoting a healthy and active lifestyle for all Australians.
Brooke is about to start a whole new journey as a mum, she is pregnant with her first child and both herself and husband Jared can’t wait to welcome their new born baby in October 2009.
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