My 6 week postpartum update! :)

Postpartum with twins has been an up and down journey- much like pregnancy with twins! There were MANY things that I wasn't prepared for about being postpartum...some good, some bad, some you just don't talk about (which is why I wasn't prepared I guess! LOL)

Here's what surprised me

1. Going to the bathroom after childbirth would not only be an ordeal, it would be a good 10 minute process or so. There are sprays, foams, pads, and very large underwear. Thank goodness for amazing nurses at St. Vincent's Women's Hospital :)

2. My weight didn't dramatically go down upon returning home from the hospital. I was SO excited to jump on the scale after having the girls. After gaining about 40+ pounds over the 9 months, I was ready to see that number finally go down for a change instead of up. Three days after they were born I jumped on the scale to see a 2 pound weight loss... yes, 2 pounds. I birthed over 10 pounds of babies, not to mention two placentas and whatever else comes out. I soon realized this was due to the large amount of IV fluids that were being pushed through me during my 24+ hours of labor. Luckily, I saw this number drop over the next 2-3 weeks.

3. Speaking of water weight... holy cankles! I was very fortunate to not have much swelling in my pregnancy, so when I looked down at my ankles the morning after I gave birth, I couldn't believe my eyes. After lots of water and trying to keep my feet elevated, the swelling went away in about a week.

4. I would still looked pregnant...very pregnant. I knew that my stomach would not bounce back overnight, but I wasn't prepared for a lady at Target to ask me when I was due just three days after having the girls. It took everything I had not to burst into tears...or smack her.

6 days postpartum

5. I couldn't imagine my life without my girls. It's almost like they have always been here in many ways, even though they are only 6 weeks old. They suddenly became my whole world and it's amazing. 

 

Physical Update:

 

I'm still waiting to be cleared by my doctor to be able to exercise. I have an appointment today and I'm very anxious to get the go ahead to get back to my workouts. Since about 3 weeks postpartum, I have taken daily walks with the girls. I started out very slowly as I was still recovering and have gradually increased my speed and time. Barry and I also purchased new Fitbit's which make getting my 10,000 steps a day more fun...and competitive. I also may have snuck in a couple of pushups, lunges, squats, and some upper body band exercises in the past week.

 (shh, don't tell doc)

6 weeks postpartum

 As I've happily lost most of the baby weight very quickly, my stomach/back area is my main focus/ "problem" area. My uterus is still not back to its original size, which is kinda frustrating but understandable seeing how large I was a short 6 weeks ago!

 

Here's some progression pics:

 





2 weeks postpartum





1 month postpartum



1 month post partum to 5 weeks post partum- after starting my Advocare Nursing Mom's Challenge



How did I lose the weight?

 

As of 6 weeks post partum I am down 38 pounds with about 5 more to go and lots of toning up to do. I think breastfeeding/pumping has a lot to do with how quickly the weight came off. My doctor told me I would be burning an extra 1,000 calories a day just from breastfeeding the girls! (That's my kind of workout!) 

 I was also very aware of how much weight I was gaining during my pregnancy and how quickly, which in turn has made losing the weight much easier. While I was pregnant, I stuck to my clean eating regimen 70%-80% of the time while still allowing myself a sweet treat when I wanted it. My workouts were put to a halt at 10 weeks when I was experiencing some complications. Although I struggled at times with not being able to workout, I took the time to rest, swim (ok, more like float), and continue with simple upper body exercises with 3-5 pound weights and light resistance bands. I happily enjoyed eating extra calories my body (and babies) needed without the guilt.

Since I knew I wouldn't be working out like I had hoped, my diet was even more important in not gaining excess weight and especially now while I continue to try and lose the last of the weight before I can exercise.

 

Here's an example of my typical postpartum diet:

 

Breakfast

1/2 cup of plain oatmeal with honey, cinnamon, vanilla Muscle Gain protein, and blueberries (with or without a banana)

 

Whole wheat English muffin with natural peanut butter and blackberry jelly...if time and the girls allow :)

Mango strawberry spark

Advocare's Catalyst, Probiotic & Thermoplus

 

AM Snack

Pure Protein bar
1/2 cup cottage cheese

 

Lunch

6 ounces of lean protein with steamed veggies

-OR-

spinach salad with strawberries, raspberries, blueberries, chicken, and feta cheese

light dressing

Greek yogurt cup

 

PM Snack

My second spark
Hummus and carrots

-OR-

Protein Smoothie
 

Dinner

1 cup brown rice

6 ounces pork loin

Occasional glass of red wine

 

Dessert

Strawberries with light cool whip

-OR-

ice cream

Plus
LOTS of water. I keep a glass filled up all day long and refill it as needed

 

My postpartum diet is a balancing act to determine how many calories I need to continue to lose weight while keeping my milk supply up while breastfeeding.

(feeding twins is no joke!)

I'm excited to step things up a notch and continue to see progress as I strive for my healthy and fit #mombod :)