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.
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| 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)
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!
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| 6 weeks postpartum |
Here's some progression pics:
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| 2 weeks postpartum |
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| 1 month postpartum |
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| 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.
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
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
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
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 :)
