Body After Baby | My Postpartum Journey After Baby #2

Hi friends! Some of you may know that this little blog started before my wedding to help me stay accountable with getting fit for my wedding day. I continued on with it as my health/fitness goals progressed or changed. After we moved to Europe and had Noah I enjoyed blogging more "lifestyle" type posts, but health and fitness is still very much a huge part of my life.

So here I am 7 weeks postpartum with baby #2 and ready to begin my journey to becoming the healthiest mama I can be for my babies. I plan to write about this at least once a month. I want to share what is working for me and what isn't. My struggles and triumphs as I find my groove being a mom of 2 and maintaining an active lifestyle. For me, this is an important goal so I can be a better mother. Eating right (most of the time) and staying active keeps me happy and sane...self care is so important as a mom. So whatever that thing may be for you, do it!! I have enjoyed 6 weeks of snuggling my baby and focusing on milk supply (still both priorities) but mama needs her time!

I will be tracking my progress mostly through pictures although I will be weighing myself from time to time. I have about 40 lbs to lose to get back to my pre pregnancy weight. That isn't my priority tho...fitting into my clothes is ;)

Far left is almost 38 weeks pregs, 1 week PP and 7 weeks PP. Real life progress pics.

I am not the type of woman who walks out of the hospital without a belly or weight to lose. I gain a lot while pregnant and have a lot of work to do postpartum. I entered a 16 week transformation challenge through my nutrition company at 1 week PP. Seems crazy but 16 weeks is a long time and it will be exciting to track my progress at 4 months PP. I will continue on from there in 16 week increments. It will keep me accountable and there is also the added bonus of receiving $200 for completing of the challenge!

Not even 24 hours post baby. Our bodies are amazing! 

GOAL
My overall goal is to lose body fat and replace it with muscle. I want to fit back into my favorite pair of jeans and regain my strength in the gym. This is definitely going to be a journey but I am so excited. I know I can accomplish this. I did it after Noah so I can do it again!
I hope I can paint a realistic picture and time frame for other postpartum moms out there.


DIET
My husband and I have been getting back into our normal routine with meals again for the last week or two. Things got a little crazy towards the end of my pregnancy. Besides my easy meal replacement shakes we weren't eating the healthiest and definitely feeling the effects. It continued after I had Siena mostly because I was so starving all the time (breastfeeding probs!) that I found myself eating whatever was easy...which equals a lot more carbs. Now, carbs aren't the enemy but too much of anything is never a good thing.
My hubby is basically the best and has been cooking our meals and helping me so much in the kitchen. I am so thankful to have his support!
So as of now, my diet is 5-6 small meals per day. I want this to be a maintainable lifestyle and not a quick fix to drop the weight. Keeping my milk supply up is my top priority so I have to make sure I am getting enough of the right foods.
I try to get a good amount of protein at each meal and a balance of carbs and fats. Right now I am having more carbs the beginning of my day or timed around my workout and tapper them off towards the end of the day and up my fats. Peanut butter before bed is never a bad thing ;)

m y f a v o r i t e s 
Isagenix meal replacement shakes. Best thing ever for a busy mom. If I am starving I mix it up with water and chug and if I have time and need a bigger meal I am loving the chocolate blended with a banana and peanut butter! They are also perfect for a post workout meal so I get everything my body needs quickly.

Taco Boats
Super fast and easy lunch or dinner idea!

Find me on snapchat for more meals and kid craziness ;) 

WATER
I am aiming for 3 liters minimum but a gallon if I can. I love my 1.5 liter camelbak water bottle I use to keep my water goals on track.

EXERCISE 
I was cleared last week to start working out again. Up until this point I have been following my Bellies Inc. core confidence program by practicing my core breathing as well as the other exercises it recommends. This has helped my core heal as well as my pelvic floor. I was so pleased when my doctor checked my ab seperation at my 6 week appointment and I only have about a 1/2 inch of separation. This is a great starting point for getting back into my workouts! It is so important as a new mom that we give our bodies time to heal and don't jump back into strenuous activities that we aren't ready for.

Wearing my Bellies Inc. Ab system about 2.5 weeks PP. The support felt so good on my shrinking belly 

So last week I eased into things by attending my first spin class postpartum. It was literally endorpin heaven. It was like I hadn't missed a day. I was pleased that I could still keep up. Staying active during my pregnancy helped me maintain some of my fitness level so I don't feel like I am starting back at square one with everything. I also got in two light and easy at home workouts. My goal for now is to workout at least 3 times per week (4 if I am lucky).
I plan to lift weights going lighter and working my way up as I progress...practicing my core breathing the whole time. If I get a 4th day in it will probably be another leg day. I really like training them twice if I can. But for now my split will be:
Leg Day
Chest and Back
Arms and Shoulders
Cardio will be the spin bike or the elliptical. I have an elliptical at home that I have been using here and there but it will be packed up soon so I'll be relying on the gym for my workouts.

7 week postpartum

Exercise is my therapy and my "me" time. I look forward to it and crave the iron of the weights. I know however, that what I am eating is 80% of the equation and what I will be really focusing on. I am a huge believer in balance tho and don't plan on overdoing it in the gym or depriving myself from foods I love. Especially during our last weeks here in Italy (give me all the pizza!).

Two Months Postpartum

I can't believe another month has come and gone! Noah is growing so fast. He is the sweetest baby!

He is sleeping anywhere from 5-7 hours at night before waking to eat and then he's back down until he wakes to start the day anywhere from 7 to 745 am. He no longer cries when getting a diaper change (this stopped around 5 weeks) and is starting to like the bath! He already rolling onto his side, he coos and is starting to give smiles. 

Time truly flies by when you have a baby. I'm enjoying everyday with him.

Here are my newest progress pics:

1 mont PP vs 2 months PP

Nothing too major but def progress. My waist is smaller so I know I've lost some inches. I made sure I was fully healed before working out again. The first month after I had him I just took walks and rested a lot. I was so exhausted! 

I didn't end up having my 6 week postpartum appointment until 7 weeks so I've only been back into working out for 2 weeks now. I was pleased to hear that I had no ab separation and that everything was healed. The doctor released me to train with no restrictions. Taking the time to heal and rest is so important! That first month was truly just getting to know my little guy and figuring out what works for him and what doesn't. It was also overwhelming with a lot of company staying with us so once everyone left and he started a great routine I was then ready to work on myself.

Because I wake up once to pump and then again to feed Noah in the night I get pretty tired around 7 pm. I quickly noticed that on the days that I trained it gave me more energy to get through the rest of the night without feeling like a zombie.
I am so happy I invested in some inexpensive equipment to have at home. I get to the gym every once in a while but my workouts mostly happen at home. My husband is on nights right now so I wait for him to wake up so I can be totally focused on what I am doing. If Noah is napping really well I can sometimes sneak away or I train in the house (my gym set-up is outside). I haven't been able to commit to any specific "plan" yet. Some days I get 30 mins and sometimes an hour. It all depends.

So what have I been doing?

Lots of circuits! I get bored doing the same exercise for so many sets so I like to make big circuits or a few small ones. I've been doing lots of kettle bell swings, mountain climbers and I've been working on my burpees. I have a love hate relationship with burpees. Love them because they work but hate them because they're hard and really ware me out! I like keeping my heart rate up throughout my workout esp if it's a day I don't do cardio. I have been doing 20 min of HIIT 3xs a week on my old school treadmill. This thing is hilarious. I have to use my timer on my phone to track my sprints and how long I am on it because the tiny screen no longer functions and you adjust the speed by pushing the nob to the right. The speeds are "warm-up", "fat burn", "aerobic" and "performance". It also gets pretty loud the faster you go but hey it was 50 bucks! I usually do a 2 min warm-up (speed walk) and then sprint for 30 sec and speed walk for 1 min.
As far as core work I have mostly been doing plank holds and some other easy ab work a few times a week. I didn't start ANY ab work until I knew I had no ab separation. You have to be very careful after pregnancy when working your core.
I am excited to reshape my body with weights. I just want to be strong! 

Now the transformation will really begin and I am excited to share it with you! I am hoping to fit back in to my jeans comfortably for the Holidays :)

I will leave you with some of my favorite Noah pics from the last month:

He loves being on his tummy!

Trunk or Treat day on base. His newborn hat is a little small now! haha 

My little family at the trunk or treat even on base 

I hope everyone has a Happy Halloween!!
XOXO,
E

One Month Postpartum

Wow, I have been so late on posting my blogs and I hate it! I am going to try to do better.

Noah is 5 1/2 weeks and that makes me a little over a month postpartum. The time is just flying by! Next week I will hopefully be all cleared to workout and I can officially begin my postpartum fitness journey. I have began to really miss working out. That's the one thing I have always made time for and done for myself. It's going to take a lot of effort to make time now tho but I am ok with that. I might just have to workout during morning nap vs cleaning lol. I am down 30 lbs. I have about 15-20 left to lose but once I can get back to working out my focus will NOT be on the scale. I want to get my strength back and tighten up. I want to fit back in to my jeans and just feel good so I'll be using progress pics as my main way to measure my results.

One month postpartum progress pic

My recovery has been great. I am feeling really good other than being pretty tired. That's probably been the hardest part for me. I am the type of person who thrives off a full nights sleep. Even in high school I could not be up all night studying and then take a test the next day. Nope, I need my sleep, but as we get more into routine it gets easier.

Breastfeeding has been a challenge but I think we have it down now. The first few weeks was hard because he didn't have the best latch which made him hungry and cranky most of the time, but I was determined. I saw the lactation consultant several times and she helped me so much. My husband has also been amazing with it. He was my third hand and second set of eyes when I would forget to do a step or something didn't look right. I am so happy I stuck with it. It is exhausting at times but it feels so good that I can provide the best thing for my baby.

He is starting to outgrow his newborn clothes! Here he is in his first 0-3 m sleeper. The only one that isn't way to big 

So far Noah loves his car seat and the baby carrier. It has been a life saver! I love baby wearing. It helps me make dinner and get things done around the house when he has his evening fussy time. I also like to bring it out with me when I go grocery shopping and can't push a stroller and cart.


He hated getting his diaper changed from day 1 but he is finally starting to do better with it, but he still hates the bath. I am hoping he out grows that soon. He absolutely loves tummy time. This kid has the strongest neck and loves to look around. He is so curious. His swing is growing on him but it def hasn't been a life saver like many friends told me it would be. We have a pretty finicky baby. He is already pretty stubborn and will let you know what he wants. At least I know he will have a strong personality!

This month has truly flown by. We had a packed house full of guests and now my mom is the last one here. She leaves this Wednesday. We will sure miss her. It was so nice that Noah could have time with his grandparents. Soon it will be just the three of us here in Italy and we will be getting in to our own little routine of life. We are hoping we will be able to get home for Christmas this year if Noah has his passport and everything else he needs to travel.

I will leave you with some of my favorite new born photos (I wanted to share them all!). He is just the sweetest <3

One Week Postpartum

My sweet Noah turned a week old yesterday! He is such an amazing baby but you know I'm biased ;). He does have his days and nights mixed up right now so we're working on that. It makes for one tired mama!

I can't get enough of his baby cuddles. I'm so grateful that Robbie gets 10 days off work. He's been a huge help to me. Especially at first when we were figuring out breast feeding and I felt like I needed a third hand! 

My recovery has been pretty great. I feel great and with family here I started doing things with them pretty quickly. Nothing crazy but just walking thru the market on market day in my town and taking them to various places close by. However, I am now staying home to help Noah get on a better schedule or at least being consistent with it. He is such a great traveler but it def throws off our day. Robbie is home to take them places so I can stay behind.

I still need to blog my birth story but I thought since I'm not struggling to keep my eyes open at this moment I'll post my 1 week postpartum pics. 

I'm down 25 lbs and still have a ways to go but I am happy with how quickly my belly is going down.

I have just been focusing on Noah and my water intake but not stressing over food for now. I do however, try to get a good healthy breakfast everyday and snack on healthy foods. With family here I haven't had to cook dinner and that's been great! I did learn that spicy food makes his tummy very angry so I'm eliminating that for now.

The pic on the left is a few days before I had him and the right is yesterday.

Noah had his newborn photography session today and I can't wait to see the final pics. Be prepared to see way too much cuteness. 

I love being a mommy! 

Ok, it's nap time ;). 

Xo,

E