Postpartum Exercise

One of the things i could not wait to do after i had baby M was get back into the gym for a good sweat sesh. Looking back i was uber careful during my pregnancy with working out, i basically stopped all cardio and stuck with light weight lifting, walking and yoga. Im happy i did, because it gave me piece of mind that i was not overdoing it and potentially causing harm to the baby.

My first "workout" came about two weeks after i had M, i went down to the gym for an incline walk. This was a great first workout since i had stopped working out about a week before birth plus the two weeks after birth. The next time i worked out was at 3 weeks pp (pp= postpartum). This time i decided to step it up and do some high intensity interval training, mainly in the form of burpees and air squats. The higher intensity felt great, but i was dead by the end of it (30 minutes or so). Over the next couple of days, i noticed a big decrease in my milk supply. After a quick google search, i realized that my intense exercise may have caused this (inadequate hydration was another culprit). I was a little frustrated since i was so excited about getting back into the swing of things, and firming up my core! So i took it easy for the next 2-3 weeks, only going for walks with baby M and some light yoga. I also made sure to drink a TON of water and eat a lot of healthy fats. About a week ago i decided to attempt a high intensity workout again, this time making sure i was hydrated before and after and making sure to eat an extra meal high in healthy fats to make up for the workout. My milk supply didnt suffer and i have been able to maintain working out 3-4 days a week for the past 2 weeks. Looking back, i think the mistake i made the first time was not drinking enough water. Lesson learned!

I have been focusing on lower body exercises because i have a 10 pound 6 ounce weight that gives me all the upper body training i could possibly need :)

Here is the workout i did this morning, it was a doozy!

Workout 1
Lunges with Rotation (20 on each side)
Squat with cross body medicine ball (20 reps)
Burpees (1 minute- as many reps as possible)
Squat with side kick (20 on each side)
Curtsey squat with kick (20 each side)
Air Squats (1 minute)
Laying plie squat (20 reps)
Arabesque (20 reps)

Cardio: 30 minutes on stair mill

Postpartum Eats

I hadn't really thought about how my diet would change after pregnancy, though i knew i still needed to be careful of what i ate while breastfeeding since the mothers diet can impact the taste and tolerance of breastmilk. Overall my diet after having baby M has been pretty much the same as during my pregnancy, though i have indulged in rainbow rolls and a few glasses of chardonnay! While breastfeeding it is very important to make sure you are taking in enough calories to maintain milk supply (I keep having to remind myself that extra calories from ice cream and chocolate aren't the best). Healthy fats are also key to making sure your milk is adequate for the baby to grow, so bring on the avocados, nut butter and salmon! It is also important to continue taking a prenatal vitamin. Your body will use your stores of vitamins to make sure your breastmilk is supplying your baby with all the needed vitamins, so you must make sure you are maintaining your stores of vitamins so you don't become deficient yourself. We have been lucky in that baby M has been tolerating breastmilk so far, and i haven't had to make any drastic diet changes like excluding dairy.

Typical day of eats:

Breakfast: Oatmega bar, apple and coffee

WATER

Lunch: Huge salad with one whole avocado, a hard boiled egg, cucumber, bell pepper, tomatoes (and any other veggie i have on hand), blue cheese dressing

WATER

Lunch dessert: high protein cookie

WATER

Afternoon snack: apple with peanut butter, two squares of dark chocolate

WATER

Dinner: varies- homemade pizza, stuffed chicken and salad, pulled pork sandwiches, chicken picatta, pasta with sausage etc

WATER

Dessert: pudding with cool whip, ice cream or skinny cow ice cream sandwich

WATER

As you can see, water is hugely important in maintaining milk supply!

Life Lately

I read numerous blogs daily, but have again neglected to be consistent with my own. I keep telling myself that i will get into a routine and start blogging on a regular basis, even if it is only once a week. Though i find myself favoring playing with the little one while she is awake, and reading, catching up on my favorite TV shows, and prepping food while she is napping. I just cant seem to incorporate blogging into my daily routine. So this is another attempt :)

July 30, 2013 at 1:21 pm, our lives changed forever. Little miss Madison Grace was born and we were instantly enamored and more in love than we ever thought possible.

I have spent the last 6 weeks figuring out how to be the best mommy for baby M that I can be. Sleep has been limited, but the love and joy we have experienced is unmatched. I never thought being a mommy would be a natural instinct for me, but i was pleasantly surprised. I know i still have a lot of learning to do, but i was surprised at how comfortable i felt with baby M and how i knew how to feed, love and nurture her from the start.

So what has life been like lately? Our families have been visiting, which has been awesome. It is so nice to see baby M meet her grandparents, aunts and uncles. Living away from our families has always been tough, so we feel blessed that they have all made the effort to come visit and spend time with our new family of three.

Grandpa O and Aunt LaDonna

Mimi

Pops

Mimi and Grandpa Deni

Pops and Gamma Sue

Aunt Dom and LaDonna

 

 

Mimi and Aunt Kelley

A day in the life...

We are still not on a regular schedule since M is still eating every 2-3 hours, so times can vary depending on when she eats, though we do have a sequence of events that we usually do each day.

6-7am: wake up for the day, feed baby M. After eating and a diaper change, Baby M hangs out in bed with us while we drink our coffee, check emails etc.

8-10 am:  After playing in bed a bit, we get M ready for her first nap of the day. Sometimes this is in our bed, sometimes back in the crib.

10-11 am: Wake up, eat, play! When M starts to look tired again, she goes in the car seat and we walk to the gym. She usually falls back asleep on the stroller ride to the gym and then I can get a good workout in.

12-1: I shower while baby M is usually starting to wake up again. After my shower, baby M eats again, we play a little and then back down for a nap. I usually try to do some prep for dinner in this afternoon nap.

3-4: Baby M wakes up, we eat and play again. She usually will not go down for another nap after this. For some reason, early evening is the witching hour and she is pretty fussy. I usually cant do much for dinner prep until the hubby comes home and can relieve me since M is still pretty fussy.

6-7. We try to eat dinner...lol

7-8: Feed baby M, then it is bath time! M loves the bath and it usually tires her out pretty well. After the bath we read a couple of books and rock in the glider. We put on the lullaby station on pandora and have quiet time.

8-9: Getting baby M to sleep. We usually have to stay in her room for a little while, keep putting her pacifier back in her mouth when she spits it out and cries. She is usually asleep by 9.

9-10: Unwind with the hubby.

10-11: Dreamfeed for baby M, then we go to bed.

I have been getting up once in the middle of the night because M can now get a 5 hour stretch after the dream feeding (usually i get up around 3), and then the next feeding is between 6-7 and i get up for good.


I feel like i have a lot more to talk about now that i am busy with a baby, especially some nutrition and fitness related topics. Ill be checking back in soon...