Body After Baby: 6 week update

Hi Beauties!

I’m popping in with another update on how things are going on my postpartum journey.

Before you read this post, please go read my first Body After Baby post to read my disclaimer and hear why I’m sharing all of this with you.

I’m officially 6 weeks out from giving birth and things are going really well.

A few weeks ago I would have had a different answer. When my little guy was 4 weeks old I came down with mastitis. It was bad, really bad. I had a really high fever, terrible aches and flu-like chills. Unfortunately I had to go on antibiotics because my temperature got so high, but fortunately they helped and I was able to recover relatively quickly.

{6 weeks postpartum}

To help counter-act the negative effects of antibiotics I’ve been taking a high-quality probiotic each day and giving them to my little guy as well. I’m taking MegaFlora and I give him Gerber Soothe drops each day. Don’t be thrown off by the Gerber brand or the fact that it’s marketed for colic. I used to buy these exact probiotics when they were sold by Bio Gaia. Gerber purchased the formula and now sells them under their label. These drops contain the probiotic, L. reuteri, that is present in breastmilk.

(Of course, I do recommend consulting your doctor before taking supplements I mention here on The Balanced Life.)

Once I recovered, we really turned a corner. Being alone with 2 little ones all day doesn’t seem quite as overwhelming as it did the first few weeks and my daughter is settling down and accepting our new dynamic. Thank goodness.

Here are a few more snapshots of how things are going at 6 weeks postpartum…

Stats:

Total weight gain during pregnancy: 39 lbs

Weight loss at week 3: 21.5 lbs

Weight loss at week 6: 23.5 lbs

Weight left to lose: 15.5 lbs (Give or take. I’m not set on getting to the EXACT weight I was prior to pregnancy)

Measurement changes since delivery:

Waist: down 5″

Belly: down 3.25″

Hips: down 1.75″

Upper Thigh: down 0.75″

Lower Thigh: down 0.75″

As I mentioned in my first post I measure my progress in 4 different ways: the scale, photos, measurements and most importantly, how my clothes fit.

I coach all of my clients in my online programs to do the same. We tend to get so caught up with the number on the scale and it only shows one small part of the whole picture. I’ve found that especially on the postpartum journey, there are many times the scale won’t budge but the measurements drop. In fact, this past week I lost the lowest number on the scale but had the biggest drop in inches. If you are on a weight loss journey I encourage you to look beyond the scale as well.

Diet: 

I’ve officially been off of dairy and soy for my little guy’s dairy/soy protein intolerance and while we’ve definitely noticed positive changes (less crying, less gassy, less spit up) his diapers still haven’t cleared up 100%. So in addition to dairy and soy, I’ve officially cut out egg and gluten as well. I’ll stick to these 4 common allergens for the next 4 weeks and see how it goes. I’m praying we find which food is bothering him soon! If you pray, I appreciate your prayers as well. 🙂

I’m drinking lots of water and trying to eat plenty of fruits, vegetables and protein. But I am still not in “weight loss mode” just yet. Especially since I’ve been having to give so much time and energy to eliminating certain food groups. If you’ve been following my blog or participating in any of my online programs you know I’m all about taking it ONE step at a time. If I was trying to get my diet on track for my son AND lose weight, I might go crazy. One thing at a time.

The good news is that the scale and my measurements are still moving in the right direction without me having to do anything crazy (other than eliminate 4 food groups, ha!) so I feel good about how things are going.

Exercise:

I’m feeling great physically. My abs feel really weak, but other than that I feel like I’ve given my body proper time to heal and recover. I encourage all of you new moms to give yourself the full 6 weeks to recover (if not more). Even when you don’t FEEL like you’re recovering, your body is still transitioning from pregnancy to post-pregnancy and it’s important to respect the process.

I’ve been going for walks and I plan to do that more regularly in the next few weeks. I’m also hoping to do some walk/runs to get back into cardiovascular shape. It’s been almost a year since my last run!

I’m continually grateful for my online membership group. The women in The Sisterhood are so encouraging and inspiring! (a new workout and Recipe Bundle went out on October 1st! Join us!)

Emotions:

Now that I’m able to look back on the last 6 weeks with a clear head, I can tell you that the first 4 weeks were ROUGH.

I had a moment where I had to really consider how I was doing emotionally. I was crying as my husband left for work and I had to pause and ask myself if I felt like I was experiencing postpartum depression. After taking some time to think through things and reflect, I realized that the first 4 weeks were full of challenges that made everything harder than I expected it to be. Things like my family not being able to stay as long as I had hoped to help with the transition, a sick 2-year-old that I had to keep away from a newborn 24 hours a day (talk about stress!), a husband working extra long hours and coming home after bedtime, and mastitis which kept me in bed, on medicine and unable to do much at all. All of these things are hard on their own. Add a newborn, the physical recovery from pregnancy and a complete shift in our family dynamic and it makes sense why I was feeling so overwhelmed!

Thankfully, as I mentioned, I feel as though we’ve turned a corner and we are finally finding a rhythm that works. I’m sure there will be more ups and downs in the weeks to come but I’m grateful for where we’re at today.

I should also add that in the beginning 2 babies crying and falling apart at the same time really stressed me out. But after just 6 weeks I’m less phased by these moments of utter chaos. They come and they go all throughout the day and I’m better able to handle the ups and downs as it is slowly becoming a new normal. A chaotic new normal! 🙂

I’ll check back in with you all soon. My next update will include more details about what I’m doing for workouts and how I’m easing back into a regular fitness routine.

Be sure to come say hi on Instagram. That’s where I share the daily and weekly updates along with healthy tips to find balance when life gets busy. 🙂

Thank you for supporting me on this journey!

xo,

PS – you may also enjoy Body After Baby: Birth – 3 Weeks and my free Prenatal Pilates Series on YouTube.

PPS – a Postnatal Pilates Program is in the works! Be sure to sign up for my mailing list below to be notified when it goes live. I’ll also send you a free 20-minute workout. 🙂