Oh baby weight. Such a fun topic, isn’t it?
All I can say is that it was more fun gaining it than it was losing it, but overall it wasn’t so bad. During my pregnancy I gained about 50 pounds. It is a lot of weight but I would not have changed a thing.
(40 weeks pregnant)
I honestly maintained a pretty healthy diet during pregnancy but I also had a good time with it. Especially towards the end, I enjoyed fun meals out like eating super spicy Szechuan food to induce labor, or squeezing my belly into the booth at the Vietnamese restaurant for a bowl full of Pho (which I craved constantly). Joe and I would make cinnamon rolls at home and I enjoyed every bite. We had so much fun together and those are some of the moments I really remember and cherish from my pregnancy.
During the first few months after delivery, things were pretty rough. I initially lost 21 pounds without doing anything, but after that it was up to me. I had about 30 lbs to lose (plus about 5 that I gained before I got pregnant). I had a large appetite due to breastfeeding, and wasn’t cooking much because things were just too crazy. I would turn to Luna Bars and Balance Bars and other quick snacks throughout the day to keep up my energy. I didn’t grocery shop often enough to stock the house with enough produce. I ate bananas, but that was about it.
Eating with Olivia in the Moby
After getting the green light at my 6 week checkup, I also started exercising more. It was slow going though because I had some bad pelvic pains afterwards. I was still healing, exhausted, and exercising with an additional 30 pounds on me was not easy on my joints. I admit that sometimes I tried to do too much. I just wanted to bounce back so fast, but my body wasn’t ready yet.
About a month postpartum
After 8 weeks, I joined Weight Watchers. I heard great things about their plan for nursing moms and I was excited about attending the meetings. I would bring Olivia in the stroller and sit in the back and wheel her back and forth. It felt good to get out of the house and to have a plan to motivate me but also help me protect my milk supply.
I must admit though that during this time I felt a bit uncomfortable in my own skin. It was summer time so I couldn’t hide. And none of my clothes fit. Maternity clothes did not fit right, but my old clothes were a ways away from fitting again. I mean…realllllly far away. I would see myself in pictures and be surprised at what I looked like. I have never been skinny, but I’ve never carried my weight in my stomach (mostly in my lower half), so it was strange to see this body. I didn’t know how to dress it (and also dress in nursing friendly clothing)which wrecked havoc on my confidence. I felt unfashionable and unhappy.
But I’ve never given up. Never thrown in the towel. I kept on with my consistent small weekly losses (and sometimes gains), and slowly started cooking more and moving more.
When Olivia turned 6 months, my body started to change. I saw some bigger losses and I started to get narrower all over. I think it may have to do with breastfeeding as that starts to change now that she is eating solids. Who knows. I can say that I am in the camp that feels that breastfeeding helps with weight loss. I have had very consistent losses even when my eating was not good, so I attribute that to the extra burn it gives me.
So how am I doing now? (if you’re still reading) Since starting Weight Watchers in the beginning of April I’ve lost 28 lbs. Which brings my total loss to 49 lbs. I have 6 more to go until I’m at my goal. My goal is a healthy weight for my height and one that I’ve maintained before. I feel healthier, more energetic, and really really proud of myself.
Volunteering last weekend- Keep in mind I’m wearing 3 shirts
Throughout this journey I’ve had times where I was hard on myself but mostly I’ve been kind to my body. It’s done amazing things. And it continues to do amazing things. I never expected to be one of those women that walked out of the hospital in her skinny jeans, but when you walk out with a beautiful, healthy baby, nothing else matters.
