HOW DO I DO THIS???

C

cathefan73

Member
Can any new moms out there help me?

I am an avid advanced exerciser and worked out almost daily during my pregnancy until the day i delivered, actually. Now my baby is almost 8 weeks old and I have barely been able to work out. I couldnt have done it for the first two weeks post partum bc i was so sore and healing (tore badly) but for the past 5-6 weeks, I have only managed to squeeze in a handful of workouts and usually I am interrupted. I have actually GAINED wt since I had the baby--no, not my stomach but my legs and butt! It's so dperessing.

How on earth do you have time to exercise? Honeslty, how?

I am nursing and she wont take a bottle and I am hesitant to force that bc of nipple confusion and bc nursing hasnt been a breeze for us in the first place so i dont want to tempt fate so to speak. My baby nurses often, like every one and a half to two hours and doesn sleep for long stretches. lucky me!!

I get so down on how i look now whereas when i was preggers, i felt i looked amazing and was told i was all baby. I honestly am fatter now though, in the lower body. I know my diet has been a bit brutal bc i am depressed (emotional eater) and bc we sometimes order in bc i am too tired to cook and also can not be bothered to cook sometimes. My husband is supportive and helps out a ton but works outside the home so i mean he is limited in what he can do.

I dont feel like i am handling my new role as a mother very well and I am having so much trouble balancing my life and even having a life. I know it hasnt been long, i mean only two months but it's still bothering me so much.

thanks for listening and any suggestions, advice, shared experiences etc you might have for me.
 
Just wanted to say...
Hang in there!

I know the past 8 weeks probably seems like it has been a long time to you right now, but you are going to have plenty of easier times where you will be feeling much better. Easier times are coming soon!

For me personally it took 3 months after my son was born until I even started to feel like myself again. Sleep deprivation is really hard on the body. I had problems nursing too so I ended up pumping milk. It seemed in the beginning that I would just finish one cycle of feeding and then pumping and he would be ready to eat again. So exhausting!

It is going to get much better and you will feel better soon. The baby will start taking longer naps and sleeping longer at night and you will be able to not only get more sleep, but also exercise.

Try not to stress about it now (I know easier said than done, right?)

Good Luck
 
((((hugs))))

It's a big adjustment going from no kids to having one. Please go easy on yourself. I'm sure you are doing better than you think and remember post partum hormones can wreak havoc on one's perspective.

A couple of things that helped me workout as a new mom were purchasing a jogging stroller. I can't remember how old they have to be to go into one, but I did use it alot with baby #1. Also, a swing. It seems to keep to little ones entertained and even sleepy for enough time to get in a workout. Maybe you could schedule 30 minutes at a time instead of the standard hour that we avid exercisers like.

Take one day at a time with all the things you are doing, set small goals, look for some sort of support (family, mom's group, church?)and remember that this stage is only a season of your life. It will pass.

Take extra good care of yourself.

Maggie:)
 
It is a huge transition you're going through so don't feel so bad about yourself. I didn't even start working out until 8 weeks post partum with both my babies and I started off real slow. You'll get a system going and then find a way to get your workouts in. Start small like Maggie said then you won't feel so overwhelmed. Also, post partum depression hit me hard with my first one and it was about 8-10 weeks before I was feeling "normal" so take it one day at a time. Don't be so hard on yourself!

Lisa
 
Lots and lots and lots of patience. AS mentioned above, jogging strollers are awesome, as weather permits. I had Nov & Jan babies, so I used DVDs to get back into shape. It wasn't unusual to take 2 hours to do a 50 minute workout at first (b/c baby needed me). If DH is around, maybe you can work a deal with him for just an hour a day (or consider a teenager for a couple times week).

Hang in there, it WILL get easier to workout as sleep schedules get more consistant. In the meantime I suggest super clean eating & DON"T stop nursing!!!!

Good luck, you're NOT alone. ;)

~Melanie~

Jadon born 11/23/05
Justin born 1/17/04
Jory born 4/9/94
 
You've rec'd some great advice. I highly recommend a getting out with the stroller. Also, don't be afraid to workout when you can. I often have to break up my workouts into 20 minute increments. Finally, what about the gym? Can you use the nursery there?
 
Hello!!!

My liitle girl is now 9 months. But I was right with when she was little. Hang in there. It does get easier, much easier. Don't be hard on yourself. Think about what your body just went through. Just do the best you can. One more thing is, take in all these baby days, they go by so fast. It seems like just a week ago my little was born and now she's 9 months and crawling.

Take one day at a time :)

Good Luck:D
 
Hello cathefan,

My son Nico is also 8 weeks old, so I know where you're coming from :) The sleep deprivation is a killer, so don't be hard on yourself. I really wouldn't be able to exercise w/o DH around to look after my little guy. He knows how important it is (I can clear my head and work out some of those hormones, aside from getting back into shape). So maybe DH could help? Or as a pp suggested, a babysitter? I take Nico out for some great walks, too - very good exercise if you can get some hills in.

Keep us posted and hang in there,

arancini
 
Your post sounds exactly like me, seven months ago. Today my daughter turns 9 months, and I have a great workout schedule, starting at 5:30 before she wakes up at 7. I had to play with it before it started working, and I didn't really get serious about a workout routine until she was 3 months old.

Try to celebrate the small pieces of workout time you get, always aiming for something better, but knowing it might take some time. Like you, there was no way I could find a good time to workout at the beginning. My daughter still takes short naps.

At about 4 months, I got serious about clean eating and routine exercising. The weight did come off pretty quickly then(and like you, it was quite slow at first!).

I hope we can offer you hope that your daughter will develop a better schedule in her own time, sooner than you think!

Anna

I
"I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength." Philippians 4:13
 
As stated, you have gotten great advice. My first was a snacker and ate every 20 minutes it seemed. I would nurse and change baby then put her in the swing by my workout area. I would let a cry a little then stop a few times to nurse, always finishing my workout. I also found even if I was exhausted I scheduled a time to exercise. Once I exercised I felt better.
 
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