Post Partum check in Aug. 13

I

indybulla

Cathlete
Hi mommies, how is everyone? Where is everyone? Hope you are all doing well.

This is my last week with all the kids before Alex starts kindergarten on Friday. It's really starting to hit me, and I'm a bit emotional. However, I'm also excited for the new year and getting into a new schedule and having a bit more time to myself! I think a change will be healthy for me.

My eating this weekend was really bad!! I just sort of ate whatever and wasn't eating clean at all:( So, my challenge to myself this week is to really clean things up and watch my intake and drink tons of water. Workouts were decent, although I ended up not working out at all this weekend (bad combo with the bad eating!). I've set a good schedule for this week that I'm determined to stick too! Increasing intensity this week also and tackling some advanced Cathe workouts. No change in weight to report but I'm trying to only weigh in a couple times a month rather than once a week so I'm not obsessing about it.

Here were my workouts last week:

Monday – Stretch Max (20min)
Tuesday – Low Impact Step (40min)
Wednesday – Crunch Superslimdown (Yoga/Pilates-40min)
Thursday – Elliptical Intervals (40min)
Friday – Upper Body Sculpt & Abs (30min)
Saturday – Rest Day
Sunday – Rest Day

Hope you all have a great Monday and good luck with workouts and eating this week. ;)
Stacey

Ryan born 1/2/07
Emma born 4/27/03
Alex born 9/7/01
 
Hi mommies,

I hope that everyone had a great weekend. Mine was nice, DH was off yesterday, so that was really nice.

Here are my workouts from last week:

Mon - GS Back, Shoulders and Biceps
Tue - Body Max 2 Cardio Premix (First time I did that and I loved it)
Wed - GS Chest and Triceps
Thu - Yoga
Fri - off
Sat - GS Legs
Sun - 45 min treadmill hill climb

Really noticed that my endurance during cardio is getting better, so that's great and I am really trying to push myself, I was getting kinda lazy :p . And I noticed that pushing myself really helped to get my legs nice and sore from GS Legs ;-) .

Heidi is doing well. She is getting more and more on her knees and trying to figure out how to get forward, it is so cute. She likes to go places, there is just so much for her to see and you can tell that she really enjoys that. Other than that, she is starting to get really fussy when changing her diaper x( , I hope that's just a phase.

Stacey - Don't you love LowMax, it's such a great workout. Don't worry about the bad eating, happens to me all the time, living with 2 sweet teeth makes it so hard to be good. How is Ryan?

Lori - 2nd week in a row you didn't start the check in???? ;)

Ok, gotta get some lunch, but I'll be back
Kristine :)
 
I'd love to join you guys. My daughter, Madelynn was born April 7. My workouts are becoming more consistent now that I am back at work but I really need to work on my eating.

Here are my workouts for last week:

Mon: Week 2 Couch-to-5K
Tue: Push/Pull
Wed: Week 2 Couch-to-5K
Thur:Supersets
Fri: Week 2 Couch-to-5K
Sat: Off
Sun: Off

I'm trying to get back to running 3 miles. Plus, I want to keep my workouts outdoor for awhile - by the time I get home from work it's too hot and muggy and in a few short months the snow will start to fly. Once winter hits I'll be back to my Cathe workouts for cardio.
 
Hello!

Kristine, awesome workouts last week and glad to hear I'm not the only one who has some eating slip ups:)!! Sounds like Heidi will be on the move soon enough, Ryan is also getting on his knees a bit and manouvering his little body around. He is soooo vocal too! He likes me to carry him around the house and in an odd sort of way I'll be happy when he can crawl so I don't have to carry him as much. Although, then I'll be chasing him!!;) Yes, do love Low Max and will be doing it this week as part of my workouts. I have the fittv version and am asking for the actual dvd for Christmas so I have all the different premix options (and am not missing sections of the workout). It's nice to do the fittv versions so I can try the workout, but boy I don't like the commercial breaks! I also have KPC off of fittv and will try it this week.

Welcome ksbehning!!! Sorry, didn't know your name so used your username:) Congratulations on the birth of your daughter and I love the name Madelyn! Your workouts look great, and I've got a friend who also is doing the couch to 5k program. She loves it, so I'm thinking I may try to start up a bit of a running routine once the weather cools down here and I can load Ryan up in the jogger without collapsing of heat exhaustion. Glad to have another mom join us and look forward to chatting.

Lori, Trish, Jean, are you all still out there? Hope your babies are doing well:)

I'll try to check in later today.


Stacey

Ryan born 1/2/07
Emma born 4/27/03
Alex born 9/7/01
 
I know, I know...someone needs to take me outside and shoot me! LOL:) :) But Im here earlier this week, that has to say something! hahaha

Things here are really good. Like Heidi, Rylan is getting up on his knees but his arms aren't straight yet so he kind of just hangs out and then gets back into position again. Alot of chit chat and babbling going on...still can't get him to say "mom" even though he is saying "mmmmmmmmmmmmmm" half the time:) He as also been holding his arms out for me which makes me feel special! hehe

I didn't eat so well last week either but my workouts were good so everything evened out.My sister is home now so its kind of hard for me to eat really clean b/c she doesn't pick the best choices, mostly b/c she is on vaca so whatever she eats...I eat to}(

Here are my workouts:

Sun:BC UB, MM UB and the Viper
Mon:67 mins run and abs
Tues:67 mins run
Wed: 45 mins run (hills)
Thurs: weights
Fri: Scrammbled eggs
Sat: GS UB and 60 mins run
Sun: off

I had some days last week where I wasn't feeling very well. If I didn't know the dif, I would have thought I was preggo again. Im wondering if its b/c Ive stopped bf'ing that my hormones are a little unstable and causing me to be sick and tired? Thats what happened to my friend so I know its possible. I felt alot better yesterday when I got a good night sleep the night before.

Stacy, little one going off to school hey? I know its hard. Although I was only young when DD went to school so I think I was tougher back then then I am now. Im hoping not to be like my friend though. Her first was 8 when her 2nd child was born and the 2nd one was babied alot...which made the 1st one to be bit of a case later in life. She had a hard time with her as a teen.And she still acts up from time to time.
I eat bad to when I don't work out, you would think it would be the other way around? LOL

Kristine, soon heading to your parents house? The kiddies are going to be very busy when they start getting on the go. Rylan pretty much sits up on his own but I wouldn't leave him there cause I know he will topple over.

Welcome, new commer! Didn't catch your name!Is this your first baby? They grow up so fast and great job on getting your workouts in!

Alright, "HI" to everyone else!:) Have a good week!

Lori:)
 
Thanks for the welcome everyone! I forgot to sign my name - it's Kim (I think I added an automatic sginature now). Madelynn is my first. She was born a month early and weighed 5 lbs 14 ounces. She is very heathly and apparently just like her mom - never wants to be late for anything so she shows up early. At her four month appointment last week she was up to 11 lbs 14 ounces and 23 3/4 inches - so she's still petite but growing. I can't believe how much she has changed in just 4 months. My sister had a baby two weeks ago and when we went to visit her I couldn't believe how big Madelynn seemed - and her cousin was 2 lbs bigger and 2 inches longer when he was born.
I can't believe I love someone I just met so much. Motherhood is a wonderful thing. :)
 
Hi mommies! It's been awhile since I checked in. Everyone here is doing well. Jack is growing so quickly and sleeping better at night. I'm still nursing (suprising to me!) and everything is going well.

We just got back from our vacation at Rocking Horse Ranch. We had a great time and all three kids were just wonderful!

I haven't been on because I've been doing terrible with both my eating and exercising. I don't know what my problem is- I just can't seem to get it together. I get started for a few days and then blow it. Sigh! I am so unhappy at this weight and feel like such a lump. That should be enough motivation to get me going but somehow it isn't.

OK- enough whining! I hope everyone is doing well and welcome to Kim! My baby was born April 20th so they are pretty close!

Have a great day!
Jean

Emily 6/22/01
David 9/20/02
Jack 4/20/07
 
Hello Lori:)
Thanks for your kind words about my son starting kindergarten. I'm sure I'll be less of a mess after the first day!! I'm actually looking forward to him having a bit of structure during the day and it really will give me a break as well.

Sorry to hear you've been feeling off since stopping breast feeding. You know, a good friend of mine quit breast feeding about a month ago and she also had a lot of symptoms like fatigue, depression and just generally feeling like crap!! She saw her doctor and he said it is very common to feel bad after you quit breastfeeding, so it sounds like what your experiencing is pretty common. Hope that you start to feel like your self again soon.

I sure wish Ryan would cut his first teeth, poor little thing is miserable with this teething and drooling up a storm:(

Have a great day ;)
Stacey

Ryan born 1/2/07
Emma born 4/27/03
Alex born 9/7/01
 
Hi Kim!
Yes it is amazing how much babies change in a short amount of time. Sounds like your Madelynn is adorable and doing great:) Motherhood is indeed a wonderful thing, and I'm glad to hear you are doing so well.

My sister also recently had a baby, and it is incredible the size difference between her baby and mine.

:)
Stacey

Ryan born 1/2/07
Emma born 4/27/03
Alex born 9/7/01
 
Hi Jean!
So nice to hear from you again, and sounds like Jack is doing just great! Glad to hear that his sleep is going better, seems like they do so much better around 3-4months of age with nightime sleeping.

Sorry to hear your motivation is low, but don't worry, you'll get it back! Things are busy no doubt for you (I really do get what it's like with 3!). Will your older kids be starting school soon? Maybe you'll have more time and energy to exercise once they are on a good routine. I do all my workouts at night after mine go to bed (they go to bed early, usually by 8pm) so I'm able to get a workout in from 8-9pm. That's just worked well with my schedule and surpisingly, my energy is pretty good that time of day (think I've just adjusted to it). Maybe you need to purchase Cathe's new dvd's for inspiration:) LOL!!

;) Hope to chat more soon.
Stacey

Ryan born 1/2/07
Emma born 4/27/03
Alex born 9/7/01
 
Hello mommies!!

Wow - it seems like I've missed alot and it's only Wednesday!! Glad everyone is doing well! Here are my workouts for last week:

Mon - Windsor Pilates (bun & thigh)
Tues - Bootcamp
Wed - Super Sets
Thurs - Off
Fri - KPC(Intensity Drills) & LG
Sat - Off
Sun - Core Max2 & Stretch Max

Stacey - I'm so excited to hear how things work out with Alex on Friday!! Amaya still has a 3 weeks before school starts, but I'm starting to get anxious...and I think she might be, too! Does Alex tend to adjust to change pretty well? Amaya is in pre-school which should help some since she's already out of the house, but she does not take to change at all :(

I struggle with my eating at times, too. Last night I made a big batch of smothered chicken, rice, veggies and cornbread. Usually, I make seperate meals for myself, but last night it just smelled too good so I gave in ;) - I had 3 pieces of corn bread!!

Oh, I hope you like the fittv kpc...I started that way too and bought the dvd...so much more! I love the intensity drills!

Kristine - Yippee!! Heidi is starting to crawl! Whenever we put Olivia on her tummy she will only stay for 5-10 seconds and then starts to cry and looks like she's doing supermans..LOL. It seems like she wants to skip the whole crawling thing and go right to walking, but I really hope she starts crawling soon.

Kim - Welcome and congratulations on your little one! Getting back to work and a regular routine really helped me be more consistent with my workouts, too. That sounds crazy...less time at home equals better workouts...LOL!! I never heard of the couch to 5k program...I'll have to check it out. I have always wanted to jog, but found that I could never control my breathing right and usually had to stop very quickly or my knees started to bother me.

Lori - When I stopped bf'ing I definitely went through a little seperation anxiety and just feeling down right low! It was heartbreaking with both children, but it eventually passed. I hope you're feeling better soon :)

Well, ladies, I'm off to visit my parents in TX for the next two weeks so I'm not sure if I'll get a chance to sign in although I've promised myself to work out at least a few times a week and hopefully get in some good swim time. This will be the first time my parents are meeting Olivia so it will be pretty exciting!

Take care,

Trish
 
Hi everyone. I am new here. I was a member of the the mamas-to-be-thread until last Wednesday, when our second son, Jeremy, was born. He was a very healthy 7 pounds, 10 ounces and 19.4 inches long. I made it to almost 38 weeks, which is really good, considering my first son, Ethan, was premature at less than 31 weeks. So, I did very well. :) Jeremy is a very quiet baby so far, and has started to sleep better at night after one or two rough nights after we first got home. Today, he is a week old and I can't believe it!

I was given permission to go ahead and start walking for exercise from my doctor, and have walked for an hour or so for the last two days. Granted, I am not walking very fast yet and am determined to not overdo it. I just really needed the fresh air and sunshine. I am not very good at sitting around at home. Though this time around, since Jeremy is much less fussy (so far) than Ethan was, I am enjoying myself more. My doctor also said I can start doing whatever exercise I was doing in my third trimester whenever I feel comfortable, and gradually build back up to what I was doing prior to my pregnancy by my 6 week check up. I am very pleased, as exercise is so important to me and really helps me keep my spirits up and stress level down. I was curious what exercise and Cathe workouts you guys started back with after you gave birth. Can you give me your suggestions? I would really appreciate it! I was thinking I better start with my pregnancy videos and then work up to low impact and light weight training. But I am going to avoid ab exercises and probably just stick with walking until 2 weeks post partum, as that is what is recommended in my Fit Pregnancy book. It does say, however, that low impact aerobics shouldn't be started again until 6 weeks, which seems to be the opposite of what my doctor said was okay. What does everyone else here think? When did you start doing low impact Cathe videos and others? What sort of gradual build up to exercise did you do?

Thanks to everyone in advance for your tips. And a belated congrats to all of you. :)

Erin

Jeremy 8/8/07
Ethan 10/12/02
 
Welcome Erin!!

Congratulations on your new little one :) Is Ethan enjoying his new brother?

I started back to working out with Low Max, leaving out the blast challenges and really taking it easy with all of the steps/choreography. It was perfect for me since I loved this dvd anyway. I did that about 2-3 times a week from 2-4 weeks post partum and then added in very light weight work (mostly upper body). Probably added in some very basic ab work around 6 weeks following my dr.'s visit. It really took me a while (maybe 3-4 months) before I could do roll-ins or jackknifes on the ball. Finally, I started adding in more advanced workouts (Low Max w/blasts, Step Blast, Legs & Glutes, etc) about 8-12 weeks pp.

Hope that helps!

Trish
 
Hi Trish, so nice to hear from you and sounds like Olivia is doing great! All our little ones are wanting to move I think:) Soon enough they will be!

Looks like your workouts were great last week too. I'll let you know how Alex does on Friday, he seems ready and luckily is a very adaptable, social kid. I'm sure it'll take a few weeks for him to settle into the routine, but I think he'll do great.

I bet Amaya will settle in fine too, just seems to take them a bit of time to adjust (and us too!).

Have a great trip to TX and spending time with your parents:)

Stacey

Ryan born 1/2/07
Emma born 4/27/03
Alex born 9/7/01
 
Welcome Erin and Congratulations on the birth of your son!! How wonderful:) I delivered at 38 weeks with each of my kids, so I guess some of us just have a shorter gestation than others.

That's great you got the green light on walking from your doctor, it is so nice to get out and get some fresh air. As far as exercise goes, I started off really lite and gradually worked my way up. I have an elliptical trainer, so I used that to get started, and did some walking as well. Once I felt stronger (I think around 4 weeks) I added in light aerobics (some postnatal exercise dvd's and beginner level walking ones). At 6 weeks after I saw my doctor, I resumed strength training, ab work, and started with easy step workouts. I did Cathe's basic step/body fusion (and still do) dvd, and Low impact step. I love both of these dvd's. At about 3-4months I felt ready to challenge myself and started in on kickboxing and some more intense workouts. Now at 7 months postpartum I feel I'm at a solid intermediate level and am starting on Low Max and KPC that I recorded off of fit tv. My next Cathe purchases are Low Max (full version) and Low Impact Circuit. Some of the other mom's on this forum are at a more advanced level than I am, and are able to tackle the tougher workouts. For me, I'm still gradually building up, but have seem wonderful results. With clean eating/exercise I've dropped 38pounds and have 5 left to lose to reach my goal weight.

Hope that helps, sounds like you're on the right track! Good luck with the first few weeks, hope you get a bit of rest and enjoy your new baby;)
Stacey

Ryan born 1/2/07
Emma born 4/27/03
Alex born 9/7/01
 
Trish and Stacey, thanks for the warm welcome and congratulations! This is a super sweet board and I appreciate both your tips so much. It's very helpful to hear personal stories on how to build back up to exercise after baby. I really want to start back full force and not wait, but it sounds like that is not very wise. I will stick with walking for now and maybe by next Wedenesday (2 weeks postpartum) I can do some light aerobics or cross training. I'm thinking of starting with HSC, LIC and LM. I must admit, though, I am so anxious to use my new workouts; I bought HST and CM right before Jeremy was born as a means of motivating myself postpartum. I know CM will need to wait, but I wonder when it would be safe to try HST? Is it very high impact? Could I modify the aerobic segments to low impact?

Thanks again for the help, ladies!

As for big brother Ethan, he is loving on baby Jeremy and really being a good helper. He is in preschool three days a week, and my hubby only works 4 days a week now (though he only had to work today this week), so the time with just me and the baby is a lot of fun and even very nicely quiet at times. Jeremy is fussy sometimes, but generally sleeps a lot still and when awake, is quite delightful with his sweet cooing sounds. :)

Take care,
Erin

Jeremy born 8/8/07
Ethan born 10/12/02
 
Needing some consoling and cheering on...

Hi everyone,

This is my first time to this section of the forum, I've met nice and supportive people like Stacey on this site. Thanks!

STACEY: Hope you're feeling good today, I feel for you. My boy is two months old and just thinking about him going to school makes my eyes well up already.

I'd first posted on Cathe.com a few weeks ago because I was down about my weight, and I love Cathe and therefore thought THIS is the place to come for support. I left the hospital much heavier than I expected! I only gained 30-35 lbs. through pregnancy (up and down in the end, and had a heavy baby) and was extremely active throughout, as I have been all my life. I started working out at 4 weeks postpartum, but was mildly active and eating right since leaving the hospital. It's now almost 9 weeks pp. I left the hospital at 157. I check my weight every week. 157. 157, on the dot for 9 weeks. I find it bizarre! Even at my prepregnancy weight, I went up and down from 132-137 all the time. That was no big deal.

I feel so stuck. I know it will take time and I want to be patient, but I thought 2 mos. later, the scale would move even a few pounds. I've always been in great shape and a very clean eater. I cook from Cooking Light 5 nights a week, eat nutritious snacks and light lunches, consume the right amount of calories, and bust my butt to find the time to work out, with a lot of help from my husband altering his schedule in order for me to have an hour to jog, etc. It's depressing--I am giving it my all.

Not here to "boo hoo" about myself, ladies, but I am wondering if anyone else experienced this? Yes, I am bummed, but I also find it impossible, given my efforts. Could something be wrong with me, medically? I just tell myself, "Hey, at least I'm not gaining!" and try to press on. :)

Anyway...on to the positive stuff. Here's what I did last week:

SUN. - Rested

MON.- Interval jogging/sprints (45 min.), Chest, Shoulders & Triceps
(My upper arms/upper back have never been so humongously wide! I think 75% of the weight I gained is there. Weird.)

TUES. - Running (45 min), abs work, and a stretching DVD

WED. - C, S, & T, 40 min. of Low Max

THURS. - Rest

TODAY - Running, 45 min., Strong Legs & Abs

I will check in next week with you all & get in sync with your posting dates. Thank you very much for reading and have a good weekend if you get this. I needed to vent before the weekend!

Cathy
 
RE: Needing some consoling and cheering on...

Hi Cathy and welcome!!!
Congratulations on the birth of your son, how wonderful:)!

I totally hear you on the weight loss, and I think your situation is very normal postpartum. I lost a few pounds initially after having the baby, then hit a plateau and seems like the weight has gone down quite slowly since that initial rapid loss. The good news is it has slowly gone down, and now I'm very close to my goal weight of 138 (at 141 now). It's taken me 7 1/2months to lose the weight. I was 180 when I gave birth to Ryan, and now at 141! My prepreggo weight has always been in the 135ish range which is where I feel most comfortable and clothes seem to fit the way I want to. After having 3, my challenge is the belly! It is getting better though, and I imagine I'll always have a bit of excess skin and I'm okay with that. Thanks to Cathe and her awesome workouts, I feel I'm in the best shape of my life and will continue to grow with her.

So, sorry for rambling. Hang in there, sounds like you're doing everything right and I know it's frusterating when the scale doesn't move. As far as advice, the only thing I can offer...Make sure your portion size is not too large, eat as many fruits and veggies as possible, and drink a ton of water. With clean eating and exercise, I bet the weight will come off, just give it time (your body has been through a lot)! Also, you could always chat with your doctor about it just for reassurance.

One more thing, I don't think I really felt like my body was changing until the 3 month postpartum point, and have heard many women say the same thing. Not sure if that's true for everyone, but there might be something to it.

Good luck!!! ;) Have a great weekend.
Stacey

Ryan born 1/2/07
Emma born 4/27/03
Alex born 9/7/01
 
Thanks Stacey

Your comment about the 3-mo. thing is sort of what I wanted to hear...I feel like there must be some other reason to this and a "magic date" when things start to improve. I did ask the dr. (my beloved OB is on her own maternity leave so I am stuck with someone I don't like--lonnnng story but it's made for a trying pergnancy!) at the 6-wk. follow-up, he said don't worry, I'm fine.

Sounds like your situation is similar to mine, right down to our ideal weight. It really helps to hear from you! Thanks. Three babies and you look great--what an inspiration.

Cathy
 
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