Postpartum check in Week of March 14th

M

melanalyus

Cathlete
Hey ladies! I sure had lots of fun my 'last' week at home with workouts and getting things in 'order'. I did Jillybean's Terminator 1 workout--with the exception I didn't make it to the last day (today). Justin screamed for a couple of hours last night, then he coughed and was congested most of the night. I got very little sleep & I didn't want to push myself through a workout today. He's feeling better today--no coughing. I'm wondering if it might have to do with his immunizations he had on Wednesday?

My diet has been rich in carbohydrates, chocolate, and caffeine. Not as rich in veggies & fruit as it should be. I will be focusing on a healhier diet for the next week to come.

Monday morning I go back to work. Please remember Justin and I in your prayers as we make this transition. ;-)

Sun:eek:ff
Mon: Guntlet (this was a blast!)
Tue: C&W--8 inch plateform
Wed: PLB
Thurs: Rhytmic Step-- 8 inch plateform + KPC abs
Fri: Viper + ME abs (these abs are tough!!!)
Sat: rested


**Melanie**
Justin born 1/17/04
Jory born 4/9/94

" Take care of your body like it will last a lifetime. Take care of your soul like it will last for eternity"
 
Hi everyone,
Melanie, looks like you had a great workout week. I hope Justin is feeling better and good luck with your return to work. I felt bad for my firms collecting dust and tried to put workouts together for more of a challenge. I really enjoyed this break from cathe videos and felt the workouts.

Sun-Firm bootcamp-both parts
Mon-Calorie killer 1 and 2
Tues-Upper body sculpt +upper body (from the classics)
Wed-standing legs
Thurs-cardio burn +max. cardio plus abs
Fri-firm strength
Sat-walked to the park with alexis(about 3 miles) on a side note, my jogging stroller even went smoothly over snow.
 
Shopaholic, where do you live? Just curious that you're able to go walking with Alexxis in the snow? Hmmm. Our snow is just about melted here in MN, but I'm sure we'll get a little more before it stays warm. We've had a couple of days in the 40s dispersed with most days in lower 30s. When I get my jogger stroller I'm going to be super anxious to use it. I don't want little Justin to be cold though. :)

I also have some FIRM tapes, a friend is borrowing them right now. It is nice to do variety. I haven't tired of IS or BB yet... IS arrived about 1-2 months before I got pregnant & BB arrived the last month of pregnancy. I'm just now able to push myself to my limits with them, which is always fun. :) I like FIRM, TaeBo, Mindy Mylera, & Janis Saffell. For the most part, I'm a loyal Catheite. ;-)

I'm really impressed with everyone's workout schedules. For the most part it seems people are able to workout consistently 6-7days/week. That's amazing. I'm a little behind, as I have historically been a 4-6 day/week exerciser. :)

I'm wondering if you ladies would like to share what state you are in & if you work/plan to work outside the home? As mentioned above, we live in Minnesota. Both DH & I grew up in Wisconsin, and moved here about 11 years ago. DH is self-employed building contractor. For the most part he takes care of the home & does odd jobs to earn extra cash. I work about 32hrs/week as a pharmacist. I'm a new pharmacist--as I just graduated in 2002-- love my job. :)

**Melanie**
Justin born 1/17/04
Jory born 4/9/94

" Take care of your body like it will last a lifetime. Take care of your soul like it will last for eternity"
 
Hi Melanie,
Don't know where everone else is. I live in MA, the roads were clear of snow but there was a little snow on the sidewalks. It snowed on and off last week but is now melting. As I mentioned, I am a therapist, I got my masters in social work in 1994 and have been in the field since then.
 
Hi everyone,

Logs look great, who would believe this is a postpartum forum…;). How fun to learn something more about everyone, see if those mental pictures hold true…;))). I work outside the home too, I actually don’t live in the States but in Scandinavia, we have about 9-10 months maternity leave here, so that’s how long I’m going to stay home. After that I’ll take some vacation time off, so I’ll probably end up going back to the office in the beginning of 2005. I have a Master’s degree in Music (actually got my Bachelor’s while studying in the States ;)), I work as an education / project manager at the university.

There’s still some snow outside here too (the climate is a lot like in Minnesota, I believe), so going for walks isn’t that nice yet. Besides, with my first born only 1 year 10 months, I’d need twin strollers, which we don’t have (I highly doubt I’d be up for pushing them around anyway…). Can’t wait for spring though, I love making long walks in the weekends with the whole family!

Anyway, my back’s been finally feeling totally normal, so I’ve been really enjoying hitting some cardio. Though I gotta say, I could actually see and feel a difference after doing mostly weights for a few weeks, I have to agree with people that it does show quicker. Also, I really noticed what a big difference it made to do the weightwork before the cardio (I used to always do the cardios first, but now I’m going to do both, depending on what I want to emphasize). Enough babble, here’s my log:

Sun: Power hour + Cardio & weights
Mon: Power max
Tue: Intense Moves (G.Miller) + PS CST
Wed: Legs & glutes + Cardio & weights
Thu: Body max
Fri: Imax2 + Abs from C & W
Sat: Push & Pull

I’ve had the worst case of the munchies lately, so the I’ll really need the tougher workouts…;)) I don’t know if it has to do with the baby upping her milk intake, and that causing this rise in the appetite. Anybody else noticed anything like this?

Melanie, hope Justin’s doing better, I know my first-born was cranky after her immunizations (I’ll always remember making the mistake of making a visit to a friend I hadn’t seen for some time, it was quite outraging with her being on her absolutely worst behaviour…! What a nightmare!).

Hope everyone has a great week,

Maria
 
OOOHH I am frusterated--I just wrote this long post and lost it--no time to do it again now--I'll check in laterx(

take care
Maggie
 
Oh Maggie! I've totally been there! How frusturating! Take your time, we're a patient gang. Marie!!! I want a 9 month maternity leave!!! I'm sooooo envious. Is it a PAID maternity leave? If it is, I think I"m going to cross the border. ;-)
Today was my first day back to work. It went really well. I couldn't have gotten a better sitter. She's absolutely, 100% wonderful. The only way it'd be better is if God himself was physically here to watch him! I am not kidding! She didn't even have to give him a bottle. I fed him when I dropped him off at 9, then I fed him during my lunch break at 1230, then I nursed when I picked him up at 5. Also, work wasn't as tiring when you're not pregnant. ;-) All in all my day couldn't have been any smoother. Thanks for you prayers!!


**Melanie**
Justin born 1/17/04
Jory born 4/9/94

" Take care of your body like it will last a lifetime. Take care of your soul like it will last for eternity"
 
Melanie,
I am glad your day back went so well, that must have been a huge relief. Wow, he went from lunchtime til 5:00 without eating. Alexis was nursing all day at Justin's age. Maggie, how frustrating. I too have been there.
 
Oh, I totally sympathise, losing threads is SOOO frustrating!!!

Three first months of the maternity leave are fully paid, after that it drops to 70 (or was it 75%...I forget) of your normal salary for the rest of the leave. After that, if you want to stay home you only get a very small amount of "child-care money" per month, but you do have the right to get the time off work (without losing your job!) until the child is 3 years old. After that you're on your own, so to speak...;)

But I really have to say I watch with awe and amazement how you are able to handle going back to work and keeping up breastfeeding! Wow! My goodness, how much easier the guys get off on this one...!!! I think you should be really proud of yourselves, great sitter or not! I hope things go smoothly in the future, too.

Maria
 
Wow Maria, what a great maternity leave. The US stinks in terms of its benefits for working mothers. On a side note, looking at your workouts which remain intense and that you are still nursing a little one, it is understandable that you are always hungry. Remember when nursing you need to eat almost as much as when pregnant, not to mention all those calories burned working out.
 
When Justin is especially hungry, I burn many more calories. I know this b/c I get ichy sweaty at night & my appetite increases significantly. I don't mind though. I can tell my body is burning it. It might be tough to drop my calories though when I'm done nursing. With any luck that won't be for a long time though.

Wow. That maternity leave package is dynamite! I feel real fortunate as I got 8 weeks paid maternity leave. Many moms don't get that. I'm also tagging on 3 weeks of vacation time (I rolled over a week from last year). Lucky me, my work year begins in July-- so 2 more weeks is just around the corner.

This morning I'm going to MOPS. Justin's caregiver is director of the nursery, so she'll take him home right after MOPS--as I drive to work. Hopefully it'll run as smoothly as yesterday. She'll be giving him at least one bottle today (I have a 7-hr shift without a break).

I wasn't able to workout yesterday, and I probably won't today either. It's going to take a while to learn how to incorporate that into my new lifestyle. ;-) It might include waking up at 5am to do it. Hopefully not, but I'll find a way. :)

**Melanie**
Justin born 1/17/04
Jory born 4/9/94

" Take care of your body like it will last a lifetime. Take care of your soul like it will last for eternity"
 
Hi everyone!

Bardric is crawling (not quickly, mind you, but up on hands and knees and covering ground) and now I am in a sort of a panic! My husband has agreed to baby-proof the deck for me, so that I can teach in the dining room and thing 1 and thing 2 can safely play on the deck (where I can see them) without falling off or escaping or anything like that. Our deck is not that high off the ground, so a fall wouldn't be lethal or anything, still, I don't want to have to worry about it. Lattice all around and gates--hurray! He is planning to get started Friday or Saturday. I am so excited.

I get way hungrier when I am pregnant than when I am nursing, I am not sure why this is. When I am pregnant I get primally and unbelievably hungry all the time.

Okay, I lost another pound this week, so I am all excited about that too. Over the last 8 weeks before this week, I only lost 4 lbs, so 1 pound in a week is cause to be happy:). I started my Pure Strength rotation again--the one I had good results with back in January.

Wed 17 Step Fit
Thurs 18 PS CST, 40 min stationary bike
Fri 19 Power Max
Sat 20 PS BBA (skipped abs--no time:-( )
Sun 21 Rythmic Step
Mon 22 PSLA--I hate floor work--let me say that again--I HATE floorwork--but I do it anyway:p
Tues 23--REST

We are having the most gorgeous spring weather here in Portland (Oregon)--I hope it stays a while. And some of you still have snow!
Well, I used to be jealous, but not this week;-) I am ready for Spring! Although I am sure that the dreary rainy days will come again soon.

take care,
Maggie

PS--Melani and Shopaholic--thanks for the very cute pics of your babies. What a lovable snuggable bunch, speaking of which my little bundle of joy is howling--stuck under the table and mad, mad, mad}(
gotta go
 
Maggie, glad to see you posting here aain. Thank you for the wonderful pictures you sent. It sounds like you are doing great with the weight loss, losing weight slowly, therefore you'll keep it off as opposed to crash diets. Looks like you had a very good exercise week. I can't believe Bardric is crawling, they say the little ones crawl quicker, thank goodness Alexis is not crawling yet. Boy you have your hands full, you'll probably lose eight chasing after thing 1 and thing 2. I gotta go its oatmeal time for alexis.
 
Oh my, now I have to remember everything I just read up there!!:7

Melanie....I'm so happy that you are both adjusting well to your work schedule. Don't worry about the workouts, you've got to get settled in first!! Looks like your doing great in that department anyway!!

Marie, wow what a blessing to have such a wonderful maternity leave...wish it were that way here. Your workouts continue to amaze me! You should be burning lots of cals!!!

Shopaholic....I saw some underwear yesterday when I was at Walmart and they said "shopaholic" on them. Almost got them for ya, but thought this might be kinda weird!! ;) ;) Enjoy those walks with baby!! Actually, be sure to enjoy your time with baby number one, it changes when more enter into the picture. Not worse, just different. Number one is always a very special time.

Maggie.....I'm with ya....lost one pound too!!! I know I don't have to eat like I did while nursing. I ate quite a bit more then.

My workout week went really well I continue to do cardio each day with BC every 4 days or so. I've got to look downstairs at my log. I find that with dvd I've been adding bits and peices from all kinds of Cathe's workouts - fun fun fun!! I'm trying to stick to a heavy body part 1-2 times per week and always cardio in the beginning. And lots of Ab work.

My DD is sick and I'm hoping baby doesn't catch the cold. She has had a croupy cough at night and I dread baby getting it. Maggie, how did you little one do when he was sick (I remember you saying he was sick twice I believe)??

Briee
 
Overwhelmed, tired & grouchy!

Hi ladies. Thought I'd do a little whining here on my favorite forum. ;-) I tried to take a nap again, and guess what? 15 minutes into it little Justin wakes up screaming. I haven't had a nap in about a 5-6 weeks now & with going back to work I"m worn out! I get extremely grouchy when I'm woke up right when I just feel asleep, it also seems that I'm at least 50% MORE tired than I was before I tried to go to sleep to begin with.

So there you go, I'm extremely tired PLUS I haven't worked out in 3 days. Justin's been a bit colicky lately, I'm praying that he outgrows it fast.

Briee, you're right. I should focus on getting little Justin & I adjusted before I work on a workout schedule. Thankfully I begin my 16 day vacation this Friday at noon. I need to recuperate from my week back at work. I feel like such a weakling. :-(

Any hints as to how to get him to take his naps in his crib? Currently he naps in his car seat, his bouncer, his swing, the couch, and my arms. I've tried to put him in his crib and let him cry...but he's unrelentless. He wakes up and screams. I've let him scream for 5 minutes, picked him up 5 minutes, laid him down 10 minutes, picked him up 10 minutes...all the way up to 30 minutes of crying at a time. Is he too little to sleep on his own yet?

Guess what? He's up again. He took a 20 minute nap. Good thing I didn't try to lay down again, eh? ;-) Gotta go!! Thanks for listening/reading.


**Melanie**
Justin born 1/17/04
Jory born 4/9/94

" Take care of your body like it will last a lifetime. Take care of your soul like it will last for eternity"
 
RE: Overwhelmed, tired & grouchy!

Hi Melanie,
I am glad you can use this forum to vent. One , give yourself some slack, this has been an extreme adjustment for both of you. Once you've adjusted, you can find some time to exercise and may not need a nap. Once the nice weather hits, a nice walk may do the trick, get your energy up and let Justin sleep. Unfortunately at Justin's age I don't think you can schedule a nap in. Alexis sleeps great in her crib at night without crying, but won't fall asleep in it for a scheduled nap. If I was you, continue to let him nap in bouncy seat or his swing(if you don't already have one, get a travel swing). I often let Alexis fall asleep in travel swing which is low to the ground so I was relaxed enough to fall asleep myself for a nap. How often is Justin waking up at night? Hopefully you should start getting more sleep at night soon.
 
RE: Overwhelmed, tired & grouchy!

Shopaholic, I knew you'd be the first to respond. :) I'm sure you're a great therapist. Now where were we to send $ to? :-D :-D Justin is waking up just two times a night (3 times last night). He's been going down about 930 and waking up around 6. At 6 I feed him, and then he gets up around 630. I pump around 7, then he falls asleep for a short nap until about 830 when he's ready to eat again. I"m a person who typically thrives on 8-10 hrs/night.

I know I have nothing to complain about...as he's a pretty good sleeper at night time. He sleeps in our bed at night. Our oldest boy did this too. I don't mind it at nighttime, as it's super easy/simple to nurse and he goes to sleep fairly quickly. The thing is, he's a hard burper. So often times I sit up in bed (we both nod and off to sleep) for 30 minutes or so waiting for him to burp. If he hasn't burped by 30 min, I give up and lay down. If I don't give him a good chance to burp, he fusses/whimpers and then spits up. I don't want him to gag on his fluids-- it's an awful sound & I'm sure it's not comfortable. Anyway, that seems to be the way it goes.

**Melanie**
Justin born 1/17/04
Jory born 4/9/94

" Take care of your body like it will last a lifetime. Take care of your soul like it will last for eternity"
 
RE: Overwhelmed, tired & grouchy!

Melanie,
Yes, Justin is a good sleeper but as a new mom just back to work, you have the right to complain. Eventually your body will adjust to less sleep, but right now you are probably more tired from being on your feet at work plus the emotional stress of returning to work. Have you tried putting Justin on your lap on his tummy and rubbing his back and backside? Alexis rarely burps and at Justin's age was very gassy, this position really helped calm her. By the way, please pay me in exercise videos. Can you guess how many of my clients i have recommended exercise and exercise videos to?
 
RE: Overwhelmed, tired & grouchy!

Hi everyone!

(((Melanie)))--Oh it is no fun not getting enough sleep. When this happens to me, I get all panickey about it and it makes it worse. I will keep you in my prayers during this time of adjusment. I have no naptime advice, I wish I did. I mostly hold him when he naps or lie with him until he nurses himself to sleep, then I get up, but this is probably no longer a good idea as he is now mobile. He sleeps with us at night as well. You might want to post this as a separate question on the forum, because lots of women have really good advice on the topic--including our own dear Shopaholic.

Briee--I worried also about Bardric when my kiddos got the "seal-barking" cough and I asked the pediatrician about it during his well baby check up, thinking that he was going to get it in a few days and what should we do. He suggested a humidifier (which we do not have) or hanging out in the bathroom with the shower going. Anyway, he never did get the coughing thing (praise God). He did get a stuffy nose a couple of times, once with a fever and was totally cranky. I'll keep you in my prayers, also.

Shopaholic--thanks for the encouragement. I am glad that although I am sort of a slow loser, that once it comes off, it basically stays off (barring that 5 lb boob/h2o fluctuation thing going on:p ). Also, all of our kids have been early on gross motor skills and a bit late with verbal communication--even our Downs toddler is following this pattern. Early walkers, later talkers.:)

Emy? where are you?

take care
Maggie
 
postpartum check in

Thanks for asking Maggie. I am here, but here is California. Max and I are visiting my brother here in Palo Alto with my mom. We are having a very fun week. We have been to the beach, to San Francisco, and to lots of stores and shopping centers. I have been frugal since I found out I was pregnant last year (I think my nesting instincts wouldn't let me buy much) but now I just want to buy everything. Plus, I was so excited to go to the Title 9 Sports store here. I am badly in need of a good, supportive sports bra, so I spent over an hour trying on bras, and finally found one that seems excellent - no bouncing at all. That's all. I can't remember my workouts last week. Max is great. He has 2 bottom teeth barely popping through his gums, and doesn't seem extra fussy or anything, just drooly as usual.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Our Newsletter

Get awesome content delivered straight to your inbox.

Top