Transitioning to post-partum workout...checking in

C

cyclinggirl

Cathlete
Hi new mommies! I hope you and your little ones are doing well and off to a great New Year. Sienna is doing well, she's sick with congestion but otherwise is thriving and a lot of fun to be around.

Is anyone else easing into their workouts again? Manmohini, Arancini?

I've begun to workout in earnest this week. I'm on a roll and I want to put it in black and white so I get into the habit of being accountable and making sure I do it every week. Carving out the time isn't easy but fortunately DH is showing me that he "gets it" and he wants me to be happy. He HAS to workout each day or he goes nuts himself, so we agreed we'd help each other keep up with workouts before I got pregnant. He's lucky it's not spring time or I'd be out on my bike logging some major miles -- it does wonders, keeps me sane! :) Alas, I have to workout mostly indoors with the New England weather.

So, here are my workouts in minutes (pasted from my work timer program)

SAT-walk 00:25:00
SAT-Fluidity 00:30:00
SUN-BOSU 00:30:00
MON-walk 00:25:00
TUE-BOSU 00:30:00
WED-firm/taebo sampler 00:25:00
WED- walk 00:45:00
THU-fluidity 00:30:00
THU-walk 00:35:00

Total: 04:35:00

It's not yet a full week but I wanted to get it posted and see if others are working out and what you're doing.

Has anyone been running? For some reason I have the urge to run, despite the winter weather, not sure if it's too soon though.

Steph
 
Wow, Steph. I'm impressed. I haven't done a lick of exercise since Nov. 26, the day before I went into labor. In fact, we have had an unseasonably cold winter where I live, so there have been only four or five walks in the park since that time.

I sat around eating the whole of December. After delivery, I was carrying 12 extra pounds. By the the end of 4 weeks, it was down to six. At the end of 2 more weeks, it's down to four. I honestly don't understand this weight loss (but I'm not complaining) as I haven't dieted or exercised. The only thing I can figure is that my son eats constantly. He is gaining double the recommended amounts, and I am thinking that the more he eats, the more I lose. Also, I have some problems with oversupply, and I'm not sure whether or not that contributes. Regardless of this good fortune, though, I have seriously lost all of my muscle tone. I really do need to get back to the abs especially.

How in the world am I going to find even an hour's time to exercise? I can barely keep up with the dishes in the sink these days. In fact, writing this post means less sleep for me. I really should be in bed now. How on earth do you do it? My husband is supportive, but we are living in a very cramped space these days, especially since we moved a bunch of baby stuff in.

Kudos to your discipline. How did your weight gain/ loss go?
Manmohini
 
Hey Steph :)

I am working out again, too. I've been using the elliptical, taking Nico out in the stroller up some killer hills (the golf course is great for this), and have been doing Kick Max (not all the blasts, though - I think I'll need about 5 bras to do that), and Muscle Max.

I found out this week that I am slightly anemic pp and that is why I am having problems with low energy (other than the fact that Nico sleeps only 5 hours/day).

I agree we should start a check-in for this ... I'll try to keep better track of what I'm doing every day.

How are you doing, Manmohini? Other mommies?

arancini
 
Hey Manmohini, thanks for the compliments. :)

Honestly, you sound like you're doing great! I wish all I had to do was tone a bit. I dropped 20lbs in the first 3 weeks, it just fell off and then things slowed down. I also got pretty depressed at around that same time , mostly from being shut in and having some breastfeeding challenges (low supply, and she has a weak/slow suck). Taking Fenugreek now to increase. I got bored with our food situation and pre-occupied with nursing and haven't been eating enough. I have food allergies and a colicky baby so it feels like I'm extremely limited -- food isn't fun anymore. My last 18lbs are clinging to me, unfortunately. Trying to eat more now and make time for healthy choices. It's harder when you're not doing the shopping.

Working out has made me feel better mentally. I was beginning to feel like I completely lost my identity to my child and was merely Elsie the milk cow...I was nursing constantly b/c she was (is) slow and not an efficient nurser (she takes 60-90 minutes and is hungry again soon after...in 5-20 minutes, it's left, right, left, over and over again).

So, I'm feeling more okay with our supplementing her, at least it gives me a break so I can do something by myself. And pumping is more time on top of all the nursing. Be grateful for your bountiful supply and for all its caloric burning side effects -- it's awesome -- a blessing!! :) (Though I'm sure it doesn't feel like it...it can wear you down, I know.) I'm so frustrated with thinking about nursing.

Have you looked into those post-natal workouts for mom and baby? I think they have some great videos that have blocks of 10 minute workouts. I read about one on Amazon...I'll send the link if I can find it. Sounds like Tamal would give you a good workout! How heavy is he now?

Enjoy your time with Tamal, you're situation is admirable and the toning will come easily for you, I know it.

Be well,
Steph
 
Hey Arancini!

Glad you're on the war path too...do you own an elliptical? How do you like it? They seem very effective as an overall workout.

Manmohini, I'd be happy to send some pics. I'd love to see Tamal too. Where should I send them? I just took some cute close-ups of Sienna's silly face(s) today...she's got so many!! Downloading is my biggest challenge though, I tend to let the pics pile up before I download them from my camera. But I'll do my best!

Have a good Sunday Ladies!

steph
 
Steph,
I believe if you just click on my name and go to my profile, there should be an option for sending me an e-mail. Then I could send you one back with links to some pictures. Arancini, I would love to see pics of Nico as well. By the way, you are awesome with your regimen.

Steph, I too have been on the prison diet. While Tamal is a big eater and is up to 11 pounds, he eats much too fast--gulping and even working himself up into a frenzy sometimes. We have some oversupply issues, for sure. He is a colicky baby as well, so to be on the safe side, I have seriously restricted my diet in terms of the highly allergenic foods, particularly cow's milk. I have been doing this for two weeks just as a trial to see if it helps. I have also cut out soy, nuts, wheat, etc. This doesn't leave me much since I was a vegetarian to start with! Moreover, I find that this non-gluten, allergen free diet is not only bland and joyless, but it is binding as well. I know what you mean when you say you don't even have the joy of food to look forward to (and then being cooped up as well!)

Actually, my hubby and I are starting to get the colick under control. The trick for Tamal anyways is to not let it get started in the first place. The moment we hear the first note of a colicky cry (in the evening between 6 and 11), we drop everything we're doing and go full force with the soothing techniques we've learned. We're on high alert every evening, waiting and watching for this moment. Finally, after 6 weeks, we're becoming old pros at these techniques. We now have about twenty in our bag and move from one to the next until something works. But Harvy Karp's 5 S's ("The Happiest BAby on the Block") gets Tamal off to sleep 98% of the time. It takes time and dedication--usually 30 minutes of side swinging, swaddling, shooshing, sucking. Do you know Harvy Karp's video "The Happiest Baby on the Block?" My husband and I credit it with saving our lives after the first week of Tamal screaming his head off for several hours a night. What a nightmare that was!

Still he's fussy and unpredictable, and we won't miss this colick when he outgrows it.

Since Tamal was born on November 30, the weather here has pretty much sucked, so I can relate to the cabin fever you feel. How wonderful it would be to have a newborn in May or June and go walking outside every day. We have been cooped up in the house as well, and I know what you mean about this adding to your feeling of the blues. I feel it too. We had some reprieve from the cold and snow lately, so we've been out for about 5 or 6 walks in the last 10 days. This has really helped my state of mind.

I can't wait to see pictures of Nico and Sienna. I want to see FitNurse's baby too when she gets back on line again.
Manmohini
 
Hi Manmohini, here are a few. The links were too long to paste...


Lindsay Brin's Postnatal Boot Camp with Moms Into Fitness

Quick Fix - Post Natal Workout

Mommy and Baby Body Builders


Sounds like your diet is about as boring as mine. I have a wheat gluten allergy so that eliminates tons of food unless I specialty shop or bake my own gluten free stuff -- no motivation for that now. And the veggies and sauces I like most are "bad" for colic. So I don't feel my diet is as healthy or balanced as it was, ironically.

Big snow day here, I have my 13 y.o. step-daughter home today. I know Kansas has been a mess lately too. Such a drag when you want to get out. I was supposed to do a mommy/baby movie date with some other new moms today but we're snowed in. Oh well. Spring babies are ideal...maybe next time. :)

Arancini, your workouts are awesome! Can't imagine doing all that while sleep deprived and anemic - geesh. Kudos to you!! I hope your energy returns soon.

take care ladies,
Steph
 
Hey Steph -

I do have an elliptical, and I really do like it. I had a stress injury on my right foot a year and a half ago and was able to use my eli b/c it was low impact. I also used it all the time when I was pregnant. It is a good variation from cathe, etc. and for when it's nasty outside.

Manmohini - I am so jealous of your milk supply! I am sorry that you and Steph are having to tone down your diets though. When I get my new camera's software setup I will send you some pix of my little guy. BTW, how about some of your cutie? I'll bet he's beautiful. I am waiting to see how Nico is going to look - I'm half Korean, the other half being Irish, Scottish, German, and Cherokee. DH is Sicilian and Hungarian (everybody says he looks like Alec Baldwin, but to me he looks like DH ;)

I hope your weather improves!



arancini
 
Arancini,
Yes, please send me an e-mail through this site, and then I'll send you back a link to photos.

Over supply has its issues as well. For example, Tamal sometimes pulls off the breast and fusses because he has pulled down so much and it's squirting so hard that he cannot keep up with it. He begins to cough and sputter. Of course, this agitates him when he's colicky or when I'm trying to get him off to sleep. Over supply doesn't always make for the most peaceful feeding sessions. Tamal is a vigorous eater and combined with the over supply, this sometimes leads to a feeding frenzy which leads to an unsettled baby. My breasts sometimes ache from the fullness and begin to spontaneously squirt. Also, my clothing is an absolute mess. I answered the door the other day with a soaking wet t-shirt from my breast down to the bottom. I've just resigned myself to wearing crummy clothes around the house and throwing a pancho or sweatshirt over them if I need to go out. When I start working again, I'm sure I'll need those breast pads. Tried them once, but they flipped over in my bra and I had to peel the adhesive off of my nipple. No fun at all.

Like Nico, Tamal is also a multi-racial child. My husband is African-American, East Indian, and Scotts-Irish. I am Irish through and through. Tamal will be 7 weeks on Friday, and just yesterday I noticed that his skin is finally taking on a beautiful golden lustre. For the first 6 weeks, he has been as white/pinky as his mother. Right now, he is blue-eyed (neither of us has those) with straight dark hair (and tons of it). I have heard from family members on my husband's side that as the months pass, he will take on more of the attributes of his African-American DNA. For some reason, it takes a while for the melanin to come in. I have heard that other multi-racial features take a few weeks or months to manifest.

In any case, multi-racial and bi-racial children are usually quite beautiful, possessing more beauty than either parent. That's been my observation, at least. So I'm sure Nico will be a major beauty.
Manmohini
 
Arancini & Manmohini,

I've seen pics of both boys and they are absolutely GORGEOUS babies! I think most multi-racial children (people) have beautiful skin and lovely eyes...and unique features in general. Please keep sending me photos as the boys grow, it will be fun to see them evolve as their features take shape and become more defined. :)

Manmohini, re: oversupply, it sounds like a social nightmare, the leaking and spraying part when you have to be at work that could be a huge hassle. Have you considered herbs for decreasing supply? Not sure if you've seen this already or not...sounds like there's a downside too though: http://www.kellymom.com/herbal/milksupply/herbs-oversupply.html

Take care ladies, have a good night.

Steph
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Our Newsletter

Get awesome content delivered straight to your inbox.

Top