Pregnancy Round Two: Body after baby, month 2.

Well, here we are. Another month gone.  I forget how fast the months go by with a baby. It's like you blink and then all of a sudden they are two. This month I really didn't know what was going to happen with my body. I was in a bit of survival mode as we were trying to figure out things that meshed with Bennett's tummy, much like we did with Owen (though not quite to the same extent as Owen). I ate about 10 of the same foods for the whole month and a LOT of them (especially sweet potatoes... I may never eat a sweet potato again). We were trying to find foods that would keep his poops yellow, which also meant it kept him from spitting up and kept him happy. He is by FAR easier than Owen was as we just had a few green poops when I ate something that I knew was "off." Part of this might be that I already knew what had worked for Owen, so just jumped right back on it.

For the majority of the month, I ate oatmeal, coconut oil, protein powder (organic beef collagen), sweet potatoes, beef, chicken, quinoa, hemp protein, hemp oil, carrots, and olive oil. In some combination. I did eat some lettuce, but we found that leafy greens really piss his stomach off which REALLY sucks because I miss salads like you wouldn't believe. I also eat (though less regularly) avocadoes, bananas, apples, and some other fruits, which seem to be ok but I've only recently started adding those in. I've also recently started adding in pumpkin butter, pumpkin seeds, walnuts and some dried fruits all of which also seem to be ok. We've also had salmon a couple of times and that doesn't seem to cause a reaction either. Either way, I've been pretty limited. I joke that it's a pregnancy detox and a true return to clean eating except that that is a very true statement and not a joke at all!

For me, I do this because I do believe that breastfeeding is best.  I also believe that green poops for baby are not ok, nor is a baby that is unhappy and spits up a lot. And when I see the changes that occur just by altering my diet, it's worth it. I'm not starving by any means, I'm just not gorging on crap. I also am not one who can restrict calories in any form while breastfeeding, which is why I do eat a lot of oils to keep up my calories which then serves to keep up my milk supply (and clearly something is working because Bennett is a CHUNKER MONKER).

All of that being said, I spent more time this month focusing on the food that I was putting in to my body- IE: will Bennett be agreeable to it, am I getting enough calories- and less time focusing on how my body is changing. HOWEVER. I am not going to lie, I did say about a million times how I wished that I was one of those people whose baby weight just falls off of them immediately, especially if breastfeeding. I was not like that with Owen, and not like that this time around either. But, I'm staying consistent, eating well and exercising a lot more so I know that eventually it will come off. At the end of this month because everything was starting to even out more in terms of my diet/Bennett's reactions and I was adding foods IN, I started to re-focus to my body and decided to not just weigh myself but take measurements so that I'd have a point of reference for my own benefit.

Here's where we landed:
Month 2 post partum (Bennett)

Weight- 133 pounds

Body fat- 23.5%

Belly- 33.5

Waist- 29.5

Hips- 37

Thigh- 16

Boob- 33.5

Bicep- 9

Calf 10.5

and to compare to Owen....

Month 2 post partum (Owen)

Weight- 127 pounds

Belly- 31 inches

Waist- 33.5

Hips- 37

Thigh- 18.25

Boob- 35

Bicep- 10

 

So basically what I'm seeing is that I am smaller measurement-wise in every area this time around except for my tummy and obviously my weight is higher this time around (was about 3-5 pounds higher throughout the pregnancy, too). I guess that makes sense as my tummy expanded faster this time, so it would make sense that it would take longer to shrink. I was actually a little surprised by the measurements to be totally honest. I will say that my lifting was really good throughout the pregnancy which probably helped in some of these areas to stay smaller this time around. However, I am really frustrated that the weight just doesn't seem to be coming off. I feel like I've been stagnant at 133-136 since week 2 post partum. At this point, I just need to focus on small goals (IE: breaking 130), and not the overall goal of where I want to be. I need to remember that it DID take months to put it all on so WILL take months to come off and I can't expect to be right back there right now. My issue is that the weight doesn't seem to be budging at all, but at least the measurements and the body fat % above let me know that I am doing ok and will get there, even if it is a bit more gradually than I'd like. I know if I keep doing what I'm doing and getting good workouts in, and eating well, I will get to where I want to be.

 

Mentally, my hormones seem to be totally stable, so at least I have that going for me! I would probably be well served to get more sleep, but I think that might be a little bit of a stretch, at least for a couple more years.

 

Maybe next month I'll have the balls to take some pictures and compare to post-partum with Owen at that point. One thing I've learned throughout both pregnancies/post-pregnancies is that it is TOUGH. I feel like people just expect their bodies to bounce back, and they DO eventually bounce back, but it is a test of patience and a lot of work. It doesn't happen overnight. I should probably tattoo that on to my head as patience has never been my strongest virtue. But really, this is all vanity, right? I'd be lying if I said I didn't care (clearly I do), but I also know that I am very lucky to have had a very healthy pregnancy and now a very healthy baby. Not to mention, I FEEL good and strong, and am able to provide my baby all of his nutrition. I wish my pants feel better but in the grand scheme, that's really not a "problem" per se, except for with my own head.