How I Lost The Baby Weight

Looking back at this photo of being 39 weeks 6 days pregnant the day we headed to the hospital on January 23rd, it seems like yesterday. It’s so hard to believe we have a 7 ½ month old! It truly does fly by; I seem to get more and more sentimental with each passing day. But I’ll save those thoughts for another blog post, today is all about how I lost the baby weight.

As far as my pregnancy goes, I tried to be somewhat mindful of what I was choosing to eat. After all, I was growing a baby! In my 1st trimester, Audrey kicked my butt. I was so tired and sick; I could hardly keep anything down. My diet was mainly cereal and Gatorade, but even that sometimes made me hurl. I would wake up one day and crave something only to hate it the next. I ended up losing 10 pounds those first 3 months. But into the 2nd and 3rd trimesters I was feeling much better and could eat a better diet and hardly threw up anymore.

I always thought I would eat twice as much while pregnant but that wasn’t the case, Audrey took up so much room my stomach shrunk and I would get full easily. I ended up eating smaller meals more often which worked out better for my metabolism. You honestly don’t know the feeling of being “full” until you’re pregnant! All in all I gained about 35 pounds from my pre pregnancy weight; I made it up to 169 the day I delivered.

Audrey weighed 7 pounds 13 ounces at birth and I delivered via C-Section because she was a breech baby, that was the safest route to go without harming her. The next day when I was walking around a bit and feeling much better, I could see my feet again! Which feels crazy after looking down for the past 5 months and seeing a big round belly instead.

I never ended up buying any maternity clothes, I just wore my own. I’ve always been into the loose and flowy style (70’s bohemian flower child wannabe) so a lot of my tops still fit my growing belly throughout my pregnancy. I did have to up a size in leggings though (and bras, holy cow I got some melons); luckily I was mainly pregnant through winter so I was comfortable in my Uggs, leggings, and sweaters. So when we got home from the hospital it was no different, I was still back in my own clothes. With a C section you don’t want anything tight over your scar so it took a couple months until I was back comfortably in my jeans. But I did take steps from the beginning to help my body recover and for myself to feel confident in my own skin, I have been back to my pre-pregnancy weight since the 5 month mark and this is how I did it:

Taken on August 22nd

Breastfeeding-I plan on doing an entire blog post on breastfeeding because I’ve absolutely loved it and had such a great experience! But focusing on this post, it for sure has helped my body shed some pounds. When you breastfeed it releases a hormone that contracts your uterus to shrink, which helps your belly to shrink also. Now I know it’s different with everyone, but for me Audrey was ready to nurse as soon as she came into this world and I noticed a difference within the first few days. Breastfeeding actually burns about 500 calories a day! We’ve been breastfeeding for over 7 months and still going strong! But it’s more than just the act of breastfeeding, it’s the lifestyle I chose with it which brings me to my next point of

Nutrition-What I eat, Audrey eats. What I consume she receives through the milk my body produces. Like I said above, I have always been interested in and cared about nutrition. But with breastfeeding it became so important to me to make sure I would pass on whatever vitamins I could to help Audrey to grow and be as healthy as possible. I made sure to be eating all my fruits and vegetables, fresh or frozen. I make a smoothie every day to really pack in vitamins and include almonds, chia seeds, or flax seeds. I still have my sweet tooth and don’t skip out on any cookies or donuts, but I still do my best to make healthier choices. I switched to decaf coffee also, caffeine makes Audrey sick. And I continued to eat smaller meals more often to help my metabolism, when you’re breastfeeding you are just as hungry when you are pregnant! So I make sure to have plenty of healthy snacks: cheese, crackers, yogurt, fruit, veggies. It isn’t about starving yourself, because your body has to have food to be able to produce milk. You can’t just have coffee for breakfast or skip meals; you still have to make sure to eat a well-rounded diet. It also really makes a difference to eat fresh homemade meals, no preservatives and less sodium!

Water-All the doctors, models, and celebrities were right; water truly is the secret! I started with the ice chips and lots of water while still in the hospital, as you’re on medication from going through a major surgery and it helps your body to produce milk. I know it’s so much easier to drink sweet tea all day but I really made myself drink water and it has paid off tremendously. My skin is so much clearer, less dry, and glowy. My digestive system is much more regular. I overall feel better and have lots more energy, but I’m sure a healthier diet also plays into that. I have a surplus of milk to nurse Audrey. And it’s fewer calories to be drinking water than other sugary drinks. And stay away from all that diet crap and sugar substitutes, your body isn’t made to break down those manmade chemicals and it will harm you in the end! Water is the way to go!!

Light exercise- I didn’t start really thinking about working out until the 6 month mark. After a c section the muscles in your abdomen need plenty of time to heal, in fact it takes about a year to fully recover. And I take that really seriously because I don’t want to injure myself to prevent me from taking care of Audrey and I want to be able to have more babies whether it’s through a VBAC (hopefully!) or more c sections. So no marathons or intense exercise for me, at least not yet! But I still do some light exercises that have helped to shed some weight and tone up that loose momma skin (there’s no hope for cellulite lol I’ve just accepted it!). Walking around our neighborhood has been my major source of working out, I put Audrey in the stroller and away we go. Sometimes I go for 2 walks a day, depending on the weather. Audrey really loves to be outside! If she is being fussy a walk always does the trick, sometimes she will even fall asleep. Our walk’s usually last about 20 minutes; I’m not sure about distance. But I play some upbeat music and try to power walk through most of it, hills and all. It’s really helped to tone my legs and booty and helps to clear my head. Other than that it’s just really basic things, I’ll do squats, lunges, and sit-ups; even if it’s just during a commercial or while cooking dinner or brushing my teeth; randomly throughout the day. I find that doing crunches on a yoga ball is way more forgiving than the floor! And lifting my 20 pound baby has helped to tone my arms! My abs still aren’t where I want them to be but that’s okay, you have to be proud of your body and have a positive mindset and perspective!

Time- It took your body 9 months to grow a baby, it needs that much time if not longer to really recover and shed that weight slowly. It’s not a race, and I would much rather focus on being a mom than worrying about being in the gym. Just be patient and proud, it’s incredible what your body is capable of! It’s an overall healthier lifestyle I chose to be a part of that shed the weight in my case. I think a big part of my body and how it handled all of this is genetics, if you look at my mom, grandma’s, and sister we all are built more slender and bounced back from having babies. But my body isn’t the same and it never will be. I will always have that loose mommy skin from my growing belly, and that c section pooch and scar. But it has gotten way better over the last 7 ½ months. You’re a momma anyway, it’s good to be full of love and a little squishy to offer that warmth and protection and comfort! My hips are a little wider but so is my smile! I chose to have this lifestyle to get the most out of breastfeeding and have the energy to be lifting and playing with my baby and I’ve never felt better. Weight is just a number, go off of how you feel. Plus I embraced my new shape to get a new “mom” wardrobe, who doesn’t love a shopping trip to TJ Maxx or Nordstrom :) I hope this inspires and/or encourages some of you! We are all beautifully and wonderfully made and totally badass for growing babies.