Advice For The Postpartum Journey

As a mother, I have experienced firsthand the amazing changes your body goes through to nurture and grow another human being. A woman’s body produces miracles. For a body and its entities to tolerate such quick shifts and changes alone points to such a complex design only credited to God Himself. It is simply amazing. 

A mother, at least in my own experience, enters different phases of the thought process. At first, we are elated to be pregnant; we are reassured to see growth and understand the weight gain. Then, those awful thoughts begin to creep in, and we start to hold ourselves accountable for why we feel so “big” and “uncomfortable”. We judge ourselves on how we look, how we feel, and how we are now limited. Blame it on the hormones, but the changes a woman’s body undergoes can play with our mind. 

There are things that I have learned through multiple pregnancies that made a difference, but there are also things that you just cannot avoid. One thing I can say is that the healthier you are going into pregnancy, the better outcomes you are sure to have. The healthier you strive to be during pregnancy, the better you will feel. 

I am writing this to share my own personal journey. Every woman is different; our bodies have different medical needs and restrictions. This is not a recommendation but rather an outlet to share my pregnancy journey with you. Almost every woman I have known has told me how they are already concerned about losing weight while they are still in the hospital nursing their newborn. So, this topic deserves space to be talked about. 

For myself personally, I have never planned a pregnancy before I was at a place in physical fitness that I was satisfied with. I have always known my body and how it is initially hard for me to lose weight postpartum, so I had to set myself up for success by not carrying extra weight that would stick with me throughout my pregnancy. I know it sounds self-absorbed to say aloud that I wanted to be at a certain level of fit before getting pregnant, but it was not about how I looked, but more so about how I felt. If I could recommend anything, it would be to start a healthy lifestyle and workout regimen before ever getting pregnant. Cultivate good habits and routines from the start, and you’re likely to stick with them or return to them much sooner post-baby. 

While pregnant, continue to eat as balanced as possible and continue to exercise under the approval of your doctor. With one of my pregnancies, by eight weeks I was so sick it was hard to tolerate anything but a bagel, and working out was limited to walking and prenatal yoga. It was a major shift for me in fitness, but I was still getting calories in and moving my body. With my other pregnancies, I was not sick as often. This allowed me to eat balanced and continue working out as I was doing pre-baby. This was a more ideal situation for me. I just overall feel better when I can get my heart pumping and the blood circulating. My energy levels are better, and my overall mood is improved. 

A note on my personal experience with diet. Being pregnant does not mean you eat for two. Of course, there are days when you feel like your appetite is insatiable, but it is not healthy to consume whatever you want just because you are pregnant. I know this is an unpopular opinion, but I will not keep junk food in the house while I am pregnant. We rarely keep it in the house unless it is around a holiday or a party. My go-to is to have a bowl of Dove dark chocolates to curve my sweet tooth. I am a lover of sweet things, but I know that any extra, unneeded weight I gain during pregnancy will be that frustrating weight to lose postpartum. A piece of chocolate after dinner is just enough to satisfy that craving, but not overindulge. A special apology to my husband, however, when I am having a bad craving, and he must run to the store for me because I won’t keep it in the house on a regular basis. 

Finally, postpartum weight loss. I am not an expert. All I can say is that I think my pregnancy habits set me up for a better postpartum experience. After weeks pass, however, there is just weight that lingers that you hoped would evict itself…but it doesn’t. As a first-time mom, I had no idea what to expect, how to feel, or when to begin working out again. Six weeks postpartum for my first did not feel right. I ended up finding out that I had diastasis recti and was not cleared to work out until 12 weeks postpartum. Combined with adjusting to being a new mom, I felt like this hurdle set me back. I felt like I was in a rut and needed some inspiration to get myself back into a routine that worked for me. My husband was so supportive. I remember him first attempting to be my accountability and personal trainer. This did not work for me, however. I remember going back to the drawing board with him and saying, “I need someone or something to tell me what to do, how often, and what to eat in conjunction with it.” That’s when I reached out to my good friend and past co-worker, Christina, who hooked me up with the popular program Beachbody. This was more than just Beachbody. Christina had built an empire of accountability and support through her online social media pages. Daily check-ins were included, and members of this no-judgement zone group were strongly encouraged to post a “daily pic” post workout. Christina, more than the program itself, was who I needed to re-inspire me and show me that it was possible to lose the stubborn weight, even as a young mom. I was so thankful to have Brett join me in our daily 40-minute workouts over the course of six weeks; he truly inspired me and would be there to tend to our daughter if she started to cry so that I did not feel the pull to stop working out for her. Note: find a consistent accountability partner, someone who will support you every step of the way. Brett also joined me on my meal plan, making it so much easier to shop and prep. 

Not every pregnancy is the same. For the next, and the current, I was able to workout consistently at almost the same caliber as not being pregnant. Of course, there are degrees to which you modify your workouts to stay safe, but I would say with each pregnancy, my strength and endurance have grown. I prefer the elliptical and running. I don’t feel like I am in a season where I can be away from my kids too long, and I just don’t like to be, so a quick 5k is plenty for me! I also enjoy doing light weights for the upper body. My husband likes to joke with me when I am holding 5-pound dumbbells as my upper body workout, but enough reps and it starts to burn! Brett, leave me and my 5-pound dumbbells alone. 

Mama, you are strong. You are strong whether you work out or not. With consultation from your doctor, I would encourage you to maintain a level of fitness during your pregnancy and strive for good nutrition. Walking alone is a mild way in which you can continue to move and keep your body healthy while growing that beautiful baby within you. Take care of yourself: your mental, physical, and emotional state. I guarantee it will make you a better mother and partner.