Losing Weight and Getting Healthy After Little

I am 8 months pregnant here.  HUGE belly!

Just a disclaimer, I have had a pretty easy time losing my baby weight.  I've made quite a few good choices but I've also been blessed with good genetics and a baby who loves to eat.

I gained a lot of weight when I was pregnant with Little.  Seriously, I had a belly that weighed 35 lbs.  I was pretty concerned about how I would lose all that weight after Little was born.

The quickest way to lose weight is to deliver your baby.  Between your baby and your placenta, you may lose anywhere from 10 to 20 lbs.  I lost 20.  Little was a huge baby and the placenta normally matches the baby in size.  I left the hospital 20 lbs lighter than I came in but I still looked 6 months pregnant.

After Little was born, I tried not to worry about my weight.  The first six weeks after giving birth, exercise is not recommended and I mostly followed that guideline.  Husband and I did start going on walks when Little was two or three weeks old but nothing too long.  I planned to start running again right at the six week mark but I listened to my body and I just wasn't ready for that yet.  I tried to do as much walking as I could but I was just so tired taking care of a newborn.

The best thing I did to lose weight was breastfeeding.  When you breastfeed exclusively, all the calories your baby gets are taken from your body.  That is such an easy way to lose weight.  Breastfeeding is so good for you and your baby.

The last thing is that I do my best to stick to whole foods like fresh vegetables and fruits, whole grains, and chicken.  We do eat red meat occasionally and I have been known to eat a box of mac'n'cheese but I try not to.  When you are nursing, you shouldn't eat a reduced calorie or even a reduced fat diet but it is important that the food you are eating is high in nutrients.

Here I am now.

Now, Little is six and a half months old and I am smaller than I was when I got pregnant.  Husband and I still don't eat perfect whole food diets but we are working our way there.  We want to be sure that we are modeling healthy eating and exercise behaviors for Little so that being healthy will be natural for her as she grows up.

Exercising with a baby

I like to exercise. I especially like the way I feel after I exercise. Before I got pregnant with Little, I had a gym membership and I went almost every day. When I got pregnant, I started planning for different types of exercise. I knew I wouldn't want to leave Little with strangers and I didn't want to exercise alone during the precious time that Husband was home. Here is what I have discovered thus far.

1. My BOB stroller is amazing. Little loves to go for a run or a walk. I don't run as often as I would like to but it seems to be the easiest cardio for me to do with Little.  When she was younger, I used to try to take Little for runs only when she was asleep but I have since realized that she is happy in the stroller when she is awake so I generally try to save nap times to use for other things.

Walking is also great and I can run errands while I walk with the stroller.  The grocery store is less than a mile from my home so sometimes I will walk there for a small shopping trip.  Make sure that your baby has some sort of sun protection in the stroller.  We are using the BOB sunshield right now.  I don't bring my whole diaper bag on walks or runs, I have found that the essentials for us are a pacifier, water for me, and a small diaper kit (wipes, one diaper, a small changing pad).

2.  Floor exercises are something that Little often likes to watch me do.  If she is in a good mood, I can set her down on the floor with her toys and I can do abs exercises next to her.  I don't do this enough, especially considering I actually have some physical therapy exercises that I am supposed to be doing to fix the separation of my abdominal muscles caused by my pregnancy.

3.  Some exercises are well suited for doing while wearing a fussy baby.  I love my Moby Wrap.  I have found that Little is almost always happy when she is in it and I can do things like walking, squats, and lunges while wearing her.  I also use the Moby Wrap to get housework done when Little is fussy.

4.  Lift that baby!  Little is six months old and already 20 lbs and 12 oz.  She loves to be lifted high into the air again and again.  She will be laughing and laughing while my arms are burning.  I have found many variations that allow me to work different muscles.  If you are going to do this,  remember that your exercise needs to be appropriate for your baby's stage of development.  Little can hold her head up well but not well enough to be thrown and caught again.

Enjoy working out with your baby!  I love working out with Little and I'm hoping that watching Husband and I exercise will help her to see it as a fun thing as she grows up.