Planning workout plans post Baby

megahairdrama4

So delima of expecting our last baby #4... I'm due to be in 3 weddings in July and August ... seems like I'm trying to not gain more then ur supposed too but doesn't seem to be working in my favor.. we have 3 boys and now expecting a girl and I think I'm gainning everywhere but baby... how soon post Baby are you planning to work out? I realize it's part of having little chitlets but dresses have been ordered or had to be ordered prepregnancy... very stressed about this..

goldie987

How soon after pregnancy you can start working out depends on how your delivery goes.  A c-section is going to take longer to recover from than a vaginal birth and even then, different people respond to getting back into things in different ways and I'm not sure there much you can do ahead of time to figure out when you'll be able to start back.  

As far as the dress ordering, I don't have much advice but I wanna say there was a thread awhile back about something similar that got some great feedback.  Maybe try to search function or hope the people that commented there will see this and give the same advice again.  

huskypuppy14

megahairdrama4 said:

So delima of expecting our last baby #4... I'm due to be in 3 weddings in July and August ... seems like I'm trying to not gain more then ur supposed too but doesn't seem to be working in my favor.. we have 3 boys and now expecting a girl and I think I'm gainning everywhere but baby... how soon post Baby are you planning to work out? I realize it's part of having little chitlets but dresses have been ordered or had to be ordered prepregnancy... very stressed about this..

Obviously too late for you, but bridesmaid dresses do not need to be ordered a year in advance. For any lurkers out there. Any bride who insists you need to get a dress a year in advance is a bridezilla.

When in June are you due? I believe you need to wait at least 4-6 weeks before exercising but this is dependent on your situation. Honestly, don't worry about the dress. Take care of yourself first, and worst case scenario, you might have to get a different dress in a similar color. 

I"m of the mindset that brides pick people to be their bridesmaids, not props. So if your bride friend is pissy because you can't wear the bridesmaid dress she picked out a year in advance, she is not a good friend, and you dodged a bullet.

Good luck!

NLewis1

I started walking at 2 weeks last time and I found out that for me, it was too soon. My lochia (pp bleeding) would increase during/right after my walks and I would get cramps. I had a normal vaginal delivery with moderate tearing.

talk to your dr and listen to your body. That's all you can do

purplefan1

Did you already get dresses delivered? Do you have time to request a dress in a larger size and then have more room to alter?

likeabel

I wouldn't start working out until you stop bleeding (5 weeks pp for me). And doctors don't usually give the all clear until 6 weeks pp. Your best bet is to make sure you're working out now and not eating potato chips and ice cream. I'd personally be looking for a back up dress (especially for the July wedding) now. 

marriedtoadutchman

It will all depend on how your labour goes but most doctors will recommend waiting till your 6 week check up 

almostpriceless

I have never known anyone to get the green light on working out until 4-6 weeks post-partum. With my last baby even walking my older daughter to the bus stop made the bleeding worse. Nope.

splsmama2016

I'm sort of in a similar situation as you, as my best friend is getting married at the end of August and I have to fit into a dress as well. Thankfully, the bride went out of her way to find a dress that would be easy for me to fit into and would hide baby blubber lol. And she waited until the last possible moment to order our dresses to make sure we get a dress that I can at least have taken in if necessary. 

My OB said at least 4-6 weeks pp until I would be back in the gym. Bleeding needs to stop, first, and if you end up with a c-section, it will be longer.

NicknShan

I am in a wedding in mid July too.  The place we ordered from wanted the dresses ordered by January 1, 2016.  I ordered.  And I am just keeping my fingers crossed.  I think I was 1-2 sizes up?

As for work out, I know I will have an RCS.  Before baby comes, I am going to do as much arm stuff as I can.  Luckily the dresses are long, so I don't have to worry about toned legs.  Once baby comes, I plan to nurse, so I can't really cut calories to lose weight.  I do plan on walking every day once I am cleared to walk by my doctor.  I assume I will have 4 weeks to walk and do some arm exercises.  Worst case, my mom has to find a way to get extra material in a seam... 

NicknShan

Also - RE: Bleeding after a c section.  Some women bleed very little after a c.  I bled forever, but my birth was all types of messed up (like 12 weeks or more?).  I was still cleared to work out at 6.  My good friend has a c, and her OB talked to her about bleeding after the surgery.  She said to talk it over with the doc, and they can try and "suck a little more out" to hopefully help you bleed less.  Now - this is coming from my friends mouth, not my OB, but it is something that I intend talking to my OB about before my RCS.

WinniethePoohsPants

I tried some moderate walking at 2 weeks (just a few laps around the mall) and it made my bleeding much worse. My ob gave me the thumbs up to start exercising again at my 6 week postpartum check up, before that I wouldn't. I had an easy vaginal delivery with no tearing. I was back at my pre pregnancy weight by 6 months, but I think bfing had a lot to do with the weight coming off so quickly.

Huskerfanz

I'm in a wedding in June (which is post baby for me) and luckily we got to pick our own dresses, so I got a flowy one that should work regardless. 

My plan is similar to DS.  Once I have the doctor ok, start with walking and then get back into running slowly like a couch to 5k type thing. 

snowhite12

As other PPs have said, def. talk to your OB before working out. However, with my first pregnancy, I put on 50 pounds, but due to breastfeeding and not dieting, but eating right, I was ALMOST able to fit back in my old jeans 4 weeks after a normal vaginal delivery. I didn't feel comfortable exercising until 7 weeks (I was cleared at 6 weeks).

GinnyJ2012

I was cleared for yoga at 4 weeks (we have a pre/postnatal yoga class at our YMCA), and walking as soon as I felt up for it. I started walking the block when I was about 4 days PP, but very slowly and only as my body allowed. Movement felt better than sitting still for me and didn't increase my bleeding. I started working out at 6 weeks PP after my second at 8 weeks after my first. 

Although with my first I took him to a football game at 16 days PP, and walked the two miles there and back no problems. It just took a while. Everyone is different. 

RMLandy

I was encouraged to start walking laps around the hospital floor as soon as my epidural wore off. I started with short walks around the block as soon as we got home and gradually increased. I believe I was cleared for true exercise at 6 weeks.

gauge1234

I'm not sure of the dress style but in my sisters wedding one of the bridesmaids changed the zip up back for a corset, it looked amazing and gave her the needed baby room. 

Depending on my ability after birth my plan is to bind my hips and mid section using a belly bandit or similar (probably the belly bandit), start walking as soon as I can, and focus on breastfeeding, lots of water, eating well, and post birth exercises to wake up my core. Then in 6-8 weeks I will start yoga, maybe some light weights, and some mom and baby clasess. 

AOliveira11

Agree with everyone here. It depends on the delivery. Im hoping for a natural birth and plan on pumping milk. My gym has a daycRe that will watch the baby as soon as she's 8 weeks old, do im gonna use that as a starting point for some light walking. They also have a pool where they do water aerobics so im hoping to do that as well to ease myself back into the harder workouts like kickboxing and zumba. 

wbwells

From my mom who's a professional seamstress of wedding dresses and bridesmaids dresses- If it's a true bridesmaids dress- not some random cute matching dress from Jcrew anyone could buy- but a specific 'these are your bridesmaids dresses to pick from and that's all we do' there is usually a 2" seam allowance total, or something even on both sides of the dress.  You would never know because if it's stitched correctly it's inside the dress laying flat.  They do that to bridesmaids dresses and wedding dresses because how many women 'are DEFINITELY going to lose 20 pounds' and then gain 10, so it's a security inside it.  That's one reason we picked the dress that we did for my wedding because SIL was pregnant and out of shape when we got engaged, and wasn't sure how working out would go so we got a dress that could accommodate bigger boobs if needed if she was nursing.  
I have no experience getting back to working out, FTM here, just wanted to let you know from the seamstress side what to look for/ask for just in case the dress needs some altering after baby  Good luck momma!!