I just console myself with thinking: it's another month, it's one more month, I can do one more month. And then I focus on all the stuff that needs to get done during that month and suddenly it seems like no time at all.
And yeah, hooray for summer babies. I'm looking forward to walking miles and miles all around the city and taking a million cute pictures and, not incidentally, dropping this baby weight in the process.
Thats the spirit, you just got me super motivated!
Since lots of ladies are talking about getting back into their fitness routines after birth I was wondering if any STMs out there can give a round-about figure of how long before going for stroller walks was a feasible thing after birth for them and how long before more intensive workouts were doable? I know everyone is different and it depends on the circumstances of the birth.
I am quite anxious to get into the swing of things. I spent a decent amount of time finding the best way (for me) to shed pounds and get fit and once I got within maybe 3 months of my goal I got pregnant. I'm certainly not complaining but just expressing why I am so excited to feel fit again. I spent a lot of time at a really good weight and fitness level in my 20s and blew up like a balloon due to depression. I remind myself all the time that this weight isn't the same. . .it's because of something happy but it's difficult sometimes when I look in the mirror and see that person I was again.
I have been eating pretty healthy and trying so darn hard to keep workouts going but I have managed to pack on more than I wanted. None of this is helped by my OB talking about weight every appointment or MH telling me I'm putting on pounds (even though I eat FAR better than he does these days.)
@Kurrant By 4 weeks after birth, I was able to handle walking for several miles with the stroller without much pain. I started walking slowly, for not very far on my treadmill once I got home from the hospital (at first it was so painful from the cs). I got back into running after being cleared by my doctor at 6 weeks, but for the first couple weeks I didn't go very far, or very fast, felt a good deal of pain and felt like my organs were going to fall out. Things got much better by 3 months pp and I settled back into a short running/free weights routine at that point.
I "gain weight" in my face when I'm pregnant--like @kbrands7 said it's probably mostly water retention. One of my former work colleagues commented when I saw her around 20 weeks that she could instantly tell I was pregnant because my face looked fat. Lol, thanks lady!! I also get crazy amounts of cellulite when pregnant. Last time it went away, so hopefully this time it will, too.
It is temporary, and at this point it's VERY temporary, so try not to focus on it too much.
Omg. So much cellulite. I feel like my legs are massive with tons of tiny craters. But like @Charissadeats said, I know want to completely take advantage of the fact that I am in control of my body post-pregnancy.
@KurrantI think I started stroller walks around 3-4 weeks pp. It really depends on how quickly you get yourself up and moving. I got up pretty quickly the day I gave birth (I didn't get very far but that's one thing I was told over and over was to get up and walk asap..I also had had a c/s) and gradually added distance everyday.
Been married since 2009. Unicornuate Uterus (yes I menstruate glitter) Several MCs DD born 2013 (our miracle "you can't have babies" baby!)
Ohhhh girl you are certainly NOT alone!! This is my second baby and I gained 54 lbs with my son. I successfully can say that I lost all of the weight plus an additional 10lbs.....then i got pregnant again. Luckily this pregnancy I have managed to gain far less but still....at this point I just feel like a whale on display at an exhibit.....There is unfortunately no getting around the feeling at this point. You're body really is preparing for birth and you just feel like you're expanding by the day. Today alone I had 3 separate people (all MEN!) say to me "Oh my God you look like you're going to go into labor today..." and my FAVORITE...."Are you sure its not twins".....thanks but no thanks.
My best piece of advice is really not advice. Just know you are certainly NOT alone....we all know what you're going through. Its not an easy part and unfortunately SO's don't seem to understand. Just embrace it....F it. Have a damn ice-cream and love it....Big floppy boobs, squishy thighs, cellulite and all. We are right here with you !
I can't adequately express how thankful I am for all of you! It really makes a difference to have people out there who know what I'm going through! And all of the advice and motivational words seriously made a huge difference just since yesterday for me!! I'm taking all the advice - my body is doing something amazing and I'm proud of how it looks on the outside if what's inside is my beautiful baby boy!! :-) You guys are great, THANK YOU!!
This is seriously how I feel. Last night I almost cried eating supper because we made tacos and I ate those, but then I wanted a grilled cheese so I had that also. As I'm eating all I could think of is 192 pounds which about made me cry but I could not stop eating. I wish I had the issue others are having with the decrease in appetite. People say don't worry because you are carrying a baby but at this point the baby only weighs like 5ish pounds. The rest is all me!
This is seriously how I feel. Last night I almost cried eating supper because we made tacos and I ate those, but then I wanted a grilled cheese so I had that also. As I'm eating all I could think of is 192 pounds which about made me cry but I could not stop eating. I wish I had the issue others are having with the decrease in appetite. People say don't worry because you are carrying a baby but at this point the baby only weighs like 5ish pounds. The rest is all me!
Some of it is amniotic fluid, some of it is the placenta, some of it is the 50% more blood and fluid your body made for the baby, some of it is the increased weight your body needed to put on to HOLD all of that baby stuff up. It's ALL baby
I can totally relate too. I was 124 lbs. when I first got pregnant- now I am at 176 lbs. (I'll be 38 weeks on Monday). I have never been over 135 lbs. in my life- so this has definitely been an adjustment for me. It's hard for me to not be able to wear whatever I want. I constantly catch myself opening my drawers and looking at all my jeans and cute pregnancy clothes, wondering if I will ever fit into them again. But I keep telling myself- I have a little human growing inside of me who is counting on me to nourish him and make him strong, which is way more important than me fitting into my old clothes. I also know that after I give birth, I won't be eating everything under the sun. And even if I can't fit into some of my clothes again, looking at a beautiful, healthy little boy will make that all ok
One other thing I never see accounted for in these breakdowns is how much more muscle you have to put on to carry that weight around. It's literally buried under the other stuff, but that doesn't mean it isn't there. If you were carrying around a backpack full of rocks, 24/7, month after month, your legs would definitely get more buff. Same deal here.
As a side note, has anyone noticed that they're gaining more slowly in the last four weeks? I only went up 1/2 a pound between 35-36 weeks!
Same! I haven't gained any since my 35 week visit. Everyone said I'd explode in my last month since that's when baby puts on the most fat. I know he's okay since he's moving and heartbeat is good.
I actually lost quite a bit of weight in the past two weeks, but I think it's more because of this wretched sinus infection I have which is killing my appetite. That being said, I've heard lots of people say that weight gain slows/ plateaus in the final month because there's just not much room left in your stomach for food. Of course, if you have trouble with swelling you may still gain weight just from retained water. Either way, I think I may have reached the point where I just need to stop letting my midwife tell me my weight- even though it's not crazy high, I just think too much about it and I need to let it go and just get through these next few weeks.
I've read and heard that plateaus are pretty common at the tail end of the third trimester and a lot of women actually drop weight at the end, just because your stomach is too squashed to fit in any food, which has pretty much been my experience. Eating is not a lot of fun right now.
Re: FAT
I am quite anxious to get into the swing of things. I spent a decent amount of time finding the best way (for me) to shed pounds and get fit and once I got within maybe 3 months of my goal I got pregnant. I'm certainly not complaining but just expressing why I am so excited to feel fit again. I spent a lot of time at a really good weight and fitness level in my 20s and blew up like a balloon due to depression. I remind myself all the time that this weight isn't the same. . .it's because of something happy but it's difficult sometimes when I look in the mirror and see that person I was again.
I have been eating pretty healthy and trying so darn hard to keep workouts going but I have managed to pack on more than I wanted. None of this is helped by my OB talking about weight every appointment or MH telling me I'm putting on pounds (even though I eat FAR better than he does these days.)
Been married since 2009.
Unicornuate Uterus (yes I menstruate glitter)
Several MCs
DD born 2013 (our miracle "you can't have babies" baby!)
Ohhhh girl you are certainly NOT alone!! This is my second baby and I gained 54 lbs with my son. I successfully can say that I lost all of the weight plus an additional 10lbs.....then i got pregnant again. Luckily this pregnancy I have managed to gain far less but still....at this point I just feel like a whale on display at an exhibit.....There is unfortunately no getting around the feeling at this point. You're body really is preparing for birth and you just feel like you're expanding by the day. Today alone I had 3 separate people (all MEN!) say to me "Oh my God you look like you're going to go into labor today..." and my FAVORITE...."Are you sure its not twins".....thanks but no thanks.
My best piece of advice is really not advice. Just know you are certainly NOT alone....we all know what you're going through. Its not an easy part and unfortunately SO's don't seem to understand. Just embrace it....F it. Have a damn ice-cream and love it....Big floppy boobs, squishy thighs, cellulite and all. We are right here with you
1.5 pounds the placenta
7 pounds maternal stores of fat, protein, and other nutrients
7.5 pounds your average full-term baby
2 pounds breast tissue (we know it feels like so much more!)
4 pounds increased fluid volume
4 pounds increased blood volume
2 pounds the uterus
2 pounds amniotic fluid
Total = 30 pounds
Married: Oct 20, 2013
BFP 1: Aug 31, 2015
EDD 1: May 12, 2016
DD1 Emma born May 12, 2016
An Honest Account of New Motherhood (with Postpartum Anxiety, Depression, and OCD)
BFP 2: October 07, 2019
EDD 2: June 20, 2020