It’s amazing what our bodies do to change for pregnancy and postpartum. In some ways I miss my “old body” and I was so self-conscious to wear tight-fitting clothes the last 6 months because it would show my new lumps and rolls.
I continued to wear my maternity clothes for about 2 months after pregnancy because they were the only things that fit me for a while. It wasn’t until the 6-month postpartum mark that I could fit into my pre-pregnancy size.
It took some time for me to realize that it was going to be a long journey to get back to where I was, and the more I thought about it the more self-conscious I got. So I decided to start from the beginning and take it one step at a time by doing one heavy lifting workout a week with my trainer with a lot of walking on the other days. Let me tell you, I was extremely sore! I then slowly incorporated more workouts each month into my routine as I built up my strength and cardio. It’s still not a consistent schedule, but my goal is to get four workouts in each week, even if it’s just only a half hour.
After working with a nutritionist at @tnt_getfit and trainer @gracefinleyfitness, I’ve got a clear path to my new goals and new motivation! For the past month I’ve been so close yet stuck at those last 5 pounds to hit my pre-pregnancy weight. Once I hit that number on the scale, while maintaining breastfeeding and consuming enough calories for that, then I want to focus on doing another cut for this Summer.
Working with a team was so helpful during the transition phase after being approved for workouts at 6 weeks pp. It was tough seeing myself struggle with lifting and cardio, so having those people there with me reassured me that what I’m going through is completely normal and I don’t need to worry about the past.
Seeing the progress and trying new exercises has been empowering for me. Knowing that I’m doing the best that I can with my limited schedule, but also giving myself a break and not being hard on myself if I miss a workout because I am taking care of Henry. Getting in more movement during the day and eventually getting more sleep at night once Henry started sleeping 10+ hours really helped me get into a good headspace. Also just getting out of the house to do simple things and seeing friends and family increased my moods.
Not gonna lie, it’s a struggle to make it to the gym even three days a week with a baby who’s with me for five (two days at daycare). Thankfully, our gym has child care!! Adam and I are alternating gym days and it’s a lot, but we make it a priority. If I miss a day, I’m not as hard on myself as I used to be. I’m soaking up as much time as I can with Henry while he’s so little and learning.
We now have a very consistent work schedule and daily routine between the 3 of us and it’s much easier to plan dates, run errands, and go to the gym than it was in the beginning. What works for us is him working out before work, that way he can take care of Henry in the evenings while I go after work. Also, our gym offers child care and I can usually book that for Henry when we want to go together on the weekends, or I go in before work.
We’ve been trying to get outside and do things we love like hiking and trail riding in the RZR when the weather is nice enough to go. We have a big camping trip coming up with friends and we can’t wait to have a mini-vacation! We will be bringing Henry with us, and it’s really not that hard having along. I make sure to pack plenty of cloth diapers, we use about 8 per day + an overnight diaper, cloth wipes, wet bags for the dirty things, clothes, pack-n-play, teething toys, and mason bottle jars for milk.
While Henry turned 6 months old, we took a family trip to Florida to visit my best friend, go fishing, and soak up the sunshine! He did so good on the airplane, I gave him a bottle at take-off then he took a good nap, he woke up after an hour or so and played with grandpa, then I nursed him during landing. Thankfully, the Florida airport has a nursing room so I could feed him privately while we were waiting for our flight home.
I waaaaayy overpacked for our trip for both Henry and I, which is typically. He had so much stuff to take; a pack-n-play, suitcase full of clothes and toys, car seat + base + carrying case (which I loaded up with our cloth diapers and wet bags), and a carry on cooler for milk. I had him strapped to my front so I didn’t have to worry about bringing a stroller and didn’t have any issues going through security, he actually slept through the whole process. I also had my carry-on suitcase and laptop bag with my pumps and extra clothes for the both of us. I literally couldn’t have done the trip without my parents; it was so nice having them there to help us manage all of our baggage through the airports and having them watch Henry a few nights in our hotel room that way we could go out and enjoy some adult time with our friends. 🙂
The only thing I didn’t account for was him waking up in the middle of the night and wanting to feed. I think this was because we were keeping him up later than his normal bed time and he was off of his schedule (that he loves). I normally pump only 3 times a day and will have 3-5oz leftover for the next day, which we would either give to him at night, or I would nurse him which then lowered my supply for the next morning. We did end up having to buy formula for our last day in Florida because I simply couldn’t keep up with his demand, and I didn’t want to affect my supply schedule. We really don’t mind giving him formula, we actually are doing 1-2 bottles of formula each week now because he is again waking up in the middle of the night and only wants to nurse. But this time it’s because he finally has a top tooth cutting through!
Henry is growing up so fast now and he is almost crawling! He loves being on his tummy and over time he learned to push himself up, then he learned how to do a plank, and now he is on his hands and knees and pushes himself backwards and turns. He hasn’t quite figured out how to move forward, but he’s so close!
Henry loves to laugh and play hide-n-seek, he has the cutest giggles and is always smiling!
He is now having purees and eating like a champ. I typically steam our fresh vegetables and take some of what we’re eating and put it in a blender to spoon feed to him. His favorites are avocados, sweet potatoes, mangos, applesauce, and zucchini. He still gets breast milk 5 times a day and he can hold the bottle himself now, which means we can get other stuff done while he drinks, unless I am nursing him of course.
I miss racing so much, it was nice to have a break from the stress and travel last year, but my need for the adrenaline rush and competition is driving me crazy. I am wanting to try something new this year and see if I like it – drag racing has always been my thing but there are so many other fun forms of motorsports that I want to learn about.
But this year I’m motivated to reach my goals in the gym and be the best that I can be for when I get back behind the wheel!! What type of workouts do you do for driving? I’m focusing on my core, forearms, neck, and back.
