A New Reflection: Body After Baby

So it begins. My postpartum weight loss journey.

A woman's biggest secret is her postpartum body. EVERY girl has to wonder how a new mother's body has changed. I know I did. If I could, I would ask every new mom to bare her "battle scars" so we could share and compare and mope about it together.
When your body is youthful and beautiful, you hate to imagine the aftermath of what a baby can do to your once flawless image. This is what I had feared the most. Looking in the mirror after I had a baby and being afraid of what I'd see.


Let me break it down for you.
Weight at first prenatal appointment June 18, 2010: 120 lbs
Weight on December 31, 2010 (38 weeks pregnant): 151 lbs
Current Weight: 132 lbs

I, myself, was surprised to lose 20 pounds following the birth of Rosalie, and I am happy to report that I feel almost fully recovered. And, in case you were wondering, I managed to get away without any stretch marks, although I have a few faint ones in areas that will probably remain unseen (lol).
My stomach isn't as tight as it once was due to my abdominal muscles "loosening" to make room for baby, but for the most part, it has shrank back to it's almost normal size despite a little extra fat around the edges. I can tell that the extra weight remains in areas below the waist and in my face. These are my target areas that I'd like to work on.

My goal weight is 115 pounds and I'd like to reach this by the time I return to work in April. I have no plan of action yet since the doctor advises that I keep my exercise moderate for the first two months since I am exclusively breastfeeding and my supply could be negatively affected if I do not give my body adequate time to recover.

As much as I'd like to start popping in those workout videos, I know that it is important for me to feel 100% back to normal before I do so. Breastfeeding is not as easy as people make it look! It was a struggle for me at first, and I was psyching myself out by thinking that I would not be able to do it. The first week was grueling. Rosalie latched on like a champ but my milk had not come in yet and it was painful..VERY painful. I seriously wanted to cry every time she clamored around for food. Luckily, Kaiser is a great resource for breastfeeding support and I absolutely loved the lactation consultant there. I went in to see her at least 3 times, and she encouraged me to keep trying and eventually, my milk would come in and things would get easier. As much as I wanted to throw in the towel and give Rosalie a bottle, I kept at it, and after about 5 days, my milk supply kicked in an mealtime was no longer doomsday for me. Hallelujah!

Although exclusively breastfeeding has many perks, it's been tough on me because my husband can't help with the feedings. So that means I am up every 2-3 hours day or night, feeding the baby. The sleep deprivation takes it toll, but I just have to keep telling myself that she won't be in this newborn stage forever and the time between feedings WILL get longer. Leaving the house is an issue because I have to time it around her eating schedule, but hey, welcome to the life of being a mom. Hopefully working out will find a way into my schedule in the next few weeks. On the plus side, breastfeeding burns an average of 500 calories a day!

I hope I'm not being naive about my weight loss goals especially with a new baby in tow, but hopefully making my progress public is enough motivation to get me off my butt!

So, here's to re-prioritizing my life and putting my own health and image back on the list. Healthy Happy Mom = Healthy Happy baby. Skinny, active, mom = One Happy Me.