Lifestyle

Body After Baby: Postpartum Progress Check In

Lately I feel like the days have just been flying by! I am so busy and have been meaning to do this FINAL postpartum check in. I want to thank you all for sharing and following this special chapter with us! Like many women out there when I became pregnant I was worried what effects it would have on my body. I knew I wanted to try to gain a healthy amount of weight but enjoy it and not obsess over every calorie. Following other bloggers who shared my passion for a healthy life style and to get back to a happy/healthy postpartum weight really inspired and motivated me. One in particular was the lovely Maria at A Life to Bragg About. If you girls haven’t checked out her blog I highly recommend it. She is a  crossfit/yoga mama that definitely shared my love for healthy cooking and staying fit! Her son is a few months older than Ava and it was great having a bit of a preview as to what to expect. 
     I’m not back to my pre pregnancy weight or body but am happy with where I am at and not going to fret over these last few lbs or the things that have changed my body since having my daughter. I am proud of myself for finding a balance and continuing to be healthy. I am sure if I cut back on indulging on wine, frozen yogurt or that bowl of cereal before bed while watching tv with the hubby I would be drop those last lbs… but whats the fun in that?! Those things are well deserved and I still have to live life. So sticking to my eating well 80% of the time and indulging the other 20% is the balance I find works best for me.

So here are pics from 5 and 6 months postpartum….
5 Months Postpartum
6 Months Postpartum 



My Pregnancy Nutrition:
(For my newer followers you can search through the baby tab at the top of my blog if you want more details but Ill give you a brief run down)
I gained just under 30lbs during my pregnancy. I didn’t eat cheeseburgers, french fries and shakes every night. I continued to eat clean/healthy the majority of the time and indulged when I craved something. I made sure starting in the second trimester to up my calories by a couple hundred and in my third trimester by about 300-400 extra calories. The last month of my pregnancy I felt hungry all the time and  listened to those cravings. The biggest thing I would recommend is just LISTEN to your body. If you feel for something eat it! The most important thing is the health of your baby! Pregnancy is not the time to obsess over every calorie. Just strive to find a balance. Be healthy and active and ENJOY your pregnancy without going hog wild.

My Pregnancy Exercise:
When I found out I was pregnant I immediately cut back  the intensity of my workouts. I stopped doing abs (because lets be honest they are about to expand so what is the point of working on your six pack lol) I jogged a few times a week up until I was around 6.5 to 7 months. I also still did some strength training (lunges, squats and arms) for about 20 mins a few times a week as well. Around the 7 month mark I got a horrible cold that lasted weeks! After I got better I knew I needed to listen to my body and ease up. So after 7 months I just walked 3 to 4 times a week up until I went into labor.

My Postpartum Nutrition & Exercise:
Being that this was my first pregnancy and that I also experienced a bit of the baby blues after delivery, I wasn’t rushing to jump back into the workouts. I was exhausted, emotional and my body was recovering. That being said the first two weeks I dropped almost 25lbs of the nearly 30lbs I had gained.
 I think a lot of that had to do with the NON STOP breast feeding as well as continuing to eat clean. I didn’t eat pizza and ice cream but did up my healthy carbs to keep my energy and milk supply up. I couldn’t eat a ton of veggies and fruit like I normally did because Ava had really bad gas. So I stuck with lean proteins, steamed rice, oatmeal, ezekiel bread, avocado etc until I could add more things that her little tummy seemed to be okay with.
I started doing some easy walks at around 4 weeks but really waited until my 6 week check up before getting more consistent with them. In the evenings Ava would get fussy starting around 6pm. She always wanted to be held so I made the most out of it. I turned on my Tivo in the living room and would do some mini mommy workouts with her in my arms. I would use her as my “resistance weight” (that’s one of the good thing about having a chunky baby lol). I would do some squats, lunges and arm raises while watching my E news or Kardashians. If she would go in her bouncer on the floor with out fussing I would get down right next to her and do some abs and booty moves (pelvic thrusts, donkey kicks, leg lifts etc)
Once Ava got a bit older (and we got a solid pumped milk supply on hand) I started to get back to gym when I could, which was only about twice a week. I would jog or do the elliptical machine for about 40 minutes, alternating my speed and incline to keep my body guessing. I always do abs because lets face if you just had a baby and that’s the area that needs to be worked the most! I also squeeze in some strength training for about 20 mins (arms, back and lower body work outs). I just started adding in a third day a week if the hubby can watch Ava. I would love to start taking some classes but being a full time stay at home mom I just get the gym when I can. If I can’t make it to the gym then I revert back to my at home mommy workouts. I still want to do a post with pictures to show you guys the equipment I use and specific work outs I do but that takes a bit more work to have the hubby take pics upload etc. Hopefully I can find time to do that for you guys!

*All this being said this is what has worked for me BUT we are all different! Go at your own pace and do whats best for you and your family! CONSISTENCY IS KEY. You need to find a schedule and build a lifestyle that will work for you. Try to make small changes in your everyday life that you can stick to! I hope this was helpful for you and congrats to all my mamas and mamas to be out there! 

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Comments

  1. you look great! and i love that you`ve been so healthy and putting ava first always. i know a lot of people that just eat junk, but i feel that`s so wrong especially reading your blog! as always, loving everything (=

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  3. Andee, it's so refreshing to read your blog. Your candid posts are so helpful. You seriously look amazing. You are such an inspiration!

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  5. This is so helpful Andee, thank you 🙂 I'm not a mommy (yet) but I need to lose weight and tone up for the wedding next year. I've been really unmotivated with working out, and I'm just now starting to realize exactly how much work it's going to take for me to shed some lbs. I hope you get around to posting some exercises! I need to do some work outs at home, and have no clue where to start. I think you look beyond amazing, and you should be really proud of yourself!

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  8. I love Maria's blog also! And you are inspiration to me to get my butt in gear. I've lost the baby weight and then some but my stomach needs major work 🙂

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  9. You look ah-mazing! I just had my third baby three weeks ago, and like you I eat pretty clean with some indulgences:) are you still nursing? My goal is to nurse my last baby as long as possible, which means my body will hold onto an extra 10-15 pounds of weight, but it's totally worth it!

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  11. Extremely helpful! I am around 5 1/2 months prego now and have just started to gain weight. It is scary to see those numbers on the scale at first, but like you said it is b/c we are growing a baby! Thank you for the motivation and encouragement!!

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  13. Girll…you look fantastic. I had no issues getting into shape after my first one and I shed the pounds really fast with my second, but my only concern is going to be how my ab muscles are going to be after baby number 3 in November. Guess we'll see. 😉

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  17. Wow! Congratulations! you look great, like a Hollywood actress 🙂 And NO stretch marks either! I know you work hard and take care of yourself but you're also lucky. I've never been pregnant, I've never been fat and I'm only 21 but my breasts and butt are ridden with stretch marks 🙁 Can only imagine what will happen when I have a baby…

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  18. Thanks for sharing and providing us all with motivation and inspiration! BTW, what are your favorite cereals to snack on?

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  19. Honestly your body looks like it was never pregnant, think you might actually be leaner than a lot of people who never had kids. You are a great example of what healthy, balanced eating and living is all about!

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  21. You really look fantastic! I always love reading your blog for motivation. Thank you always for giving us in-depth entries on your health and fitness. I really appreciate it!

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  23. You look fabulous! My workout routine is similar but wondering for when it comes to lower body how do you keep from bulking? I'm scared of squats and am. Always striving for that lean leg look!

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    1. I think pilates and yoga (or barre classes) would help achieve that look. I wish I had set times where i could take those classes but unfortunately for now my schedule is all over the place so that will have to wait. I played soccer for 8+ years so I've always had more muscular legs so can't really help you in that dept 😉

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  24. Ooo I hope I can be that good after pregnancy. I've been holding off on my sweet tooth, so I'm worried I'll go crazy after I have baby. Congrats- you look amazing!!

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  25. I'm in my 8th month and have stuck to about the same routine and you did, hoping to follow in your footsteps once my little girl gets here. Thank you for sharing!!

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  26. wow, you aren't back to your pre prego weight? I think you look absolutely awesome, no lie. If this isn't even your pre prego weight, I feel fat now lol. I still have 25 pounds to go to my prego weight and i'm still not going to look as good as you. It's hard to stay motivated with my little one at home, & not getting a lot of sleep. Plus I have had so many problems with breastfeeding, I've been using formula so I didn't loose weight that fast 🙁

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  28. Omg thank you so much for the shoutout! Though, I feel a little guilty because I did indulge with a few cupcakes haha 😉 You look so freaking beautiful and you should be incredibly proud of yourself and all of your hard work. You are MY inspiration!

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  30. You are my inspiration for this pregnancy and after! I can see you being like a Bethenny Frankel because you inspire so many people and make it all seem so practical. You should be really proud 🙂

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  33. you look amazing! Good for you! I have been breastfeeding my son for a year and it has completely taken my weight off. Actually, a year later I am now under my pre pregnancy weight and that's not on purpose! At this 6 month mark I still had a few pounds to lose as well but like you said don't fret about it! It will take about a year to feel like your "old self" again!

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  34. Hi Andee, you look great! I am a new stay at home mom and I'm having trouble settling into a routine. Could you share a typical day for you with Ava?

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  41. You look amazing!! Thanks so much for this post….I have been banned from working out the past 9 months because of orthopedic foot surgeries…so same length as pregnancy lol and though I stayed close to my weight I have been looking for motivation to get back to the gym/ new ideas and tips!This was very helpful so thanks again!!

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  42. Love Love Love your blog! Im 7 months pregnant with my second and totally needed this with dressing up my bump! I thought it was awesome that we do the same diets and almost everytime you posted food it was something on my list to try! I bounced back beautifully with my first but it took a year Because i gained 60lbs but this time i only gained ( so far) 18, im sure ill gain more though the hunger is on lol. But your blog is amazing and very inspirational for sure. plus your beautiful! you look great!

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  43. Thanks for this post. You look amazing! This is just the thing I needed to read to remind myself that I can have my body back after baby #3 with some work. With #2 I was able to lose it in 4 months but it took a full year for my body to look similar to prepregnancy. Great tip about working out with baby. My last two babies were colicky little guys and instead of running around in circles saying "shhh" a baby work out probably would have been a better idea.

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  44. You look amazing. I had fantastic abs before pregnancy, but they actually separated during my pregnancy and never went back afterward. It's a condition called "recti diastasis" and it often causes a little mummy pouch. It's very important not to do traditional crunches right after your pregnancy or you can really damage your abs. Doing more transverse abdominal and oblique workouts really help bring everything back together. In my case, I can't ever do crunches again (boo), but I can make my stomach smaller with healthy eating and exercise. Thanks for the inspirational picture.

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  45. Hi! I recently found out I am pregnant and your blog is such a big help and inspiration! I know this is an old blog but in case you haven't heard, let me recommend you http://www.thedailyhiit.com is high intensity interval training workouts to do at home! amazing! You're awesome. I def want to follow your steps when it comes to pre/post baby weight 😛

    Reply
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