A few months ago, I had a lot of thoughts and feelings about being postpartum and what postpartum can mean. Here they are since I am so behind on a normal blog schedule! Life update coming soon too.
Being postpartum, being a new mom all can be hard. When it comes to being a mom it’s rewarded by enjoying your time with your cute little baby. But a lot of us don’t want to be postpartum for long with all the negatives it can bring. The hormone levels are all over the place, the physical issues that can come up, all can make you not feel yourself. And it’s hard not to feel like your old self. It’s a big transition all moms go through. Though I wonder how many are really ready for it? I knew in some ways I was reborn. Then I actually had to grieve the old me and my old life. It’s ok to be sad about who you were and knowing she isn’t exactly coming back. Then you must learn to love and embrace the new you.
In the world of fitness, a lot of moms want to get straight back to the gym, which is where I live now. They want to feel like their old selves. They jump in and sometimes too quickly. I’ve learned for most this comes from having to get their “body back” ASAP! But it also comes from mom’s wanting to be back in their atmosphere at the gym with friends.
Now I do believe exercise and movement is amazing for you? Yes! But after a baby I believe wholeheartedly, it all becomes about how/when to reintroduce movement safely. That means to first RECOVER and then REBUILD to become stronger in the long run. This is a mindset you must work at for sure, and even work at changing your mindset before baby arrives. My background before my pregnancies was 5 years of strength and conditioning. Then I had to rewrite my thoughts that I would train for labor. Years ago I learned the number on the scale is not important. It’s about how you feel, if you like what you see in the mirror, and how much I could do/lift in the gym.
Postpartum is a little different but our thoughts should NOT only consider the number on the scale. Our first thoughts should be to thank to our bodies for creating, making, and birthing our baby. If we can first be thankful to our bodies maybe we can be more kind to ourselves about how we look after birth. This is why mentally preparing for your postpartum period can be so important. I knew what I weighed before I was pregnant and will try to get to that one day. But first I’m going to fuel my body for breastfeeding and movement. Then the extra fat will slowly come off.
This is all possible, as you don’t ingest an insane amount of empty calories per day from lots of overly processed foods. We want to try to stick to a whole foods high in protein diet with very little processed foods. Something else to consider too is that if breastfeeding, there’s a chance you can hold onto 10-20 extra pounds in comparison to pre-pregnancy weight just because of your hormones need that extra fat to make breastmilk.
I hope your biggest take away is to be kind to yourself and be patient to the process. You will get there but maybe not as quickly as you thought. 💜 Keep it up mama!
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Sweet Mama Fitness 