Hey all,
Now that I've popped baby Tayel out, I'm slowly recovering from pregnancy and of course already planning on getting back in shape. But things don't go that fast once your baby is born. I gained a total of 12 kilos during my entire pregnancy, which is not too bad. I should be able to lose that weight rather quickly, once I can start a workout regimen again.
However the belly doesn't just disappear right after the baby comes out!
Right after delivery and during the first weeks after, you still look about 5 to 6 months pregnant.
This is something I was mentally prepared for because I had read about it, so it wasn't a big surprise to me having to keep wearing my pregnancy pants afterwards. It's funny to see this big squishy belly, knowing that "nothing" is inside anymore. Well, not exactly nothing.
My mom keeps joking that there is another baby inside, but basically the uterus needs to shrink back to its regular size, and the body needs to get rid of all that extra fluid that it had stored for the baby, including an extra liter of blood that was produced just for that purpose. Post-pregnancy recovery (meaning the 2 first weeks) are kind of gross. You basically have a very heavy "period" and are bleeding continuously.
I can see you grimacing while reading this, ha!
And it's not all! Your muscles are also a mess, and you feel like you've actually been through war. Your abs are virtually not functioning at all and the rest has gotten all flabby, and even simple tasks like walking while keeping good posture are a challenge. Your core strength has evaporated and you need to start from zero to get it all back.
Oh and of course you're also exhausted and feel like you need to sleep for several days to recover your energy, all while caring for a newborn. I envy countries where you can stay for several days in the hospital when you give birth, so that moms can actually get a good night sleep and nurses take care of the baby at night. At least it gives a chance to the new mom to get some well needed rest to get ready for what's ahead of her. In my case, I was kicked out after the second night (normally it's just one, but my doc insisted on a second one).
So as you can see, you can't just pick up where you left off.
Recovery takes time, so you can't just rush back to the gym after delivery and pick up your jumping rope (I tried jumping, trust me!). Your insides need to get back to their original size and location, and you need to wait for any scarring to heal before you can start any physical activity.
I'm lucky I had a natural delivery (meaning no C-section), and therefore I will be able to start working out sooner. I have already started in fact, but very slowly of course to get back my core strength. Right now I'm limiting myself to easy pilates moves on a yoga mat.My fitness level is that of an old woman who's never worked out in her life (or so it feels). I tried doing squats 2 days ago, and had to stop after only 10. A huge setback from before, but that just gives you an idea on the toll a pregnancy can take on a body. Of course working out during pregnancy was extremely beneficial, and allowed me to have a short labor, and hopefully a quick recovery as well.
Here we go...
I'm taking pics of my postpartum body every week to show progress of my shrinking belly. You may wonder why I would share these un-esthetic pictures of myself, and it's a valid question. I think it's important to show what the body actually goes through to produce a human being, and there is no shame in that. I had no appreciation for what moms go through until I experienced it myself. I know I don't look what most people would consider sexy at the moment, and honestly I could give 2 shits. I'm way too sleep deprived to even notice, and more importantly, I know it's just temporary.
I also wanted to show that it is possible to get back to how you were before (or even in better shape) with consistent training, and therefore I will show before and after photos.
Here's a pic of me a few days after birth. Today it's already much less than this...
Stay tuned for the development!