Postpartum Notes to Self
Postpartum Notes to Self (image via). As our due date nears, I’m thinking more and more about postpartum…you know that’s what they call the time after you deliver your new bundle of joy. I’m thinking about how postpartum went after my last child and important things to keep in mind for the next.
So a few TRUTHS about Postpartum…
- Your body does not jump back into normalcy…
- No matter if you are a new mom or veteran; there is still an adjustment period for you and your family…
- Baby blues are real…
So having said that, let’s discuss.
After delivery, your body does not automatically revert back into the body you once knew before pregnancy. In fact, it looks more like you at 5-6 months pregnant. Keeping this in mind, keeps you from freaking out. I remember that I was so anxious to get my body back after our last child, that I did a “JumpStart Diet” that was part of an exercise program that I started after a few short weeks after delivery…um this was a definite PostPartum No-No, based on my experience. It totally stunted my breast milk production and in turn stunted my weight loss. So normal diet for me this time…which is the no diet!
Your body needs time to recover! For some reason I thought I would be able to run a marathon after a few weeks. I went out with my brand new jogger stroller with our son for a jog. After about two steps that felt like my lower body was going to fall off…I headed back to the house…feeling defeated! What I learned, it’s not that serious, give your body time to recover and you’ll get back to physical fitness with time…I did!
Soooo again, this time around, I’m focusing on taking the time to “recovery” from the trauma that we call child-birth. I will definitely not be dieting and I will be waiting until at least the suggested 6 weeks of recovery before starting a workout routine. And my diet will remain as is, meaning no dieting/calorie counting because I will be nursing.
Next, you and your family need time to adjust. For some reason, we thought it would be automatic with our last child…I mean, this wasn’t our first child. Well the fact of the matter is that, an addition to your family still changes the dynamic of the household, so give yourself and your family time to adjust to the newness of having a little one around again. It may take time to get back to the ‘normal’ routine of things and that’s okay!
Lastly, baby blues are real. Weird to me but real. Giving birth is amazing so why would you get sad about having a new life at home that you brought into the world. I’m not totally sure what happens, but I believe it’s hormonal. It’s explained better here. I do know that by keeping in mind some of the things discussed about will cut down on some of the stress/undue expectations that we as women put on ourselves during this time frame…I mean you just can’t do everything. Ask for help (I’m talking to myself here)!
These are my Postpartum Notes to Self! Do you have any to share?