3/4 months postpartum update…

17 Oct

Hello there!

It’s been a while…

I know.

Forgive me?

A lot has been going on in the last two months and I just haven’t had the energy or time to blog.

Our little family moved cities and we couldn’t be happier where we are now! The hubby was offered an amazing job that he couldn’t refuse and so we packed up our stuff and we were out. To be honest, we were waiting for any excuse to get out of South Florida, and away from all the drama that it comes with.

Dean is 4 months old! Can you believe it? Why must they grow so fast??? Make it stop.

Here’s what he looks like these days…

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As you can see, he’s found his feet!

Stats: At his 4 month checkup, he weighed 16.8lbs and measures 26.5 inches long. This makes him tall and solid! Daddy is proud, naturally. He is rolling over, sitting assisted, laughing at his older brother, and grabbing anything in site!

Breastfeeding: We are still exclusively breastfeeding and it’s going great. He is not the best latcher, or the most efficient, but that won’t stop this mama! I had another plugged duct the other day but, thankfully, it wasn’t mastitis. That was the absolute worst! Although, we are in no rush to start eating food yet, Dean has recently begun to show some interest in the food I’m eating. Once he begins to sit unassisted a little better, I will have him join us at the dinner table and offer him some food. I’m guessing this will be around the 6/7 month mark. I may begin giving him soft boiled egg yolk (pasture raised) with liver before then. If you want to know why click here.

Sleep: On average, he is still waking every 2/3 hours to nurse. He has random nights where he will sleep for a long stretch. I’m not worried since this is normal while cosleeping and nursing.

Updates on mommy….

I’m only SIX pounds away from pre-pregnancy weight at 4 months! This puts me at 153 lbs. I am so proud of this. Last time around, I was nowhere near pre-pregnancy weight this fast. I don’t think I lost the last 10 until after a year. I work damn hard so I’m totes bragging.

Here are some pics of the belly at 4 months postpartum. I’m starting to see some toning but I still feel like the baby pooch hasn’t fully returned to normal. Hoping it does!

Here’s what the tummy looks like at 4 months postpartum.

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Have a great weekend everyone! See you next month. Who knows? Maybe I will get inspired to post a new recipe or something. :)

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2 months postpartum update!

20 Aug

This post is like a hundred weeks late. I’m so sorry! We are moving cities tomorrow and doing so with a toddler and a newborn has not been an easy task.

Having two children is still the hardest job ever. I want to laugh at myself for thinking having 1 was hard. I wouldn’t trade it for the world.

Let’s start with baby…

Here are some shots of him recently.

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Ugh! He is the cutest thing I’ve ever seen! He is such a joy!

Breastfeeding

We are still (not even close to being done) exclusively breastfeeding. Since breastfeeding is on demand, there really isn’t a set schedule. Sometimes he goes a few hours and sometimes he wants a snack 15 minutes after his last feed. I don’t mind. This is probably the last child I will ever nurse so I’m enjoying every second of it. Big brother has been enjoying some breast milk too!

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Sleep

Little Dean is a much better sleeper than his older brother. He enjoys 3 hour naps sometimes. He’s been having nights where he only wakes up once. I have a feeling that he will sleep through the night very soon. Either way, it doesn’t matter. It doesn’t make him a better child in any way. I laugh when people say how “proud” they are because their 1 day old slept through the night. Does this mean I should be un-proud of my first son who didn’t sleep the night until he was almost a year old? The good ol’ Procrustean shoe. Ugh. I digress…

Stats

At his 2 month check up, Dean weighed in at 13.7 lbs and measured 23 inches long. I make big babies and that’s okay! It doesn’t make me #soproud because being bigger or smaller doesn’t friggin matter. Seriously moms, don’t feel bad if other babies are bigger, or sleeping sooner, or busting out teeth at 1 month old. There is nothing wrong with your child and you should still be #proud and feel #blessed.

Anyways, Dean is interacting with us much more these days. Smiles. Air kicks. Gurgles. I love this stage! I can’t get enough.

On to mommy…

Body

If you have been reading my blog, you know that I’ve been on a 6 week nutrition plan. I didn’t cheat for 6 weeks! I didn’t even allow myself my programmed cheats most of the time because the weight was coming off so slowly. Although the scale is somewhat important at reflecting weight loss, you can see from my before/after shots that the scale doesn’t tell the whole story. I must have managed to put on some muscle because the difference is pretty significant. I’ve been doing Crossfit 4-5 times a week.

I started the program at 169lbs and finished at 158lbs. Even though this is only an 11lb difference, I can see the difference in my body. Some of my clothes are finally starting to fit again. Thank goodness!

Here is before (left) and after (right)

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I’m still a good 15lbs from my goal so I’m going to continue on with the nutrition program and follow all the advice that was given to me. I’m so grateful to Trevor for his nutrition advice. I’ve never been able to lose weight in a healthy way. I’ve always just starved myself and then sacrificed strength in the gym. I’ve felt amazing at the gym. I was able to squat 165lbs my first time squatting after baby. I wasn’t even squatting 155lb right before I got pregnant. I was starving those days.

Stop making excuses and get after it! My eyes burn me from exhaustion and I have to take the baby with me most days but it has to be done! My happiness depends on my feeling good about myself.

If you would like a personalized nutrition plan, you can contact Trevor Jaffe. Follow his Instagram @jaffestrength. His email is on his profile. You won’t be sorry!

Hope you enjoyed this post! Let me know in the comments how you lost all your baby weight!

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1 month postpartum!

8 Jul

Is this post a few days late? Yes.

Am I a complete nut who barely has time to shower, let alone blog? Yes.

Am I trying my best? Yes.

Geez, it’s been rough, man.

When do toddlers turn into human beings? I’m really counting on the fact that one day….just one day…my 3 year old wild animal will turn into a civilized human being. I’ve heard this may take another year or two. Two?!!! Help!

In other news, my little señor is a month old! I can’t believe it. It’s depressing how fast they grow!

I had a pretty rough week last week. I came down with mastitis. If anyone has experienced this, they know how awful mastitis is. As if I hadn’t suffered enough through pregnancy, childbirth, and exhaustion…

Mastitis is an infection of the breast usually caused by a plugged duct. It causes unbearable pain in the affected breast, fever, shakes, cold sweats, aches and pains all over your body…you basically feel like you’ve been hit by a truck. Sounds like fun huh? Add a newborn, a wild animal to tame (aka toddler), having to breastfeed more out of the affected breast…a recipe for success! Not. Thankfully, I got me so antibiotics and started feeling better within 48 hours.

Let’s get the the actual update now.

Don’t forget, from now on I will be posting monthly.

Let’s talk about the baby first…because, cute.

Here is what he looks like at 1 month old. He’s changed so much already but still looking a whole lot like big brother

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Just for fun, here’s a pic of my oldest when he was a baby, and his little brother. Can you tell who’s who?

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Breastfeeding

Besides the mastitis, breastfeeding is going well. My supply is starting to establish and level out. We are approaching the 6 week growth spurt and so nursing has been around the clock these days. On July 4th, we spent the entire day nursing, pretty much.

Sleep

He is still waking, on average, every 2-2 1/2 hours. Randomly, he will go 4. We are still co sleeping and loving it. The only problem is having 4 humans on a king size bed. Did you know they don’t make anything bigger than a California King (longer not wider) here in he states? I’m starting to consider importing an emperor size bed from the UK. If not, I’m going to have to start transitioning big brother out on his own. I don’t want him to feel like little brother took his place so I would have to transition both and I’m not ready for the little one to be out of bed yet. It’s so much easier when breastfeeding.

Milestones

They don’t do much at this age but we are doing tummy time and I feel like he almost smiles. I can’t wait to see his cute smile! This usually happens around 2 months.

Now onto mommy…

Body and Diet

I broke through the plateau last week. Thank goodness. Remember that professional I was seeking out? Thanks to him and a personalized diet, I was able to shed 4 lbs in the last week and a half. This makes my current weight 165lbs. It’s been really hard since all I crave are sweets when I’m breastfeeding, and I’m hungry all the time. When I’m home I’m okay. I’m not really hungry, just bored. I don’t care though. Nothing worth having is easy.

It was really annoying and hard to watch people eat cookies and BBQ on the 4th of July but I got through it. I will be staying away from events like this, it’s not worth the misery. Lol.

I also went back to the gym this week. I know I know. I’m supposed to wait 6 weeks. I feel fine. I’m not bleeding anymore and I haven’t done anything crazy. Mostly body weight workouts at the gym. No core or jumping exercises until I get the okay from my doctor next week. I had to do SOMETHING.

Here’s what the belly looks like at 1 month postpartum.

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Thanks for reading!

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3 Weeks Postpartum Update…

26 Jun

Hello!

This image sums up my life right now.

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It’s still hard! My toddler is hard. The threes are so much worse than the twos. Stick a newborn into the equation and…put a fork in me. I’m so exhausted!

Ok, I’ll stop complaining now.

Besides being the hardest darn thing I’ve ever done…

Moments like these…

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…make it all worth it.

Body and Diet

Are you ready for this? I lost ZERO pounds this week. Yai! Not. Whoever thinks breastfeeding makes you lose weight is full of crap. People who lose all the weight right away would have done so whether they were breastfeeding or not. I think breastfeeding definitely helps shrink your uterus back faster which can get you your waistline back. However, lose weight? I don’t think so. Do you know how hungry breastfeeding moms are? Apparently, prolactin is an appetite stimulant. No kidding.

Anyways, you can imagine how annoyed I am at the lack of weight loss and the hole in my stomach every day. But don’t you worry my friends. A professional has already been sought out, and a specialized diet is underway…just for me. I won’t go through the same thing I always go through to lose weight (starving). I’ll keep you updated on progress.

Here is a pic of the belly. I’m still wearing my Belly Bandit during the day.

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Breastfeeding

I’m still having some latching issues. It’s not enough to make me seek help, yet. My little guy has a shallow latch and when he gets a good latch, he will pull back and pinch. I feel like he’s getting better at it every day. My nipples are still a little sore but nothing too bad. He’s still nursing every 2.5-3 hours at night and every 1-2 hrs during the day.

Sleep

We are waking up every 2.5-3 hrs every night to nurse. This doesn’t bother me too much since we are co sleeping. The worst part is changing diapers! I have to physically get up and turn the light on. Ugh. I can’t complain, really. He’s a great sleeper.

Baby Updates

The umbilical cord stump finally fell off! I feel like it took forever this time! Geez. Now I don’t have to worry about it.

Baby won’t be going back to the doc until 2 months so I don’t know how much he’s weighing. He is definitely growing. All the newborn stuff is getting a little tight on him.

I think that about covers it for today! Next week will be my last weekly update and then I will switch to monthly updates.

Hope you all have a great rest of the week and weekend!

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2 weeks postpartum update…

19 Jun

Wow.

Having 2 children is #nojoke. Especially when one is an extremely active 3 year old boy. So friggin hard! I honestly want to run away sometimes. The first week was pretty rough but I think I’m getting the hang of it (kinda). Bottom line…I CANT stay home for 2 months, or 40 days, or whatever any of my Latin people think is appropriate. If I did that, there is a good chance my 3 year old will burn our house to the ground out of boredom. Getting out of the house has helped my tot burn some energy.

Anyways…

Even though it’s difficult, my life feels complete now. I didn’t know how it would be possible to love another child as much as I love my first, but it is. I love them both differently, but no more or less than the other. It’s amazeballs!

Here is what my lil guy looks like at 2 weeks old.

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He’s still looking a whole lot like his big brother! Let’s see what happens in the next few months. He was up to 8lbs and 11oz at his 2 week checkup. Still not as big as his brother was at birth!

Recovery

Recovery has been a breeze this time. I haven’t had any pain down there even though I tore and got a few stitches. Nothing can be worse than my episiotomy experience. I’m feeling pretty good most of the time. I feel like the “baby blues” hit me a little harder this time around 7-10 days postpartum. I was in a bad funk for a few days but I got out of the house for a few days and I felt better. I’m still on the verge of tears most of the time but I’m pretty sure this is normal.

Breastfeeding

Little brother is such a lazy nurser! I’m not used to this! My oldest was very aggressive and latched on perfectly since the moment he came out. Little guy starts to fall asleep and pulls back on the breast which makes him pinch. Ouch! I’m still pretty sore on one side which is not cool 2 weeks pp. I try to unlatch him when he’s latched wrong and make him try again. Other than the latching problem, we are nursing every 2-3 hours. There are times of the day where he has started to cluster feed.

Sleeping

Baby is consistently waking about every 3 hours at night to feed. His diapers also get really full and this is probably the only annoying part of waking because I have to get up and change him. We are still co-sleeping in bed. Not sure when I’ll try to put him in his co-sleeper again. It might sound weird to some people but I actually feel like he’s safer next to me since I can feel his every breathe. Babies naturally sleep longer when they are close to their mother.

Body and Diet

I weighed 169lbs so I lost another 4lbs this week, a total of 14lbs. I gave myself 2 weeks to pig out and eat whatever I wanted since I’m always starving when I breastfeed. Also, it’s fun to pig out and lose weight. It’s the only time in my entire life when this happens. I still have a lot to lose but cleaning up my diet should take care of most of the weight. My body tends to hold on to 5-10lbs until I stop nursing. Let’s see what happens. Getting my diet right has been a challenge. I’m absolutely STARVING all the time. There is no hunger that can compare to breastfeeding hunger. I’m considering seeking a professional to give me a good nutrition plan that will help me lose weight and keep me satiated while I breastfeed. I only know two extremes…starvation and pigging out.

As far as exercise is concerned, I’m dying to get back in the gym! I don’t think I can wait 6 weeks (nor do I think it’s necessary). What are your thoughts? I’m thinking 3-4 weeks is good enough. I don’t plan on going crazy right away. I will hold off on ab exercises and jumping exercises for now. I feel like I’m ready to do some light rowing, or walking. Maybe some body weight squats and lunges…

What do you guys think? When did you start working out again? What exercises did you do?

Here is what my tummy looks like at 2 weeks postpartum. I feel like it looks the same as last week and it’s making me angry but I’m probably being hard on myself.

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Hope you guys enjoyed this post! I’ll check back in a week!

Who knows…maybe I’ll have time to get some recipes posted? Maybe not. Who knows!

Have a great week!

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1 Week Postpartum!

12 Jun

Hey guys!

You didn’t get a 40 week update from me because I was kinda busy having a baby! Yes, little man arrived on his due date. It wasn’t spontaneous. I was induced (not part of the plan)… I will leave my birth story for another day. Induction and all, the Hypnobirthing practice I had done throughout my pregnancy helped me fight through about 6 1/2 hrs of my 8 hr labor.

I know what you’re thinking. I was almost there! I should have pushed through the pain for that last hour! I know. The thing is, I wasn’t progressing so I thought I had hours left. I basically went from 3 cm to 10 in an hour.

I wanted to do these updates in video form, but I’m still figuring everything out. Plus, I have a toddler to care for, and we haven’t gotten into any kind of schedule yet. So, for now, I’m doing blog updates. I’ll update weekly for the first month, then monthly after that. So if you are interested in that sort of thing, stay tuned!

First, meet baby Dean!

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He is the cutest little guy in all the land. He also resembles his big brother a whole lot as an infant. I’m curious to see how he develops over the next few months.

He was 7lbs and 14oz at birth, measuring 21 inches long. He lost a few ounces the first few days but by day 5 he was already weighing 8lbs even. I blame the breastmilk!

Recovery

My recovery this time has been sooo much easier and faster. This probably has something to do with it being my second child, but most importantly, I think it’s mainly due to the fact that I didn’t need to have an episiotomy this time. I had a small tear that only required a few stitches. It hasn’t caused me any pain at all, actually. Just some pressure down there when I sit and move around.

The one thing that was much more painful than last time was the contractions (or afterpains) that I had while nursing the first 3-4 days. The contractions were so painful that I felt like I was in labor all over again. The good thing is they went away when I wasn’t nursing.

Breastfeeding

Nursing has also been so much easier this time! My milk came in very fast this time, within 48 hours. My first son was a very aggressive breastfeeder. He nursed all day, everyday. No breaks. No sleep. This baby is much more laid back. I have to wake him up to nurse sometimes. The only problem with this is he’s a lazy nurser and this causes him to have a shallow latch most of the time. I just make sure to unlatch him right away when this happens and re-latch. I’m trying to make sure I don’t go passed 3 hours but on average he is nursing every 2.

Body and Diet

The last number I saw on the scale before induction was 183, giving me a total weight gain of 36 lbs. This morning I weighed 173 which means I’ve lost 10 lbs so far. As far as diet is concerned, I’m not doing any strict diet, yet. I’m keeping it clean throughout the day but I crave sweets during the first weeks of breastfeeding and I’m not depriving myself of them. I’m also chugging down up to a gallon of water a day.

No exercise yet for me.. I’m not sure I’ll wait the full 6 weeks. I may start some light exercise after 3-4 weeks depending on how I feel and if the lochia (bleeding) has stopped.

Also, like last time, I’ve been using my Belly Bandit. I left the hospital in a medium and I’ve already been in the xsmall for 2 days. At first I thought my stomach was taking longer to shrink back but I actually think it’s happening faster this time. I wear it all day and take it off to go to sleep. However, I’m considering wearing it at night too for lower back support. My back bothers me in the area where the epidural was placed.

This is my tummy at 1 week postpartum… The markings are from the belly bandit.

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Sleeping

Dean definitely sleeps so much more than his big brother. If it wasn’t for needing relief from my engorged breasts, we would be sleeping more. I wake him up every two hours to nurse. I try to get to 3 hours sometimes but the pain in my boobs wakes me up. This should eventually regulate itself and I won’t be so uncomfortable.

Here he is sleeping at 1 week old!

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I think I’ve covered it all! If you have any questions, or think I missed something, post to the comments section! Check back next week for another update!

Happy Father’s Day to all the awesome dads out there!

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39 week update…meh!

29 May

Hey dudes! So yesterday marked 39 weeks of pregnancy…blah! I was hoping to not have to do this post but here I am…still pregnant. I went to the doctor 2 days ago and I’m still at 2 cm dilated. I had a cervical sweep done and it looks like it didn’t work. Baby boy is very comfortable in my belly. Can’t say the same for myself, I am sooo uncomfortable. I’m having acupuncture done on Saturday. Hopefully it triggers something! The doc has scheduled me for an induction on my due date, but I’m really hoping to not need it! Let’s see. Fingers crossed!

Pics and stats below

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Weight Gain: I gained 1 lb this week. This gives me a total of 33 lbs.

Stretch Marks: Nope! I’ve been using BioOil on my belly and Boob Tube on the boobs! I love both products.

Sleep: I don’t sleep all that well. I’m constantly switching sides trying to find a comfortable position.

Anything New?  Unfortunately, no.

Symptoms: Fatigue, cramping, lightning crotch, Braxton hicks, cramps, frequent urination, sciatic pain, ligament pain, my skin feels numb on my upper abdomen (this happened last time), water retention, pain in my ribs and hips when I lay on my side, pressure.

Wedding rings on or off? Still on but they get tight if I eat one bad thing.

Food Cravings: Butter chicken!

Labor signs: Contractions here and there. Still only 2 cm.

Exercise: Walking and squats around the house.

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