10 Weeks Post Partum

So, I'm putting it out there... My post baby body. I have always appreciated new moms who were willing to share, so here's my attempt at the same. Although, I have to admit, I may not be so brave if my stomach were covered in stretch marks. I was lucky enough to make it through without those battle scars.

I will say that I'm not at all ashamed of how I look after having a baby. I really worked hard to take care of myself while pregnant, and I'm happy to say that I think all of that hard work has paid off with a relatively easy transition post baby. Although, even if pregnancy had completely destroyed my body, it would have been more than worth it.

First are some pictures that I took at 8 weeks post partum.

Side note: It's obvious I'm a new mom because it has taken me that long to finish this post, lol.



At 8 weeks, my stomach was the only part of my body that didn't feel totally back to normal. It could use some more toning and definition, but I've been working on that and squeezing in an ab workout whenever possible.

And, now at 10 weeks post partum.

I'm getting there... You can still see a faint linea nigra, but otherwise my stomach is on its way back to pre-baby shape. The scale is officially back to my pre-pregnancy weight, or slightly under, and has been for awhile, but to be honest I don't obsess about it. I've even had quite a few people, including my husband, tell me that they think I'm even thinner than I was before I got pregnant. The scale isn't showing those kind of numbers, but I still love the compliment :).

And, I'd have to say, I'm definitely not one of those women who will walk away from pregnancy saying, "my body will just never be the same". I truly don't feel that way. Now, I've always had an hourglass shape that included some decent hips, so maybe that's part of it, but I fit into all of my regular clothes and I don't feel like my shape has changed significantly. Well, aside from the extra boobage, lol, but that isn't permanent. Of course, I hear it gets harder to bounce back with each baby and we definitely want more (God willing) so I may be singing a different tune next time.

I started easing back into a workout routine at about four weeks post partum. By six weeks, and with the doctor's clearance, I was doing my best to get in three days a week of exercise. And, on those remaining days, Olivia and I try to get out of the house as much as possible. We go for long walks when the weather's nice, and when it's not so nice we've done quite a bit of mall walking. I just make it a priority to stay active.

For those who are interested, my workouts usually consist of 45 minutes to an hour on the elliptical (so glad we bought that thing) or a workout DVD with weights. Occasionally, I make it up to the gym for one of my favorite classes. I squeeze them in when I happen to have a babysitter for a little while or while Olivia's taking a rare nap. And let's not forget all of those extra calories burned by breastfeeding, thankyouverymuch.

It's going to get even harder to find the time for exercise when I go back to work (just over one week left... :tear:), because spending all my spare time with my daughter is of course my number one priority, but I'm glad that I don't have a huge mountain of weight loss to climb.

As far as how Olivia is doing at 10 weeks old... She couldn't be more of an angel. She is all smiles and everyone who meets her comments on how alert she is. She is always looking around and taking in her environment. One lady at the mall this week noticed her looking at everything around her and told me I have smart one on my hands. Well, I sure think so :).

We also transitioned her into the crib for night time sleep last week, and she's been doing so great. At about 6:00 am she gets pretty restless and then comes to bed with mommy for a bit, but otherwise she has taken to the change beautifully. Despite my efforts, she still isn't ready for napping in the crib though. She isn't much of a napper anyway when compared to other newborns, but for now my best bet is still the swing, putting her in a carrier, or laying down with her tummy to tummy. At this age, I'm all for doing what works. She'll let me know when she's ready for more structured nap times.

As you can imagine, motherhood has been a blissful journey. I love her more than I can describe, and Josh and I are continually amazed that we created such a beautiful human being. I have one more glorious week with her before I return to work, and I plan on enjoying every single moment.