Baby Weight Part 5 (The Finale): A Candid Confession

It's been quite awhile since I have done a Baby Weight Confession and I have decided this will be the finale...because quite frankly, I have no idea what crazy pregnancy hormones convinced me it was cool to broadcast my weight fluctuations for the world to see in the first place!  If anything, I hope my posts have been a light at the end of the tunnel for any 9 month pregos out there who feel like their skinny jeans will never zip again!

So here is where I stand today, which I am feeling pretty good about:

Ironically, the last 5-6 lbs of my weight did not come off until I headed back to work just last week.  Because seriously, infant + career = no time to eat.  I am sort of afraid I am going to turn all skinny fat (you know... low number on the scale, but kind of dumpy in real life)!  I need to make myself schedule some time each week on the calendar to run and go to a pilates class or two, but right now I feel like any minute of the day that is not spent working, should 100% be spent with Henry or Marty.  And if Henry is sleeping (which seems to seldom happen...a whole other post for another day), then I like to get one sliver of time for myself that doesn't involve something I hate don't love, aka running.  Long story short, 4 months post partum, I am  happy with the number on the scale, I'd like to devote more time for the gym, but it's totally not a priority right now!

All in all, anytime I talk to new or pregnant Mommy's, here is my best advice based upon my experience:
-Don't pig out during pregnancy. It's not worth it and I think you will want to slap yourself after the baby is born if you do.  Being a new mommy is hard enough, much less having to worry about any EXTRA poundage you put on.  Just try to eat how your normally do (maybe even a bit healthier because you are growing a baby after all) and try to stay active.  You will love the high fives you get in your workout classes when you are 8 months pregnant!
-Expect to come home from the hospital weighing the exact same amount (or MORE!) as when you went in. Don't worry.  In fact, don't even get on a scale for at least 3 weeks
-If didn't go overboard while pregnant, you will jump on the scale at the 3-4 week mark and probably will have lost around 75-90% of your weight. 
-Keep your goals realistic.  If you started your pregnancy at 5lbs-10lbs higher than your "hot body" goal weight, don't hold yourself accountable to get back to that "hot body" number.  Just measure your results against the REAL number you started your pregnancy at.  Once you get back to that real number, THEN you can start focusing on the "hot body" weight! 
-Having a newborn is exhausting, but around the 2 week mark (so long as your doctor is OK with it), try and get out for a 20-30 minute walk each day
-Once you are cleared for working out, up the intensity of your workouts.  For me, I moved my 4 x per week walking session into running sessions and added in a Define Body class or two a week.  I started out slowly and it literally took me at least a month before I was full blown running again (although now that I am back to work, I haven't run once....)
-Don't fall for the saying "It took 9 months to get on, it will take 9 months to come off."  I don't buy it. And I remember feeling depressed thinking it would take me 9 months.  What IS true is that losing the last 4-5 lbs and getting toned up again is freaking hard work.   I have heard that those last few pounds do come off at the 4 month mark though, which is exactly when it happened for me
-And even after all of the hard work, you (and probably ONLY YOU, so don't fret too much) will have areas of your body (for me it's my stomach and my butt) that don't bounce back the EXACT same way they were pre baby.  I am sure given some EXTRA hard work I could get them there, but I am simply not that motivated.  And optimistically I look at these changes as reminders of how awesome I am for building and birthing a baby!

A few extra tidbits:
-You always hear that breastfeeding makes the pounds melt off.  Who knows, because I have only had one breastfed baby so nothing to really compare it too.  I will say that anytime I splurge on dessert, I justify my decision with the fact that "I am burning a bajillion extra calories per day by breastfeeding..."
-I had my Doula give me a special post partum massage at the 4 day, 2 week, and 4 week mark that was intended to take advantage of the Relaxin hormone that is in your body post baby to move back all of those areas we don't want sticking out (hips, etc).  I swear by it, but again, I have nothing to compare my results too, so maybe everything would have moved back in on their own anyway...

So now the Baby Weight Confessions book is officially closed!