My postpartum journey so far

Okay, I guess I promised all of the embarassing, immediately post-partum belly shots.  We'll start with a photo of me taken on Friday, May 28, just over 12 hours before Morgan was born.  Weight:  Not exactly known, but 165-170 pounds, -ish.  I kind of stopped weighing because it was getting a little depressing :(

Here I am, on Saturday, May 29.  Not sure of the time of day, i.e. how many hours it had been since delivery, but probably less than 12.  Weight:  Unknown, because I FORGOT to get on the scale!  Grr, I was so interested in how much baby+placenta+amniotic fluid really weighed.  I can't believe that I forgot...

Isn't that.....weird?!?!?!?  The amazing thing is that I felt soooo small when this photo was being taken.  Looking at the photos now, of course, I'm thinking " I look huge!!!".  I look 7 months pregnant...only saggier!

I did get on the scale on Sunday afternoon, when I finally remembered and had the time, and much to my dismay, I weighed about 155!  However, I was not discouraged, because I read somewhere that after delivery, your weight will actually go UP on the 2nd day, or so, and then it will start to go down.  I decided to not get on the scale again for a few days so that I wouldn't obsess about weight.  Though, I was trying to collect some data for this blog.

Throughout the week, my swelling continued to decrease, and each morning I woke up feeling smaller and tighter throughout the midsection.  I had planned to use a Belly Bandit, which is a belly binder designed to help tighten your midsection and get you back to your pre-pregnancy size sooner.  I had ordered an XS which, based on the sizing chart and my measurements in the 8th month, should have fit just fine.  And, I was able to squeeze it on on day 3, but it wasn't comfortable at all and I didn't foresee myself wearing it.  Not only that, but I felt that my abdominal strength was returning rather quickly.  I decided to return my Belly Bandit.

Saturday, I decided it was time to get on the scale, since it had been 1 week.  That's a good "benchmark" that I should make sure to measure.  Weight:  142!

These photos were taken this morning, so, Day 8.  I weighed 141 this morning.

My pre-pregnancy weight was between 128-132, weight taken in the morning.  So, that gives me about 10 or so pounds to lose to get back to pre-pregnancy weight.  I figure that my boobs weigh 5 pounds each with all this milk!  So, I think I'm doing pretty well :)

I am not dieting by any means, except I am sticking to the paleo diet, plus peanut butter, for now.  That's because the store is out of almond butter and I just don't love apples without anything on them for breakfast.  I am finding that I am really hungry and eating a lot.  I decided to stick paleo for 2 reasons - number one, I am hoping, of course, to shed the fat I gained while pregnant and get back to my prior shape.  Secondly, I want to give Morgan the best possible start to life, and wheat, dairy, and soy (not that I eat soy, anyway) are common allergens that are passed on through the breast milk.


I have heard that breastfeeding is a sure-fire way to shed the pounds and is likely to actually get you way below your pre-pregnancy weight.  We'll see how that goes.  I'm just stoked to actually have a lot of room in my belly for all this delicious food AND all the horrible food aversions have completely disappeared.  Yay, I'm back to normal!  Well, almost...


Overall, I'm feeling pretty good.  Still trying to take it easy because I know the recovery will be better in the long run.  My midwife says that if I take it super easy the first week or so, I can probably do some light exercise starting around 2 weeks.  Yay! 

And here's a cute photo of Morgan: