Based on nursing all four of my kids, I can tell you that the long term benefits (for them and me) have far outweighed the downside. Nevertheless, breastfeeding and its link to wellness and fitness is controversial. Can you really lose weight quickly by breastfeeding your baby? While weight loss may be accelerated in the first 6 months of breastfeeding, studies show that weight loss can slow down toward the remaining months of breastfeeding. Here’s my recommendation for losing weight while breastfeeding.
1. Start breastfeeding immediately after childbirth. This will aid in your recovery by reducing the size of your uterus and stomach. You should also experience less bleeding after childbirth.
2. Make sure to eat the right amount and types of foods to meet your caloric needs. Remember, it’s the quality of your calories that matter most. Without getting enough calories from the right foods, you can run yourself down and negatively impact your baby. Look out for my next post where I’ll continue this discussion of breastfeeding and weight loss. Here’s a great resource on nutrition and breastfeeding in the meantime.
Having just had baby #4 I’m faced with the sometimes daunting feat of getting my pre-pregnancy body back. I know everyone says that it takes 9 months to grow a baby and it’ll take at least that much time to get the weight off. While that may be comforting to some women, to others 9 months is an eternity! The best thing moms can do for themselves is start with functional fitness. By functional fitness, I mean regaining the ability to perform everyday tasks without pain. Here are some exercises that should help.
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Raise both arms overhead and place hands on a wall. “Walk” down the wall with your hands until your torso reaches a 90 degree angle to the floor. Inhale, pushing your belly outward then exhale, pulling your navel to spine and your pelvic floor in. This works the deep core abdominal muscles and stretches your back and hamstrings.
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Perform ankle circles clockwise and counterclockwise. This movement will improve blood flow and remove any discomfort and stiffness in your joints. This is very helpful for reducing ankle swelling if fluids were given by IV during labor and delivery.
I recommend doing these exercises everyday for the first 2-3 weeks after delivery. Perform 1 set of exercise #1 for 10 reps. Perform 3 sets of exercise #2 for 10 reps.
Baby #4 arrived Thursday. Reese J. Merriweather made her debut at 8 lbs 15 oz, 21 inches long. She is absolutely beautiful and we are thrilled with our new addition. During my delivery, my anesthesiologist asked me how to get the abdominals back in shape after delivery. What a timely question. It’s all about the breathing, specifically belly breathing
Belly breathing – Inhaling, expanding your lower belly. As you exhale, bring your navel into your spine, pull your pelvic floor in and hold for 10 seconds. Repeat 5-10 reps.
This next tip is my best kept secret. Ask your doctor to order a back, abdominal, rib cage support. Begin wearing this support during your hospital stay. This will help your belly breathing and aid your posture as you begin taking care of baby (especially if you had a c-section). Combining belly breathing with the abdominal support should start bringing your abs back together quickly. In a future post, I’ll share some tips concerning special postnatal issues like diastasis recti.
Okay, this week we’re expecting our 4th (yes 4th) child. I’m excited, overwhelmed and ready at the same time. We are already struggling with getting out of the house on time, spending quality time with each child and making time for me and hubby. With everything going on in my life right now (including starting this blog), how will I find time to exercise when I’m dog tired, have loads of laundry to do but need to rest in time for the new baby? Personal trainers have our struggles too. So rather than despair, I’ll give you a few tips that have helped me manage in the past and should help with managing exercise, nutrition and our ever expanding family now.
First, enlist the help of others (even for you type A’s out there). Catch up on needed sleep. I can’t stress that enough. I find that by incorporating just 10 – 15 a day of walking, stretching or abdomnial exercises I feel energized and reduce stress levels. I eat healthy snacks like fresh apples with peanut butter or a warm glass of milk with a bananna. In upcoming posts, I’ll share some tips on how to get your body back after baby. In fact, there are some exercises you can do within hours after delivery to help jumpstart abs toning and low back strength. Well I’m schedule to deliver in less than 24 hours so I’ll keep you posted with my next post.
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