Post Pregnancy Update #1

Before I go into this blog post I just want to get something straight from the outset…I by no means advocate pressurising women to lose weight quickly after having a baby. There’s an awful celebrity culture in the media whereby women seem to lose the baby weight and ‘mum tum’ overnight. I feel like this is unrealistic and also places a lot of pressure on normal women who don’t have the luxury of personal trainers on speed dial, nutritionists and dare I say it…the surgeon’s scalpal. My mission for myself is simply to become fit and healthy again so in my mind, that doesn’t come with a specific weight or size. It simply means I want my body to feel strong again.

L-R: 41 weeks pregnant (taken the day I went into labour!), 1 week post birth, 2 weeks post birth

In terms of what I’ve been eating, I have just been trying to eat a balanced diet including lots of fruit, whole grains and red meat to up my iron levels. I lost so much blood during the birth from haemorrhaging that my iron levels got dangerously low. I have certainly not been ‘dieting’ and don’t intend to because dieting is never the answer to being healthy longterm. Firstly, it’s important to eat a balanced diet when you’re breastfeeding and secondly, eating well will speed up your recovery. If anything, breastfeeding means I’m constantly hungry and I find myself having to eat little and often to stave off the hunger. Breastfeeding has been a huge factor in how quickly my waist is coming back – everything seems to be tightening up quite quickly which I’m pretty ecstatic about!

Doctors and midwives generally advise not to do any type of strenuous exercise until you pass the 6 week mark. So, I have stuck to this advice and have just been doing light walks around the garden and generally walking around doing errands etc. I’m trying not to overdo it because it still doesn’t take much to exhaust me. My body soon lets me know if I’ve done too much!

I plan on posting some of my healthy recipes and after the 6 week mark I will fill you in on what kind of exercises I am doing every week. If you have any tips or advice on good supplements, easier ways to fit in exercise with a busy mummy schedule or healthy recipes then let me know in the comments box below!