My body: Pre and Post Partum

I've never been the super skinny girl. I have more of an athletic build. Now, when girls say they have an athletic build it usually means they are a little stocky or chunky, but seriously, I'm athletic. I played every sport you can imagine growing up and now run to stay in shape. When I became pregnant with Will I was running a mile everyday after work and three miles on Sunday to keep my bod hot. I was feeling good about my body and was trying to mentally prepare for what was about to happen to it. I remember asking the doctor when I would need to stop running and she gave me a shit eating grin and said "you'll know when you need to stop". Boy was she right. It was around 3 1/2 months in. I started running and my joints felt like jello and it would seem to a passerby that I had never run a day in my life. I was gasping for air while my knees felt like they were going to just fall apart mid run. Alright, done with that.

I knew I still had to keep my body in check so I began doing yoga. I loved doing pregnancy yoga. It got my heart rate up just enough and stretching really helped my aching hips. Plus it kept my butt from sliding down into my thighs, which turns out is totally a thing.

The last few weeks of my pregnancy I began preparing myself for what my belly might look like after the fact. To be honest when I really thought about it I would get freaked out. I didn't want to look like a melted candle. I didn't want to be all jiggly. Not because I wanted to impress others, but my body is one of the one things I can control. It's mine and I can determine how it looks, that is until I had a giant preggo belly. Luckily I only gained 25 lbs total while pregnant, despite my obsession with Nords doughnuts. I know other pregnant women may hate me for that, but I made a conscience effort to eat healthy and am proud of myself for doing so. And also, while you are hating me, I didn't get any stretch marks either, except on my boobs. And no heartburn....and no back aches. And oh yeah, since Will was planning to stay in utero forever I didn't have one single contraction. But I'm a really nice person so please don't hate me too bad.

After my csection I had a lot of air in my abdomen that made me feel like a balloon. Not that I cared, I was knee deep in baby and boobs at that point and couldn't have cared less about how I looked. When we got home from the hospital I remember getting out of the shower one day and Brent was saying something that made me laugh, as he often does. I looked down at my belly while laughing and noticed the loose skin jiggling about, and surprisingly it made me laugh harder. The belly that I thought would bum me out was instead like a right of passage. If anyone said anything (which they wouldn't) I could just point at my 9lb 9oz healthy baby. I made that in my body. A whole person. So suck it.

Breastfeeding helped get me down to my pre-pregnancy weight. I was eating like a crazy person and still losing weight. A woman can burn up to 500 calories a day while breastfeeding. Yet another plus for boob milk.

My body still isn't where I would like it to be, but I'm happy. My belly is still saggy even at my pre pregnancy weight, things are just different. And working out with a newborn around isn't easy. Especially with it being in the 90's and 100's outside. I can't load up my baby and take him for a walk or run without worrying about cooking him. So now I carry him around and do squats and lunges. He's like a 13 lb kettlebell. I also lift my actual kettlebell when I get the chance.

A good way to look at your post partum body is as if it is a clean slate. You've just spent 9 months making it a home for your baby, now you get to make it into whatever you want. If you didnt work out before baby now you have a good reason to. Don't work out because our society has serious body image issues, but do it because it is going to make you feel great, and feeling great is going to make you a better mom. Plus, when your kid is old enough to understand you can teach him about the importance of exercise to keep your body healthy and happy.

And with that being said I would like to announce that I will be running the Mini Marathon in 2013. If I announce it on my blog then I can't back out. I ran the mini in 2010, look, here is a picture of me doing it.

That's me looking all happy and fit about 50 yards from the finish line. I couldn't walk for about a week and was sore for about 2 months afterwards (I wish I was joking), but it was a great experience and really pushed me out of my comfort zone. Some might laugh at me and say it is going to be hard to train for the mini now that I have Will, but when I was training for the mini in 2010 I was in school full time finishing up my business degree and working full time. I want to be super mom and this is one way to get started. It's the week of Will's first birthday, so I'm hoping it will be a fantastic time in my life.