My P-D-B (Post Delivery Body)
As soon as we announced our pregnancy, quite a few people asked me how I planned to get “back in shape” after she was born.
My plan?
Nothing at all.
One of my goals while I was pregnant was to stay active and eat well to support our growing baby and my increasing energy needs. I figured that by doing so, it would make things a little easier for my body to return to its pre-pregnancy size. After birth, I figured we’d have our hands full trying to figure out her cues and needs… and I was right. Fitness and macronutrient ratios are the last things on my mind right now.
I love working out for the endorphins, health benefits and mental sanity, and I know I’ll enjoy it when I do have the opportunity to get back into things. Working out and teaching fitness made me feel good while I was pregnant, and even though I felt awkward and uncomfortable some of the time, while I was shaking it in Zumba or walking on the base track, it was a lovely distraction.
Treadmill walking at 40 weeks:
Another reason why I stayed committed to my lifestyle and eating preferences was so that I could be as physically prepared as I could be for the intense athletic event of labor. I wouldn’t have kept up my physical stamina, I know if things would have gone the way they did. The time I spent in the gym squatting, yoga breaths, ability to focus, and my amazing birth team is what helped me get through it.
The belly, 2 days after delivery:
(after a very long and crazy night!)
It’s true that delivery (the baby, fluid, blood, placenta) and breastfeeding facilitate quick postpartum weight loss. 4 days after giving birth, I had to go to the midwives’ because I thought I had a plugged duct and they weighed me. Within 4 days, I had lost 23 of the 34 lbs I gained while pregnant.
Two weeks later, I have a different body:
(Goobery on-the-phone pic – lots of multitasking going on over here now)
and I’m proud of everything it’s been through.
My stomach feels smushy –it stretched a lot!- I do have stretch marks, which waited to appear until after she was born, and while I’m the same size-ish (jeans fit again), I’ve lost a lot of muscle. I’m excited to get my abs back and tone up again, but for now, I’m really thankful for how pregnancy and delivery treated my body.
I did tear a little during delivery, since we had to get the baby out so quickly. I have 3 stitches, which were really uncomfortable at first but don’t bother me too much anymore. As I’m still recovering, workouts are going to have to wait a while longer, and I’ve kept up my late-pregnancy style of eating. I’ve found that I’m hungrier during the day, so I’ll snack a lot in addition to meals to keep up my energy and nutrients for breastfeeding. Every night, around 3am, I’ll have a Vega bar to get me through the next couple of feedings until breakfast. My doctor told me to emphasize healthy fats this week, to make sure my milk is satisfying the little one, who currently wants to eat every hour or two.
I’ve heard a lot of horror stories about what pregnancy can do to your body and I just wanted to assure you that it’s really not that bad. The bleeding is no fun –neither was bed rest- I’m still a little sore and emotional, but I am so very thankful and blessed that I had the opportunity to experience pregnancy and giving birth. The human body never ceases to amaze me, and that feeling has been magnified after everything I’ve experienced.
More:
-How my workouts changed in the first, second and third trimesters
–Changing eats and third trimester eats
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You look phenomenal, Gina—and your outlook is awesome. Keep it up!
Good for you for being so frank about your pre- and post-pregnancy body, and for realizing that the most important thing is your little one. You are such an inspiration and I hope I am as positive as you are before, during, and after my pregnancy!
It certainly isn’t always easy being thankful for post-baby body, but you are right. Our bodies are put through so much over the course of 10 month…we can’t expect to bounce back in a few weeks…or years, in my case ; ) You look amazing for 2 weeks post!!! Things will “calm” down soon.
I think you still look great even with the little extra – you certainly have nothing to rush about Gina! Congrats on staying so healthy throughout – you’ve shown me that it’s possible for when I go through this whole thing one day 🙂
Thanks for sharing this, I think it’s so important that women see and know that while pregnancy gets your body all out of whack, it IS possible to get it back. I’ve been there and done it two times and while it wasn’t easy, I have been successful in losing the weight each time. I just have to be extra mindful of what I’m putting in my body and I also had to really give my body time to adjust and getting back to normal with exercise.
You look great, keep it up and enjoy every minute with your little lady! I have two girls and they grow so fast!
You look awesome and your gorgeous little girl – awwwh she’s just so beautiful with those big eyes!! 🙂
I had/have the exact same view as you. Priorities 🙂 FYI, one of my girlfriends that’s breastfeeding claims that nutritional yeast leads to crazy milk production (100 times better than Fenugreek). I had passed on the recipe for the Oh She Glows Mac & Cheeze and the next day, so was like…holy crap…I’m putting this *hit on everything!! lol!
You look fabulous, Gina…not that I’m surprised. 🙂
Thanks so much for keeping it real all along. It helps for those of us who may be experiencing it, oh I don’t know, in the next year or so…
Thank you for this kind and reassuring post, I hope to be able to put myself in the same frame of mind after I’ve given birth I’ll probably just bookmark this page and make sure to go back to it 🙂
You look Ahhhmazing! And Olivia is quite possibly the most beautiful baby girl I’ve ever laid eyes on. Those eyes! *swoon*
You look great! Birthing is a beautiful thing.
You look amazing! I’m sure you’ll be back to normal in NO time!
I think its awesome that you are focusing in the more important things right now, it’s very un-selfish of you! It’s kind of crazy to hear what some women do to get there figure back right away, but don’t even think about their baby. Thanks for being so real and truely having a healthy mindset! You are going to be an awesome mom. 🙂
Girl, you are so awesome all around! I love how you are so realistic. I’ve read other blogs where women immediately start talking exercise and weight and blah blah blah right after giving birth. Its refreshing to read that while you know your going to have to work for a new body, your also not obsessing over it. I will be in that boat in just a few weeks and you really make me feel better about it.
Wow!! You look so amazing, that gives me hope for my body when I have kids. I’m so impressed you maintained eating healthy and exercising through your pregnancy and are still eating well with all the post birth craziness. You are definitely an inspiration 🙂
You look great Gina! I also didn’t have any stretch marks in till after I delivered! Go figure!
Thank you so much for posting this. I’m trying to get pregnant right now and one of my worries is the recovery period. Getting my body back in shape is a concern too, but I wondered how hard it really is in those first few weeks.
you look amazing, and i’m glad it’s coming off so fast. gives me a positive outlook too. i’m 33 weeks this week and putting on the weight hasn’t been as scary as i imagined. i hope it will come off quickly too!
All I can say is that you are AWESOME! Your realistic and appreciative outlook of your body and self goals is so-ooo refreshing!
You look wonderful! So glad to hear your workouts and eating style really helped you especially in the end. You are my inspiration for a fit and healthy pregnancy ( and beyond ), you go girl!
Wow, Gina! You are my inspiration- I love your whole approach to pregnancy, and post-partum recovery. I hope I look half as good as you after I have my little one in July!
Love your enthusiasm and honesty! It’s nice to see and hear about how pregnancy affects the body, and know that if fitness and health is a priority throughout pregnancy (vs the “eating for two” idea), you are better prepared for birth and motherhood. Love the family posts and the pictures of your cute little girl!
Can I just say that you have one of the BEST attitudes and outlooks I’ve ever read of ANY healthy living blogger? You’re the only one I keep coming back to because you’re so down to earth and REAL Gina. I’m sure people tell you this all the time, but it is SO REFRESHING to just read your honest thoughts and not a sugar coated version. Reading all your family posts has made me less afraid of future pregnancy and I just love how you don’t sweat the small stuff and obsess. You’ve been so truthful and your outlook makes me want to be a more positive about everything in my life too. I know thats cheesy, but I really mean it. Olivia is lucky to have such good people as parents.
thank you <3
Christina couldn’t have said this better – I totally agree with her and she’s right Gina – you have such an amazing positive outlook about everything and it’s very inspiring. It makes me that much more eager to experience being pregnant (we’re in the process of TTC), giving birth, and then becoming a mother. I love going back and re-reading your pregnancy (family) posts (so heartfelt, honest, and emotional – love it) and I can’t wait to follow you along this next journey with Livi 🙂
exactly <3
You look fantastic and seem to have an amazing attitude about your PDB. I really do believe taking care of yourself during pregnancy makes all the difference. You bounce back better, have an easier delivery and feel better than you would if you were stuffing your face with chips and ice cream for 10 months.
Breastfeeding is amazing for getting your body back where it used to be. I gained 28 lbs and lost 41, and I didn’t think I had a need to lose the 13 extra, it’s just that things on my body have changed. I used to snack on graham crackers with cream cheese or PB to keep me going at 3 in the morning.
The human body is amazing. Look at what a cutie you made! Keep up the great work and wonderful attitude! The hormonal yucky stuff goes away soon too. You’ll be feeling good as new soon!
Keep it up! You’re doing an amazing job. I always enjoy reading your posts. They give a little oomph to my day! And thank you for WSU! It rocks!
You look fantastic! My idol for my next pregnancy. Took me 11 months to lose the weight and now with breastfeeding, I’m below my normal weight.
Can I just say that you have like such a cute, perky butt haha! Is that weird? Meh, I don’t care, you look awesome girl, congrats! 🙂
You look amazing, Gina!! It took me a loooooooong time to recover and be able to wear normal jeans but then again I didn’t workout throughout my pregnancies or eat appropriately. I commend you on doing so and what a great testament to the benefits of staying active and eat healthy during pregnancy.
You have the right mentality with getting back to your pre-baby-body. Why spend all that time working out when you could be spending it with that little cutie 😉
I love how open you are with sharing everything! You look awesome. All these family posts are so beneficial to us pregnant ladies.
Love the bow on Livi!
You look great, my dear! I hope I can look half as good as you in April/May when little baby Stanley makes her debut! I love how you always have such a healthy attitude about everything, including your postpartum body! I feel like there are a lot of fitness & health bloggers who are really hard on themselves post-pregnancy, so I’m really refreshed to read this post!
Thank you SOOO much for posting this!! Honestly, i’ve always been scared of the thought of having a baby because of the thought of what it would do to my body. But you have totally put me at ease 🙂 And plus, you look amazing!!! I’m very thankful that I stumbled upon your blog!!!! Look forward to reading a lot more of it!!
You look amazing! I really didn’t think pregnancy was that bad, either. I’ve gained a *lot* more weight than I wanted to, but other than a few extra pounds that I’m carrying around now (and working off, one pound a week), my body hasn’t suffered that much. It’s certainly workable!
Great to see you’re taking the mom-body in stride!
What mom-body? Jeez, you look like those starlets who pop out a baby and look the same as pre-preg two weeks later! In your jeans?!?! Amazing!
You look fabulous! It’s so nice to hear you’re taking your time and letting your body bounce back and heal. You’ll be back to kick butting, zumba-ing, rockstar-ing 😉 soon enough. (Though I think being a mom qualifies you for the kick butting and rockstar-ing). 😀
You are rocking! So glad you are willing to share this journey with your body. I’ve never been pregnant so I always get a little scared when my friend’s who have had babies tell me about bleeding, stitches and having to be careful when they laugh or sneeze!
Woohoo! It really is amazing what our bodies can do!
My only advice.. DO NOT do any abdominal exercises until your at least LEAST 12 weeks postpartum!!
my biggest regret was going back to work (teaching body pump and body attack) 4 weeks post c-section.. I didn’t allow my abs to heal fully and left with a diastima (abdominal separation). play it smart!
your looking good!
I’d say not to do abdominal exercises until a midwife clears her for separation – not everyone has it, and less than 1 inch is usually fine for abs. I had no separation and was cleared at 4 weeks pp.
That said, not everyone knows about it, so 12 weeks is definitely smart advice to be on the safe side!
You look amazing! Absolutely love your attitude towards your body.
You look amazing! Definitely gives me hope that I can get my current body back after baby #3. I was really heavy during and after my first two pregnancies, and have since lost 112 lbs. and we’re considering having another baby but I’m really concerned about gaining a ton of weight again.
What a well timed post! Just today my coworkers were discussing the horrors of their bodies post baby. At one point I put my hands over my ears. I’m not even pregnant, and they were seriously scaring me! I’m glad that is not everyone’s experience!*
You look great! Thanks for sharing this part of your pregnancy with us – it’s refreshing to get such an honest and detailed perspective.
when i get pregnant, i’m gonna be like gina! 🙂 love your preg story. you treated your body right hence your baby right… and now look at her!! what a cutee! she def has your eyes!! and you look good!!
You look amazing and your little Olivia is Darling! I’m trying to live up to your example and I hope to have results like you when I’m postpartum (healthy baby, healthy body)! Congrats again!
You look so great and you should feel so proud of yourself for nourishing your baby and yourself with wonderful foods during your pregnancy!
You are so amazing! Seriously, your attitude is so inspirational 🙂
And Olivia’s eyes! She is just presh!!
this is so inspiring for others to see the real benefits of exercise and eating well during pregnancy. you look WONDERFUL!
You look amazing! I love your positive outlook. What are a few stretch marks when you get a beauty like Olivia.
I know everyone else is saying it, but you look so great! There are not many healthy living writers out there who are actually “healthy” about there approach to getting back into fitness after the baby is born. You are the exception. You are so realistic, fabulous, and wonderful overall. Thanks for a great blog.
Wow lady you look great! Olivia is a peach especially with that bow !! I think that you took a great approach to pregnancy and birth.. And if I ever do the whole mom thing I hope I can stay as active as you did, keep positive!
Seriously Girl, you look amazing. And you are so right. Getting your body back, so to speak, is not where you should be focusing! You have a babay!! I love that you are so honest and that you have assured me that getting pregnant and having a baby does not have to be the end of the world for a body! I wish you rest and sleep and healing. Thank you again for sharing with us. <3 Ali
Awww she’s adorable! I can’t believe her dark eyebrows! I can still hardly see my sons eyebrows and he’s 9months! You look amazing, too! I wish I looked that good post pregnancy! And all in time we will get back to our old bodies!