I am ready to bring you all along for my postpartum recovery. I am proud to say I stayed fit during my 1st pregnancy. Unfortunately, that isn’t the case this time around. I struggled to find the energy and drive with a 1-year-old running around, so I’ve lost ALOT of muscle mass. My workout goal for the next month is to start building muscle back slowly while avoiding diastase recti and maintaining milk supply.
Pregnancy weight at birth: 174 lbs , 30lbs gained during pregnancy
Postpartum weight @ 4 weeks: 157, – 17lbs since delivery
Current Diet & Exercise: terrible & non-existent.
No seriously, carbs have been my best friend since pregnancy and I still haven’t let them go. I don’t like to allow the pressures of society to influence how I look at my body. But let’s be honest, it feels good to be comfortable, to look good and stay healthy. My motivation to maintain all of those things does get harder the more kids I have… is that how we end up in mommy jeans? To help you learn from my 1st pregnancy, this is what you SHOULD do to get your body back after baby:
During Pregnancy
- Maintain your workout routine throughout pregnancy. Talk to your medical provider to make sure it’s safe to work out.
Postpartum Recovery
- Wait at least 4 weeks before returning to any exercise, aside from walking.
- Breastfeed if possible
- Drink A LOT of water. 8 cups or more a day (helps with breastfeeding)
- Wear a postpartum Bellefit Corset for the 1st 6 weeks
- Try to workout at least 4 times a week for 30 minutes each
- DO NOT eliminate carbs if you are breastfeeding
- DO NOT feed into pressure to snapback, your body just created life so relax a bit
Please do as I say and not as I do because so far I’ve only done 1 thing to assist in my postpartum recovery and that’s consistently wearing my Bellefit girdle. A day after delivering my Hurricane Harvey baby I started wearing my Bellefit dual closure Corset in size large. After delivering a 7-10lb baby and placenta, along with the subsequent swelling, bleeding and general jiggly feeling I was left with, I was eager for the comfort of compression and all around support.
CLICK HERE For My Birth Stories
I like to wear my Bellefit right when I get out of the shower and I always take it off before bed. By week 3 I started wearing my Bellefit girdle in size medium. *Fist pump* Bellefit has been so beneficial for my Postpartum recovery, so I asked if they would give one away to one of my readers!
Belly Binding Benefits
Bellefit isn’t only for aesthetic reasons. It is actually a medical grade product that helps reduce uterine swelling by safely supporting and compressing the abdominal and lumbar region. This improves posture, significantly reduces back pain (something I struggled with in both pregnancies), aids in muscle memory, and leads to a faster postpartum recovery. Especially after a C-section and repairing Diastasis Recti (the condition in which your two abdominal halves split apart during pregnancy). To further prevent seperation, make sure your doing pelvic floor exercises during pregnancy.
I can’t wait to see what I will look like at the end of my Bellefit journey. All my readers will be able to get $20 off their Bellefit girdles with the code AMY20. I am also partnering with Bellefit to give away 1 postpartum corset.
Let me know if you have any questions about my Bellefit journey.
Check out: How I Prevent Postpartum Bladder Leakage
*This conversation is sponsored by Bellefit but as always, all thoughts and opinions are my own. Thank you for supporting the brands that support Sincerely Onyi.
It feels like the more babies that come, the less motivation to even get up. The struggle so real lol
I’m not pregnant but I am married and thinking on having a kid and I find this blog very helpful. Thank you very much.