5 Notes: A Personal Postpartum Update, A Book, A Fitness Strategy, A Food Thing, and A Piece of Mom Guilt
It’s been a minute since I’ve done one of these “note” posts, but I’m in the mood, so let’s dive in.
Today, we’ve got one personal postpartum update, a book, a fitness strategy, a food thing, and a piece of mom guilt.
A Personal Postpartum Update
Baby Lola is 16-weeks old now, almost four whole months! Mama is in the full swing of postpartum hair loss, which has gotta be one of the most annoying postpartum side effects. Aside from that, overall, things are going pretty well. She’s sleeping and napping decently (Thank you, Taking Cara Babies!), is nursing well, and is starting to give us little laughs!
Lola was 9 pounds 5 ounces when she was born… and 6 days past her due date! I did NOT see that size baby coming and neither did the doctors, especially because Beatrix was “only” 7 pounds 5 ounces and born right on her due date. Luckily, once I finally did go into labor, delivery was relatively uneventful and smooth. We probably waited a little too long to go to the hospital, was 8cm dilated once we got there, and almost didn’t get to get the epidural that I wanted and planned on because the hospital was also packed with other mamas! Contractions started around 8pm, and Lola was born at 6am, after about 25 minutes of pushing!
Now, having two babies under two has been something! Beatrix loves doing things… playing, coloring, going outside, etc, and it’s tough not always being able to do those things. We’ve been working on waiting, and learning how to sign the word wait!, and will continue to do so. We’re looking forward to nicer weather so we can all spend more time outside together.
A Book On My Reading List
Outlive: The Science and Art of Longevity by Peter Attia
This is on my soon-to-be-read book list. I’ve been waiting for it from the library for quite some time. I’ve heard good things about the book from pretty reputable sources, and it has a good review—in comparison with other books—on the Red Pen Reviews website.
For what it’s worth, I highly recommend checking the Red Pen site for reviews on popular health books. The group checks books for science-based claims and analyzes sources for accuracy. The site says: “Red Pen Reviews uses a structured expert review method to deliver the most informative, consistent, and unbiased nutrition/health book reviews available, free of charge… We exist to help consumers distinguish between books that are evidence-based and will promote health, and those that aren’t evidence-based and may harm health.”
My Fitness Strategy
My fitness regimen certainly doesn’t look like it once did, but that is definitely okay for now. I’m doing what I can when I can find time, and upgrading where possible… more on what I mean below. Here’s what it looks like:
*Street Parking! I love this fitness program! It’s meant to be done at home, or wherever you like to fitness, with minimal equipment. Certainly you can use more equipment if you want, but it’s not necessary. I love this because there are SO MANY options for workouts, in addition to the daily workout which has options for just dumbbells, or barbells, or odd objects. They make it as easy as possible to be able to do SOMETHING, and I love that. Some days I’m able to go out to our garage gym and really get into it with barbells, etc. And some days I do a workout in my living room with a pair of light dumbbells and babies around. I’m doing what I can when I can. I’ve been able to get some fitness in most weekdays which feels good!
*We go for walks 5 times a week. We load up the kids and walk about 1.5 miles, barring extreme cold or rain or snow. Here’s where the upgrade comes in. I’ve added a rucking backpack with a 30 pound plate in it to the walks for a little extra oomph! Do you have to do this? Nope! Does it have to be 30 pounds to be helpful?! Absolutely not! But if you’re walking and are ready to add a little extra, consider carrying some weight. This could be as simple as carrying a dumbbell or putting it in a bag! And if you can’t, get your walks in nonetheless; I think walking is a severely underrated form of movement.
*I also try to get 1-3 days of Diastasis Recti recovery work in each week. My abs weren’t that badly separated after this pregnancy, but I’d like to see abs again someday, and also have an effectively working pelvic floor, so I’m doing this recovery work! I highly recommend following along with these DR recovery videos!
A Food Thing
These days, cooking dinner is primarily happening with a sleeping baby strapped to me. So that’s interesting. That being said, I’ve been gravitating towards easy-to-make foods… things that can be quickly heated (frozen veggies, beans, etc.), things that don’t need a lot of active attention (like boiling pasta or baking items), and foods that can be dinner for two nights (like a large chicken pot pie). Those strategies have been helping! We’re still trying to maintain our protein, fruit, veggie, and water intake!
And A Piece of Mom Guilt
Surprise! I’m experiencing some mom guilt! Sometimes it’s hard to manage both babies at the same time… like when I’m trying to nurse Lola while Bea wants to play a game or something. So, many times I end up turning on the TV and letting her watch something. The Cars trilogy or one of the Frozens are her favorites lately… along with Ms. Rachel and Elmo, of course. And I feel bad about that. I know kids her age are not supposed to get any screen time, but sometimes it’s harddddd! Needless to say, we are anxiously awaiting it to get a little warmer out so that we can spend some time outside! In the meantime, I’m trying not to be too hard on myself and continuing to do our best with time management.
There’s a little update on what’s been going on lately, and a friendly reminder to keep being real with yourself and doing your best as you are able! If you need help with managing your food and fitness, please reach out through the comments or email at sara@nutritionforlifeproject.com and I’d be happy to chat with you!
As always, thank you for reading,
Sara
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