Well here I am, fourteen weeks postpartum and I couldn’t remember how to even log-in to blog! I had great intentions of filling you all in on the delivery, recovery and rebuilding phases so much sooner, but sitting at the computer longer than deemed necessary just hasn’t happened. Not when there is a beautiful baby to hold and stare at!
Labor: I reached the finish line and labor went quite well. I didn’t have a birth plan and therefore no set expectations going in. I certainly didn’t expect it to be easy, quick or without pain, but happy to say it was a smooth and uncomplicated twelve minute delivery. Apparently I was able to reap those rewards of maintaining a squat above 50% of my working max number up until 39 weeks and 6 days of pregnancy. I wasn’t against using painkillers or getting an epidural, but did want to test myself a bit both mentally and physically to see how much pain I could tolerate before shouting for that epidural.
When my contractions hit 6/10 on my monitor two hours in, I asked for a dose of painkillers. About an hour fifteen later it got real intense real quick with contractions hitting 10/10 moving me to ask for that epidural, stat. Within the time of calling for the anesthesiologist and letting him get set up, I had dilated from 6 cm to 10 cm in about twenty minutes. I could actually feel her starting to crown as I was being set for my epidural. So on my back I went and out she came in about five pushes and less than four hours from water break to delivery. Credit being given to the squat, deadlift and abdominal work during the pregnancy.
Recovery: After stocking up on every post-delivery supply that Pinterest said I might need, reading over every horrid story that I came across (even a book titled “The Sh*t No One Tells You”), praise be to the Lord that I was over prepared and my recovery was nothing comparable. Do remember however that how you deliver, the length of your delivery and the medications that you receive will all have an impact on how you feel and how long it will take to recover once the baby is here. Just like pregnancy, the recovery will be unique to each individual and should be treated this way as well.
Exercise: Following delivery your abdominal muscles will be stretched out and you will probably have a backache from weakened abs, a heavy uterus and adapting to holding and feeding that baby all the time. Upon arriving home from the hospital I started some stabilization and core strengthening exercises that I could do in bed or from the floor to begin to re-train and strengthen the pelvic floor muscles as well as stretch the back. Two to three time a day I would perform sets of three hip extensions, knees to chest, bicycles and bent knee side to side. I started with sets of 10, progressing to sets of 15. Five days postpartum I went for my first walk with the family, a slow mile around the track.
One week postpartum I stepped into the gym for the first time. At this point I was down 16 of the 25 pounds of pregnancy weight, continuing to consume a caloric intake of where I was at ending my pregnancy while breastfeeding. Day 1 included mostly stretching, body weight, and some light core exercises. I began with stretching and foam rolling which also included some field goal and snow angel stretches to help open up my tight chest and protracted shoulders from sitting, carrying and feeding the baby. I then moved into some more functional stretching performing two sets of cat/camel stretches, birddogs, fire hydrants and hip circles to loosen the back and hips. My dynamic warm-ups I use prior to my leg day workouts were next, followed by three sets of stick squats, good mornings and hip extensions. I finished with three sets of bicycles, fist twists and sit ups before I again stretched and foam rolled. I was also able to continue moving by getting in walks as often as I could throughout the week.
Two weeks postpartum I added my SlingShot hip circle band to my body weight squats and hip extensions, as well as elevated my feet while performing the hip extensions utilizing a foam roller. I combined this set with reverse crunches and performed three sets of twelve. I used a resistance band and fifteen pound kettlebell to perform three sets of two different upper body push/pull exercises as well as another push/pull set for the legs. Front and side band raises paired with bent over rows, floor presses with upright rows and side lunges with deadlifts. I added some incline push ups and mountain climbers for the core. This was all done in the living room while the baby slept in her swing. My body was now a bit sore from activating some muscles I hadn’t used in a few weeks, but I didn’t hurt as much from just sitting and I was starting to feel more like myself again.
After my six week follow-up appointment I added back in my three main lifts with the barbell of squat, bench and deadlift, and began to consciously make my workouts progressively more challenging. Still taking into account my breathing for proper activation of the pelvic floor, and any other special modifications that might be needed following the immediate postpartum period. At this point I was back to my pre-pregnancy weight by continuing to eat and move but with a bit of tightening, strengthening and muscle rebuilding to do.
At three months postpartum I have been now consistently lifting four to six days a week, utilizing more of my previous push/pull splits. The baby comes down with me to workout and will nap or sit and watch in her seat while I entertain her between sets. Some days I am able to get close to a full lift session in within forty-five minutes to an hour, and other days my workout is stretched out closer to two hours with a break for a feeding. I am getting closer to my pre-baby routine and am starting to see more definition as my body retakes it’s physical shape, as well as feeling stronger moving more weight by the week. With each week that passes I have been able to fulfill the goal of increasing the total volume and load of my workouts without rushing it. Starting over might feel like you are forever away from your pre-pregnancy goals, but making your way back there really isn’t going to take you as much time as you think in the big picture of life. At week seven postpartum I started with what was a heavy and awkward forty-five pound bar on my back. It made me sore too! Every-other week I have worked to add ten pounds to my lifts by dropping from 8 reps to 5, and then the following week increasing my reps to 8 at the same weight before adding more weight again the following week. This has successfully and efficiently added an additional 100 pounds to both my squat and deadlift alone with hitting each of the main lifts once per week over the past seven weeks.
Remember, just because you could do more weight doesn’t mean that you should yet. A leaky bladder that continues after pregnancy is not normal, it is a sign of a weakness or abdominal exhaustion. Generally most women can get rid of this problem through the proper exercise and time. Give your pelvic floor the proper amount of time to recover by avoiding exercise that strains the abdominals or pelvic floor to help avoid serious long-term problems. If you are leaking urine while exercising or elsewise, it’s probably a sign that you are working too hard and should back off a bit on the amount of weight you are lifting or heavy core work.
Nutrition: Post pregnancy is your body’s time to rebuild itself. If you are breast-feeding, the babies nutritional needs still come first just like they did the nine months of pregnancy. It’s important to follow the same healthy habits now that were followed while you were pregnant with consuming plenty of high nutrient dense foods, enough protein, fiber, vitamins and minerals for you as well as to produce enough milk to meet the baby’s needs too.
Make sure that you eat enough. Before having a baby, I had a hard time understanding how someone could go without eating or skip meals. I had become accustomed to eating regularly every three to four hours, and I’d be ready to eat those meals six times a day. With adjusting to a newborn at home, it was quite easy to find myself either not taking the time, getting the chance to or simply forgetting that I hadn’t eaten. Just because I might now take in four meals a day rather than six, doesn’t mean that I’m not still hitting my macro and micronutrient goals for the day however. Just like when I was pregnant and utilized other available options to work around food aversions, I will build larger meals as well as turn to foods with additional nutritional value like: Fairlife milk, Ezekiel breads and cereals, cottage cheese, yogurts, protein bars, cookies or a shake to help me hit my protein intake for the day.
Nutritionists will say that nursing women need close to twenty grams more protein a day than they did before pregnancy, which is ten grams a day more than recommended during pregnancy. Before I become pregnant I was consuming 1.1 grams per pound body weight, or 160 grams of protein per day. While pregnant I increased that amount to just over 1.15 grams of my pre-pregnancy weight, totaling 170 grams. After having the baby, I increased my protein intake to 1.2 grams of protein per pound, leaving me at 175 grams per day. And don’t forget about those fluids! Your body needs water to replace what you are losing through exercise as well as to produce milk. The amount of fluid which your baby is consuming also increases every day from birth. Don’t forget to adjust your intake accordingly to avoid fatigue while exercising and to ensure your baby has enough milk.
So, would I have another? Based on how everything went this first time around, absolutely I’d do it again. I enjoyed being pregnant, the journey and everything that we have gained from it. I believe that working out and eating right has made the whole process more enjoyable, as well as it has made it easier to get back to being fit!
