Life after baby is pretty wonderful. We are settling in as a family of four and I couldn’t ask for a better partner in life and father than Neil. Edith is loving being a big sister and she is pretty amazing at it. While all that is wonderful adjusting to my new body isn’t going quite as well as I had originally hoped. Here is the reality….
- None of pre-pregnancy clothes fit. I’m 5+ weeks postpartum and none of my pre-pregnancy clothes fit. It’s honestly a little defeating. I know it’s still early and I know from my pregnancy with Edith that they weight doesn’t just fall off for me.
- Buying new clothes sucks. I have attempted to buy new clothes that fit my current postpartum body and honestly I am just feeling super defeated. I am trying not get get upset about the size on the tag but it’s really a challenge. I am also feeling frustrated because I honestly don’t know how to dress this postpartum body. Nothing seems to fit right or fall in a flattering way and well it’s no fun, none at all. I ended up buying a pair of cropped pants from Loft and I bought them because I didn’t hate them and they fit. Now wearing them I feel like an old lady. Blah.
- Being kind to yourself is sometimes easier said than done. I know that I have a beautiful baby boy and I am less than 6 weeks postpartum and not cleared for regular activity but I am not happy with how I look and feel. I know I need to be kind to myself and I really try to remind myself of those great things but some days it’s just not that easy.
When I was still pregnant I was feeling really hopeful and positive about things but right now I’m feeling pretty down about it all. I had vowed to go shopping for clothes that fit well and to not stress about things but when you have 10 pieces of clothing and 9/10 don’t make you feel like you look good it’s really challenging to stay positive. I’m working on it though. Everyday is a new day and I know I need to work on being kinder to myself. I need to listen to my husband when he compliments me or encourages me to do things for myself. I need to realize that 5 weeks is not very much time and that right now I need to focus on healing taking care of myself and my family.
I know this post is kind of a downer but I wanted to share my realities. Life isn’t always rainbows and kitty cats. I’m not always feeling great and sometimes I find myself feeling negative about myself and my body. Now that I have said all this I can tell you I am already working on changing the way I think about things. Improving myself and my attitude. I’ll be posting more on that and my “plan” next week.
Have you ever felt down about your body? How did/do you deal with it? If you have had children how did you react to your postpartum body? Two years ago I wrote a similar post all about my foreign postpartum body.
You are doing great! Keep being kind to yourself and know that you’re not the only one who feels like this! I am with you. None of my clothes fit me and I have had to buy new tops and a pair of jeans… my maternity leggings are still in my closet rotation. We just had babies and it took 9 months for us to grow them… and our bodies did so verrry gradually… so patience is key on the other side of birth, too. That’s what I’m telling myself! Keep thinking positively and living with joy. xo
You’re right Linnea and while I know this I need to constantly reminding myself this. I bought myself a few tops and a new pair of jeans as well and it feels good to have something that fits even if they aren’t the size I want to be. Thank you for your support and kind words. Hope you and little Freja and your hubz are doing well. xo.
I hear you, Lindsey. You are very brave to put this in a post. It is something nearly all new moms battle with. I’m almost 5 months postpartum, and I still have those days of frustration. As far as activity, I did get back to my routines in the gym and running very soon after my son’s birth in April. Both you and I had natural births, with midwives, and we were both active during our pregnancies. For that reason, I was cleared to go back as soon as I felt up to it. I think that you’re already there. You have are fortunate to be a stay-at-home mom, so establish a routine that makes exercise a part of your morning activity every day. Getting it done first thing will set the tone for the rest of the day. You will feel empowered and strong. I know you’re conscious of this, but always keep close to your heart that your little girl is watching you as a role model. Being a mom of two is amazing thing, and you want to show her how wonderful it is, even in these early, frustrating months. You have a lot of strength, and that is obvious by having an unmedicated natural birth. Harness that strength and make a fresh start. I think you look amazing, and I appreciate this post a lot. Good luck to you 🙂 XO
Renee first congrats on the birth of your baby boy! I am slowly getting back to regular activity and have been getting out for a lot of walks and it’s humbling. I feel mentally ready to run (literally) but walks pushing a stroller and wearing a baby at the same time take a lot out of me at times and I still am getting really sore down there. I am feeling much better at almost 6 weeks postpartum than I was the first time around but it’s still taking time. My goal is to start back doing run/walk intervals October 1st. For now I’m doing lots of walks and I am going to start back up doing yoga in the next week or so. I am going to try to get my workouts in early but right now they may have to be mid-day or evenings because Neil is training for a half marathon and so he gets first dibs on morning workouts (except on weekends when we can both do early workouts). I really appreciate and take to heart your kinds words and support. Thank you! xo.
I think the most helpful thing for me to remember in the postpartum days was, “it took 9 months to gain the weight, it will take 9 months to lose it” and even though it’s sometimes more than 9 months, it’s important to remember that it’s a process and that it does happen slowly, it’s supposed to happen slowly!
I hear that and I know it. It’s just taking me time to get comfortable with that thought. I actually had a hard time with losing the baby weight with my daughter and I know that I may have the same struggle this time around but it will happen eventually. Thanks for our support!
Hey Lindsay! I’ve never been to your blog before, but your title caught my eye on FF parents because I am totally in the same place, just a little farther down the postpartum road (hard to believe my little lady is 6 months!). It’s hard and I’m still frustrated that breastfeeding wasn’t the magic baby weight answer for me and even though I’m eating healthy and working out the weight is still hanging around. For me it’s helped to focus on the 90% of my body that I do like….like the fact that my digestion system works, my body isn’t attacking itself with a horrible disease, the muscles in my legs work to move them, my eyes can see, my brain is functioning (albeit somewhat more slowly ;)). When it comes down to it there is really just a “small” part of my body (ie pooch, stretch mark, wider hips) that I don’t like and even that is a testament to the strength of my body. But it’s still hard when I’d like to be sliding into my old skinny jeans. Keep your head up, girl. You are beautiful and doing great. And getting some clothes you are happy in and fit you well is a good idea. Or cute new shoes or a scarf that you can keep wearing no matter your size. 😀
I know breastfeeding wasn’t the magic baby weight answer for me the first time around either. To top it off the first time around I got an IUD at 8 weeks postpartum and gained weight shortly after as a result of that .
It’s hard to look at the scale and not see the number going down very quickly but I think my biggest hang up is buying new clothes in my current size. It’s hard when you don’t feel like anything works but I am trying to move past that but it’s just taking time. I honestly don’t see myself fitting into my prepregnancy clothes for awhile and that’s okay. I know I just need to work on feeling better about where I am and knowing that it took 9 months to put the weight on it’s going to take time for the weight to come off and that my body is doing an amazing thing right now, it is feeding my baby.
Thanks for reading my post and for your comment. It’s helpful to read kind and supportive words from someone who “gets it”.
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[…] 15 months to buy clothes that I feel good wearing. While I am still struggling with embracing my new postpartum body I am working on it. Luckily I have a few great pieces of postpartum clothing including the […]