2 Months Post Partum, did I mess my body up??

ChelzFit · June 2015

I just had a baby 2 months ago, I exercised throughout my entire pregnancy, and gained only about 20 pounds. I had a very easy labor. Right after birth I began watching my calories making sure I was eating about 1800-2000 cals a day and I started exclusively pumping as well. Needless to say the weight came off very fast. Around 3 weeks pp I started walking about 45-50 minutes a day (3 miles), still not increasing my calories much more than 2,200 a day. At 1 month I got the clear from my obgyn to start exercising, I was so happy to start running again I went full fledge and started working out 5 times a week, walking 45 minutes on the other two days. I went from 140 to 120. I am 5'7. Around 8 weeks I started to notice some major changes. Headaches, fatigue, low blood sugar, eye twitching, extreme coldness, etc. I stopped pumping because I figured it was taking too much out of me (pumping around 30oz a day). Once I stopped my hormones just went crazy as well. Crying all the time, super tired, etc. I still tried exercising, but everytime I would exercise I would crash.
I just saw my ob last week and he tested for thyroid which came back negative and all other tests came back normal. He did put me back on birth control to help increase my estrogen. He also mentioned post partum depression, I am not depressed, I love my baby! I have a feeling I messed up my hormones or something with losing weight too quickly. I have scaled back on my workouts and now I am just walking lightly 45 min. 4-5 days a week. I am eating about 2,000 calories a day and still find myself waking up in the middle of the night starving. I am also sleeping well through the night besides being hungry. I mentioned adrenal fatigue to the doctor and he said it is not a real condition. Do you think I need to increase my calories more? I have a history of ED and gaining weight scares me, but at the same time, I have a feeling deep down that eating more will solve all these problems. Any thoughts?

TavistockToad · June 2015

at the amount you're currently eating are you losing, maintaining or gaining?

emmoen · June 2015

Post partum depression doesn't mean you don't love your baby it just means from your pregnancy you hormone are having a difficult time readjusting causing intensive emotional swings

Asher_Ethan · June 2015

LongchelseaPlants wrote: »

I just had a baby 2 months ago, I exercised throughout my entire pregnancy, and gained only about 20 pounds. I had a very easy labor. Right after birth I began watching my calories making sure I was eating about 1800-2000 cals a day and I started exclusively pumping as well. Needless to say the weight came off very fast. Around 3 weeks pp I started walking about 45-50 minutes a day (3 miles), still not increasing my calories much more than 2,200 a day. At 1 month I got the clear from my obgyn to start exercising, I was so happy to start running again I went full fledge and started working out 5 times a week, walking 45 minutes on the other two days. I went from 140 to 120. I am 5'7. Around 8 weeks I started to notice some major changes. Headaches, fatigue, low blood sugar, eye twitching, extreme coldness, etc. I stopped pumping because I figured it was taking too much out of me (pumping around 30oz a day). Once I stopped my hormones just went crazy as well. Crying all the time, super tired, etc. I still tried exercising, but everytime I would exercise I would crash.
I just saw my ob last week and he tested for thyroid which came back negative and all other tests came back normal. He did put me back on birth control to help increase my estrogen. He also mentioned post partum depression, I am not depressed, I love my baby! I have a feeling I messed up my hormones or something with losing weight too quickly. I have scaled back on my workouts and now I am just walking lightly 45 min. 4-5 days a week. I am eating about 2,000 calories a day and still find myself waking up in the middle of the night starving. I am also sleeping well through the night besides being hungry. I mentioned adrenal fatigue to the doctor and he said it is not a real condition. Do you think I need to increase my calories more? I have a history of ED and gaining weight scares me, but at the same time, I have a feeling deep down that eating more will solve all these problems. Any thoughts?

You went from 140 - 120 in a month the month after you had the baby, correct (the bolded part)? That is way too much weight to loose in 1 month.

kgeyser · June 2015

It sounds to me like you might have some hormonal issues (PPD has nothing to do with not loving your baby), but that you also are not eating enough. You need 500 extra calories a day on top of your regular calories for nursing if you are exclusively breastfeeding, so if you weren't eating that, it would explain the symptoms you were experiencing. I would talk to your doctor about your calorie intake and figure out a plan, because if you think things are bad now, imagine adding in a teething baby and no sleep. Take care of yourself. :flowerforyou:

showgal · June 2015

I think it's a combination of losing too much weight too fast and hormones. Pregnancy and giving birth are HUGE for your body. It's a major physiological change. So when you combine that with the hormone changes of breastfeeding and the intense exercise regime you were on...well your body can only take so much. Eat enough so you are not starving. If you are breastfeeding/pumping you need to eat an additional 300-500 calories each day. Just know that for some women breastfeeding helps keep off baby weight. You seem very determined so once your body gets back to normal, which can take several months, you can ease back into your exercise plan. As previous posters said, PPD doesn't mean you don't love your baby. There are many good websites to explain PPD. I would suggest looking at the one by your government's health department. And make sure you let your dr know about your history with ED because that will help him/her care for you. Good luck!

ChelzFit · June 2015

Thanks so much for all the responses! I have looked into PPD and I don't have really any of the symptoms besides fatigue. With my first child I ended up getting really bad anxiety four months pp and was put on Zoloft and then Lexapro. I ended up staying on Zoloft for almost a year, but hated the way it made me feel. I told my doctor I would like to avoid antidepressants if possible.
For the last week I have tried to bump calories up to around 2,200. I have not gained any weight on that and just maintained. Before getting pregnant I was running around 20 miles a week and weight lifting several times a week, eating around 2,400 cals. I loved my body, was very fit and muscular looking. I would love to get my muscle back, but I know that takes time and letting my body heal. I have HORRIBLE patience.
I am no longer breastfeeding and that is why I was really weary about still eating so many calories and also not really exercising. At the same time, when my body feels run down like this I know it might be the answer. My doctor told me to call him in a week if I am not feeling any better and he may supplement me with estrogen to see if that helps.

ChelzFit · June 2015

Asher_Ethan wrote: »

LongchelseaPlants wrote: »

I just had a baby 2 months ago, I exercised throughout my entire pregnancy, and gained only about 20 pounds. I had a very easy labor. Right after birth I began watching my calories making sure I was eating about 1800-2000 cals a day and I started exclusively pumping as well. Needless to say the weight came off very fast. Around 3 weeks pp I started walking about 45-50 minutes a day (3 miles), still not increasing my calories much more than 2,200 a day. At 1 month I got the clear from my obgyn to start exercising, I was so happy to start running again I went full fledge and started working out 5 times a week, walking 45 minutes on the other two days. I went from 140 to 120. I am 5'7. Around 8 weeks I started to notice some major changes. Headaches, fatigue, low blood sugar, eye twitching, extreme coldness, etc. I stopped pumping because I figured it was taking too much out of me (pumping around 30oz a day). Once I stopped my hormones just went crazy as well. Crying all the time, super tired, etc. I still tried exercising, but everytime I would exercise I would crash.
I just saw my ob last week and he tested for thyroid which came back negative and all other tests came back normal. He did put me back on birth control to help increase my estrogen. He also mentioned post partum depression, I am not depressed, I love my baby! I have a feeling I messed up my hormones or something with losing weight too quickly. I have scaled back on my workouts and now I am just walking lightly 45 min. 4-5 days a week. I am eating about 2,000 calories a day and still find myself waking up in the middle of the night starving. I am also sleeping well through the night besides being hungry. I mentioned adrenal fatigue to the doctor and he said it is not a real condition. Do you think I need to increase my calories more? I have a history of ED and gaining weight scares me, but at the same time, I have a feeling deep down that eating more will solve all these problems. Any thoughts?

You went from 140 - 120 in a month the month after you had the baby, correct (the bolded part)? That is way too much weight to loose in 1 month.

I meant 140 to 129!

LKArgh · June 2015

LongchelseaPlants wrote: »

I just had a baby 2 months ago, I exercised throughout my entire pregnancy, and gained only about 20 pounds. I had a very easy labor. Right after birth I began watching my calories making sure I was eating about 1800-2000 cals a day and I started exclusively pumping as well. Needless to say the weight came off very fast. Around 3 weeks pp I started walking about 45-50 minutes a day (3 miles), still not increasing my calories much more than 2,200 a day. At 1 month I got the clear from my obgyn to start exercising, I was so happy to start running again I went full fledge and started working out 5 times a week, walking 45 minutes on the other two days. I went from 140 to 120. I am 5'7. Around 8 weeks I started to notice some major changes. Headaches, fatigue, low blood sugar, eye twitching, extreme coldness, etc. I stopped pumping because I figured it was taking too much out of me (pumping around 30oz a day). Once I stopped my hormones just went crazy as well. Crying all the time, super tired, etc. I still tried exercising, but everytime I would exercise I would crash.
I just saw my ob last week and he tested for thyroid which came back negative and all other tests came back normal. He did put me back on birth control to help increase my estrogen. He also mentioned post partum depression, I am not depressed, I love my baby! I have a feeling I messed up my hormones or something with losing weight too quickly. I have scaled back on my workouts and now I am just walking lightly 45 min. 4-5 days a week. I am eating about 2,000 calories a day and still find myself waking up in the middle of the night starving. I am also sleeping well through the night besides being hungry. I mentioned adrenal fatigue to the doctor and he said it is not a real condition. Do you think I need to increase my calories more? I have a history of ED and gaining weight scares me, but at the same time, I have a feeling deep down that eating more will solve all these problems. Any thoughts?

There was no reason to stop pumping, there isno reason to eat more and no reason to exercise less. You are facing most probably post partum depression (no, it does not mean you will hate your baby) as your dr mentioned. You are also facing the normal fatigue and normal hormomal changes that happen post partum. Within the next weeks, you might also notice hair loss, which might also seem extreme, as in losing handfulls of hair. This too is for many women a normal part of the post partum period. These things do nto happen to all women and not in all pregnancies. But they are withing the normal range of things to expect, do not panic. If you keep feeling stressed, go back to your dr and discuss again post partum depression. If you did not get tested for low iron, make sure you check this too. But in general, nothing you describe sounds unusual, do not panic.

TavistockToad · June 2015

So eat 2200 cals for a few weeks and see how you feel. if you ate more you wouldn't have to stop breastfeeding.

Holly_Roman_Empire · June 2015

aggelikik wrote: »

LongchelseaPlants wrote: »

I just had a baby 2 months ago, I exercised throughout my entire pregnancy, and gained only about 20 pounds. I had a very easy labor. Right after birth I began watching my calories making sure I was eating about 1800-2000 cals a day and I started exclusively pumping as well. Needless to say the weight came off very fast. Around 3 weeks pp I started walking about 45-50 minutes a day (3 miles), still not increasing my calories much more than 2,200 a day. At 1 month I got the clear from my obgyn to start exercising, I was so happy to start running again I went full fledge and started working out 5 times a week, walking 45 minutes on the other two days. I went from 140 to 120. I am 5'7. Around 8 weeks I started to notice some major changes. Headaches, fatigue, low blood sugar, eye twitching, extreme coldness, etc. I stopped pumping because I figured it was taking too much out of me (pumping around 30oz a day). Once I stopped my hormones just went crazy as well. Crying all the time, super tired, etc. I still tried exercising, but everytime I would exercise I would crash.
I just saw my ob last week and he tested for thyroid which came back negative and all other tests came back normal. He did put me back on birth control to help increase my estrogen. He also mentioned post partum depression, I am not depressed, I love my baby! I have a feeling I messed up my hormones or something with losing weight too quickly. I have scaled back on my workouts and now I am just walking lightly 45 min. 4-5 days a week. I am eating about 2,000 calories a day and still find myself waking up in the middle of the night starving. I am also sleeping well through the night besides being hungry. I mentioned adrenal fatigue to the doctor and he said it is not a real condition. Do you think I need to increase my calories more? I have a history of ED and gaining weight scares me, but at the same time, I have a feeling deep down that eating more will solve all these problems. Any thoughts?

There was no reason to stop pumping, there isno reason to eat more and no reason to exercise less. You are facing most probably post partum depression (no, it does not mean you will hate your baby) as your dr mentioned. You are also facing the normal fatigue and normal hormomal changes that happen post partum. Within the next weeks, you might also notice hair loss, which might also seem extreme, as in losing handfulls of hair. This too is for many women a normal part of the post partum period. These things do nto happen to all women and not in all pregnancies. But they are withing the normal range of things to expect, do not panic. If you keep feeling stressed, go back to your dr and discuss again post partum depression. If you did not get tested for low iron, make sure you check this too. But in general, nothing you describe sounds unusual, do not panic.

I like this answer.

ChelzFit · June 2015

So it has been a week since I have seen my OBGYN and I am happy to report things are looking up. As I stated he started me on Ortho Lo and my mood has increased, I have not had any crying episodes. I have increased my cals to about 2,200 and each day I feel a little bit better. I was able to exercise yesterday (30 minutes of light cycling followed by 20 minutes of light weights) and did not feel the extreme fatigue. I am not 100% yet, but I really think increasing my food intake and rest has done wonders. I am starting to come to terms with the fact that it could be several more months for me to feel normal, I just have to have patience which I am horrible at.

2 Months Post Partum, did I mess my body up??

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