Still fit and fabulous after baby--December 2011 (Cont from

Good Evening Ladies,

Okay, don't know who I was kidding about trying to run six miles Friday morning! I had a 10a appointment and Ellie doesn't wake up until around 7a and usually nurses for a good 40-45 minutes so when I started thinking about it there was no way I could do a longer run, get a shower in and still make it out the door on time. We settled for a quick three miles, but did five and a half today. :-) We had a gorgeous sunny day!

Heather, your birthday sounds like it was perfect! I had to chuckle when you said you went to dinner at 4p, that sounds like my life too!! I have found that our evenings are so much more pleasant if bath time is around 6p and Ellie is in bed by 7p. Too bad we don't live in the same city so we could be early bird diners together :-)

Amy, I had to chuckle about Tyler messing with your routine, I feel the same way about Nathan! It's funny how we get settled into our own groove and can get annoyed when they don't follow along. I certainly get a lot more accomplished in the evenings when Nathan is working! I'm with both you ladies on the weight thing - I've gotten to 139 a few times over the past couple of years, but look super skinny at that weight and have never been able to maintain it without feeling deprived. At 5'7 my body tends to be happiest at 148-150 and although I am quite happy at that weight, I like my body best around 143-144.

Danielle, don't be too hard on yourself girl! You were on exercise restrictions for most of your pregnancy so just have fun getting back to the good sweaty workouts. Hopefully keeping your calories a little higher will give you the energy you need while also keeping your milk supply ample.

Hugs to all the adorable babies and hot mamas!

Hello Ladies,

Danielle- I will have to give those JM videos a try. I think I did one awhile back, got it from the library and liked it a lot. I think it was the banish fat boost metabolism one. I like the idea of 20 min. workouts lol. Good to ease me back into things.

Heather- I can relate to the large "ladies" :laugh: Too much jumping always causes let down for me and it is rather annoying in the middle of a workout lol. I had to wear 2 sports bras even before I was pregnant if I was running. I have seen nursing sports bras at Target. Idk if they are extra supportive or just have the fold down clips. I used to have one years ago but have since passed it on. I remember it not being very comfortable b/c (like the nursing tanks) the part on the inside that goes around the breast rides up and sticks out the top. Just feels awkward. Maybe I didn't have the right size.

Amelia's rash has continued to improve. I think it is definitely issues with my detergent and washing machine. We're figuring it out though and we've been primarily using cloth every day. I use disposables at night b/c its easier. We'll be traveling for Christmas and I debated using cloth over the weekend but decided that I didn't need to lug a sack of dirty diapers home in addition to all the gifts my kids will be getting lol.

I went Christmas shopping w/ Amelia and the other 3 kids yesterday morning. It went well!!! I was really thinking it was going to be awful but had no other time to go w/o everyone. Amelia isn't very good in stores b/c she doesn't love her car seat. She does so much better if I wear her. So, wear her I did and it all went great! 1 nursing session in the car and we were back in the stores. I forgot how challenging it can be to do things w/ a baby! In all honesty though, I love every minute of it b/c it just goes sooooo quickly!

I had my 6 week check up yesterday and my dr. was asking all of the postpartum questions to screen for depression and I was like "Are you kidding me? I'm in heaven right now." This baby oozes w/ feel good vibes. I just feel so blessed and peaceful when she is in my arms. Her little smile brings such joy to all of us. We are such a happy family and so grateful

Lots of wrapping to do in the next few days!! I hope you all have a blessed Christmas with your little bundles of love if I don't get back on before we travel on Friday.

Melissa

Hi fit, fabulous mamas!

Five hour drive, one mountain pass and we are safely at my parent's house. No run for me today :-( but I should be able to go tomorrow. Lots of help with Ellie for the next week!

Heather, my larger than life breasts (husband lovingly refers to the "jug juice") are manageable with two good sports bras. They aren't cheap, but Title Nine has some fabulous options. Working out is definitely different these days isn't it? The great thing is that we are still moving and sweating and it does start to get a little easier as they get older. Ellie likes to laugh at me as I am sweating- I can only hope that we are being great role models for our girls. Keep up the great work!

Kalee, you are one super busy gal! Do your best, even if you aren't logging, try to make healthy nutrition choices. It will be great fuel for your crazy life chasing all your little ones. I wish you luck.

Melissa, I love wearing Ellie too and she seems to enjoy it. Great to hear that the rash is clearing. I have all my wrapping to do too as I had all our packages shipped to my parents' house. Still have a little shopping left to do, yikes!

Wishing everyone a great week. I am planing to get three more runs in before Sunday.

Cheers!

Heather, happy belated birthday! It sounds like it was amazing! And seriously, Holly isn't the only one tearing up. Too many hormonal ladies on here for the types of posts. J/K. Keep them coming. Love hearing about all of it.

Melissa, bummer that the rash is back, but glad it is getting better again. Reading what you ladies are going through, and how much diet influences baby's systems is really helpful, and I am going to try to be super aware when my little one is here. Also, I have an HE washer, so knowing that I have to be careful of getting items rinsed properly is a huge help. Mine has an extra rinse option, does yours? Or have you been running a quick wash cycle without any detergents to get an extra rinse in?

Holly good luck with the job hunt! Glad you are transitioning so well and really happy to hear that you are taking actions to de-stress your life (leaving the rotten job)! I could only hope to have the strength to make a difficult decision like that if ever in the position.

Kalee you need to remember that you're not superwoman. There are only so many hours in a day. And no matter how fit we all want to be, our family comes first. A run down but fit momma is no good to anyone, especially yourself. You don't want to make yourself sick. You will eventually find balance. Try to make the right dietary choices for now, and instead of parking closest to the store entrance make yourself walk across the parking lot. Focus on the little things you can do to get activity into your day that won't add additional stress to your life. I have a feeling that with all that you have currently going on, making yourself fit a 'real' workout into your days will probably just stress you more because you will feel that you are neglecting something else, or you'll be up that much longer to get it all done. It probably wouldn't be worth it. Love to hear that baby is doing so wonderfully though!

Rosanna
Lurking
37 weeks, 3 days

I'm so happy for you, Holly! Congrats on accepting the Wednesday job. I'm glad there are options for your other day and a half, too! When I return to work I plan on doing the same - only doing half my regular stint (two 12 hour days) and job sharing with an part-timers. Glad you're at your parents with lots of help over the holidays, too. That's always appreciated (that I know very well)!

Busy, busy over here. Christmas Eve celebrations at my house with husband's family. Then Christmas Day at husband's sister/s house. Then Boxing Day at my sisters with my family. Not concerned about Annie, just the potentially nap-lass (cranky!) toddler. Oh well, it's family. Bring on the meltdowns. Ha!

Wishing you all Happy Holidays! Firsts for our babes! A very special time of year to enjoy with our families.

Well, it's 11pm and Annie is ready to be fed before we hit the hay! Gotta run.

~ Amy

Thanks Holly. We're in Baltimore and it's actually been pretty warm for this time of year. Tyson is 10 weeks old today and is already 15 lbs. I will plan on running with him this weekend :-) I did my first 2 mile run over the weekend. I've never been much of a runner, but I'd like to be. It does feel great afterwards!

Heather I had never heard of not being able to lose weight while breastfeeding. I'm actually scared of what will happen when I stop breastfeeding. I've been locked in at 165 for a while now, but I've been eating very poorly (too many holiday parties and baking with the kids). I need to get back to clean eating after the holidays for sure!

Hello ladies,

The holiday celebrations just keep coming! I have another one to go to tomorrow night. I've been terrible about what I've been eating. Waaaayyy to many sweets. Really need to get back to some clean eating. The limited nursing diet has been challenging. I ate dairy over Christmas and noticed two things 1. Baby was fussy. 2. My milk supply was much better. I'm trying to get as much protein as I can but it just doesn't feel like enough. I haven't started logging again yet though. I know that will help me to balance everything else a little better. I got up and did some crunches, squats and push ups yesterday. Ashamed at how sore I am today lol. I really want to get out and start walking and jogging again but I don't have a jogger to take the baby and it is so hard to find time to do anything w/o all the kids. In better weather I go to the track and they just play around the field or something but that really isn't an option right now. Must figure something out. Saw some Jillian DVDs on sale. I should probably scoop one up and get going... I'm sure I can think of 1000 excuses and they may all be legit but they aren't going to help w/ this flab lol.

Rosanna- My wash routine for diapers varies. I'm still trying to figure it out. My washer does have a prewash and 2nd rinse option but they don't seem to be enough so the last two loads I did a full 2nd wash w/o detergent. That seems to be working. I am also looking into different detergents that leave no residue.

Heather- I have never had a problem losing weight while nursing. I got to pre pregnancy weight while nursing them all. With my 2nd I was below pre preg weight w/ in 4 months.

I can't believe how big Amelia is getting! Smiles and coos abound and I'm just loving every minute of having a baby again!
She was worth the wait and the weight

Hey all you lovely momma's!! I'll be joining you hopefully in 8 weeks!
Just wondering what you lovely ladies would say are the Top 10 things to pack in your hospital bag?
I found lists online etc...but figure since you ladies have actually been through it who better to ask! And are there any items that you didn't bring that you wish you would have?

Would love to hear your thoughts! :flowerforyou:

Rayna
32 Weeks

Just wanted to update everyone. Hannah was born at 12:53am December 26 weighing 8lbs 5oz and 20.5 inches tall. We are doing great and are just adjusting to our new life. Updates to come soon if this baby ever stops eating. I feel like a milk factory.

Hannah’s Birth Story

Hannah’s original estimated due date was December 19, 2011. She ended up being born on December 26, 2011 at 12:53pm.

My water broke at ~3:30am Christmas morning. I was sleeping in bed when all of a sudden I felt a gush of water. My midwife Tanya did say that I had probably around 2 liters of amniotic fluid and that once it broke it would be like Niagara Falls. She was not kidding. We then texted Tanya to let her know and she said to let her know when my contractions were 5-6 minutes apart. So we decided to try to go back to bed but I started getting pretty strong contractions right away. It took a while to figure out the best way to cope with them and for some reason I found the toilet to be the best place. I also really liked for Jeremy to be there holding my hand and helping me breathe through them.

Around 9am we decided to go to the hospital. My contractions were 4-5 minutes apart since 6:30am. I was set up on the stress test to see how the baby was doing and to see how my contractions were progressing. At that point I was about 2 cm dilated and my cervix was only about 90% effaced. My contractions were still between 4 and 6 minutes apart. I also had a second rush of my broken water when I was checked. Hannah’s head was acting a bit like a cork. I cannot believe all that amniotic fluid was in there.

We were then let into our labor room. I stated in my birthing plan that I did not want any medical interventions, including pain medication and induction methods. By 2:14pm I had dilated to 7cm. I have to tell you it was one of the craziest and most unbelievable things that I have ever done. Hannah was positioned posterior which means that her face was directed towards my front and the back of her head was facing my back. This resulted in really bad back labor. Every contraction would ram her head into my tailbone pushing on my back. I used hypnobirthing to cope with the pain. I did really well. Jeremy said I was amazing and that he could never endure what I was going through. My midwife and nurses (I ended up having two nurses since one shift ended and another one began) were very impressed with my coping and breathing techniques. They said I was doing an amazing job.

At around 6pm I had made it to 8cm, but part of my cervix under the front of my pelvis was still not melting away like it should. We had a period of time where we thought I was getting close and I was rocking back and forth on my hands and knees for over an hour trying to get her to turn around and help melt the cervix. We were hoping that she would use my pelvis as a pivot point during the contractions and turn herself around. The back labor was excruciating. I then started feeling constant pressure which was an indicator that Hannah might be ready to come out. With every contraction I had the urge to push and with every push I had the worst back pain I have ever felt in my life. This went on for quite a while. I was on my hands and knees in the bed facing Jeremy and holding his hands. [Note from Jeremy: This was the most amazing display of will power and determination that I have ever witnessed in my entire life. I still get choked up trying to talk about it and sometimes even thinking about it. Nobody could have asked Nichole for anything more. At one point during one of the most intense parts of her labor, I said to Nichole, “you can do this”, and she exclaimed with all the power within her “I CAN!”. I have never been more proud of her and truly amazed with her inner strength.] I had felt like I was really close and gave it everything that I had saving nothing for later. When nothing changed, I felt very defeated and I was having a hard time managing the pain at this point. Hannah’s head was hitting the small part of my cervix that was being stubborn and was causing that part to swell. By that time I was getting very exhausted. In between contractions I was falling asleep and the contractions started slowing down. After feeling that I had gotten so close and then finding out that there was still a lot of work to be done with little energy left I started to crack. At that point Tanya said we may try to introduce some pitocin to help keep the contractions coming. My uterus was getting really tired and I had opted out of any IV’s and had been trying to keep hydrated myself which I had done a really good job about. I told Tanya I wanted to wait and try again myself for a while. So I took a small break trying to recover a bit and then really tried for round 2. I just had nothing left for round 2. My body hurt so bad in every place possible. I was absolutely exhausted. I had finally got to my breaking point and had agreed to try a mild pain medicine to help take the edge off. It didn’t really help. So around 9:00 pm I finally agreed to pitocin and an epidural.

The epidural was the most amazing thing in the world after going through 18 hours of natural labor. We kept trying up until around 11pm. I had finally reached around 10 cm but the remainder of my cervix would not budge. There was only a small amount left under Hannah’s head but every time I tried to push my cervix kept swelling up instead of melting away. This coupled with the fact that the contractions were again slowing down prevented any permanent progress. Hannah would move down some during the contraction, my cervix would swell and then push Hannah back up during the break between the contractions. Tanya said we could keep trying if I wanted but that Hannah was still posterior and she kept moving out of position. She said I may want to consider a c-section. The words I did not want to hear. At this point I was starting to run a fever and Hannah’s heart rate was starting to lower. Jeremy and I had talked about it and had determined that I had given my all for a natural birth and unfortunately things just did not work out. At this point we cared most that Hannah came out healthy and that my body was just too tired. I had literally given everything I had. So we decided to go ahead and get the c-section. Luckily I had had the epidural so I was able to be awake for it.

At 12:53 am on December 26, 2011 Hannah Marie Scuteri was born. She came out screaming. It was the most amazing sound I had ever heard in my life. They brought her over to us and she was absolutely the most amazing thing I had ever seen. Jeremy left with her while they finished sewing me back up.

A part of me is really sad that I did not have the natural labor I wanted, but I know that I gave it my all. Jeremy was absolutely an amazing birth partner and I could not ask more from him. He was with me every step of the way. I have never felt so close to him. He told me I was the strongest person he had ever known and that he was proud of me. I love him so much and can’t believe we brought this beautiful baby girl into the world. The most important thing of all is that Hannah was born completely healthy at 8 lbs 5 oz and 20.5 inches tall. After recovery they brought Hannah to me and I was able to breastfeed her with no problems. We are still working on our technique but we are doing really well and I feel like my bond to her has not suffered from getting the c-section.

Name: Rita
Age: 30
Partner: Husband Brad
Career: Manager - International Transport Dealership
Where you are from:Ontario
All about baby: Rally Nov 30 2010
Prepreg weight 145lbs
Height: 5'5"
Goal Weight: 145lbs
lbs to lose as of now: 44lbs
Game plan to reach goal: July-September 2012
Fun Fact about yourself: I am a race car driver, but have been out of it for a bit to start a family. I want to get back into shape and get behind the wheel again!

MFP is amazing, it has made my wieght loss much easier. What a great message board!

Happy New Year Hot Mamas!

Hope you're all having a nice evening - pretty low key with new babies, I'd imagine? Hubby's cooking me a steak and lobster feast. Putting toddler to bed shortly and we'll enjoy (with Annie).

Heather, to answer your question - I did rest on my rest days. Except once when I knew I ate too much the night before so I did a Brazil Butt Lift workout. On my workout days I'd still do hilly stroller walks at a good clip when the weather permitted (maybe 10 times in 60 days). Also, I did do the optional cardio workouts that come in Phase 2. I had cheat meals 4 times. Not entire days, but a good meal (or multiple snacks and drinks) were I went over my calories by about 1,500 for the day. Surprisingly these were the weeks I lost most of my weight.

Rayna, in my hospital bag I was happy to have enough stuff for me to get through 3 days of hospital stay (undies, clothing - and clothing for baby). Had an emergency (unexpcected) c-section after #1 so it was nice to be able to stay comfortably in the hospital and feel decent enough when visitors came. Dry shampoo was also a good one! Could keep that blowout fresh after #2. Haha!