10mo Post-Pregnancy.

My muscles are coming back! 
This is a big deal.

So many people have looked at me after giving birth and said things along the lines of -
"Did you really just have a kid?"
"Look how thin you are!"
"You are so lucky."
"You need to gain some weight..."
"Are you dieting? You should probably eat more." 
"You're looking kind of ill."
"Well, at least you aren't fat."
 

Here's the truth in numbers, not that it's any of your business but I'm all for honesty...  I gained 23 pounds during my pregnancy, currently I am 8 pounds under my pre-pregnacy weight.

I had a very long and drawn out labor, maybe I'll share it sometime, that ultimately resulted in a c-section and basically being on bed rest for 8wks. During my labor I separated my ab muscles (diastasis recti) and couldn't do any traditional abdominal workouts (think sit-ups/planks) or strenuous ab activity otherwise I risked increasing the separation rather than healing it. About 10wks after delivery I did my first post-natal workout DVD. I slowly started adding walks that turned into jogs pushing the baby. I did yoga positions that stretched and strengthened without putting too much pressure on my abs. But it wasn't until little man hit 7mo that my abs were finally back where they needed to be for me to push myself. I am currently doing Les Mills Combat and loving it, I feel stronger and more energized. My body is getting its muscle tone back and while I still haven't gained much weight I know it'll come. I think I will have to worry about it when he stops nursing, my mom & husband joke that he "literally sucks the fat out of me" since he's such a chunk! My shirts fit normally as do my dresses. My shorts, pants, and skirts are a whole different story. But not the "normal" issue- they are all too big! My butt is gone, I (insert pride) had a pretty nice butt from working out and now it's just flat and non-existent. I honestly don't know where it went or when it truly left (it was huge during pregnancy!). I'm guessing sometime in those 8wks of being fairly sedentary. So I need to get it back so my stupid clothes stop falling off me...

I write all of this to say:
1) Whether you are thin, average, or "bigger" post-pregnancy someone will always have something to say about it - brush it off!
2) As hard as it will be, you have to give your body time to heal... 40(ish) weeks in, 40(ish) weeks out. I'm JUST now feeling like I'm back in my routine.
3) There's no magical solution or pill - it takes work.
4) Your clothes will fit again, or if you desire, your new clothes will fit even better!


What is the weirdest thing someone said to you after having kids?
-Tay