Hi Beauties!

I can hardly believe I’m already 3 months postpartum. The time has flown.

While in many ways I’d like time to slow down, I’m also happy to be wrapping up the “fourth trimester.” I love the newborn stage, but it’s hard in a lot of ways too. It’s nice to feel more settled and to watch our little guy develop more personality as the weeks go on.

Here’s a little update on my body after baby and how things are going…

Weight Loss

I’ve lost a total of 31 lbs. since giving birth! That’s a lot to lose in 3 months, but given my dietary restrictions I’m not surprised (more on this later).

I am 8 lbs. above my pre-pregnancy weight and the scale hasn’t budged in about 3-4 weeks. While it’s a little frustrating, I do believe my measurements are going down (although I haven’t been paying much attention to be honest). I also know that my body may hold on to that weight for awhile while I’m breastfeeding. And I’m okay with that.

I’m not focused on weight loss at this point. Instead, I’m focused on keeping my nutrition up and getting back into shape.

Fitness

I’ve been doing short Pilates routines at home and that’s about it!

My walks and return to running have been stalled due to cold weather. It’s one thing for me to go out by myself in the freezing cold, it’s another thing to bring a 2-year-old and 3-month old out when it’s below freezing. I worry about their temperature and they’re also usually not very happy about being in the cold so it’s been a struggle to get outside.

My goal for the next few months is to continue doing Pilates and to add in some HIIT workouts, TRX and barre to get my heart-rate up.

I’m struggling to find time for exercise so I’m continually trying to shift things around in my schedule. During the last month, if I wasn’t taking care of babies I was working on Pilates 4×4. It was a very, very busy November. Now that Pilates 4×4 is off the ground I’m finding a little bit more time in my schedule for exercise but there is a lot of room for improvement. I hope to have a good update on this soon. 🙂

Diet

I’ve been a little quiet on my postpartum updates because my weight loss and journey has not been typical. I want to make sure you know that if you’re reading this. After my first pregnancy I didn’t even START losing significant weight until the 3-month mark.

This time has been different because of my son’s digestion issues. While we have seen great improvement in his overall comfort level, happiness and mood, his diapers are still not 100% clear.

I am currently off of the following foods: dairy, soy, gluten, eggs, nuts, beef, fish and coffee (as of today…wahhh!).

It has been a significant and frustrating challenge to say the least.

I’ve gotten very comfortable cooking meals and finding snacks that are free of the above allergens, but it’s really hard to miss out on all of the JOY that comes with food, especially this time of year. I miss sharing meals with friends and it’s hard having to say no to so many things. It puts a damper on date nights when I can’t eat at most restaurants and it takes a lot of work to grocery shop and food prep so that I always have things on hand that I am able to eat.

I don’t want it to sound like I’m feeling sorry for myself, it’s just a hard thing. So if you’re out there, and you’re having to make similar accommodations just know you’re not alone!

Since I’m already omitting so many foods from my diet I am not focusing on weight loss at all. I am actually eating as much as I can find to keep my calories up.

A typical day looks like this:

Breakfast: 1 vegan muffin from It’s All Good + 1-2 turkey sausages from The PBP meal plan

Snack: 1 vegan muffin w/sunflower seed butter or a green smoothie

Lunch: leftovers (chili, chicken taco soup, taco bowls, chicken curry w/quinoa, etc.), rice cakes topped with Applegate Farms turkey, veganaise, dijon mustard, avocado and tomato or a big salad with roasted veggies, roasted chicken and hemp hearts.

Snack: apple + sun butter, banana + sun butter, a smoothie (if I didn’t have one in the morning), 2 turkey sausage patties or hummus and veggies/chips.

Dinner: I’m currently rotating about 8 different meals (taco bowls, chili, white chicken chili, tomato soup + salad, chicken curry w/quinoa, sausage & white bean casserole, meatballs + kale, quinoa pasta with broccoli & chicken, roasted balsamic veggie bowls and this sausage-apple-sweet potato bake.

Snack: anything I can find!

I snack frequently and drink loads of water. I’m currently getting my healthy fats from avocado, coconut oil, hemp hearts and seeds.

I’m hoping and praying that my little guy will be 100% in the clear soon so that I can start adding foods back in!

The good news is that he his happy, healthy, gaining weight like a champ (he is so chubby) and sleeping well, so my pediatrician is not overly concerned. (You can read more about my first journey with the dairy and soy protein intolerance here.)

Sleep

Baby K has slept through the night 2 times! We’re getting closer and closer to sealing the deal. If he doesn’t sleep all the way through he usually wakes up around 5:30 for a feeding and then we fall back asleep until 6:30/7:00 when I wake him up for his first official feeding of the day.

In the beginning, he was having trouble falling asleep by himself and staying asleep. We had to bounce him and hold him nonstop. I thought he was going to be a challenging baby and I thought it would be impossible to get him on a sleep schedule like I did with Blake.

But around 10 weeks we started our “eat, play, sleep” routine and our lives changed! He started falling asleep easily on his own (no longer needing to be bounced & held) and started sleeping much longer stretches. Our days have gotten much easier as I am now able to manage both kids without feeling totally stressed and overwhelmed. It was a game-changer for sure. I’m so thankful.

He currently nurses, stays awake for about 45 minutes and then I swaddle him and put him in his crib. It always seems too soon to put him down, but he happily drifts off into sleep every time! He was nursing every 2 hours in the early days and is now going about 3 hours between feedings.

If your baby is not sleeping well, please don’t let this post make you feel bad! All babies are different.

I’m just sharing how well this routine has worked for us with both kids, even when I thought Kincade wouldn’t follow suit. As a mom who works from home, having a routine is imperative so I’m just thankful we’re finding a new groove. And also thankful to be getting more sleep at night. 🙂

Emotions

Thankfully, my hormones have leveled out and I no longer feel quite as emotional. The major ups & downs are gone and I’m feeling like myself again. Again, thankful to be coming out of the “4th trimester.”

Work-Life Balance

It was hard to imagine finding any time to work during the first few months, but we’ve made some shifts and we’re starting to find a new rhythm. Here are the big shifts that have helped:

B goes to preschool one day per week and afterwards my husband has started taking her on “daddy dates” which gives me a full day at home to work and be with Kincade.
We hired a nanny to come to our house 1 day per week. She watches Blake while I work from home and take care of Kincade. She also helps with some light cleaning, laundry and dinner prep which makes a HUGE difference. I am so grateful for her and love that she is becoming a part of our family.
The sleep routine! As I mentioned above, getting Kincade on a sleep routine has made my life so much easier. B still takes an afternoon nap (or plays in her room for 2 hours if she resists) so each day I at least have a small window where they are both napping so I can catch up on emails.

We’re still figuring out how to make it all work but if there’s one thing I’ve learned, it’s that the seasons will continue to change. Every few months we’ll need to re-evaluate based on the kids’ needs, our work schedules and what kinds of things are happening here on The Balanced Life.

I am thankful that I love my job so much and that you all support me on this journey. If it wasn’t for this space and you as a community, I could not do this…so thank you!

So, here’s to continuing on my postpartum journey…

My main goal over the next few months is to find more time for exercise and more time for rest.

Hold me accountable okay?

xo,