I made it to 6 weeks postpartum and I feel 95% back to normal!! Postpartum recovery is so important and should be recognized, it's the time the mom needs the most help as her body has been through so much. I think postpartum bodies should be recognized as well and snapping back to your pre pregnancy state the second you give birth is not realistic. The day I gave birth I looked 6 months pregnant, the next day 5 months pregnant, and the following day 4 months pregnant and it took me about the next 6 weeks to now look 3 months pregnant and that's where I stand now.
The greatest transformation there ever was! A different kind of bumpdate this time!!
Just in case you were curious what to expect if you ever give birth, you lose 12-15 pounds immediately after birth, losing blood volume, amniotic fluid, placenta, swelling, and actual baby's weight. Then at my 6 week postpartum appointment I was down 22-23 pounds and that wasn't even from trying, it was truly from breastfeeding, not having time to really eat unfortunately, and the rest of my swelling and water weight going down. Now as I'm typing this at almost 12 weeks postpartum (the end of the 4th trimester) I have literally 2 more pounds to lose. I gained a total of 32 pounds this pregnancy. I was aiming for 25-30 pounds gained but I just let my body decide what it needed to support my baby and a healthy pregnancy. Even being back to my pre-pregnancy weight, my body still looks so different. pre-pregnancy clothes fit but fit differently and that's ok. It took 9-10 months to make Conner, and it will take 9-10 months after birth to be where I was. Giving yourself grace is the biggest thing. Your body just created a miracle! They say after 6 weeks postpartum that's when you have to dig your heels in and actually have to put effort into losing the rest of the weight and that seems to be true. The first 6 weeks of pregnancy I lost about 2-3 pounds a week and after that, through watching what I eat I have lost 0.6-1 pound of weight a week. You don't want to lose too fast or it will effect your milk supply!
Postpartum treated me kindly and I was SO grateful for that! After leaving the hospital I had no more bleeding, my stitches healed extremely quick, and I don't have any ab separation or back pain or anything. I literally have felt normal since the moment I gave birth. I don't take a moment of that for granted. I pray my next pregnancy and birth have the same experience! I felt so great after birth, it was extremely difficult for me to not go back to working out and my normal activity because I felt no different but I really made a point to force myself to relax. Now at 12 weeks postpartum, I am just now starting to go back to the normal intensity my workouts used to be. That is good to wait that long to help heal your pelvic floor too, you don't want to run or jump before then so you can heal properly. I didn't run or jump during pregnancy either! And I'm here to report, I don't pee while I sneeze or jump on a trampoline or anything! I didn't during pregnancy either and I think a large part of that is protecting myself from running/jumping during those times.
As far as mental health goes, I have been very blessed so far to have dodged postpartum depression, anxiety, or psychosis. Mental health is incredibly important and should be taken seriously by your doctor and be treated as thoroughly as a physical issue would be. We need to be talking more about this so those suffering don't feel as alone.
Breastfeeding was pretty hard for me the first 5 days after birth, I was pretty raw and bled a little bit. But once we reached that 5 day hump, it was smooth sailing and thankfully we are champs at it now! The first 6 weeks I delt wit an oversupply of milk which was incredibly painful and defeating but around week 7 it stabilized out! I am eternally grateful I can breastfeed and cherish that bond together multiple times a day!
I have loved this entire process so much and I can't wait to go through it again in about a year (Lord willing)!
With so much love,
Kayla Raborn
8/27/22
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