Let's chat about the reality of going from maternity leave back to working again. First off, pictured above is how much my little one grew on my 6 week maternity leave. Say WHAT? She only gained about 3-3.5lb (OK that's a lot for a little one) but she looks MONTHS older. It's amazing how fast time really does go by once you have children. Pump the breaks!!!
I went back to work yesterday and it went really well. I think everyone is different (so take what I say with a grain of salt), but I was excited to go back to work. Don't get me wrong, I LOVE my baby and love spending time with her, but starting work again has gotten me back into (somewhat of) of a routine. Monday wasn't easy, especially setting my alarm for 4am, but we managed! For all you working moms, keeping up your milk supply while working is no easy task. I kept calling my mom to ask how many bottles she had drank so I could duplicate it. I have to put it into my schedule (pumping) but hopefully I'll get the hang of it. Props to all the moms out there who have done this and done it more than once! Hats off to you! So, how does one juggle being a new mom, working, and keeping up in the health and fitness department? No idea..but I can tell you what I'm TRYING to do :) Luckily, I think my husband and I have decent schedules to work with. He's a firefighter and works 24 hours and on 48 hours off as long as he doesn't have overtime. For my schedule, I work from 6am -1230pm and then the rest is on the computer. I also decided to take off Tuesdays so I could have one day to be solely with baby. I suggest getting a good schedule down for work (if you're going to work) that way you can work around it. It's only my first week back, but I plan on working out 5 days a week. I schedule my workouts into my schedule that way I have NO excuse. I also make sure I only have healthy food in the house that way again, I have NO excuse. It's not easy. Sure, there are some days where I don't feel like working out nor do I feel like cooking but you have to bite your tongue and think of why you do it. Why do you want to be healthy? Why do you want to exercise? For me, it's not about vanity (later down on the list), but more importantly about being healthy internally. Someone said to me once, "if you're always ready then you never have to worry about getting ready." It stuck in my head like glue. If you're body is always taken care of (read eating healthy and exercising routinely) then you're doing all you can do to prevent health issues and injuries. So why not take care of yourself? Priorities shift when you have a baby and that's OK...but just don't forget to take care of Mommy. If mamma isn't well then no one else is ;) In good health, Cristina
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Hi Readers,
OK, no, I DON'T have six pack six weeks post baby, but the abs ARE getting stronger! For those who haven't seen my post on postpartum core on social media, I did a small write up going through the phases of rehabilitation for the core muscles. Most women suffer from abdominal splitting during pregnancy and don't even know it. This program is designed to help you rebuild ALL layers of the abdomen and gain back your strength! These exercises combined with healthy, clean eating, can help shape those abs and bring back the pack! ;) If you're interested in the postpartum core workout, just shoot me an email [email protected] and I'd be happy to send it to you! I just met with my OB for my 6 week check up and it went REALLY well. If you're in Chicago near the North side, I highly recommend my Doctor at Northshore Medical Group. She is by far one of the best docs I've ever had (and I'm VERY picky). She knows that fitness is my career and knew I'd be fine to exercise as soon as I felt well. I didn't go 110% though until I saw her, juuuust to be safe. I did only a few leg workouts prior to my check up because I didn't personally feel comfortable yet. I did however, do upper body workouts 2-3x a week. Listen to your body. Your body will tell you if you're ready or not (and your doctor)! Goals for now: Since I am still breastfeeding, I cannot go crazy on the nutrition (notice I say nutrition and not diet). I am eating as clean as possible but still keeping my calories a tad higher in order to keep up my milk supply. It's amazing what the body can do! I do have a goal to get back to my pre pregnancy weight by Christmas. Again, I'm not bending over backwards because my priorities have changed and I have new outlook on the body, buuuuut it'd be nice to be back to where I was ;) I'll keep updating this blog on my progress, new finds, and other postpartum news. As always, email me if you have questions, comments or concerns! In good health, Cristina Hi Readers,
I realize that I've been talking about all the great things to do postpartum and haven't really talked about the ugly side. The side that no one really talks about. A lot of people kept saying to me, "oh, you'll bounce back in no time" etc, etc.. Just because I workout and eat healthy doesn't mean my body has superpowers. I mean, that'd be cool but let's be honest. I know there are some women out there who DO bounce back the day after birth, but that IS NOT me. The first 2 weeks postpartum, I lost 14lb and I thought to myself, oh this will be easy! Yah, well I haven't budged since! I still have about 8lb to loose. The number isn't whats getting to me so much but the changes my body have made might be. For example, I tried to do pull ups the other day and my diastasis recti has still not fully recovered. It's not everyday you can't do things because your abdominal wall is literally split in half. Talk about motivating. I also thought my stomach would deflate faster and that I'd have a tight core right away. Not true. I still have squish (even though I try and hide it) and I'm just learning to take it day by day. It's also frustrating that sitting straight up from a lying down position isn't easy anymore! I will say it's gotten better which means my abs are coming back together again... but still, not as fast as I'd hope. I have decided that my goal until I go back to work and have my 6 week check up, is to go to the gym 2-3x a week. This is very little for me, but it's something. I'll take it! My mom had to bring me back to reality and say, Cristina, you just had a baby 4 weeks ago. It takes 9 months to grow her (and growing a human is a huge and amazing thing in itself!!), so don't expect it to all go back in place over night. See, I already preach this but to live it is another thing. I guess we get impatient and want things faster than they can happen. Really what I need to do (and hopefully you get out of reading this) is take it day by day and have patience. The body really is amazing and I'm sure it will go back to how it was with persistence and patience. Can you relate? I'd love to hear your postpartum experience and what worked for you and your journey back to pre-pregnancy body. Email: [email protected] In good health, Cristina Good morning readers,
Hope this note finds you well! I wanted to throw in a current picture -- Above is me eating my lunch last week while carrying my babes in her carrier. I LOVE this carrier (especially if shes extra fussy). She sleeps well in it since shes close to my heart and I can get things done while "holding" her. I highly recommend it. This carrier is made by ErgoBaby. Check it out if your in the market for one! Now, I wanted to touch upon the benefits of breastfeeding and what it does to your body postpartum (and for baby). I actually didn't know much about it until I experienced it and read up on it. I knew it was better for the baby, but why? I didn't know the impact it had on the mother and how beneficial it was to her as well. I wanted to make note of some of the many benefits that make breastfeeding the best option for mommy and baby (as long as the body and baby allow). So why is breastfeeding beneficial? Benefits for Baby: - It builds antibodies in the baby's body that will help protect him from illness -Breastfeed babies are sick less in comparison to formula fed babies -Lower chances of SIDS (Sudden Infant Death Syndrome) -Decrease chances of childhood diseases such as diabetes (1 & 2), high cholesterol, childhood cancers, and inflammatory bowel disease. -Increased cognitive development -Decreased chances of childhood obesity Benefits for Mommy: -Decrease risk of postpartum depression -Decrease risk for postpartum stress -Moms who breastfeed tend to return to pre-baby weight faster and loose weight faster -Studies have shown breastfeeding can protect mother from certain cancers as well (breast and ovarian) I'm not going to lie, breastfeeding isn't as easy as I thought. Thankfully my baby took to it easily but I didn't realize how dependent the baby is off of you. You cannot be too far from the baby because she needs to eat every 2-3 hours (that's IF they aren't going through a growth spurt).Sometimes my baby will eat back to back within an hour or hour and a half. When you do feed the baby, it can take up to 45 minutes (when they are little... once they are bigger they don't feed as long). A breastfeed baby digest the milk faster than a formula fed baby so that means they need to eat more frequently. When you look at all the benefits for the baby (and mommy), it really outweighs all these factors. Keep in mind, when you breastfeed, you burn calories and therefore need to consume extra calories to help keep up your milk supply. This is NOT the time to try and "diet". You should increase your caloric intake to 300 calories per day. It is also extremely important to stay well hydrated. I bring my liter water bottle with me everywhere and make sure to drink a full bottle at least 4 times a day (that's 1 gallon). This helps keep up my milk supply. For questions or comments in regards to fitness and health during and after pregnancy, please email me at [email protected]. In good health, Cristina |
AuthorCristina Panagopoulos is the owner and founder of CW Physique, an in-home personal training and nutrition company. She has been in the fitness industry for over a decade and loves helping others transform their lives. She is certified through the National Academy of Sports Medicine as a personal trainer and metabolic coach along with American Fitness Professionals & Associates certified Nutrition and Wellness Consultant. Over the years, Cristina gained specialty certifications through the American Council of Exercise for Orthopedic Exercise and Pre and Post Natal Exercising. Cristina started this blog as a casual and personal journey through her experiences of pregnancy and later on motherhood. She wants to educate females on proper fitness and nutrition who are going through pregnancy and motherhood. For more information, please email Cristina directly at [email protected] Archives
October 2016
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