Baby Weight

With both my pregnancies I was fortunate enough to gain a fair amount of weight.  I was underweight before getting pregnant with Lynden and my doctor said 30lbs would be a healthy amount of weight for me to gain.  When we left her office I told Danny I would like to gain 40lbs so I might have a chance to keep some weight on after having the baby. 

4 months pregnant
weighing 125lbs

37 weeks pregnant
weighing 160lbs

I gained around 45lbs with Lynden and was successful at dropping all but the 10lb I wanted to keep.  When Lynden was just over a year I got sick and lost my access weight, dropping me back to the 120-122 range. 

I'm 5'9"ish and even though 120lbs is considered a "healthy" weight my bones stick out.  My wrists, elbows, knees, and hips all protrude and not in a way I find flattering on me.  And I cannot gain weight.  I know, there are women out there who are cursing me, but when you want to gain weight and can't it's frustrating.  So, keeping those 10lbs was a miracle, it was also upsetting when I lost them. 

When I got pregnant the second time around I had the same goal in mind and, again, was successful.  I actually managed to keep a weight of 145-150 while I was breastfeeding.  Once I was done breastfeeding my weight evened out around 140.  I was thrilled!!  I managed to keep 20 lbs of pregnancy weight.

the day before Alyssa was born
weighing 165lbs

Until March... evil March.  Being sick cost me 15lbs, so I am back down to the 125lb range and my bones are back to sticking out. 

And something funny happened after having Alyssa, the excess weight settled differently.  I refer to it as belly flub, which I despise.  That extra 5lbs of weight I've been able to maintain over 2 pregnancies all decided to reside in my midriff. 

Now, don't get me wrong, I'm not upset because I feel I can't wear a bikini (my children cemented my tankini days with bundles of stretch marks), I'm upset because some days it looks like I'm early on in a pregnancy when I am so not.  That's what I don't like. 

I bitch and complain about it but don't do as much as I should to counteract it. 

Danny gave me an exercise ball for Xmas, which I was using almost daily until March (I hated March) and since then I've decided to try to do more cardio instead.  I am going to do cardio one day and yoga/exercise ball the next (I was going to start at the beginning of this month but with trips and Easter weekend I'm starting next week).  I am also going to be starting yoga in the next few weeks to help tone my body, as I don't want to lose the weight.

Generally with summer we tend to eat healthier, more fruits and vegetables in the house.  Even Danny has mentioned how he's wanting to get back to eating more salads and cut out the crap (like the pop and candies... ok... maybe after we rid our selves of all Lynden's Easter candy). 

And with summer comes longer days and better weather, so we'll be more active in our day to day lives.  More walks, trips to the park, swimming, and playing in the backyard.  All of which will help encourage my body to tone itself, much more than lying on the couch for a week doing nothing while you're hacking up a lung. 

The only saving grace I have is my wonderful husband who every time I complain about my flub he tells me he doesn't notice it (and tells me to do something about it if I don't like it).  Even if he's lying it's nice to hear that it doesn't bug him or turn him off.  It's such a mental barrier for women, especially after we've had babies; we have tummy flub, stretch marks, sagging boobs, and our shape is different.  Hearing our husbands support us and tell us they love us (and they don't see the same thing we do) is the best feeling in the world.