Body after second baby – an update on my postpartum journey

They say that since it takes nine months for your body to create a baby, you should give it nine months to recover from the pregnancy and birth. ❤️ It’s almost been nine months now since my second baby Noah was born, and so I thought it timely to look back on my postpartum journey so far. Every mother, pregnancy and postpartum journey is unique, but because I know the physical changes can cause some concern in mums-to-be, I want to share my journey in the hope that it will be encouraging and positive to others. A lot of the challenges of the post-baby body you can’t see from the outside, pelvic floor health for example, so please bear that in mind when you see photos (mine or others’) online!

The message I hope to spread is that it is possible to reclaim your body, to regain your figure and confidence after having babies, and you don’t need a PT, a gym membership, or a lot of equipment to do it. Or even a lot of time! All you need is to get active and stay consistent. Pregnancy and giving birth are big things to go through and they will change your body but in most cases it’s possible to fully recover and to feel fit and strong again! I don’t look exactly the same as before my pregnancies but any physical marks of motherhood on my body are a small price to pay to have my children. I didn’t get stretch marks, but I do have excess skin on my lower tummy which wrinkles when I bend over, and I know from experience that when the breastfeeding ends I’ll be pretty flat-chested. And let’s not forget what the sleepless nights have done to my face, haha! But these things really don’t matter and they have absolutely nothing to do with how healthy I am or how I feel about myself (most days anyway).

Snap shot of the changes my body has gone through in the last four years

I’m now 35-years old and had my first baby at 32 and the second at 34. I was extremely lucky to conceive naturally fairly quickly and to have two healthy pregnancies. I (try to) lead an active and healthy lifestyle but during my second pregnancy I was really stretched in terms of time and energy and didn’t have a chance to keep up with resistance training. I stayed as active as possible (which wasn’t much at times), but I felt like my starting point on this second postpartum fitness journey was lower than on my first. I’m not talking about the weight gain, which was approximately the same (around 12-15kg), but I’m talking about strength and muscle mass, both which really dropped during my second pregnancy. So I started training again very slowly, much slower than after my first baby, and have gradually built up my strength. I’m happy to report that I’m feeling very good and “normal” now! It didn’t take this long to recover from the pregnancy and birth as such, but getting fitter just takes time – it was almost as if I was a beginner again! Pretty humbling experience, I must admit.

The training programmes I’ve followed so far, starting at 8-weeks postpartum, are:

  • 6-weeks of postpartum core and pelvic floor recovery programme by Nordic Fit Mama
  • Simultaneously with the above, 12-weeks of Kayla Itsines Post Pregnancy programme
  • 6 weeks of the Sweat Challenge as a BBG Beginner (Sweat app)
  • Then continued with BBG 1 for another 2 weeks until the launch of BBG Zero Equipment which I’ve been following for 9-weeks
  • Last week (October 7th) I started the indoor cycling classes on my new Peloton bike (to let a shoulder injury heal) at home
6-week Sweat Challenge results – very similar weight but definitely more toned body (excuse my lockdown hair)

My weight is not a secret but I’ve decided to stop sharing it because I really don’t want you to focus on weight. My weight is not relevant to anyone else’s fitness journey, actually not even to my own. Please don’t fall for the comparison game! My weight did return to pre-baby levels quite quickly but as you can see from the photos, my shape was very different. I don’t focus on my weight, but I do like taking progress photos because they show me that my training is working, in other words, helping me shift extra body fat and to gain some muscle. To put it simply, I was keen to get rid of the muffin top and have a waist again!

I was really proud of completing the 6-week Sweat Challenge last summer because it was the first normal (and not a “post-pregnancy”) exercise programme since having Noah. It felt hard but I managed to complete it! It gave me confidence in my body and I felt brave enough to start pushing myself again. After having my baby in the end of January I felt quite disconnected from my body: my core was weak and my pelvic floor muscles practically asleep. Not fun. I didn’t know what my body could and couldn’t do. But by the end of June (6-months postpartum) I felt like I had reconnected with my own body and it felt really good! As a bonus I felt more comfortable in my clothes too, which started fitting better.

It’s not just the training which has helped me slowly reclaim my body but also the fact that my baby is growing bigger and more independent (for the lack of a better word). I no longer live in such close symbiosis with Noah than when he was a newborn – it’s quite bittersweet to be honest but I am enjoying the increased personal space. Noah sleeps in his own room and usually only wakes up once between 6.30pm and 5am for a feed. Breastfeeding has reduced during the day as well since he is eating solids now. Of course we still cuddle a lot but most of his time awake he crawls on the floor trying to keep up with sister rather than sits in my lap. He has been too heavy for me to carry in a sling for a long time already, so baby wearing has stopped as well. So overall, my body is starting to feel more mine and less the baby’s. And that feels good. This time I haven’t experienced the “bump envy” but I’m truly enjoying having my body to myself.

Beginning of summer (4-months after baby) and end of summer 2020 (7-months after baby)

It’s October now and getting darker, colder and rainier in London. Garden workouts after the kids have gone to bed are no longer an option (or not appealing in any way). My life is quite tiring although I do love spending my days with the kids and it’s getting harder to dig deep for that motivation to train at night. I have so far dodged the colds, somewhat surprisingly as my kids have been wiping their snotty noses on me for weeks, but my energy levels have been low. I lift, carry, and push so much in my daily tasks as a stay-at-home mum that my wrist pain has flaired up again and my operated shoulder has been causing trouble. So, I decided I need to change up my training routine to put less strain on my upper body and to give me a motivation boost. Enter the Peloton bike!

8-months postpartum posing with my new Peloton bike

I’ve always liked spinning classes although cycling is not my favourite form of exercise. But being able to join classes from home while my kids sleep next door just works so well for me! I’ve been struggling to get my cardio workouts done because my time to exercise is when the kids sleep and of course can’t leave the house then. My only concern was the price tag, because while the membership (access to the live and recorded classes) is comparable to a gym membership, the bike is expensive (about two grand). But since they have a 30-day money back guarantee if you’re not happy with it, I decided to go for it! So far I’ve enjoyed my bike rides and definitely have gotten a very good workout out of them.

Recreating my maternity photo shoot in our garden for the “8-months in, 8-months out”-photo

Now I’m just hoping to keep up with my fitness routine as the winter comes. In some ways I’ve found my postpartum fitness journeys and getting back in shape more exciting and motivating than the maintenance phase that follows. But that’s why I think it’s important to mix up the training routine and to set new goals to have the motivation to keep going. For me the biggest driver to keep exercising is to have some time to myself and as a busy mum of two, my need for that “me time” is stronger than ever.

I’m also hoping that at some point the kids would start napping simultaneously if even for half an hour so that I could exercise during the day rather than at night! But that’s still work in progress… 😅

xoxoxo,

Sini

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