Two days following Charlotte's birth, I was incredibly distraught to realize that I'd only lost 6 pounds. Seriously. I gave birth to a 6 lb 9 oz baby, and no longer had a placenta, and still I was only 6 pounds down? Apparently someone had slightly unrealistic expectations. That same someone did NOT anticipate post-partum edema that was worse than anything dealt with pre-partum. Dear god, everything about me was swollen. My face! My knees! My calves! My ankles and feet (a given)! Why was I not warned about this? As a result, I loathe pretty much every single photo taken of me during Charlotte's first two weeks of life. I know. I'm ridiculous. I'm working on it.
Fast forward three and a half weeks. I'm down about 17-18 pounds, and the joy that is being a mom has helped me come to grips with that. In my mind, I was going to be able to lose at least 20 pounds during the first month, leaving me with not too huge a number to tackle. Close, but no cigar. Ultimately, I feel pretty good about myself. I imagine many women, and probably most mothers, struggle with body image issues. Funnily enough, I feel better about my body now, carrying 25-30 pounds more than I'd like, than I did when I was only carrying 10-20 pounds more than I'd have liked. I feel like, darn it, I have ACCOMPLISHED something with this body. I have EARNED this floppy belly and wider hips. And, let's face it, I'm totally providing nourishment for a sentient being. That alone has got to be worth a few extra inches.
What is helping me is, I have gotten out of my sweatpants and into jeans. I put on blush (it's true, Mom. I even wear it to the grocery store!). I walk briskly with a baby and dog in tow. Today I even wore my running tights, whose high spandex content helps to contain a certain amount of jiggle when I wiggle. And I take advantage of the fantastic stroller my family gave me at a shower:
Don't worry, it's perfectly safe for a newborn to be in this particular jogger. |
Char looks so tiny! Loved this post. I think you've got the perfect attitude about this!
ReplyDeleteI know I'm a little late to the party, but congratulations! Charlotte is beautiful and so sweet! You must be so happy to welcome her -- aren't baby cuddles the best!?!
ReplyDeleteLove your attitude here. Isn't is amazing what your body has done? You've totally earned your tiger stripes!
It's great that you're out and about. Putting on real clothes does wonders for the mood/self-esteem!
Also, not sure if you're breastfeeding or not, but BFing really helped me lose the baby weight (or at least the baby shape as I've not weighed myself since 41 weeks pregnant).
Congrats again. She is so wonderful and I look forward to reading more about your adventures!