Updates, Updates, Updates
Table of Contents:
- Breastfeeding
- Sleeping
- Postpartum
- Work
- Moving
Hi Everyone! Happy Monday!
Today I wanted to update you all on a bunch of stuff I've been writing about over the past few months:
Breastfeeding
Those of you who've been reading a while know breastfeeding has been a real challenge. Also something I'm really committed to doing. In the beginning I wasn't making near enough milk, and it was also very painful. I was breastfeeding, then supplementing with formula.
Then, I went to pumping 8 time/day, still supplementing with formula.
Then, I tried to work back in actual feedings, all the while making sure I was feeding or pumping 8 times/day, including once at 3 AM, also keeping very careful records to make sure each twin got fed the same amount of breast milk. Plus I was taking all sorts of supplements to help with milk production.
And now...well, the supplements have stopped (I hate taking pills, and it's a relief not to have to do so). The record keeping has stopped, which is also a relief. The 8 times/day rule has stopped. And the pumping for the most part has stopped.
These days, I'm feeding whoever's hungry, trying to make it even, supplementing with formula when needed (most feedings). And while formula is still needed, I'm making a lot more milk than I was (I think)...when I pump sometimes I get up to 5 or 6 ounces total (at the very least 2), whereas 4 used to be my absolute max, and there were many, many sessions where I only got half an ounce or less.
One thing I AM still doing, is a middle-of-the-night feed or pump (setting my alarm for 3 AM to make that happen).
Anyway, the kids are still getting breastfed, but in a much more relaxed way. It feels right to us. It finally feels natural, after sooooooooo much effort. I'm just kind of letting it be what it will be at this point, vs trying to force my body to do what I want it to do.
Sleeping
Ah, sleep. Still elusive, although my husband is doing a lot of the night shift, which helps tremendously (thanks, Jeff!). Still, I'm in a perpetual state of tiredness...part of being a new mom, though, you know?
We're trying to figure out a nap/bedtime routine, and right now here's where we're at:
Waking 7 AMish plus or minus.
Trying for a short nap around 9 AM (may or may not happen).
Trying for another nap around 1 PM (may or may not happen).
Bedtime routine starting around 6 PMish (having this routine has been so great...kids usually go right to sleep): bath, feed, story, talking about all the things we're grateful for in our day, bed by 7 PMish.
"Dream feed" around 10 PM.
Kids are up once or twice each during the night to eat.
I've been experimenting with taking one of the kids to bed with me, either when I go to bed, or when one wakes up and needs to be fed. (My husband watches the other one through the night.) Jury's still out on how that's going. I'm more rested without doing it and instead letting my husband take the night shift with both kids. But I like that individual time with each kid. We'll see how it all pans out.
Postpartum
After losing a TON of weight the first 6 weeks after the kids were born, the rest of the weight I have to lose is coming off sooooooo slowly. I'm walking with the kids, hiking once a week, going to yoga once or twice a week, eating well...I am losing weight but just at a glacial pace. I am still having the occasional treat and could cut that out, and I guess I could eat smaller portions, and maybe go on longer walks with the kids, but I'm already doing a lot/doing the right things and it's frustrating to be losing the weight so slowly. I'm still 12 lbs from my 140 lb goal.
I hesitate to blame it on breastfeeding, but I've heard it can be hard to lose the last 10 lbs while breastfeeding.
In other postpartum news, my linea negra is almost gone, I am losing tons and tons of hair (annoying...it's all over me and the babies), and I'm not sure I'm ever going to be able to wear a bikini again, but reserving judgement on that until I lose the rest of the weight (fingers crossed!) I'm getting a lot stronger and in a lot better shape. Oh, and I don't know if I mentioned this before, but my Achilles tendons were hurting a lot after the babies were born, and they seem to be getting back to normal. Also the bruising on my feet I had at the end of my pregnancy seems to be going away.
Work
Work's going pretty well. Working from home is such a blessing. The eventual goal is for me to work 4 hours/day, but right now I'm doing more like 5 or 6 to make ends meet while my husband is job hunting. I've tried lots of different things, and still experimenting, but what seems to be working is me getting up early with the babies and letting my husband sleep after the night shift, handing babies over to him at 11 or so and then working in the afternoon, with breaks for breastfeeding as needed. Occasionally I'll work with a baby in my lap, but I can generally concentrate much better if I go alone to my home office and close the door.
Moving
My husband's still job hunting, but it's going well. We should hear back soon about Virginia (DC area), and he's got an interview this week for a job in Albuquerque (which I am inordinately excited about. Don't know why I'm so excited about Albuquerque, except it's in the West [I would love to stay in the West], is a day's drive from my family, it's pretty cheap to live there, and, I don't know, there's something really beautiful and cool about New Mexico.) There's a possible job in Seattle that's come up (if I have to leave Colorado, I would love, love, love to be in Seattle), and a few things in Denver. The job in LA that my husband was interviewing for doesn't look like it's going to happen. LA would have been great, but it's so expensive...
So basically, everything's still up in the air, with the most likely moves at this juncture Viriginia or Albuquerque. For now I'm just trying to enjoy every day we have here, and spend as much time as I can with my parents, and not worry about the future because we have no idea what's going to happen.
So that's the udpate. All's well, still trying to figure a number of things out, just taking everything day by day.
XOXO
Getting Your Body Back After Pregnancy
Hi Everyone!
Today I wanted to talk about how my body has changed with my pregnancy and the birth of my twins, as well as my plans for getting back to my old self, at least from a physical perspective. Also at the end of this post is some advice for others going through this, based on what's worked for me.
Before all my fertility treatments, I was 5'7", 140 lbs, size 6. I was athletic, mostly Bikram yoga and hiking/backpacking, and in the winter snowboarding several days a week. I also ate pretty well, aside from the occasional fast food meal.
All the drugs associated with 4 IVFs and 1 FET, plus an 11.5 week pregnancy did a number on my body, plus me pulling back on exercise in an attempt to do everything I could to get/stay pregnant. By the time I got pregnant last summer, I was up to 155 lbs and not exercising much beyond very gentle walking. I walked for the first part of my pregnancy, but was very sedentary towards the end. I ate pretty well, especially the second half of my pregnancy, when I had gestational diabetes. By the time I delivered at 36 weeks, I weighed 202 lbs (eek!). So, 47 lbs gained from my weight at the FET, but 62 lbs more than my normal weight.
The good news is I've already lost 45 lbs, so I'm ALMOST back to my weight at the FET (I'm 157 lbs today, 6 weeks after giving birth). I am breastfeeding, but I'm not eating very carefully, and not exercising other than walking. I'm so happy with this weight loss, athough I definitely want to get back to 140 lbs...now that I'm 6 weeks out and not in recovery mode I plan to start exercising more (my husband and mom both said they'll stay with the kids while I go hiking and/or to a yoga class or two) and eat a little better (fewer desserts and fast food runs...sleep deprivation and the business of twins has had an impact on my normally healthy eating habits), although I'm not going to diet per se at this point. I'm giving myself 6 months from the birth to reach my weight goal, although of course I hope it happens sooner. I've also heard it's hard to lose the last few pounds while breastfeeding, so we'll see.
As far as other changes to my body:
- My breasts got HUGE with the rounds of IVF...I went from a 34 B to now a 38 DD. Not sure what size they will end up since the increase doesn't seem to be associated with pregnancy/breastfeeding but instead the IVF drugs
- I had really dark linea negra lines both above and below my belly button, as well as a dark circular mark to the side (like a thumbprint). These are supposed to go away, but they haven't yet
- My whole belly is dark, like I've been out in the sun. Did anyone else have this happen? Does it go away?
- There's definitely fat in my belly area that I need to lose, but my skin seems pretty elastic...there's no sagging or lose skin like I was led to believe might happen
- I made it through with no stretch marks, amazingly. I think it's just my genes vs anything I did...my mom never got stretch marks, either. I did use Mama Bee Belly Butter throughout my pregnancy
- During my pregnancy, my freckles became very pronounced, and a small red birthmark I have on my hairline that's usually flat became bigger and red and blue and raised...all that is back to normal now
- I never felt like I had great hair while pregnant, like they talk about, but I feel like I do now. Weird that it happened after the fact. I'll be sad when I start to lose it
- My gums bled like crazy during pregnancy, but not anymore
So, advice I can offer based on my experience:
- Don't freak out about gaining weight while pregnant, especially if you are eating good foods and not junk
- While pregnant, follow the gestational diabetes diet if you can. I did it because I had to, but I think it kept me from gaining too much weight and has made weight loss easier. Basically, it's eating 6 small meals a day vs 3 large ones, limiting portion sizes of foods high in carbohydrates, eating both carbs and protein at every meal, and really minimizing sweets and other high-sugar foods
- I used the Belly Bandit BFF for a couple weeks right after delivery...and I can't say for sure it made a difference because I have nothing to compare it to, but my tummy flattened out really fast
- Breastfeed
- Buy yourself some things for the interim period. Something that's helped me tremendously as far as not hating the way my body is right now (and I've done a pretty good job of embracing the changes, not feeling terrible about them) is my husband sending me out to buy some clothes. A few weeks after the birth, I was still wearing maternity things, which were big and I hate all my maternity clothes at this point and I was feeling so frumpy, but none of my normal clothes fit. So I bought some cute (and relatively inexpensive, since I don't plan on wearing them for too long) jeans and tank tops and T-shirts I can wear while I lose the remaining weight. Oh and some cute lacy nursing bras and panties, too. :)
Anyone else have some tips on getting back into shape after pregnancy and/or how to love and not hate this period? Would love to hear...
XOXO