Post Baby Body 0-3 Months

Jude is just past the 3 month mark so I thought I would do a post focusing on my post baby body (tummy).

Although it's pointing out the obvious (and is easier said than done), try never compare yourself to other mums as pregnancy, gaining and loosing baby weight has it's different challenges depending on each individual and how many pregnancies you have had. We all have our own insecurities after childbirth and whilst it may not be weight that personally bothers me, my fitness, muscle tone (specifically the ASS area!) and over all health is something I need to work on in order to feel like 'me' again.

To date I have done 3 workouts, one at around 4 weeks (not recommended) when I was itching to get active again, This workout lasted 45 minutes and of course was a complete fail. Attempting this a month after giving birth was never going to end well! The other two were 5 minute express workouts comprising of 5 different exercises, lasting 60 seconds each. These faired a lot better but to be honest I have had no motivation to keep up a consistent workout routine.

On the diet front, well there has been no diet, not unless we are talking about everything that is NOT good for you. Hot chocolates (my craving after the pregnancy), hot cross buns and biscuits have been my weakness in recent months, despite my best intentions of eating super healthy as I am breastfeeding and wanted to provide myself and the baby with nutritious foods. Don't get me wrong, I have concocted some home made soups and gone for healthier alternatives such as wholemeal over white pasta, bread and rice, however my diet is nothing I am proud of at the moment. This is something I plan to tackle in the New Year to get myself fit and healthy for myself and my children.

DISCLAIMER: These pictures do not show me 'letting it all hang out' (You know what I'm talking about). These were taken with me using what stomach muscles I had left after childbirth!  

And that moves me nicely onto my

TOP TIP: Hold in your stomach in for short periods of time (to begin with) as this helps re-train your muscles. Pick something you do regularly to act as a reminder to work that tummy. Doing the dishes prompted me to engage my stomach muscles through out the day. 

Here is my progress:

24 HOURS POST BABY

1 WEEK POST BABY

2 WEEKS POST BABY

1 MONTH POST BABY

3 MONTH POST BABY BODY

Lou xxx

Pregnancy Diaries: Week 38

We are on the home stretch and the end is in sight! Any time now, baby number 3 is going to make an appearance and the excitement is beginning to take over the fear of the birth. I am becoming aware of all the 'lasts' that I am doing now. The last time I will go swimming, the last time I walk down a certain being pregnant, even purchasing my last tub of Cocoa Butter to stop any sneaky stretch marks. Sad I know.

Talking of Cocoa Butter, I must say, I don't think I could have done without my trusted body butter. Having done a previous blog post on moisturising and the different products I have used in this pregnancy, this is my favourite and has definitely worked in preventing stretch marks. (I hope I haven't just jinxed myself). It's so thick and luxurious for the skin that my tummy has never really had the opportunity to become dry. I really would recommend this to any pregnant ladies out there.

I had my 38 week check up the other day and the babies head is still down and is FINALLY engaged! The only thing that wasn't quite as expected was my bump only measuring 35 weeks, which is the first time I have the mention of it being small. It was a different midwife from the one I have had most of my pregnancy so I'm not sure if it's a simple case of different people working slightly differently or the fact that the head is now engaged that makes it appear smaller. She didn't seem concerned though and the baby is still kicking away so hopefully there is nothing to worry about.

Here are couple of bump pictures for this week. I can't believe the belly will be gone soon, despite all my  complaining, I think I may actually miss it (well, a bit anyway).

Hat: PRIMARK

Shirt: RIVER ISLAND

Jeans: ZARA MATERNITY

Boots: ASOS

Bag: TK MAXX

xxx

Review: My Skip Hop Duo Luxe Aztec Special Edition Baby Changing / Diaper Bag

I recently posted a review of my new changing bag on my YouTube channel and thought I would post some pictures on my blog to give you a closer look. For a detailed description of the bag, take a look at my video review here.

You can purchase the bag here.

Pregnancy Diaries: Week 34 Breech Baby?!

This week I had a routine check-up with the midwife. She asked all the usual questions, am I feeling ok, is the baby moving etc, then took my blood pressure. All good. When it came to having a feel of my tummy to work out what body parts were where, it appeared that the baby wasn't head down yet. She explained that whilst it isn't unusual for babies to be breech at this stage, she would still like to see me at 36 weeks instead of the normal 38 week check up. That way, if there hasn't been any change, plans would need to be made for another scan and possibly a c-section.

Now at this point, it is only a possibility, however I have never had the mention of this with my previous two pregnancies so the idea of it this time has me freaked out.

To be clear, I am not someone who believes delivering a baby should be done any one way as the main priority is the safety of mother and baby. Plus no one gets a medal for doing it cave man style and your child will not thank you any more so for doing it au naturel. The problem is that my mind runs over time and the thought of something becomes a lot worse than the reality.

Yes the baby can still turn but what if it doesn't?  What if I have to be awake (albeit pain free) and get cut open? How will I react to not feeling my legs? How sore will it be afterwards? What if my stitches burst open? You see where I'm going with this. This list of questions in my head goes on forever despite the fact the I know if the times does come, the worst probably won't happen and I won't care about any of it as long as I have a healthy baby.

There are many pros and cons to both natural and c-section deliveries, however other than the pain of a natural delivery (it hurts bad!), the recovery time is minimal versus an operation. I am aware that thousands of women every day have sections, whether they choose to or not, and it all works out fine. For me,  it will just take a bit of time to get my head around the idea that it could happen and deal with it. I simply need to stop thinking, it shouldn't really be that hard for me at the moment as my brain doesn't seem to retaining anything just now anyway. Get a grip woman!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Here is a picture of the bump that is causing me this worry.

Something else which has been keeping me awake at night, is the start of Restless Leg Syndrome. Described as the urge to move your legs to relieve crawling, tingling or burning sensations it can be common in later pregnancy and unfortunately there isn't a whole lot that can be done. I have had it for a couple of weeks now but seems to be getting worse. Despite its name, I get it mainly in my feet and hands and find that running them under cold water can help sometimes. Thank goodness I only have about 5 weeks as its driving me crazy. 

That's about all for this week, lets see what week 35 has to offer.

xxx

Pregnancy Diaries Vlog: 33 Weeks - Weight Gain Stretch Marks & Braxton H...

Pregnancy Diaries: Week 32

What a yucky week this has been, hence me not doing any vlogs or other blog posts. My morning sickness returned for over a week which took me right back to the beginning of my pregnancy where you feel helpless and just want to get on with things but can't. This along with feeling faint at times was not fun but have been told it's normal at this point in pregnancy so long as I don't experience other symptoms such as swelling of the hands, feet or face.

On the upside, I went to see a dermatologist about my skin, given the eczema I have had during this pregnancy. As I have blogged about previously, with trying numerous prescribed creams which failed to work, I began to give up hope. Slightly reassuring, was a nurse telling me that in other cases of pregnancy related eczema, brought on by hormones, she has seen women recover from it within 1-2 weeks of giving birth. Thinking that I would only get relief from the pain, itching and redness after the birth, I am over the moon to find the latest, stronger cream prescribed to me has worked and I now feel more like myself again. I hadn't noticed just how much my confidence was knocked until my skin improved. I am back!

The bump at 32 weeks

At the stage in the game, the end isn't too far off however when I had 24 hours of contraction, pains and tightenings, I had started to wonder if this baby was coming sooner rather than later but it all died down eventually and we are on track for the 8 week countdown!

Talking of counting down, I have been so laid back about the baby's arrival that I'm still not fully prepared just yet. I have most of the necessary items but still have a couple of things to buy so that I have all the basics covered. I'm not panicked yet and the great thing is that this is another of life's problems that can easily be rectified by hitting the shops!

xxx

Pregnancy Diaries: Week 30 (Prenatal Listening System Review)

There has been no real changes to report this week so I thought I would review the Prenatal Listening System which my mum kindly bought for me. It is not something I would have purchased myself as it isn't a necessity in pregnancy however, since I was given it, I thought it would be fun to try out with the kids as a way of including them in their new siblings journey. 

The instructions suggest using it from 28 weeks to ensure there is a strong enough heartbeat, so as not to panic a mum to be who may not hear something in the earlier weeks of pregnancy.

It comes with two sets of ear phones and a band which you fix the monitor onto so it can be strapped to your tummy. It is pretty self explanatory when it comes to working the device.

Was it as good as I expected it to be? Disappointingly, no.

I thought it would sound similar to what I hear when the midwife listens for the baby's heartbeat at my regular check ups. However instead it sounds like a very faint drum beat which I can just about make out and I can tell the kids can barely make sense of what they are hearing, if at all. That being said, they still ask if they can listen in on the baby every couple of days so I think the idea of hearing the baby is exciting enough for them and makes them feel like they are part of what is going on in mummy's tummy.

Would I buy it myself? Quite simply, the answer is no.

Having read other reviews on it only reiterates the problem of poor sound quality, which some mothers may find distressing if they think they can't find their baby's heartbeat. Depending where you buy, it retails at around £24.99 (£12.99 in TK MAXX), it hardly breaks the bank although I think the money could be better spent on something else.

Has anyone else tried using one of these? What were your thoughts on the device? I would love to know. 

xxx