baby bounce back

Tonight’s guest post comes from Katie @ Yes, I Want Cake. Katie was actually one of my first readers/commenters, so she holds a near and dear place in my heart. And she has a ridiculously adorable baby — what’s not to love?!

Hi, I’m Katie (formerly Mrs. Unger) from Yes, I want cake, and I’m so happy to be blogging here at Clean Eating Chelsey! I taught 3^rd grade for three years, and I fell in love with Chelsey and her blog since we both had stories upon stories of funny kiddo moments in the classroom. I feel so honored to be posting on Chelsey’s blog.

I say formerly Mrs. Unger because two months ago I had a sweet baby girl, and am currently a stay-at-home-mama. A job I’ve been dreaming about since childhood.

Now I fill my days making pancakes, going for walks, and hanging out at the pool.

This is me at the pool six weeks after my babycakes, Adrienne, was born. See how I’m cleverly holding her over my belly? Strategic baby placement.

But in all seriousness, losing the baby weight hasn’t been too difficult. I know, I know…people hate me when I say that. They always ask for a secret, and here it is:

I’m healthy. Usually. And except for a brief period of time in college where I drank too much beer and ate too little food, I always have been. That’s my secret. You hear all the time that healthy is a lifestyle. A marathon, not a sprint.

That means that the ‘healthy marathon’ continues while you’re pregnant, too. That’s not to say I didn’t give into some intense cravings.

I polished off a box a week during the last few weeks. I also made (and sampled) countless brownies.

But I didn’t go nuts. I didn’t eat for two. I probably ate a little more than normal, and aside from some food aversions — my diet stayed the same.

So, I have a healthy lifestyle, and that really helped. I gained around twenty-five pounds which went away with Adrienne’s birth. Awesomeness.

But what I really think sealed the deal was exercise. If you haven’t heard, babies like exercise. So do mamas. Now, I know that not all mamas are fortunate enough to be able to exercise for all 40 weeks (41 in my case…ugh), but I was able to be really active, and that was my saving grace. I absolutely do not want to come off sounding preachy or didactic. This is simply my experience.

I exercised hard throughout my pregnancy. Not just walking (although I did a lot of that, too), but lifted heavy weights, ran fast, and pushed myself — I never consulted my doctor about it, because I didn’t think she knew what my body was capable of like I did. I can’t say that exercise is the reason that recovering from pregnancy/childbirth has been such a breeze — but I know that it helped tremendously.

Hiking as a little nugget.

Like eating healthy, I’ve always been an avid exerciser. My dad used to tell me that if I watched too much TV, my brain would turn to mush and drip out of my ears (a horrific image). Needless to say, I stayed away from the television and outside for the majority of my childhood. That habit has stuck, and I’m an exercise junkie. During pregnancy, that didn’t stop. I followed a website called Crossfit Mom and loved every single workout. It definitely helped ease the morning sickness and keep my energy levels up for those 3^rd graders I hung out with all day.

Aside from helping during pregnancy and birth (ß you can read more about that HERE) my recovery has been nothing short of miraculous. I don’t know if it is because (a) I worked out all through my pregnancy (b) I had a natural childbirth or (c) I’m just extremely blessed (I like to think it’s a combination of the three) — but I felt like a million dollars just an hour after giving birth. I was up, walking around on my own, and drinking a chocolate milkshake. The next day I was at Target.

And now, two months after Adrienne’s arrival — I’m back to my old self. Running races, lifting weights, and enjoying every minute. It’s a good thing Adrienne loves her jogging stroller!

Here I am trying to capture an enthusiastic jump after my first run in six weeks. I can exercise, but I obviously can’t jump very high.

So, that’s my secret. Be healthy. Exercise. Before, during, and after you have a baby — it makes life so much easier. For you, and the little one.

(Also, did you know that breastfeeding burns about 500 calories a day? Why would you not jump on that train? Healthy baby and significant calorie burn…now there’s a weight loss secret.)

Question: If you are a mama, did you work out during your pregnancy?

Tagged as: eating during pregnancy, exercise, guest post, pregnancy, staying healthy during pregnancy, yes i want cake