Baby Fat
My waist @ 8 weeks pregnant Weight gain during pregnancy is practically inevitable. There are a rare few who gain little to no weight, but most will experience some level of weight gain. How much weight one gains is largely dependent upon one's level of fitness prior to conception. Mothers who follow a fairly healthy diet and exercise regimen pre-pregnancy tend to gain less weight, have little to no health-related complications during pregnancy, and have less difficulty losing weight postpartum.
Luckily for me, I was in fairly good shape pre-pregnancy, and was able to maintain my exercise regimen up until a week or so before delivery. Some women experience a lot of discomfort in their last trimester, which prevents them from being able to workout as they would like, but for the most part, there wasn't much that I wasn't able to do. As for my diet, I definitely ate more, but I didn't eat junk. I still tried to maintain my high fiber, low fat diet. Yet, despite all my efforts, I still gained a total of 40 pounds, which isn't bad, although I would have loved for it to have been around 25!
Before & During
8 weeks side view vs. 38 weeks side view
After
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My goal is to lose the baby weight before the year is out. I plan to do so by:
- Resuming my normal exercise regimen, which includes cardio 3-5 times a week and weight training 1-2 times a week.
- Eating a diet full of high fiber, low-fat foods such as fruits, veggies, and complex carbs.
- Cutting back on sugar (Although I generally eat a well balanced diet, such as the one mentioned above, I have been splurging on sweets a lot more. I will therefore try my best to replace most of my candy consumption with fruit!).
- Breastfeeding. Breastfeeding burns tons of calories, and every time a woman breastfeeds, her body produces oxytocin, a hormone that causes the uterus to contract, assisting in it returning to its normal size. If I maintain a healthy diet and exercise regimen, the additional calories burned through breastfeeding should help me get back to my original weight in no time!
Since I am breastfeeding, restriciting my caloric intake isn't really an option at this time, for it is necessary to remain well nourished so that the body can produce an adequate supply of milk. The best thing for me to do is not panic and take things a day at a time. I gained the weight for a good reason, and as long as I stay focused, I should have no problem losing it.
For those of you who have children, what did you do to get back to your pre-pregnancy size? If you never returned to your pre-pregnancy weight, what do you think prevented you from doing so? Please sound off, as I look forward to receiving your response.
Hey Divas,
As with hair, many changes can take place in the appearance of one's skin during pregnancy. When my sister was pregnant, she developed what is referred to as the "mask of pregnancy," which is basically darkening of the face and neck. This darkening can be even, but is often patchy, giving the appearance of blotchy skin (see pic at left). The medical term for this phenomenon is Melasma. For me, I didn't experience darkening on my face or neck. Instead, my belly became dark, as did some of the skin around my thighs and buttocks. These changes can be attributed to a difference in hormones. For one, pregnancy produces an increase in estrogen, which can bring about such changes. Similarly, women taking oral contraceptives that contain estrogen may also experience darkening of the skin.
In addition to acne, I also suffered an eczema breakout on my chest and belly. Although I suffered from eczema before, my breakouts were few and far in between. Pregnancy however, seemed to exacerbate every allergy I ever had, as even my hayfever flared up like never before! To my chagrin, there was absolutely nothing I could do about it, at least not while pregnant, as doctors advise against using topical medications that may seep into the pores and affect your unborn child. I wanted to take Cortizone 10 for eczema, but was told that I could only take Cortizone at a level of 1 percent. I ultimately opted to not treat my skin until after delivery, although delivering the baby seemed to cure me of a lot of pregnancy-related issues.
