Baby Bible - Pre/ During/ Post Partum Questions

[smoothiemama]

This is a great information resource. Just having recently had a new baby myself I need to get back in the swing of things. I can't wait to read more on this message board. My husband has talked about BB.com forever but I had never got on here myself. I should have started reading threads on here a long time ago. Keep up the great work ladies.

[elisee88]

Hi ladies! New to the forum and was looking for this exact kind of thread. 15 weeks pregnant and have so far kept my lifting regime the same as pre-pregnancy (although I have had to make a few small amendments- mainly to back exercises which all seem to kill me right now and the healthy eating went straight out the window for the first trimester when I could stomach very little!), keen to keep going for as long as possible- the day before is my aim! Any ladies out there continued lifting 3+ times a week until birth and can advise if this is wishful thinking?

This is my first baby and so far I'm fairly bump-free (much to my disgust!), just a little bloated so my abs have almost gone I'm hoping that the longer I can continue now the easier it will be to take back up post-partum but that remains to be seen! Have been lifting for 18 months and now cannot imagine life without it!!!

[hutchae84]

Hi ladies! New to the forum and was looking for this exact kind of thread. 15 weeks pregnant and have so far kept my lifting regime the same as pre-pregnancy (although I have had to make a few small amendments- mainly to back exercises which all seem to kill me right now and the healthy eating went straight out the window for the first trimester when I could stomach very little!), keen to keep going for as long as possible- the day before is my aim! Any ladies out there continued lifting 3+ times a week until birth and can advise if this is wishful thinking?

This is my first baby and so far I'm fairly bump-free (much to my disgust!), just a little bloated so my abs have almost gone I'm hoping that the longer I can continue now the easier it will be to take back up post-partum but that remains to be seen! Have been lifting for 18 months and now cannot imagine life without it!!!

I'm 25 weeks pregnant. My bump didn't make its appearance till about 20 weeks, prior to that my stomach was still pretty flat. I'm still lifting and crossfitting 3 times or more a week and feel great with no aches or pains (yet). I'm hoping to make it all the way to the end as well, my Dr said I could keep going all the way up to delivery as long as I listen to my body.

[SamIam03]

I worked out up until a few HOURS before I gave birth with both of my kids. Both were born extremely healthy and normal size. They say women who are active during pregnancy have faster labors...I totally believe it! Baby 1 had me going from 0 to 10 in less than 5 hours and baby number 2 went from 0 to 10 in 3 HOURS. Seriously didn't even have time for the epidural with number 2! My body went back to normal within a month and since I was so active before, i was able to start light exercise only 2 weeks postpartum. Keep doing what you are doing...just be sure to listen to your body!

[armoured_amazon]

Subbed! First time mama to 8-wk old. Hello, moms

[TorreTornado]

Pregnancy and Postpartum experiences can be so different from woman to woman. My advice is, listen to your body and your Dr/Midwife. I was unable to continue to workout through all 3 of my pregnancies due to severe sciatica and surplus of Relaxin, in my body, causing my joints to separate more than normal (great for delivery, bad for the pregnancy pain/working out), placenta previa, unexplained bleeding, etc. After my last baby, I was unable to begin working out again until after lactation had ceased because of my severe nutrient depletion from the pregnancy, blood loss, and breast feeding. I ate well, I drank water, I tried to be active, but my body just did not handle working out in addition to nursing and nursing was far more important to me than lifting/cardio. My third daughter is now 15 months and I am just starting to get back into the swing of things. Life is crazy, you have taken on a new role as mommy/baby grower and you should slow down and listen to your body. Not all women can continue to work out through pregnancy and while nursing and that is OK! Some can, that is ok, too. What is really important is enjoying and savoring those precious moments with your unborn/new baby because soon, they are grown up. My 7 year old barely wants to look in my direction these days! LOL....

Eat well, drink lots, rest up when you can, ask for help, listen to your body, and be HAPPY Your body will come back, but be even better, since after all, it gave life!

[MrsTrimWaist]

I honestly believe doctors blindly stick to guidelines as opposed to evaluating your true capabilities especially when it comes to weightlifting. I'm sure most doctors will tell you NOT to lift weights. I was cautious when I was pregnant but I definitely didn't ask my doctor before things I normally did. Use your own judgement and don't be stupid.

If you actually look into research regarding the usual precautions (don't work out too hard or the baby won't get enough oxygen, don't lay on your back, etc etc), they pan out to be overly cautious and in some cases, just plain wrong. Too many people treat pregnancy as a disease and/or an excuse to be lazy. Being healthy and strong is just as (if not more) important when you're pregnant and you don't have to resort to light walking and swimming just because that's what most internet articles say.

[CrystalB2011]

Great thread, thanks for posting!

[sif]

Here I am, 33 wks and the finish line is so close that I can smell it.

I've gone from 167ish to 185lbs and hopefully I'll add another 5lbs and be done with the weight gain. If I can get to 190lbs by the due date I will be really happy.

I'm a FTM so I have a lot of questions. I read through this thread and you ladies give great feedback. I'm aware that my body will not be the same as it was before, but here is my opportunity to get a new body - one that is healthy and that I'm happy with.

A few questions for the experienced mammas:

Is there such a thing as losing too much weight too fast? In my head I imagine that I'll give birth, stomach will deflate, and then BAM - loose skin. Anything that I can do about this to minimize the effect or is this a genetic thing?

Will cardio/weights effect how much milk I produce? I plan on breast feeding and don't want to mess around and dry up ( am i crazy to think that it's possible?!)

How long did it take you to get your energy back after delivery?

Lastly, do you have any advice for a first time mom? Anything you would do differently after your little one was born?


All the advice is mightily appreciated and give me a few hours, I'll take a pic of my pregnant-belly-body so you ladies can see the before, after and then after-after pics Might be insightful to others, so why the hell not!

[TeieKass]

31 weeks along now with my fourth. I got on the fitness train a few years back so working out (beyond taking long walks) during and after pregnancy is new to me. My work keeps me on my feet and moving 6-7 hours out of a 8 hour working day plus kids and dogs at home so I consider myself to have been above average active throughout my pregnancy. I was however so tired for the first months that combined with relocating to another country this caused me to stop really working out. On top of that I was also unable to eat anything containing a substantial amount of protein so my beloved egg, fish, seafood and even protein pudding I had enjoyed so much before (never been a fan of meat) made me gag at the mere thought of it.

Now I have started going to the gym again and I am enjoying it immensely! Most of my weights are still above what I started from initially (not pushing anything, just what I can easily do 10 reps with a straight face) even though the lack of training and shamefully small amount of protein has really eaten my curves (who would have thought I would miss the shoulders I dreaded so much when I just started lifting heavy things :P ).

I'm the kind of person that I like to have a plan and in my mind I'm already post partum. Should I consider myself starting from square one? I still have some weeks to go so I'm just taking it easy and not making any illusions about making progress right now but with a training pause 5 months long, just light training now and then some more weeks off, should I be restarting like I was in the gym for the first time ever or do I get a running start?

I am not sure under what rock I have been living under but I had never heard of distiasis recti until just recently. I have had 3 children and absolutely no idea if or how much or how long I might have had this in the past. I have been reading about this online and apparently working your abs while pregnant can get you in trouble with that. Not that I am planning to actually do ab exercises but (gosh, I feel so stupid even asking this) is there a heightened risk with all exercises that call for using the whole core? I do use my abs to an extent even when doing triceps extensions on the cable to stabilise myself, not to mention squatting or deadlifts. Am I just overthinking this (a pregnant person exaggerating a small quite irrelevant detail? Nope, never happens ever )? Anyone here who has had ab separation? Your experiences?

Thanks to everyone who have made it to the end of my lengthy rambling (I wish I could say the inability to write short posts is somehow caused by pregnancy brain but it is just my brain...)! I really would appreciate some input and ideas if anyone would be kind enough to take a moment to share

[melanieowen79]

31 weeks along now with my fourth. I got on the fitness train a few years back so working out (beyond taking long walks) during and after pregnancy is new to me. My work keeps me on my feet and moving 6-7 hours out of a 8 hour working day plus kids and dogs at home so I consider myself to have been above average active throughout my pregnancy. I was however so tired for the first months that combined with relocating to another country this caused me to stop really working out. On top of that I was also unable to eat anything containing a substantial amount of protein so my beloved egg, fish, seafood and even protein pudding I had enjoyed so much before (never been a fan of meat) made me gag at the mere thought of it.

Now I have started going to the gym again and I am enjoying it immensely! Most of my weights are still above what I started from initially (not pushing anything, just what I can easily do 10 reps with a straight face) even though the lack of training and shamefully small amount of protein has really eaten my curves (who would have thought I would miss the shoulders I dreaded so much when I just started lifting heavy things :P ).

I'm the kind of person that I like to have a plan and in my mind I'm already post partum. Should I consider myself starting from square one? I still have some weeks to go so I'm just taking it easy and not making any illusions about making progress right now but with a training pause 5 months long, just light training now and then some more weeks off, should I be restarting like I was in the gym for the first time ever or do I get a running start?

I am not sure under what rock I have been living under but I had never heard of distiasis recti until just recently. I have had 3 children and absolutely no idea if or how much or how long I might have had this in the past. I have been reading about this online and apparently working your abs while pregnant can get you in trouble with that. Not that I am planning to actually do ab exercises but (gosh, I feel so stupid even asking this) is there a heightened risk with all exercises that call for using the whole core? I do use my abs to an extent even when doing triceps extensions on the cable to stabilise myself, not to mention squatting or deadlifts. Am I just overthinking this (a pregnant person exaggerating a small quite irrelevant detail? Nope, never happens ever )? Anyone here who has had ab separation? Your experiences?

Thanks to everyone who have made it to the end of my lengthy rambling (I wish I could say the inability to write short posts is somehow caused by pregnancy brain but it is just my brain...)! I really would appreciate some input and ideas if anyone would be kind enough to take a moment to share

Heya I'm a pre/postnatal fitness instructor, congrats on upcoming bub! and also on keeping up with your fitness while you're preggers I've had two babies myself, I worked out the entire way through both pregnancies to just about when I gave birth, I also did core-based exercises and never had ab separation. diastasis recti actually tends to happen randomly for the most part, some women get it, some don't, if you already have a more severe separation during pregnancy doing crunches etc. can make it worse. I wouldn't recommend any kind of crunch/curl exercise anyway. with abdominal exercises obviously you don't want to do anything on your back, also recommend all planking be done on the knees or with fitball ie forearm brace on ball, rollouts with ball etc. this is actually more to protect the pelvic floor muscles which will become weaker further you go and that kind of pressure can have a bad impact. even doing upper body free weights on the fitball is a great idea, you will be using your core to stabilize yourself on the ball, strengthening your pelvic floor while at the same time protecting both. for squatting, honestly even though the gp will generally say keep up with the usual routine through pregnancy, if you are doing a heavy load with squats again it will be putting way too much pressure on the pelvic floor - it's also best not to do isometric squats, again, pressure. in terms of core though, I teach my clients on a fitball, and we perform core strengthening exercises such as pelvic tilts, tilt with slight decline etc. it's a very safe way that targets both core and pelvic floor. have you had someone test you for ab separation? it's normal to have a small bit of separation still in the weeks following birth, what we term abnormal/diastasis is around 2 or more finger width separation. look up vids on youtube 'self check disastasis recti' but I wouldn't do that until after you've had bubs. there are also videos on youtube that give you exercises to do that will help with repairing that separation if you do end up having it! if you do have separation 100% do NOT do crunches or curls, or full planks after you've been cleared for exercise, that will absolutely make it worse and unable to heal. look up the exercises or go to a post natal class so they can instruct you. hope that helps, the separation can definitely be fixed (except in some extreme cases surgery may be required) but for the moment if you just take the above into consideration while you're training for now you shouldn't need to stress best of luck for the rest of your pregnancy

[LeanBodyForHer]

Great thread! Thanks for posting this resource and helpful information!

[TeieKass]

Thank you so much for the input!

I don't do squats but instead SL deadlifts and leg presses. Are these okay to do? I feel just fine doing them and my weight is quite small (pre pregnancy I did leg presses with up to 400 kg, now I do 80 even though I know I could easily do more) but I still know very little about the things to watch out for when exercising while pregnant...

[maeva27]

Thank you so much for the input!

I don't do squats but instead SL deadlifts and leg presses. Are these okay to do? I feel just fine doing them and my weight is quite small (pre pregnancy I did leg presses with up to 400 kg, now I do 80 even though I know I could easily do more) but I still know very little about the things to watch out for when exercising while pregnant...

I'm no doctor but I felt fine doing deadlifts/SLD and leg presses during my pregnancy, with lower weights. But that's just me. I know some find leg presses uncomfortable during pregnancy, but they were fine for me. For some reason BB squats felt weird but I did goblet squats during my pregnancy as well, and probably until the 7th month when they started feeling weird. My doctor told me to keep doing whatever I was doing before, but to listen to my body, etc. Common sense! Congrats!

[dennisdavid22]

yes thanks for the advice

Thank you so much! I had my first baby 5 months ago. I'm not breastfeeding. I am starting my dieat already. I do some brisk walking and zumba at the same time. I've asked my doctor about it first and according to her that's fine as long as I will not lift a heavy object.

[AbuDhabiMummy]

Hi, does anyone have any information on repairing diastasis recti after you get it? I didn't start lifting until after baby #2 and I can practically fit my whole hand between my ab muscles. Any tips, advice, anything would be great. I really don't want to give up lifting, but I don't want to make the split worse.

[Dahlia007]

I envy you being able to workout Prego; as of the second trimester I felt way too dizzy at the gym
But yes, now that I'm back working out my body is starting to return to normal. Keep your chin up ladies it might take a little longer than we'd like but 100% possible!

[feshfen]

It is very helpful!

[zoeandwings]

I was under the care of a Obsterician when I was pregnant because I wad a higher risk for developing Postpartum Psychosis.

It was during this time I started questioning the unconditional authority pregnant women give their Doctors over their body when it comes to exercise.

Now I understand nobody wants a dead baby or to get sued but this fear mongering tactic of ask your Doctor if you can still exercise or take supplements really annoys me.

It's okay to head the advice of the 'experts' when there is doubt or complications but they are not the expert of my body or what it is capable of. When I asked my Obsterician anything fitness related or about hormones she would have just preferred not to answer my questions and brush me off.

I was lucky to have an anteriorly attached placenta which ment I could lay flat on my back and do leg raises without problem to the blood supply. Not sure what that would feel like to a different mother but it was fine for me. I trust my body that it knows how to have a healthy pregnancy.

I was disappointed that my DR gave me no decent advice on how to hormanaly handle the Oestrogen and Progesterone drop off that leads to baby blues or Psychosis. They were only prepared to keep me under survalience for a week, and forcibly drug and transfer me to a mental unit with or without my new baby if I was showing symptoms.

This was all easily preventable with sound guidance and nutrition.

If it wasn't for my husband I just don't know if I would have been bullied into going against my will.

They would prefer women not to exert themselves physically by lifting weights and get fat like the other 80% of pregnant women. But they know nothing about the athletes who train pregnant everyday.

I think it's sad that the majority of women are afraid to safely adapt their exercise routines accordingly to their trimester. It's even sadder that Doctors even with their years of fancy education still don't see the whole picture of health.

[SammyJBee]

Hello all,

Never posted before so I hope i'm doing it right. I need some blunt advice from fellow training mummys.

I've been working out for about 3 years - a combination of strength training and pilates. Before I found out I was pregnant in Sept 2015, I was in really good shape - about 14% body fat and lean and had build up some good strength and core. I continued working out during pregnancy about 5 times a week with higher reps and lower weights as well as continuing pilates. My diet was good and I upped my carbs. I gave birth on 13th May this year and have a beautiful baby boy. About 2 weeks post partum, I felt great (pelvic floor ok, bleeding ceased) and needed to exercise to take away some of the stress brought about by having a new born. I breastfeed so my diet hasn't yet gone back to what it was pre-pregnancy which, to be honest, was probably a little restrictive but I still eat to train.

I currently train about 6 times a week for about 45-60 minutes. I don't have a set routine as such (i.e. not really doing isolated workouts as such yet) I'll typically do 3 x week HIIT in the morning (30 mins) before baby wakes, then walk during the day for about 5-6 miles with baby and in the evening do some weight training or barrecore. My weight training sessions tend to last about 30-40 mins and I do splits between upper and lower body on different days.

my body has started to tone up somewhat but my weight is still a good 7lbs above what it used to be even though I fit into my pre-pregnancy clothes comfortably.

Recently I've noticed that I have become pretty tired. I feel sick some mornings with a headache, I get stressed easily and I'm pent up. working out has become a burden. Are these symptoms of overtraining? I'm not too sure whether i'm burning out because i'm trying to maintain the same pre-pregnancy routine for myself as well as incorporate a whole new routine for my little one.

My little boy is currently 12 weeks old and only in the last week have I actually deviated (slightly) from my routine in that I worked out 4 days instead of 6 (wild, I know). I need tips because I feel like I'm going to run myself into the ground. Thanks so much

[GingerHanna]

Never posted before so I hope i'm doing it right. I need some blunt advice from fellow training mummys.

I have a feeling you know the answer to this one already - give yourself a break! You are only 12 weeks post-partum. You cannot expect to spring back into your old routines and feel great about it.

You say you're still breastfeeding so really, don't try and cut down on your food intake at all. You need to support your body as normal, plus through it's recovery, plus create food for your baby. You should be eating more than pre-pregnancy to manage all this - nothing restrictive about it.

Don't punish yourself through your workouts. Take a week off (either completely or just do something gentle like pilates) and then dial back a bit. The world is not going to end if you take some time to build back up to where you were. You have not failed in any way shape or form. Those last 7lbs? So the heck what!

You say yourself that you're tired, sick, stressed and working out has become a burden. Well, listen to yourself! Take a break, reset, dial back and then build up gradually. This is not a race and quite frankly you owe it to yourself and your little boy to listen in properly and pay attention to what your body is telling you.

If you get a chance look up some of the post-partum fitness 'experts' like Jessie Mundell who will be able to give more structured advice and information.

Most of all, congratulations!

[KarinStebleva]

My sister is pregnant now, I will tell her about the mentioned training, the post was really useful. As for me I started going to gym after 6 months while still breastfeeding. It didn' t influence milk quantity

[boatsnhoez69]

Hello all,

Never posted before so I hope i'm doing it right. I need some blunt advice from fellow training mummys.

I've been working out for about 3 years - a combination of strength training and pilates. Before I found out I was pregnant in Sept 2015, I was in really good shape - about 14% body fat and lean and had build up some good strength and core. I continued working out during pregnancy about 5 times a week with higher reps and lower weights as well as continuing pilates. My diet was good and I upped my carbs. I gave birth on 13th May this year and have a beautiful baby boy. About 2 weeks post partum, I felt great (pelvic floor ok, bleeding ceased) and needed to exercise to take away some of the stress brought about by having a new born. I breastfeed so my diet hasn't yet gone back to what it was pre-pregnancy which, to be honest, was probably a little restrictive but I still eat to train.

I currently train about 6 times a week for about 45-60 minutes. I don't have a set routine as such (i.e. not really doing isolated workouts as such yet) I'll typically do 3 x week HIIT in the morning (30 mins) before baby wakes, then walk during the day for about 5-6 miles with baby and in the evening do some weight training or barrecore. My weight training sessions tend to last about 30-40 mins and I do splits between upper and lower body on different days.

my body has started to tone up somewhat but my weight is still a good 7lbs above what it used to be even though I fit into my pre-pregnancy clothes comfortably.

Recently I've noticed that I have become pretty tired. I feel sick some mornings with a headache, I get stressed easily and I'm pent up. working out has become a burden. Are these symptoms of overtraining? I'm not too sure whether i'm burning out because i'm trying to maintain the same pre-pregnancy routine for myself as well as incorporate a whole new routine for my little one.

My little boy is currently 12 weeks old and only in the last week have I actually deviated (slightly) from my routine in that I worked out 4 days instead of 6 (wild, I know). I need tips because I feel like I'm going to run myself into the ground. Thanks so much

It sounds more like you might have post-partum depression, which might not be as severe as some other people's case. It also may mean that you need more sleep, more water. Another thing that helped me, I had horrible PPD with both of my kids was upping my Vitamin B and Vitamin D, along with magnesium intake. It helped with the irritability, along with the tiredness, anxiety, and my over all general mood.

[KarinStebleva]

Thanks for the useful post, I m a breastfeeding mom still but have started to visit gym and group fitness training, still have some problematic zones but lost almost all gained weight.

[Sunflowerhippi]

Wish i would have seen this last year when pregnant. Very useful.

[muscleandginger]

Came here hoping for answers. Went to my doctor and midwives for answers. I have none. No doctor I have ever talked to knows anything about supplements or fitness.

[robynrihanna623]

Nice! This help me so much. Thanks.

[taylerbabe]

Thanks for the thread! Very helpful.

[Cavalerium]

How do you feel doing exercises?

[JCbabi]

Bumping for relevance!

Finally hitting my stride after Baby #2, PPD & diastasis recti. Feeling so good about getting my lifts back!!