At Home Dumbbell Workout
Yesterday morning, I took myself through my first postpartum workout while Chase snoozed next to me in his Rock n’ Play. I started to get the urge to work out again a week or so ago but it wasn’t until I started lifting weights again yesterday that I realized just how much I really did miss my workouts. I honestly felt my whole body come alive! Bless you, endorphins!
I grabbed some dumbbells and took myself through the following workout:
It was a total-body strength workout and even though I took a lot of breaks to check in with Chase’s coos, replace the pacifier in his mouth and bounce him a bit when he got restless, I consider the workout a small victory!
Up until yesterday’s workout, I have solely been walking outside for fitness. I worked up to walking 5 miles comfortably but have really missed strength training a lot. It’s my favorite and I am already anxiously awaiting to my first postpartum BodyPump class. (I’m a little freaked out about it, too! I am sure I will be sore for dayssss.) I’m also really looking forward to blogging about fitness again!
During a short walk with Chase and Sadie yesterday, I was feeling a little zippy after my workout and decided to try running a bit just to see how it felt. You guys, I felt like my insides might fall out and after about 20 seconds I stopped and realized I will really have to work up to running again. It felt SO strange and my body felt very, very different from my pre-baby runs (almost sloshy, if that makes any sense).
Chase: A Quick 6 Week Update
Once we got back from our walk, it was time to nurse and entertain Mr. Chase with lots of playtime on the floor.
His fluffy blonde mohawk kills me.
Chase is so, so close giving us a big smile right now and his facials amuse me to no end.
This week has been much better than last week (so far, anyway…) in terms of Chase’s sleep at night. Last week was pretty darn horrific and I felt like my brain was only half-functioning every day, so I am kind of terrified to jinx myself by saying we’ve had two good nights in a row.
Other developments? Chase is officially a nine pound baby! He weighed in at 9 pounds, 3 ounces yesterday. (We bought the Watch Me Grow baby scale after Chase was born since he was so small and I’m a little too obsessed with weighing him.) It’s so crazy to me to see how quickly our little man is growing and changing. I feel like he’s already so much bigger than he was when we brought him home from the hospital. We have his one-month pediatric appointment this morning and I’m looking forward to hearing more about how he’s doing and what to expect from Chase’s doctor today.
It feels like Chase is a baby now – no longer a newborn – and he’s so much more alert (both at night – oof – and during the day). He’s holding eye contact for much longer which feels like a shot straight to my heart. He loves being on his tummy, swinging on the swing outside, kicking his legs, staring at our salt lamp and ceiling fans and bouncing on the lap of anyone who will bounce him for hours and hours.
Chase has also fallen victim to the dreaded “witching hour” and becomes super fussy after dinner in the evening. We’ll do everything to calm him down and it often feels like nothing will work. Eventually he will settle, nurse and fall asleep but man oh man his post-dinner breakdowns can be draining at the end of a long day. I’ve joked with my friends and family by saying I think God made babies so adorable as a defense mechanism for the moments when you start to feel like you might lose your mind. I am more than ready for bed by 9 p.m. every night, that’s for sure!
Mornings are Chase’s favorite time of day and therefore my favorite, too. Chase usually wakes up in a good mood and loves to play on his activity mat for a while. He’s really into tummy time and I love watching him lift his little head higher and higher every day. He’s so determined! He’s also very, very active and wiggly and if he’s not kicking and moving his arms, he’s craving movement from one of us in the form of bouncing, swinging and swaying. A busy little bee!
And I think that catches us up with all the baby updates right now! Thanks for checking in today and I hope you guys have a wonderful Wednesday!
Questions of the Day
- Mamas: I’d love to hear about your postpartum fitness journey. How did things go for you? Did running feel super strange to anyone else out there?
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Good Morning! So glad that you are feeling more like yourself : )
With my second (she’s 4 months now) running after didn’t happen until she was 12 weeks. I felt really slow but recently ran a half to gauge my realistic pace and begin training for another. For me, running is my sanity. I hope you find what works for you!
I can’t wait to give this workout a try! I can’t believe how much he looks like a little baby – thanks for sharing! When I first had my son, we would try to keep him up later hoping he would sleep through the night more – we would have that witching hour around 6 but try to keep him up … When I realized he just wanted to go to bed earlier and he still woke up at the same times, but we got more rest in the evenings.
Ever since then we have kept our kids bedtimes early 6 until they were about a year, but my 4 year old still goes to bed at 7. It’s great to have that extra time with Hubs too! Here’s hoping to a better week of sleep for Chase and you!
I remember lifting a dumb bell after the 6 week appt and putting it right back down lol. I wasn’t ready and didn’t return to regular fitness (aside from raising my son which was a crazy daily workout and strolling walking) for a couple of years. When I finally did, I almost found that raising a baby/toddler put me in decent shape for a return to running/fitness. And oh, the bewitching hours were terrible! Those weeks/months go fast when I look back on it but not while you are in it! I used to run the water from the sink, it always calmed him down at night. I don’t know why but babies like the sound!
Congrats on being back at it! I’m not a new mom yet but will be getting back into shape after my baby this spring. Are you going to follow a certain plan or program?
I’m in love with his perfect blonde hair- gorgeous baby you got there my friend. Good luck with getting back into workouts, just take it nice and easy- if you think about it your workouts started changing close to a year ago so it might take close to a year to get back to “normal” or your baseline, just my thoughts-no personal experience here!
He is such a cutie!!! I’m glad you guys are doing well. This arm workout sounds perfect! I could tackle it during my latest Netflix obsession 😉
Julie, he is so darn cute!!! Morning is my favorite time with my baby boy as well. Im a bit embarrassed to say that I haven’t worked out in the 5 months since my little Oliver was born. We walk almost daily but when he is sleeping in the morning I like to get household chores done since I’m at work 50 hours out of the week 🙁 I need to get a weight, ab routine going bc although the baby weight is gone ( thank you, nursing!) everything feels so soft…
I definitely had that sloshy feeling trying to get back to running after both of my kiddos. For me, it wasn’t about building up to running again, I found that my body just needed more time to feel ‘solid’ again. Once I was 12 weeks out I felt much better.
my first crossfit workout post-baby = one of THE hardest things i’ve ever done. couldn’t even make it through the whole workout without my legs locking and cramping. but it does get easier!
isn’t it amazing how fast they grow!?!? cherish every minute!!
My little guy is 7 weeks and I got cleared last week to work out so Monday being a holiday I went to my beloved BodyPump class..I had stayed with it up until I delivered but man oh man 6 weeks of no strength training..I’m still super sore today and ever part of my body kills. I’m determined to go Friday just so my body gets back into it again! Glad you’re feeling great, and yes more sleep through the night makes everyone happier 🙂
I just know I will be all kinds of sore after my first BodyPump class! So glad you got a chance to go!
Eek now I’m afraid to try running! Please update us on your body pump experience, I cannot wait to get back to pump but again I’m scared, especially for squats! And mornings are the best here and evening hours are tough! And you are right, I think God made babies so cute for a reason!
I’m most nervous for the lunges! I had to stop doing them several weeks before I went into labor because the nerve pain I was experiencing, so it’s been a LONG time since I’ve lunged! Eek!
My return to fitness post pregnancy has been fun and frusterating. I want to be back where I was pre-pregnancy, immediately. Of course, it doesn’t work out that way! My biggest piece of advice is to ease back in sloooowly, especially when it comes to running and yoga. Your muscles are still extremly lax. I pulled a hip flexor after my second pregnancy. And have been dealing w/injuries on and off since I had my 3rd baby in May. I know I pushed it too hard coming back–I signed up for a marathon 4 months post partum (I will not be running it, I should have known better). It is so fun to get back into the workout groove, but I am not setting more realistic expectations–like running a marathon in 1-2 years;-)
I started running again when my baby was 3 months. Like you, I had been walking lots before that, but when running things just felt too ‘jiggly’ to be comfortable. On my second real run, I sprained the heck out of my ankle. It was a really bad sprain: I could not bear any weight on it for nearly a month (like, any weight – I was standing on one foot to brush my teeth), then I was in an aircast for another 6 weeks, and then in an ankle brace. After MONTHS of physio and stretching, I am finally getting back into running. My baby is now 9 months. My physio suspects that part of the reason the sprain was so bad was because of all the relaxin in my system, which meant my ligaments were able to streeeeeeeetch way more than they normally would. All this to say that in your ramp up, take good care to stretch before and after runs, and really watch your footing!!
I cannot tell you how frustrating this has all been, but I’m glad that things appear to be turning around and I’m (gently) training for a 10K in October.
Good advice! And I’m so sorry to hear about your sprain — I’m sure that was incredibly frustrating! So glad to hear you’re able to run again and I wish you the best of luck as you continue training for your 10K!
Running, squats, lifting can take more around 3-4 months… Because of the perineum, it’s still fragile. You have to contract your perineum a lot, the organs are still “unstable” out there…
We dealt with the after-dinner “witching hour” really hard! It was really tough but ended in a snap and now my daughter sleeps like a champ! This too shall fade. 🙂 Chase is so precious! I love his hair and he is definitely on the verge of smiling. 🙂
If Chaee likes baths you could try giving him a bath during the “witching hour”. I know they say not to bath then every night so you could just do soap every other or every two nights. But just being in the water might calm him down.
He likes baths up until I try to wash his face… Then it’s GAME OVER. Ha!
Mine liked baths so we just let her play in the water (didn’t really *wash* every time) and it helped during witching hour… fwiw
I returned to my normal workouts shortly after both my children were born, except for running. Distance running felt difficult to me while I was nursing. I didn’t feel like I had the energy for it even after my babies started sleeping through the night. Once I finished nursing after that first year, I was able to get in longer runs again and felt great.
Same for me. I enjoyed some light workouts around my house but running just didn’t feel great for me until 6 months out and then I felt like it just wasn’t great at that time either because I was still nursing and the compression from the sport bras were uncomfortable. My daughter is a year old now and I am running 4-5 miles comfortably. I think given the difficulty so many women have with incontinence and pelvic floor issues that the longer you can wait on the running front and focus on strengthening back up those muscles first the better.
My baby was super fussy after dinner too for the first few months or so. The only thing that worked was holding her while bouncing on a big fitness ball. It sure felt like a good workout since I got to do it nightly for at least 45 minutes at a time!
Yea for getting back to working out! I remember I couldn’t wait to start running again. I had a section so I took it little slower. At around 8 weeks post I joined a stroller strength class and loved it! It really helped me to ease into exercising and I loved that I could connect with other moms. And my baby loved to be outside! Keep up the good work!!
My oliver is 9.5 months, as for weight lifting… not a problem at like week 8. Running? That sloshy feeling didn’t go away for months (that and I live in MN so I couldn’t really get outside during the winter to try it). And you have to be careful as well… your body and joints still have the hormone relaxin flowing and that can cause your joints to be all loosey goosey for a while as well, which can result in injury. Definitely take it slow. There’s no rush and ENJOY these first few months, because it’s true… they fly!
YEAH for working out! That is a great first workout back. Take your time and don’t rush running. You will get there eventually.
My first daughter was pretty little, so I was obsessed with weighing her too, haha! My second is a total chunk, so now I just count her thigh rolls 😉
Happy the 6 week appt went well for you!
That sloshy feeling is a good description! It definitely felt like things were loose and out of place (I had twins naturally). I also felt strange up top because I was breastfeeding. I just did what I could do when it came to workouts. I think it was easier when the babies were little than it is now that they are super mobile at 16 months! I’m trying to figure out ways how to squeeze more fitness into an already packed day–I look forward to seeing your workout program, because I’d really like to follow it!
One YouTube series I liked is Bikini Body Mommy. She has done a couple 90 day challenges and the workouts are pretty good.
I was pleasantly surprised by her workouts. I’m not usually a fan of workout videos because I don’t think they push me that hard (except for Insanity, that guy is nuts), but as a post partum mom she knew what needed the most work and how hard she could push without going overboard. 🙂
When I was pregnant with my first someone told me that it would take me a full year for my body to feel like it was back to normal (especially if I planned on nursing, which I did). I thought she was crazy, but it wasn’t until about the 7 month mark that working out and moving in general started to feel normal again. A lot of that may have been because that’s when I stopped nursing, so the last bit of hormonal craziness and random engorgement was over also.
With my second (who’s 6 months now) I walked a lot after he was born, but I’ve only started really running again in the last month. I would add 10-15 seconds of jogging here and there on our walks but it was unpleasant — my joints took a long time to go back to normal after pregnancy (they still feel a little loose sometimes) so my knees and hips hurt when running, I kinda felt like my insides were in danger of falling out, and no matter how often I nursed and how good of a sports bra I wore, the ladies seriously protested the slightest bit of bouncing (I was kinda top heavy in that department before getting pregnant and nursing only made that situation worse). I do admit that towards the end of my second trimester this time I started to let my workouts lapse so you’re in a much better position to recover faster than I was, but it will still a while for things to feel normal.
Oh God, that witching hour. THE WORST. My son had colic so it ended up being anywhere from 3-6 hours of that craziness, but it definitely dies down by 3 months (I know, forever away!!)
Yay for working out again! I can’t imagine how different your body must feel post delivery. I’m sure you will build back your running endurance in no time, but I’m glad that strength training is still working well for you!
Running felt so weird to me at first too! You’re normal! Plus I felt like I had to pee every 5 seconds. Honestly I think you just have no pelvic floor or core strength and that’s part of the reason it feels so weird. Anyway my son is 17 months now and I’m running my first postpartum marathon this month! I feel like myself again. Be patient with yourself. Oh and maybe tmi but it took a full 6 months for me to not be in pain in the bedroom so it goes to show how much healing really needs to take place to get back to normal
Ha, sloshing is the perfect word for that first after baby run. My first run was 10 weeks post partum and I was positive that my organs were rearranging themselves! It was weird! I just did my first Tabata class after baby on Monday…I’m in so much pain, I thought I was going to cry when I tried to get a workout in yesterday! Slow and steady is my new motto!
I am so glad you shared a link to the baby scale. I’m so worried I’m not making enough breast milk so I’ve been weighing myself then weighing myself holding my daughter but this scale will be much more effective. I’m only 10 days postpartum but can’t wait to get out and walk and try to exercise in a few weeks. Being tired and feeling cooped up is not a good mix!
I totally understand your worries! I was definitely concerned about Chase getting enough breastmilk and the scale really helped with my peace of mind. Hope it will give you the same!!
Congrats on your 1st workout!! I’m sure it felt amazing. I didn’t run for a while after I gave birth, like you said it just didn’t feel right and I took my time getting back into it. I actually turned more to strength training and low impact cardio and it kinda stuck with me! I realized I don’t need to run to get good cardio.
Chase is adorable, lots of luck!
That’s great that you’re already getting back into a workout routine, go you!! And all these photos of Chase, so precious!!
Ahh, The witching hour. I remember that with my daughter. I felt so bad for my husband because he’d come home from work every day to a cranky baby. I’d be like, She’s actually really fun! Just not right now…
I eased back into running pretty slowly post-baby. My first run was 1 mile in 12 minutes. But I was pleasantly surprised how quickly my fitness level came back. I was back to pre-pregnancy half marathon times within 6 months. Seems like a muscle memory type situation. I’m sure will be the same for you since you were so active before and during pregnancy.
Julie – it actually is a “defense mechanism” as you call it. Primate babies (so chimps, monkeys, etc. too) have evolved to look adorable (so big eyes, tiny features) in addition to the strong oxytocin bond so that the parent/parents will take care of them. This is especially true and key to survival for humans though (have you noticed that baby monkeys can hold on to their mothers right away?).
As humans evolved to be upright, our hip positioning changed and the opening got smaller, so that babies are born when they are still very, very helpless (if they grew any larger – and therefore more developed and less helpless – they would not fit through the birth canal). We evolved to have such a strong bond to our babies so that we don’t abandon them when they are completely unable to care for themselves. Without this “cuteness factor” and attachment, there would be a greater chance that mothers would say SCREW THIS and the baby would die, so it is nature’s way of ensuring their survival.
I learned this in a primate psychology class and thought it was so interesting.
Super interesting!
Yay for getting a strength workout in!! I can’t wait and am also terrified of starting back running, I feel like my hips and joints aren’t going to know what to think of it! Chase sure is a cutie! Can’t believe how much he’s already grown! Slow down time!
I was at the end of my first marathon training program when I found out I was pregnant with my 1st. I was consistently running 30+ miles a week; however severe pregnancy nausea stopped me from doing most active workouts (non yoga) during the pregnancy. Once I had my daughter I was given the OK to workout after 5 weeks. Well, I had a similar experience to you, I couldn’t make it one minute without feeling like I was going to die- my abdominal muscles were no where they needed to be. I started doing a run one minute walk one minute combination for 3 miles, until I felt comfortable knocking the walking down to 45 seconds…30 seconds.. 15 seconds.. etc.. Then I moved up to run 2 minutes walk one minute and tapering the same way.. this also helped me get “used” to running while pushing my jogging stroller. By the time my daughter was 6 months I signed up for my first postpartum half marathon and completed it with ease. it will all come back, it just takes time.
Agreed!
That sounds like a great (and safe!) way to build back up to running longer distances. Thank you for sharing your experience!
Oh his little mohawk is too cute! What a precious baby!
My little one is 8 months tomorrow! Like you, I worked out throughout my pregnancy and was anxious to get back to it at 6 weeks postpartum. I started by doing the 21 Day Fix at home. I did that for about 6 weeks before it was warm enough outside to go for a run, but when I did it felt great! However, I definitely get that “sloshy” feeling. I had it for a while at the beginning and while it’s mostly better now, i still feel it when I’m planking. Don’t worry, you will definitely be back to running soon!
So glad to hear things are going well for you guys! When I started running again post baby it felt like my insides were falling out too but as my doc said “everyone has pain at some point you just have to work through it and you will be fine” and he was right- after a little while everything was okay. Hang in there girl.
How great you’re back at a fitness routine! Post-pardum, upper body workouts are your best friend ! Not only will they get your metabolism rolling and strength back, but will also energize you with all that glorious bloodflow to the brain! Although no obstetrics course can teach you as much as motherhood can, so, listen to your body. Only you know what’s best 🙂
Great workout! 🙂 and adorable baby
Xo,
Kara
http://www.fcnextdoor.com
Julie, just a tip — I’d be careful about doing push ups right now if there’s any chance you had diastisis recti, which is quite common postpartum. Workouts like crunches, push ups, planks, etc can make it worse. Just a heads up! (It’s easy to check if you have it — just google for videos on how to!)
Thank you for the tip! I did check myself and also asked my pediatrician to check me out before attempting any core exercises. 🙂
Sloshy is the perfect word! It’s up until recently (9 months PP) that I felt back to my old fitness level. My body went back to normal quickly but the fitness level took a while to get back! I remember at 2.5 months I didn’t feel like my insides we’re going to fall out where the baby came out! Working out became more enjoyable at 3 months. You’re almost there! As for th witching hour it’s the worst! I had to swing my daughter on her tummy side to side for an hour+ in the evening. Just know this will pass! 3 months it got so much better.. And at 3.5 months she became real fun! You’re doing a great job! Keep up the good work!
My first run (jog) postpartum was interesting….I just felt super heavy. I had been doing Pure Barre throughout the pregnancy and got back into that pretty quickly but still had to take all those pregnancy modifications, lol!
Almost as soon as I got pregnant, it was as if my lungs went on vacation. Cardio was so, so hard for me and running was the first thing to go. I’m 11 weeks PP now and getting back into exercise has been quite a journey! I was able to run 2 painfully slow miles a few weeks ago but haven’t been able to gain much in speed or endurance since then. I prefer quick 30 minute (after building up from 10 minute) workouts and have been using a lot of DVD’s. Eventually, I would like to get back into running and train for a 5K but this body is seriously different than the body I had a year ago!
I got back into running about 10 weeks postpartum. It was mid-January in New England so I was running on a treadmill which I think helped me ease back into it! I had a much slower pace and focused more on how much time I ran vs. how much distance I ran. This helped me mentally as there was no way I was going to knock out a 3 mile run my first day back!
I also had started doing weight watchers to help me stay accountable for the things I was eating (no more sweets on a daily basis!) 8 months later and I lost all 60lbs I gained! I was 210lbs at delivery and I’m now under 150!
The one thing I told myself was “It took me 9 months to gain the weight, I will give myself at least 9 months to lose it” and it worked 🙂
Six weeks already, geez where has the time gone? Glad to hear that you’re able to workout again. Yep I sure remember my first postpartum run and it felt exactly like you described it. Trust me when I say that it will get better with time. I would just try doing 30 sec of light jogging then walking for 3-4 mins in between when walking my son. Eventually I was able to feel comfortable and no more giggling. Our bodies are amazing on how to recover after the miracle of birth.
Oh how I don’t miss the witching hour. I actually dreaded the evenings for the first 5 weeks of my sons life as the witching hours would start around 6pm to about 11pm. This too shall pass and things will get better. I also found that cluster feeding was something that helped in those hours. It was tiring but its so worth it =0)
It’s still a struggle 9 1/2 months out. I didn’t start working out regularly until maybe 6 months postpartum, mostly because I was usually stuck with the baby who isn’t a great sleeper/napper and was also severely sleep-deprived (now I’m “just” sleep-deprived). I feel like there shouldn’t be pressure to get back out there, as everyone’s situation is just so different and the difference between a mom who is fit or not is largely related to how much help she has and the baby’s temperament.
I ran for the first time at around 4 weeks post C-section, and yeah, my core felt weak. I think it was around the 90-day mark that I felt more-or-less stable and another month before I was really starting to push my core in workouts.
Oooh, the first time I ran I definitely peed a little from the impact when I started heading down hill! That was a sign to take it slower. Eventually it will mostly feel the same as before though. It’s crazy how much really does change during pregnancy! I am not into running as much anymore and enjoy strength training, swimming and biking more. It feels easier on my post-partum body. When the girls were newborns, I would always strap them into the Moby wrap or K’tan in the evenings to tough it out through the fussy times. They seemed to be soothed by the tightness of the wrap, my heartbeat, skin-to-skin time and the bouncing while I walked around the house.
A friend of mine started putting her baby in her soft carrier during the bewitching hour and it stopped her fussing and she’d fall asleep. I tried it with my 1 month old and it worked for us as well, so maybe Chase would like that.