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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Re: “the witching hour” etc. Have you heard about the Dunstan baby language thing? Where babies make certain-sounding cries for each of their needs (hunger/sleep/pain, etc.)? This researcher was on Oprah and had a lot of success (with the mothers on the show). I don’t know much about it or its success in the real world, other than that it’s cheap and because of that it’d be worth a shot. Another blogger road tested it and had good results (up until a certain baby age). Thought it would be worth looking into anyway. Love Chase’s little blonde mohawk!!!! http://www.rookiemoms.com/dunstan-baby-language-put-to-the-test/
I started working out again at 3 weeks post partum (very light weight on machines only and eliptical). I broke the rules but I had been on 7 weeks of bed rest and was going insane! I’m now 5 months post partum and everything feels normal again EXCEPT squats. My strength is not at its peak, but I am not quite as regular about getting to the gym.
The biggest thing to remember is your core is shot after birth! It is so so incredibly important to do core exercises before attempting heavier weights or long runs! I work in physical therapy and so I started doing basic core exercises every day (things we would give patients lacking core strength). Feel free to email me if you have any questions or want some of the exercises we recommend.
I love your response! I am pregnant with my first now so this will be very helpful whenever I have my baby boy.
Oh, girl! That post-baby running will kick your butt!! Like many other nursing moms have remarked, it can be super uncomfortable for me… but my solution was/is nursing just before running. As for feeling like your insides might fall out, it’s definitely best to do more of a “light jog” with short strides. Even so, I have had to take it in short spurts (jog 30-60 secs, walk 2 mins). I’m almost 4 months postpartum and a little frustrated that the Thanksgiving 5k I wanted to run might be more of a fast walk this year. But my best advice is if running makes you feel exhausted and not energized, it’s too soon (I tried at 10 weeks and it was too soon). Better for us new mommies to play it safe than to make recovery even longer!
I remember walking around the block was difficult for a while between joints and pelvic discomfort and the heaviness that comes with it all! I can’t even remember when jumping jacks finally felt normal.. you’ll have to be very forgiving for quite some time before things become normal again!!
Ugh. Welcome to the world of pumping/nursing then running. So much scheduling for a simple jog. My journey to getting back into shape was gradual: walking, walk on incline, then jog a block/walk a block, etc. After the first 6 months, a more normal routine developed and classes could be planned. You’re going to be sore. It’s just “one of them breaks”
The witching hour: cue the Bjorn or baby wearing. My daughter was a peanut so she faced me for some time and we bounced and walked around the house and neighborhood.
Love the baby posts.
Running felt so strange to me for almost 2 years after having my daughter-not to mention feeling like I was going to pee in my pants! Building the core back helps for sure, but I took up cycling (even competitively)in the meantime and havent looked back. It is a lot easier on the post-delivery body!
Yeah, I also felt like things were going to fall put when I first started getting back to running. After my six week check, I ran and lifted weights and it was all a bit too much for my body and I started bleeding again. So I took a few more weeks off everything but walking and started to slowly get back into it. I have been doing a run/walk combo now for 4-5 weeks now, doing 2-3 short runs per week. I started with 10 min total (about half of that being walking) and have slowly worked up to 30 min and am now running 10 min at a time before taking a little walk break.
I would also recommend doing core, but gentle, deep core stuff that doesn’t involve a huge range of motion (you don’t want to increase ab separation). Until this week I had just been doing upper body and core strength, but I’m slowly adding back some low body stuff now that my pelvic floor feels mostly healed. Good luck and just be sure to listen to your body! 🙂
Yay you can workout again! I’ve never had kids before but my bestie said when she tried to run for the first time after having her boy, she felt like her uterus was going to fall. Lol
I ran a half marathon 4 months after giving birth, but almost 30min slower than my pb. I started with a 4 weeks weight/bodyweight summer challenge (doing something 5 days a wek) and started doing incline walk with short runs on the threadmill (using YOUR workouts!), and slowly increased the length and intensity of my runs. One thing that helped was getting fit for a new sports bra, and nursing right before a run.
Oh, and for the witching hour I found that strapping my baby into a carrier and going for a walk helped us both get through it.
I think around Chase’s age or maybe a few weeks later I started putting my baby down for bed at like 6-6:30. We’d do a bath, lotion, Jammie’s, nursing routine and put her in her swaddle with her sound machine in her crib (or wherever he sleeps)….turned out when she was so fussy and out of sorts in the evening she was just exhausted and declaring that she needed an early bedtime. She’s almost 5 months now and still is asleep in bed by 7. Seems like a lot of babies are just over stimulated and ready for bed by that time-especially if he’s starting his day between 6 and 7. 12 hours total in bed works for us! Just a thought! Sometimes though if it was like 4-5 pm and she was still fussy I’d wear her around the house in the k’tan! She loved being close!
Agree! Someone once told me that the ‘witching’ hour is them telling you its bedtime, even if it seems much too early.
My first pp workout was your lower body no equipment workout-I died!
I’m back to lifting heavy, hiit, and crossfit workouts…early in it seems getting back to “normal” seems impossible, but with hard work and consistency, you’ll be back to great workouts! I’m excited to read about your post pregnancy fitness journey and seeing little Chase grow!
Also, the wonder weeks app is awesome. It helps you understand your baby’s mental development and why some weeks are tougher than others. I used it first 3 years ago with my son and now with my 5 month old. Congrats on your family of 3!
Have you tried the methods from happiest baby on the block? We have a 4 week old who can get very fussy and the only thing that calms her down is being shushed, swaddled, sat on my lap on her side with a pacifier and then sometimes being put in the swing in the saddle. Works every time within minutes!
My son will be 2 in December and running still feels weird. Things just aren’t in the same places they once were. And I use to be a marathon runner so its depressing that I’m no longer as good as I once was. And the feeling of “falling out” will disappear but it takes time. It’s not a fun feeling but just don’t push it or you could risk pelvic prolapse.
His little mohawk!! The cuteness! <3
My goodness, he’s looking like a little MAN these days! They grow up so fast. And heck – I’m not post-partum, but count me in for the workout! Add in a post-dinner walk, and you’ve got it all, lady! Great work getting back to it so quickly. 🙂
xo, Jessica
OMG, your baby is the cutest *_*
I love doing your workouts! I’m actually following this program now:
http://healthyfitnessfreaks.com/2015/09/02/bikini-body-workout/
And i supplement the days you post into the bikini bod workout program, it’s so fun!
<3 Jamie
Yay! So happy for you being able to complete your first postpartum workout! I can’t imagine the endorphin rush that comes with that! 🙂
Never been pregnant, but I totally got your sloshy sensation feeling you brought up. Awful. Stick with weights for now girlfriend. hah!!
Yay for working out again! I know you’re a smart cookie, but take it slowly (and maybe wear a little pad…trust me on that one 😉 My son was always an angel all day, then would scream the moment my husband got home from work until about 7:30pm. It was so frustrating bc I tried to cook a nice dinner (nice for having a newborn!) and eat as a family, but it was miserable. We ended up scrapping the whole dinner thing for awhile…or we’d eat late after he went down for the night. Ah, memories!
My daughter did the same thing when she was little. We called her “Jabba” at that time of day. She would make this face we thought looked like Jabba the Hut and she would cry and cry, like angry cry, from like 4pm till 9pm. It was super hard and can be so frusterating. I never did figure out why she did it but it was a phase and she grew out of it. When things r hard like that, just remember, everything is a phase and they will eventually get past it. Goes for the good and the bad. Get your coping strategies down and push through trying to focus on the positives. If all else fails, take turns during that time to give eachother a break.
What a little sweetie!
Hi Julie! I am 4 months pp and feeling great in my workouts post c-section. (My doc was amazing! I am so lucky I can’t feeling anything from surgery!) As a fitness instructor and trainer workouts are just part of who I am!! However, if I were to do it differently, I wouldn’t rush into it so much. I too neeeeed the workouts and the endorphins, but I even just recently pulled back a little on my workouts feeling like maybe I was working out too hard. Now I am walking daily, running with sprint intervals once maybe twice a week, teaching spin once, and then doing efficient home workouts circuit style in the living room. I was overly focused on losing the weight fast, but my body is holding onto the last 15 pounds while breastfeeding so far. I am hoping after another hormonal change (between 4-6 months) I can see the scale move a bit, but I am trying not to obsess and just enjoy my babe and moving the body daily. And now, my baby girl makes a great weight and she loves when I pick her up for added resistance and getting kisses during push-ups and planks!! I am sure you will feel great in no time because you worked out throughout your pregnancy! It makes a huge difference!
Oh Julie, I feel your pain with the p.m. fussiness. It was like clockwork rigt about 6:00 every night for a few weeks our son would get super fussy and very hard to sooth. The weeks felt like they would never end and now hrs almost a year and a half and I can’t even remember those moments we struggled to calm him. You are doing such a great job and I can’t believe how much Chase has grown!! Good luck at his appointment! You are super mama!! Good luck easong back in to workouts. You have a completely new body..it will take time to get used to but you will.
YES! The fussiness really does come on like clockwork for us right now. Thank you for your sweet words! <3
Congratulations on completing your first workout!! You’re doing such a great job! And omg Chase’s mohawk is killer! soo cute!
Just a little heads up- you shouldn’t start running with your little guy until he’s 6 months old : )
My first PP run was BRUTAL. Ha! Take it easy. And, yes, focus on that core (but be careful if you have diastasis recti; I was dumb and did traditional core work too soon).
As much as I loved those first weeks and months, I do not miss the evening witching hour. It’ll get better. Just enjoy him and his blonde mohawk. 😉
I started working out about 4 weeks PP because my sanity just couldn’t take it anymore. I felt the exact same way when I started to run and I just had to keep reminding myself that my insides falling out of me wasn’t possible. Running started to feel normal again at about 8 weeks. Tough, but more normal. This time around I’m telling myself no working out for the first 6 weeks and to just relax and get as much snuggle time as I can with this little one, because it’s our last time doing this!
Hi Julie! Chase is beautiful!
I had my third child at 39 and started running 3 weeks postpartum….in hindsight probably not a good move. Numerous problems with my back all started about six months after I had Tessa, finally ended up having to have surgery to fuse my L5-S1. Go slow, enjoy your walks, let your body heal!
Congratulations on your adorable little boy and thank you for writing this great blog!
Best,
Stacey
Honestly it took me at least a year to feel (mostly) normal again but I had a really hard time being consistent at first and the c-section really threw me for a loop! Or at least a new normal – still working on the c-section flap part of my stomach. The best advice I can give it to be gentle with yourself! There is no rush and the most important thing you can do is bond with the baby. I walked a lot but it took a looong time to get back to running. My daughter is almost 17 months and I’ve just started to feel better about it within the past few months. My core felt non-existent for so long after giving birth that I was worried it’d never feel normal-ish (it does, mostly). Now my working out time is my me-time and I love it, definitely makes me a better mama! It didn’t help that I pretty much didn’t work out almost at all while pregnant… hopefully now that I’m back at it full swing with running and weights I’ll be able to keep it going for the next pregnancy!
Hang in there momma your doing a great job with your little pumpkin! Sometimes after baby has been eating all day the tummy gets gassy. I take some warmed coconut or olive oil and give him a baby rub down focusing on the belly and rubbing right to left then down (facilitate gas movement to rectum). Then take a really soft cotton diaper cloth and snugly wrap his belly. Then you can put him in a thin cotton blanket and baby wear and rock. My mom taught me this when my sister was gassy and I had to watch her (I was 16 when my sister was born!) She really calmed down. Yes you have a greasy baby…but a happy quiet one too!
I think it is gas a lot of the time. I will definitely try this!
Congrats on your first postpartum workout!! 🙂
The running and sloshy feeling (I compared my belly to Jello in the early days) will get better! Just give it a couple months. I remember my first yoga class post-partum…it was too soon! Between Jello belly and sore boobs it was soooo awkward and uncomfortable 🙁 I would say by the time 4 or 5 months rolled around all my workouts felt back to normal.
So glad you got the clear to workout again. Take it slow!!!!
Chase is so stinkin’ cute! I can’t stand it!
I’m 5 months out and in full workout mode again (boot camp, running, lifting, etc). The first few months of running felt REALLY weird, like you described. My stomach skin was also kind of loose at that point and it definitely felt like everything was sloshing around. I had a c-section, and my incision also felt kind of sensitive for a while after even though I was technically cleared for workouts.
Long story short, I feel completely normal 5 months out, so it will get better! Just keep at it!
So glad to hear this… especially from someone who had the same feelings about running that I described. 🙂 Thanks for sharing!
Yes to the insides falling out!!! That was the worst part for me. I could run about half a mile then had to stop and walk because it felt like my vagina would fall out! Gross, right? Well, it took a few weeks to feel normal there again. My little girl just turned 3 months and I feel like I can run regularly again. Kegals helped. I still have some soreness in my lower abs, similar to what I felt when I was pregnant and had round ligament pain. I figure that is due to all those muscles stretching and weakening. It will get better!
Hi Julie – I’ve never commented on your blog before but have been a long time reader. Your “witching hour” is something I’m way too familiar with… every night, like clock-work at 6pm it started. After lots of research and talking to the pediatrician – it was colic – basically gas… we started using “Little Tummies” and it was a life saver. Of course, ask Chase’s doc to see what he thinks. For us, these little drops were life changing and really helped my girl stop hurting. We would give a few drops before feeding and also after – but one of the biggest helps was changing my diet to cut out naturally gassy foods like peppers, beans, veggies like broccoli and also acidic foods like tomatoes and even cut back on my milk intake.
What we eat as nursing moms naturally find their way into our milk supply – and once I cut back on the culprits, there was an improvement. The big issue is babies don’t know how to pass gas on their own at the newborn age. They need help – for us, the tummy drops and some exercises on baby worked breaking up the gas bubbles and helping her get rid of them. I actually felt a little guilty because here I thought I was doing great by having such a healthy diet and in reality so much of the healthy stuff was causing her gas. But live and learn…
I’m sure you’ve already researched everything about the “witching hour” – just wanted to share my experience and what I wish I had known… baby #2 was WAY easier!
I will definitely ask our pediatrician about Little Tummies. Thank you for the recommendation (and for reading for so long)! 🙂
We had a similar issue and used “Colic Calm” for our lil guy. I always keep a bottle in my diaper bag now even though we rarely need it anymore. My guy is sensitive to dairy so once I cut that out of my diet it made a huge difference too. (Worth noting that I’m also senator to dairy but since mamas digestive system is much more mature than baby’s I can handle it better).
GAH his little fingers! He is just too precious. Congrats on your first postpartum workout 🙂
He is just so cute! Yay for 9 pounds, go mama!
After my first when I ran again it was insane how jiggly/weird it all felt. It comes back eventually though, so don’t be discouraged. I did my first workout last week 2 weeks pp because I feel good (and my doc said I could) and it went great! But mannnnnn is it going to take some time to get strong again. We can do this! 🙂
I have a 4 month old baby boy (we live in CLT too!) and getting back to working out is tough, especially being back at work full time. I felt like I was in better shape on my maternity leave when I would walk 3-5 miles every day! Running feels funny at the beginning, but it started to feel more normal (new normal?) around 10 weeks. My suggestion before jumping back into high intensity/heavy weights is to add in some air squats and lunges on your walk. I started that around 6 weeks when I was cleared and it makes a difference…your core is so unstable at the beginning so some bodyweight movements help you feel more stable (and help you build up a little more strength without added weight)!
Precious photos! My little guy is turning three tomorrow (!!!), but I clearly remember my first post-partum BodyPump class. Let’s just say it’s wise to choose lighter weights. Haha When I was in the hospital recovering, one of the nurses showed me a way to help get your abs back where they are supposed to go:
Lay on your back with your feet flat on the floor. Cross your arms over your abdomen and physically pull the sides of your belly together while crunching up (chin up, shoulders off the floor). Hold it for 5 – 10 seconds then relax. I think she said to repeat it 10 times or so.
Hi Julie!
Congrats on your first official post-baby workout with weights. The way I see it, any workout with a little human demanding your attention is a small victory!
I had a similar post-baby running experience. I felt very “loose” as in my skin, my abs (or lack there of), my arms even. It was sort of frustrating at first. I also felt a lot of pressure “down there”. I had some tearing and several stitches, but was given the” A Ok” after 6 weeks. I still waited to run and did more fitness classes until I worked up my confidence and stamina a bit. Additionally, the same motion over and over while running added to my lady part discomfort ( and the peeing problem); where as the class were shorter bursts of varied movements so the feeling was less.
My son will be one next Wednesday, and seeing photos of Chase and reading your recent posts take me right back to those days for sure. My son was also small early (3 weeks) and small (5lbs 11 oz) and I was equally obsessed with weighing him and making sure he was nursing well and often. Now he is 21 lbs and almost 30 inches tall! He takes a few unassisted steps and says 4 words! I can’t believe how fast the year has gone. Enjoy every second of your little man, and the workouts will come; I promise!
With my first baby I totally felt like my insides were going to fall out while running … STRONGLY recommend to keep working on your pelvic floor! Don’t even ask how box jumps went the first time haha. Have you looked up The Wonder Weeks? Knowing when a “leap” is about to happen or is happening can help your sanity when babies get crazy with sleep/eating 🙂
My first workout was Lindsay Brin’s Postnatal Boot Camp DVD, and jumping jacks were interesting! I managed to go for a run without peeing myself at about 7 weeks, though, so that was encouraging 🙂 She also has a great postnatal core workout that helps build muscle back slowly/safely – my sister ended up with a hernia from jumping back into ab work too fast http://youtu.be/Uxz0A9EyvWc
Love the mohawk!
I started taking my daughter to child care at the gym when she was 6 weeks old and it was the best decision ever! It gave me some “me” time and gave me somewhere outside the house to go everyday. My daughter is now 18o the and she loves the childcare and is really comfortable with other kids and being left with other people. I would definitely recommend finding a gym with good childcare!
Chase is so sweet! There is actually science behind your cute theory. It’s what biologically makes us mamas want to care for these needy babies! My Mom’s theory is that just when you are ready to throw in the towel, they flash their first smile and it keeps you going 🙂
I remember feeling like the sleepless nights and fussiness would NEVER end (even though logic says it will), but I promise it does. And you wake up wondering how you got a 20 month old who insists on doing everything herself!! Hang in there. You’re doing a great job!
What a cutie patootie!!! Love the pictures you share with us 🙂
As far as workouts go… I, too, suffered during my third tri with some terrible hip pain and sciatica. My OB/GYN told me it would go away after I delivered but it took a while. Silly me had signed up for a half marathon 4.5 months postpartum (I’d run a bunch before becoming preggo). I felt sooo bouncy and like my insides were gonna fall out that I couldn’t train. I walked the half and felt awful afterward (meaning I was sore and my boobs were engorged). Fast forward to now 8 months pp and I have found an excellent sports bra (Enell thanks to your friend Caitlin!!!) and now I enjoy my regular workout routine. I would say I felt 100% me between 6-7 months.
You were so fit before I’m sure you’ll start feeling great soon enough! Take care of yourself and remember that your body is going to take some time to sort itself out.
Julie I know you only ran a short distance, but strollers advise against running with baby before 6 months. It isn’t good for their little necks!
Just some unsolicited advice on the witching hour thing — try nursing him and putting him to sleep before the dreaded hour(s) usually start. Our lil guy would usually lose it by 7 so id try to feed him by 630 and it worked most nights. If he wasn’t hungry yet, I’d walk him around outside in the ergo (any baby carrier works) and he’d usually fall asleep within 20 min an then I could “dream feed” him later to try to stretch out the amount of time he stayed asleep.
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