First things first, I’m a mother now!
MOTHERHOOD
I gave birth to my daughter, Meyene (pronounced “meh-yeh-neh”) seven weeks ago on July 25, 2018. My labor and delivery was very smooth and I’m so thankful that it turned out that way. After delivery came pain from breastfeeding, my shrinking uterus, and a tear down there (hello Sitz baths and Dermoplast). As of now, I’m all healed up and still breastfeeding with way more ease as I navigate life postpartum.
Besides tons of unsolicited advice given to new moms, everyone tells you how life will shift and change after you have a child. Yes, they were all right! It’s been one of the most life changing experiences I have had to date. The sleep deprivation is no joke and it’s also fascinating the amount of effort and planning it takes to leave the house! And I consider myself a homebody for the most part but even short errands are a whole new ballgame. I am still adjusting and as soon as I get the hang of things, something shifts! This is completely normal though as it supposedly takes a full four months and 23 days to adjust to motherhood according to The Bump.
Luckily, I get to adjust from home without the burden of stressing about work as I’m on maternity leave until early 2019. I’m taking this time to care for and bond with Meyene and adjust to life as a family of three. I had some hesitation about taking so much time from work but every mother I chatted with reassured me that it is totally worth it as work will always be there and I’ll never get back this time with Meyene.
Now, seven weeks in, I’m so glad that I don’t have to rush back to the office. My goal during my leave is to continue bonding and figure out how to transition back to work when the time comes, eek. I’m currently reading The Fifth Trimester: The Working Mom’s Guide to Style, Sanity, and Success After Baby and it has great and relatable anecdotes and tips so far.
NEW NEIGHBORHOOD
We moved! Besides becoming a member of motherhood, I’m a member of a new neighborhood. We literally closed on our new home four days before my due date. Suffice it to say, the timing couldn’t have been worse but we had to jump on this place because we loved the area and we were searching for months. The worst part about the move was going without cable and internet aaaand oh yea, gas and hot water for about a week (long story). Plus we had family staying with us! Thankfully, we survived and I love our new home.
It’s spacious so there’s plenty of room for when family visits and it’s not far from our old place. We loved this area so I’m glad that we were able to find something here. It would have been too much for me to have to adjust to motherhood and a new neighborhood so I feel blessed. My commute won’t be great, but I do have the option to work from home which I will be considering after I give it a test run a few days a biweek to see how it goes.
FITNESS
I worked out pretty consistently during pregnancy, but my workouts did taper off during the third trimester.
I truly believe that my workouts helped me get through labor and delivery a little bit easier than if I had not worked out at all. There are so many other factors though, so who knows?! Regardless, my workouts helped keep my mood steady and kept me feeling good so I would not change a thing. I still gained plenty of pounds, as expected.
For me, this was scary as the number on the scale kept climbing with each doctor visit. I couldn’t help but wonder if I would balloon back up to my old weight during pregnancy. It should have been the least of my worries, but I couldn’t help but have those thoughts because it was just so hard to lose all that weight in the first place. Anyways, I had a mind shift when I put things in perspective. I decided to enjoy my pregnancy and eat healthy for me and for baby while enjoying any treats I wanted. It was freeing! I knew that it would all balance out because I wasn’t super sedentary. So far, half of the weight is gone and I’ve been eating plenty because I’m exclusively breastfeeding.
Now that I am cleared to workout again, I am going to ease in and keep myself fueled with lean proteins and lots of veggies! I also eat plenty of carbs, especially oats because it seems to keep my milk supply up. My hope is to drop body fat and not focus so much on the number on the scale.
And that’s all for now folks! I have a few posts that I meant to post during pregnancy about skincare and maternity workout clothes, so I will link those here when I get them up. Hope you all enjoy your weekend!
-Udeme
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