one month postpartum
Yes, those are all stretch marks. UGH. No, I didn't have them all prior to labor and delivery. See folks, there are both pluses and minuses to having a really fast labor and delivery. I'm having a hard time with the stretch marks.
For those following along at home, I gained just about 40 pounds during pregnancy. Two weeks after delivery, I had lost 22 pounds...and the weight loss has pretty much stayed there. It has NOT "melted off" with breastfeeding. I'm trying to stay positive about the fact that I will continue to lose once I'm able to start working out again. Still, my hips seem considerably wider, and I don't know how much of that I'll be able to change. This is also hard because none of my pre-pregnancy pants fit in the hips, but my maternity pants don't fit in other ways. The only pants that fit right now are yoga pants.
I'm happy to report that my tears (I had two--front to back) are finally starting to feel much better. They still itch or sting every once in awhile, but overall, I'm no longer in constant pain, which is good. Going to the bathroom still hurts though.
Breastfeeding is also going much better. There isn't much pain anymore, which is awesome. I've also figured out the pump, and J has successfully given her a bottle, which is good news in terms of me being able to go somewhere (like to get a haircut) for a few hours at a time. The only problem is that I think I have an overactive let-down--Lizzy will sometimes pull off choking, and milk sprays all over both of us. That, coupled with the lochia, makes me feel like I stink all the time. Still, it's sometimes hard to motivate myself to take a shower, because if she's not feeding, I'd rather be eating myself or sleeping (and just for the record, most of my blog commenting happens via cell phone while she's nursing).
That's all I can think of right now...any postpartum questions?
First off, please know that you are beautiful. You gave birth and became a momma, and that makes you even more gorgeous:)
ReplyDeleteSecond, thank you for posting this. I so appreciate the honesty. As someone venturing out on a baby journey (soon), it's good to know what to expect. It's refreshing and real and so supportive. So thank you thank you thank you.
THe evil strech marks, i have them too, and i DID NOT have a fast labor, or delivery, lol. They creeped up after i got home and lost 28 pounds.
ReplyDeleteI still have 10 left too from my preg that didn't melt off! So know you are not alone! :)
I have to agree with brittany, you look fabulous!!!
I think it's great that you are willing to tell us readers (especially those who have NO idea what it's like to carry a baby and give birth to a baby...). You look beautiful! Don't kid yourself, I second Brittany's comment!
ReplyDeleteI too will embark upon the baby journey and think it's great that we have people like you to share your journey and to be honest with us.
So thanks and don't worry about being too graphic, it's our choice to keep reading! :-)
Did you have stretch marks before you had Lizzie? I've just noticed a couple around my belly button. I thought I'd made it through without any. No such luck! I love reading your blog. Check mine out at...
ReplyDeletehttp://sfloyd-nutshell.blogspot.com/
Good luck with the weight but you should know that YOU LOOK GREAT!!
I think you look fantastic and way to go for posting your tummy! These are the sacrifices we make for having a beautiful baby.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the HONEST story! I think you're looking great. Congrats on figuring out the pump! Can't wait to see your new haircut.
ReplyDeleteGirl, you look awesome. It is a great accomplishment to have already lost 1/2 the weight.
ReplyDeleteI am so scared about what my body will be like after delivery, so thank you for being brave, honest and showing how a "real" mom responds to giving birth. It can be so frustrating to see celebrites give unrealistic expectactions of the perfect body after baby.
You look great. Lizzy is beaitiful!
Good for you Meredith. I know lots of people really appreciate when others are honest about pregnancy and birth.
ReplyDeleteI can100% relate to the smelling thing. I have a super fast letdown too so I have the same problem with Isaac and lochia just sucks. Plus, I do not have a chace to shower every day. Sometimes because there isn't time and sometimes because I don't want to set him down.
I think it's great to be honest about the post partum stage. So many women struggle with body image regardless of pregnancy. But it's definitely tough to accept your "new" body afterward. I didn't get stretchmarks but my body is shaped differently.
ReplyDeleteWhen I finally was able to fit back into my pre-pregnancy work pants they just didn't fit right. I had many a meltdown in fitting rooms just wanting my old body back. Eventually, I got there but it took over a year. I know it's hard but please try to be patient with yourself. You just did the MOST amazing thing a woman's body can do and we all know that takes some good healing time ;)
I'm glad BF is going well for you! Keep up the good work, mama!
Kudos for being honest about the postpartum stages! I for one was pretty oblivious to how crappy and unattractive I would feel after giving birth, BUT no one is looking at us anyways, right? I am also glad to hear that BF is working well for you. I am going to be sad when it ends for me. Enjoy it.
ReplyDeleteOh, and my stretch marks showed up postpartum too. Why? haha!
I'm with Amy- I got stretch marks pretty bad after labor- and I was in the hospital in labor for 48 hours!!
ReplyDeleteWhile we're being honest here, I still have stretch marks 14 months post partum- though I've heard they last longer for African Americans. One thing that has helped tremendously with the appearance of them has been to take a back brush/scrubber, and get some exfoliating body wash, and just scrub your stomach and affected areas every time you shower. Exfoliating not only helps your facial skin, but your body skin too.
I used to be pretty bummed about my stretch marks- I mean, I definitely will not be getting into a bikini any time soon. But I have come to accept them as a part of ME- and in exchange got the wonderful gift that is my son!
Thank you for sharing all the honest stuff!! I've learned a LOT from blog friends who have had babies, and I have 5 nieces & nephews, so I thought I was pretty up-to-date. Apparently not!! I didn't realize you could get stretch marks AFTER labor, either. You look great, though, and I'm glad things are going much better for you!
ReplyDeleteI truly appreciate your honesty, Meredith. I'm sure it's got to be hard to put yourself in such a vulnerable position, but know that we all think you are so brave & strong for doing so. And like so many of the other girls have said, you look gorgeous--don't be too hard on yourself!
ReplyDeleteI think you're such an inspiration :) We really want kids, but haven't had any luck so far. I hope you continue to heal and feel better. You look so great, btw!
ReplyDeletefirst of all, congratulations! thank you for your honesty :) glad you are feeling better. xo!
ReplyDeleteHi Mer, again, I echo so many of your sentiments. One, showering is a major achievement. Just finding the time to shower is huge and when you do have the time, finding the motivation to actually shower is another thing since sleep, blogging, and relaxing are a lot more appealing. My boobs hurt when I shower because of the breast feeding which is another reason that I am just not thrilled about it or motivated.
ReplyDeleteThe pants thing is a major issue for me too, I have lost half of my weight like you, but again, my hips are different and only a few of my regular pants do fit without a bella band. Most of them don't even fit with a bella band. I feel like my body is stuck at the size it was at 15 weeks pregnant. Maternity pants are way too big on me which is a good thing so all I seem to be wearing too are velour hoodie outfits. All I can say is thank god it's winter because I can hide inside the house hoping my body gets back in order before I have to worry about public appearances again which require several normal items of clothing. I am so glad you were honest with us, I have been wanting to do a pregnancy wrap up post too, you have given me that last bit of motivation that I needed to do so. Hopefully we will both look back on these posts seeing how far we have come!
Karen
Thank you for sharing and being honest. I'm glad to know what I'm getting into this summer. :)
ReplyDeleteI'm so not looking forward to all of this when I have the baby! Thanks for being honest though. No one ever talks about after the baby comes.
ReplyDeleteI totally agree with Brittany... You.Are.Beautiful!
ReplyDeleteI really appreciate this! I think so many woman are too embarrassed to post all this, so I think it's great that you're doing it. It helps us non-mommys know what to expect! :)
I have no advice since I haven't been there, done that. All I can say is that you rock for posting this!
ReplyDeleteI'm in the exact same boat as far as the BFing & weight goes! I gained 35 lbs and lost 20 immediately. BF did absolutely NOTHING to help me drop the weight (I think all those "it just MELTED off" people are liars to the max). I hate to say this, but when I started working out again, my supply dropped and I had to cool it with the excercise to get my supply back up. Ugh!
ReplyDeleteHave you seen this?
ReplyDeletehttp://theshapeofamother.com/category/belly/
You and your strong body are amazing.
i'm glad you're posting this - it's certainly interesting for a non-mom like me to see not only the before, but the after too! you look great, by the way!
ReplyDeleteI wholeheartedly agree with Brittany's comment. You are beautiful. I try to put myself in your shoes as much as I can. I probably wouldn't feel beautiful at all...but you gave birth...you are a mommy, and you really are beautiful, regardless of how stinky or anything else YOU might be feeling!
ReplyDeleteAlso, the honesty is great. As someone who HASN'T gone through this yet and would like to in the next year (as I sit here watching A Baby Story...haha), it is refreshing to read honest notation and see photos, and you are brave for doing this. Thank you! :)
Thanks for the honesty - Your doing great you already lost 22 lbs it took you 9 months to gain it so 22 in that short of a time is excellent.
ReplyDeleteI know when I came home I still looked prego and had that small bump but breastfeeding does help, it might not seem like its melting off but if you werent breastfeeding you would have had a slower weight loss. I lost all the baby weight + 3 lbs of pre baby weight at my 6 week check up - hold on. I gained it back after a couple of months anyway. the thing with my loss was I wasn't eating hardly anything cuz my baby was colicky so I thought my food intake was causing her to be cranky. All I did was ruin it for me since in the long run if it came off slower it might have stayed off longer too.
You might wanna get one of those belly belts- I think brooke burke sells one - I had one that my mom bought me and it helped a lot with the shrinking of the belly. It works almost double time while breastfeeding. Stay positive - all in due time.