Coming Up Next Week : The Mom Body

After my first baby 5 years ago, I thought I was happy eating my Key Lime pie and staying chubby. I had been a size 6 and eaten what I wanted before getting pregnant, so I assumed it would fall off eventually and I didn't try. I exercised a bit, but 20 minutes on a treadmill just didn't cut it anymore. Much has changed since then. After my 2nd baby 2 years ago, I realized I'm not happy being unfit, and being fit means not only must i work out,harder, which I have routinely done, but I can't have pizza for dinner or lie in bed and eat chocolate covered almonds every night. Over 30 after 2 babies, you just can't. You can exercise all day but if you eat whatever you want, forget it. So after changing my already fairly healthy diet, I am starting to see the difference. I work out 5x a week - pilates mostly and cardio 2x and yoga. But, exercise to me is well-being and not just to get skinny. I know I'm doing it for my family and my health and not just my vanity. But it's for that too, i'm not gonna lie. I know plenty of women who have had kids and you could never tell. Yes, some is heredity, but we can't just blame it on baby weight after years go by. Sorry ladies! And I can't wait til swimsuit season and to not feel like the most muffin-topped flabby-ass chick on the beach. Who honestly wants that?

RhoRho

http://momwhodrinksandcusses.blogspot.com 

I am a year into breastfeeding my third daughter in 4 years. I know she will be my last. I am grateful every day that I was able to do this as it is a major part of finding peace with my body.

http://lifewithbriar.blogspot.com/2008/01/mama-doe... ( http://lifewithbriar.blogspot.com/2008/01/mama-doe... )

Body image is kind of my whole topic today on my other blog, again thanks to 3 daughters.

http://toddlywinks.blogspot.com/2009/04/before-sha...

 Thank you for talking about these things!

Amanda

http://lifewithbriar.blogspot.com

http://toddlywinks.blogspot.com

You know, so much about becoming a mom has surprised me, although not in the ways I'd expected. I thought breastfeeding would be impossible, I'd never sleep again, and my body would be ruined forever. But so far? Everything has gone really, embarrassingly well for me/us, and it's nice to know that I can say that out loud and not be judged for it. Sometimes it seems like honesty = complaining about motherhood, but for me at least, honesty means shouting from the rooftops that it isn't all that bad after all! 

There`ll always be plenty to say about BFìng, but if you`re looking for new controversies, wet-nursing or co-nursing is the new black ( http://badladies.blogspot.com/2009/03/they-shoot-w... )...

So, yes, I'm insane about exercise and being fit, and here is my video about it ( http://www.juiceboxjungle.com/videos/sarah-rsm ). (Not everyone is of course, and you should check this show ( http://www.juiceboxjungle.com/videos/real-soccer-m... ) out too). I get up at 4AM and go to swim practice at 5:45 AM. I play on a soccer team with my husband and make my kids sit on the sidelines and cheer. I also made my kids suck all the fat out of me during breastfeeding. Seriously, I know this doesn't work for everyone but it seems they did suck out enough - even though I didn't continue anywhere near a full year with BF'ing - to make my post-baby body BETTER than my pre-baby body. Yes, it could have something to do with all the hardcore athletics I do as well, and also my stupid food tricks I write about here ( http://www.svmoms.com/2009/04/theres-that-soccer-m... ). But don't hate me. My boobs used to be my favorite body part. Now I just have to laugh at them. It's funny, really.

Sarah at www.juiceboxjungle.com ( http://www.juiceboxjungle.com )

The wonderful world of breastfeeding...and what it leaves behind. I breastfed both my children -- now one-and-a-half and four. The bonding, health benefits, etc. -- all very real and wonderful reasons why I chose to breastfeed. But, had NO clue what I was in for.

A.) The Pump

 http://chroniclesofmomnia.blogspot.com/2008/12/got...

B.) Glass-Cutting Nipples

http://chroniclesofmomnia.blogspot.com/2008/12/i-c...

The hilarity of it is just too much sometimes...Thanks for letting me share!

Rosana

http://chroniclesofmomnia.blogspot.com

http://www.suite101.com/profile.cfm/therosana

I don't have a blog, but I couldn't pass up the chance to comment on this topic!  I am on day 9 of the Shred--and it's so good I am actually willingly getting up at 6am to do it before work, which is BIG because I am NOT a morning person. I agree wholeheartedly with the poster who said she wished she had appreciated her body when she was young.  I have been blessed with an incredible metabolism and am naturally slender.  However I did carry around 15-20 extra pounds of baby fat after baby #2 was born.  Last year I realized that maybe I should stop blaming those pounds on the "baby" since she was TEN.  I figured after all that time, those pounds were MINE.  Anyway, with the big 4-0 staring me in the face, I decided that even though the # on the scale was okay, I needed to start living healthier and started running.  Then after seeing so many positive posts on various blogs that praised the Shred, I bought a copy last week.  And my-oh-my were they right!  I thought I was going to die for 2 days, but seeing results that fast (not drastic ones, keep in mind, but they ARE noticeable) kept me going.

 I don't necessarily want my pre-pregnancy body back--I looked anorexic even though I ate like a horse--but I wish when I was young I had taken better care of my body.  I wish I known that a little bit of exercise can do such good things for you, mind & body-wise!  I grew up in a household where exercise was not valued and grew up a slug.  And even thin slugs are NOT HEALTHY.  So I guess my real concern about my mom-body is now taking care of it more so than vanity.  Although compliments are pretty rewarding and keep you shredding even when you don't necessarily feel like it!  :D 

I just had a baby 2 weeks ago today!!  I am coming to terms with my body WHILE trying to change it, and becoming a firm believer that you have to do so.  I always heard that attitude determines aptitude....and somehow that's true with my weight.  When I feel badly about my body I don't try to do anything to change it, etc...but when I realize that I'm not perfect and that although I think my body needs some changing that hey--I don't look bad for having 3 kids!!  Check out my blog for some humorous posts including Top Ten Things Your Doctor Won't Tell You About Babies, Birthing, and C-Sections and Mom's Thoughts, which is a poem on some things I feel as a parent of 4 (I've given birth to 3...but although I didn't "incubate" one he's still mine!!)....

 http://yesiknowwhatcausesthat.blogspot.com/2009/04...

http://yesiknowwhatcausesthat.blogspot.com/2009/04...

http://www.yesiknowwhatcausesthat.blogspot.com

It took me a while, years in fact, but I finally got comfortable with the way my mom body looks. I have never had a perfect, J-Lo type body anyway, so in working it back to its norm, I didn't have to set the bar too high or weight too low. 

Then came the hysterectomy.

I still feel comfortable about the way my body looks - it's just that it doesn't really feel like mine anymore.

How long before I get used to that?!

http://abomo.wordpress.com/

Peace...

 I recently wrote a post about body image after a divorce and multiple child births...  http://www.blogher.com/there-secret-mission-irradi...

 & yes i know that I spelled eradicate wrong, I fixed it sorry!

Thank you!!! 

Scarlette Quille

WWW.CORPORATEWHORACLE.COM 

I'm a single mom of a teen and an 8 yr old. I try not to talk about either one; however, issues with my teen are extra sensitive since he does read my blog from time to time. I would not want him to come across something that would make him feel that our trust is broken. Its a privacy issue that I feel I MUST respect, especially during such a critical time in his life. Its confusing enough at his age, without his mom adding onto it!   

Ms. Latina

Have I written a post about breastfeeding? Nope...I've written 57. Apparently I still have lots to say on it!

If you're interested, you can start here: http://www.phdinparenting.com/category/breastfeedi...

PhD in Parenting - http://phdinparenting.com ( http://phdinparenting.com/ )

I'm glad that this is the topic this week, as it is something I'm currently struggling with. I just had my second child a little over 3 weeks ago, so my mom body is currently in flux. It's something I'm having to adjust to, and it's not going as easily for me mentally this time around as it was when I had my first child.

When I saw that this was going to be this weeks topic, I decided to write my own post ( http://www.blogher.com/my-mom-body )about it and hope that I can begin to come to terms with my new mom body.