We started Babywise's sleep training method today. We want baby A to learn to put herself to sleep and not rely on rocking or us holding her to fall asleep. She did great today! Just a little fussing at each nap time, but nothing too horrible. Hopefully she's a fast learner, like her sister was!
Breast-feeding has become a bit much for me. It's hard being the only one able to feed her in the middle of the night. And she isn't a consistent eater. She eats about every 2.5-3 hrs, but sometimes she'll eat for 10 minutes on one side and be done, whereas other times she'll eat for 20 minutes on each side. And sometimes, she doesn't want to eat at all, she just wants to play with it. It's sooooo frustrating. Also, it takes her 10 minutes to drink 3 oz of a pumped bottle, but can take an hour to eat the same 10 minutes off of me. Which was fine when I only had the one child, but I have a 4 year old that wants my attention now, too. It also never really feels like she's fully emptying by breasts. She is gaining weight, though. Lastly, I don't think she latches properly, so my nipples never fully heal and it hurts on one side the entire time I'm feeding her. Also, she latches and then let's go repeatedly during a feeding. All of these things are leading up to this... rather than giving up breast-feeding entirely (which I'm tempted to do, if it weren't for the health benefits and calorie deficit for me) I'm going to try to work up to pumping mainly and only breast-feeding a few feedings out of the day. This wasn't an easy decision for me to come to and mother-guilt always plays a role. But the bottom line is this... breast-feeding should be an enjoyable and bonding experience. If it's leaving me frustrated and quite honestly not particularly liking my newborn in those moments, then it might not be the best option. At least with pumping, she'll still be getting the health benefits of my milk. And we'll be better able to bond.
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My sweet tooth has really kicked up a notch this week. Not sure why exactly, but I've been indulging regularly in healthy treats like the following...
We used Averie's Vegan Coconut Oil Chocolate recipe as the chocolate in this recipe. It gives them a chewier consistency, right out of the freezer. Delicious! Also, it's kinda hard to see in this photo, but my hubby sprinkled some sea salt on the top of some of these before freezing. Yum!
We've also used the above coconut oil chocolate recipe to make chocolate bars and just added coconut flakes to it. Reminds me of a healthy version of an Almond Joy.
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As I mentioned before, the weather in MN has been less cooperative for my daily walk. So, for now I'm just breast-feeding as my form of burning calories. I'll resume walking once the weather looks a little nicer.
My abdominal muscles seem to have gone from 4 finger-widths separated to only 2 finger-widths. Woo-Hoo!
And here's this week's post-baby body progress:
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| 5 Days Post-Baby Wt Lost Since Delivery: 14 lbs |
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| 2 Weeks Post-Baby Wt Lost Since Delivery: 24 lbs |
I haven't been this size since my freshman year of college! Woo-Hoo!
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And here's a recap of the plan:
Nutrition-wise not much has changed. I have cut out most dairy products, since I know that dairy can cause issues when breast-feeding. I may, at some point, need to go gluten-free as well, since my baby girl is already having some GI issues. But, we'll see what the Kinesiologist says. I am slowly working my way back to The Endo Diet. I will still probably keep hormone-free, grass-fed white meats in my diet, but eliminate all red meat. I have been a bit relaxed on allowing some honey back into my diet, mainly for my lemon/honey hot waters, since I'm still battling the residual effects of Bronchitis. I will be eliminating it again and sticking only with my stevia & agave nectar. I'm still avoiding all soy & corn. I will, of course, be re-tested for all foods, once my hormone levels start to return back to normal. The reality is: I still have endometriosis, PCOS & an increased risk for Type 2 Diabetes. Eating this way is a lifestyle for me, not a diet.
Fitness-wise I will be slowly working up to a regular workout routine. For now, breast-feeding is my main form of burning calories!
1 Week Post-Partum: slow to moderate walking everyday (or most days) as I feel up to it strength-wise
4 Weeks Post-Partum: begin doing pelvic tilts & leg slides and gradually increasing to crunches and/or sit-ups, as my abdominal gap starts to close.
6 Weeks Post-Partum: start introducing cardio classes again (such as Zumba/Kickboxing/etc) and begin the C25K running program (as my midwife allows).
3 months Post-Partum: start introducing toning/stretching classes again (such as Yoga)
5 months Post-Partum: start Jillian Michaels' circuit training
I'd like to make a disclaimer that this plan can change at any point in time. (That goes for what I'm eating, too.) I may move things up or later on this list, depending on my body and on how I feel. For instance, walking to the park the other day with baby in the Moby Wrap was too much for my body at this point, so I'll stick to pushing her in the stroller for now. The key is to gradually add things back in and to only do the things which I enjoy. If any of these things starts to feel like a "have to" then I'll back off on it.
