Post Baby Body Panic

I started doing yoga and found that it tones WAY better than I thought it would! I highly recommend it!

I have been having post baby body panic since my son was born 17 years ago.

BUT - no matter what havoc pregnancy wreaked upon my body - I am proud to be a mother to a most excellent Teen. If others do not like the pooch or the sag - that is their problem not mine.

Embrace yourself - you rock !!!

8lbs? That's pretty specific.

You don't need to diet. Walk a couple of miles a day. Do lots of hills. You'll be fine. All that nonsense about post-baby-body and never getting your pre-pregnancy body back is just old wives' tales. Walk, drink water and eat right. You'll be back in a bikini in no time.

But probably not by October. You'll be lucky to be in a tankini. With a big cover-up. Because....effing stretch marks NEVER GO AWAY.

*I'm joking, folks. We all know that every woman's body and pregnancy is different.

Eat healthy.. don't worry about the rest.. you are a mom. Be proud.

Weight watchers has a great program for nursing moms, they take into account the extrac nutrients needed to for milk production, yet allow a healthy weight loss. You eat your own food, you are not on a diet, it is a lifstyle change that is pretty easy unless you eat chemical induced food 100% of the time :)

Your body is never going to be shaped the same again, even if you loose those 8 pounds. This is not a bad thing! You just grew and gave birth to another human being and your breastfeeding that human being! How cool is that?!
You need to focus on toning and strengthening those muscles that were stretched to their limits. I still vividly remember that at 9 weeks after my third child was born the simple act of lying flat on my back to stretch out on the bed was agony. It hurt so bad I wanted to cry. The muscles were so weak! Standing up for long periods of time was even painful. The stretch marks all over my stomach, hips, and thighs and the extra skin that goes with them are never going to go away.
Find a suit that looks great on your new body and go enjoy your vacation!

I have a 4 year old, and still feel somewhat body concious.

I usually wear a tankini-style top, and men's swim trunks when I go swimming. Lol.

Although, if you have your new baby with you, NO ONE looking at you will judge your body. If they do, screw 'em. You just made a person... That's a pretty legitimate excuse for having a little extra flab.

Everybody's body is different.

Some moms have skin that will go back with some exercises and some moms will always have some stretched skin and or stretch marks. Other moms have to work all of the time to keep their bodies at the weight a mom is comfortable with, but may not "look toned in the abdomen area ". They will have a pooch.. Look at the women in your mother and fathers families.. it will tell you a lot.

Skin color, skin texture, hereditary.. it all makes a huge difference.

Some women breast feed , but it does not make them lose weight faster.
And others it just melts away.

I carry my body with pride. I was able to have a very healthy child, and give birth. The changes in my body were worth every, mark, bump, bulge..it is a badge to me. Many women have not had this honor. I promise, anyone that judges your body, is not worth your time or attention.

Tone, strengthen, and wear a swimsuit appropriate for your CURRENT body with a cover-up.

Oh jeez. 8 lbs...I gained 70 with my first, 60 with my 2nd and 50 with my third. 8 lbs is not much.
Keep in mind they say it takes 4 weeks after starting a new exercise routine to start seeing changes, 8 weeks for your friends/family to notice changes and 12 weeks for anyone else to really notice a change. If you start now, I am sure you can be feeling *good* on your trip but don't be expecting to model for Sports Illustrated or anything :) Focus on recovery and being a good mom, and starting to make wise food and fitness choices.
Personally, I would focus on drinking enough water. Make a water goal. It will help you in many ways especially in helping your skins elasticity. Walk 30 minutes or more each day. If you want to get really gung ho, do 10-20 min a day as well of conditioning exercises. Check out pinterest for some easy routines, or try Jiliian Michaels 30 day shred or some pilates videos. Even hula hooping is a great work out and helps tone up. Try to eat healthy food that nourishes your body like fruits, veggies, fish and chicken- basically try to limit the junk food to 1 treat per week. And keep in mid that with this you will probably lose 8 lbs but your body will probably never go back to how it was before. You can look good, of course, but pregnancy just changes your hips and boobs and whatnot.

To help your skin.... Don't wear just skin. Give it a hand in reforming the collagen connections by wearing something constricting. Leggings, for example. The belly-band thing. And a skintight stretchy shirt for your arms. You can cut the bottom part of the shirt off a d just make a shrug type thing to wear. All. 24/7. Both waking and sleeping.

Do the same thing after nursing... Wear a sports bra to bed, all day, etc..

They have to be tight, but not so tight as to cut off circulation.

It's both what people experiencing a high degree of weight-loss are told to do as well as those getting lipo/tummy tucks/etc... Except they have actual suits post-op.

Because exercise does NOT shrink skin.

Time does.

To help time, it helps for gravity and motion not to be stretching it out.

Nursing will help you.

While my body is not 100% where it was, I have no shame going to the pool. I have a couple of cute tankini tops I really like and you can look at ModCloth for a retro high-waisted bikini if your middle is causing you to be self-conscious. My stretch marks did fade to barely visible, but everybody is different.

What I would do? Get myself a suit that I really felt good in closer to the trip. We women are often far harder on ourselves than necessary. Don't panic. People will judge you far less than you think and if they DO judge you for your post baby figure, then the problem is them, not you. There is nothing wrong with a couple of extra pounds after a new baby.

Eat healthily. Don't restrict yourself to a crazy diet (no 1,7000 calorie nonsense while nursing!) and take that baby for walks. You'll be fine.

Ha!
It was 8 weeks after our son was born that my hip joints finally stopped grinding.
My joints started to loosen up at 7 months pregnant and it took till 8 weeks after birth for them to pull back together again.
It was a good thing - our son was 9 lbs 1.5 oz and I was able to push him out vaginally (my Dr said I have great pelvis for giving birth).
I was just glad to be able to walk pain free, so I wasn't very self conscious about my body.
You've got a few more months till your beach trip.
It'll be fine!

It always bounced back after 5 kids but you need to do major cardio most days of the week, and either at home or the gym weights (something for muscles). It's a LOT of work but worth it.

And of course, you need to eat super healthy all the time. Not just for you but for baby.
The nursing was the main thing post baby that contracted the uterus and shrunk the baby belly right after the birth.

Again, it's a 6 or 7 day a week schedule you need of exercise. So, not easy but again, very worth it.

Buy a cute suit with a little skirt, and maybe something that's sexy in other ways, like with a low cut front or a lot of back showing! Anything with gathers around the waist helps to suck in that area and provide some abdominal support. There are phenomenal sales right now, and sometimes you can find an awesome see-through sarong-style wrap to do some subtle cover-up but still show a lot of leg through the fabric, which a lot of people find pretty sexy!

And try to be objective - your body has done something amazing, giving you this baby. Besides, no one on the beach is looking at your body - they are all too absorbed in their own bodies and thinking about their flaws! There's a lot more body variety on the beach than you think!