4 weeks after

This is 4 weeks after.  It doesn't look too bad, but I have a ton of extra skin.  That is going to take some time to shrink.  I start teaching group fitness classes in two weeks.  I am so excited I can't stand it.  I am also going to start running.  I think I am going to start tracking my food on here as well as my exercise activities.  Maybe it will help me to learn how to help other women with the transformation of their bodies after they give birth to a child.   I am really struggling with the eating part.  I know I need to restrict calories to lose weight, but it is really hard when you are breast feeding.  I need the extra calories to produce milk. I started losing weight, but then my body went oh H#LL NO!    I began starving, which sucks.    It is super hard to exercise when your body is screaming for food.   The good news is I start back to work soon and I will start teaching classes too.  That will keep me busy and limit the amount of time I have to eat.  This means that I will have to plan my food and eating times AND I will be too busy to think about hunger. Yay!  Of course this means I will need to log my food as well to make sure I don't drop too low in calories.  I need at least 1700 cal right now to keep producing milk.  That gets tricky when I start exercising.   I am kind of excited about the whole process though.  I get to be my own guinea pig in an effort to help others in the future. 
I am going to start taking measurements too.  I'm curious as to how long it will take for my hips to go back into place and for my skin to tighten back up.   I know I have a way to go on the joints.  My feet still hurt like crazy, as well as my hands.  And my right arm still has a problem with going numb.  I think I have a pinched nerve in my shoulder.   Pregnancy does some mean things to your body.  It's a good thing we get something really special out of it. :o)

3 weeks after

3 weeks after.  Weight 130.   I need to lose at least 10 more pounds.  15 would be awesome and maybe that will be achieved by spring.   I started exercising week 2 which has helped me to not feel so gross and has helped me to feel less depressed.   A little BodyJam, BodyStep, BodyPump, and Combat.  
I am finding it hard to eat and get the number of calories I need if I don't eat crap food.     Let me tell you, trying to lose weight and eat extra to lactate is are hard balance to find.    I can't wait to start running.  I need those endorphins in a bad way.   Even if I don't lose weight doing it, at least I will feel better about myself for trying to do something about it. 

The good news is Aiden is really a good baby.  Nothing extraordinary,  just doing the typical baby things.  He is starting to have more awake time now.   I like talking to him and watching him absorb everything around him.   Being a mom really is one of the best rewards of life.

My tummy 3 days after birth

Ok, so this may be a little weird, but I am going to track my belly going the other way. :o)
 It takes 9 months for it to grow and it will take time for it to shrink.    So let's see how long it will take.

Special Delivery

Well, you will not be getting a 38 week picture of my belly.  Instead you get to see the sweet little baby boy that was growing there.  Meet Aiden Morgan Holt.  7 lbs 12oz 20 inches long.  Blonde hair, blonde eyelashes, and blonde eyebrows.  He is an absolute doll.

I went to the doctor on Monday Sept 26th at 11:30 am to find out I was 6 cm.  Dr. Gorman asked me if I was ready to meet my baby.  I instantly started crying.  Dr. Gorman said I almost made him cry too.   So downstairs I went to get  a little pitocin to help get my contractions in a more rhythmic pattern.   The nurses were all surprised that I wasn't feeling any pain from my contractions.  By 1:00 I was hooked up on IV and ready to wait.  I made the guess that he would come around 5.   Dr. Seale came in around 4 (I think) to break my water.   I had agreed to take 1/2 a dose of nubain and it was so helpful.  It relaxed my body enough that time drifted by until the TIME TO PUSH contractions hit.  I only had to have one of those and had Denver call the nurse.  I want to say I only had to push about 5 minutes to get him here.  It may have been 10, I  don't know.  I just know that once I figured out where to put my pushing efforts, he was here after a couple big pushes.    I am so glad I didn't have an epidural.  I was able to go home the next day and start life with a new baby.
Things to remember...  No matter what you do, you will have a sore body after birth.  Every muscle I have hurts from the tensing up and the isometric pushing.  I upset my biceps so much that I pinched the nerve that runs to my wrist and hand and could barely use my right hand for a couple of days.  It is getting better now, but still not perfect.  It is crazy how pregnancy effects every single inch of your body. 

37 weeks

37 weeks.

 So my poor body is pooped.   I am pretty sure I have never felt my feet go through so much pain in all my life.  I guess it is the extra weight, the swelling, and the fact that my joints are relaxing preparing for birth.  Goodness it is something.  At my doctor's appt this week, I was dilated to 3+.  Dr. Gorman said that if I am at a 4 by Monday they will induce at the end of the week.  He is wants to be cautious because of how quickly I dilate.
I have been having contractions, but nothing really very intense, nor did they ever develop a pattern.

                            
35 weeks                                                                          36 weeks

So during my 35th week I was involved in a fender bender.  A car rear ended me while I was waiting to make a left hand turn.  This got me a nice little 24 hour stay at the hospital.  Good news is I got to have another sonogram.  Aiden is fine and at that point weighed approx 5lbs 13 oz.   I was having contractions every 5 min, but the were not causing dilation.

I went for my 36 week check up on Tuesday the 14th.  I was 2 cm dilated and 50% effaced.  I had contractions all day that day and the next.   Friday came and I have had a few contractions, but nothing serious.  I am walking in a 5k tomorrow for JDRF.  I hope that gets me some results.

34 weeks

So what has happened during my 34th week.  My waist has hit 41 inches, I gained 4 lbs, and my feet have swollen to the point of misery.  My ankles, toes, and the bones on the top of my feet feel like they are going to snap into everytime I stand up.  Dramatic, maybe,,,but true.
I have begun to have pain in my ribs that wrap around my back.  I have to flip ever hour or two when I sleep because the pressure on my ribs wake me up.  While this sounds like complaining, actually its all good news.  It means my pregnancy is moving along just as it should and my little man is growing.
Went to the doctor during this week, BP 100/60, blood sugar was good and so was protein levels. I am having lots of Braxton Hicks contractions.  LOTS!!!  Estimated weight of Aiden is 4.5lbs.   I am guessing he will come out weighing about 7.5 lbs.    He is still very active, and I am going to miss feeling him move in my stomach.   His crib is ready and we have everything we need to get started down this road.  I just pray for a healthy baby, an easy labor/delivery, and a smooth transition.