Baby’s Food, My Mouth
When the pediatrician told me that it was ok to let my baby start snacking on “Cheerios”, I let out a yelp.
“But she’ll choke!”
“No, she won’t, Cheerios have holes in them”
That’s when the fun grocery shopping began, and my post-pregnancy weightloss “attempt” ended! Not that Cheerios are a tool of the underworld themselves, just the supermarkets they typically reside in. Up until then I had only breastfeed and before I knew it there were hours of shopping for baby foods, baby oatmeal, baby ‘meat’ sticks. And in my completely thrilled feeling at watching her consume more and more, so did I. Not the baby array of dinner foods, but my own quick fixes. And every time I became scientist and thought “Hmmm, she’s never has chocolate ice cream…let’s see what kind of face she’ll make. Quick get the camera!” I would first think, “I should have some myself just to show her how yummy it can be.”
A stay at home mother for the first few years, I also worked at home, and aside from sitting next to my baby’s highchair for these food fiestas, I found myself sitting at my computer, or sitting on the floor playing with her, or sitting on the couch watching baby videos. Basically a lot of sitting, basically on a behind large enough to masquerade as the seat cushion itself (ok, maybe not that big).
I was 24 when I became pregnant, and in really good shape. But I gained more than 50 lbs. during pregnancy, which meant a lot to my 5’2” frame. For over a year after her birth I felt a heaviness within me that I thought birth and breastfeeding would magically give away to the fat heavens. I felt depressed, aged, tired…and had decided that the doctors accidentally removed any abdominal muscles I may have had during my cesarean.
My daughter is 12 now. In the time of my pregnancy there was little focus yet on maternal fitness and nutrition. Certainly no emphasis on weight training and little on yoga. But there was definitely no umbrella of physical and emotional support after her delivery. My weight came off gradually, but almost by accident. I became addicted to exercise after deciding it was a necessary new mom stress reliever. Cardio made me feel like I was light again, yoga made me feel my body again, and weights made me feel the athlete within. Through this I stopped comparing myself to “Bear” from “Bear in the Big Blue House” and found my woman inside. As a result, I felt empowered, had more energy, became a more fun mom, and lost the weight! I only wish I had started right away. Today having an army of specialists to groom you back to you is not just about fitting into pre-mama clothes. It’s about a whole integral framework of feeling the best you can. Your baby will love you for it.