Struggling to Accept My Body and Find Time to Work Out (Megan)

Age: 28
Baby: 14 weeks, baby girl Rain Lily
First pregnancy and birth

First off I would like to say I am truly blessed to have my beautiful Baby Girl. I have never loved anything or anyone so much. She puts a smile on my face everyday, and I couldn`t imagine my life without her. The day I found out I was pregnant my Fiance and I we over the moon. We had been trying for over a year and felt like it just wasn`t in the cards for us so when we saw that positive pregnancy test it truly was a dream come true.

My pregnancy was okay. During my last few weeks (I delivered at 39 weeks induced) my blood pressure raised and I was retaining alot of water. My feet almost tripled in size! So I was a little uncomfortable but all and all my pregnancy had no complications and I stayed reletively healthy. I did gain 50lbs though! (my baby girl was only 6lbs 8 oz) Pre pregnancy I was 5`8 and 125lbs (size 2) on the day of my delivery I was 175lbs!

I am now 14 weeks Post partum and loving every day of being a mother. It truly is an incredible feeling to have such a bond with such an amazing little being. But I am struggling with my own self image. I hate looking in the mirror I feel flabby and fat. I am now at 140lbs 15lbs off my prepregnancy. I am wearing a size 6 now so a bit far off of my prepregnancy size 2. My Fiance assures me that he still finds me sexy and likes my post pregnancy body but when I look in the mirror I don`t see anything I like. I walk twice a day for an hour each time, but other than that I am finding it hard to work out. I try to do yoga at least twice a week but my sweet baby girl just isn`t the greatest napper and I really am not good at leaving her with anyone either. My fiance works out of town for 3-4 weeks at a time so I am mostly on my own. My mom has offered to babysit for an hour while I go to the gym but I just get this anxiety (nothing against my mom) about leaving her….. I just want her in my sight all the time. But I also feel like I will never get my body back if I dont start something now! I am exclusively breastfeeding as well so that makes it harder to leave her as well. I am just concerned that I will never feel sexy again. I am truly greatful for this site because it shows me that I am not alone in my feelings and with all these great post pregnancy pictures it gives me faith that I will be able to have some what of my old body back.

I have attached 2 pics of me pre pregnancy about a month before I conceieved
A pic of me at 38 weeks pregnant
And 2 pics of me at 14 weeks post partum
And 2 pic of my gorgeous baby Rain Lily and one of us both

Any feed back on what work outs work while staying at home with the little one and maybe some words of encouragement would be greatly appreciated!

I have so much love and respect for all the wonderful Moms out there!

11 thoughts on “Struggling to Accept My Body and Find Time to Work Out (Megan)

  • Monday, September 10, 2012 at 8:07 am
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    I am basically built the same way as you tall and thin and my daughter is the same age. I had gained over 60 lbs and i am now down to 150 so i still have 25 more to go. I had a very round belly after birth, i am not sure if it was due to the c section or a lot of weight gain but i did everything. You name it walking to zumba to straight up 100 crunches a day but ultimately time and transverse abdominal excercises are working. I am finally going from a 13/14 to 9/10 size pants. I have come to realize from reading these stories, is that no matter if you get back to your original size or not you will always find something you wish would change. You are beautiful and you look great! Your daughter is adorable and enjoy her!

  • Monday, September 10, 2012 at 10:59 am
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    Grab an ipod and dance in your room for 30 minutes while the baby is out…it works I swear, dancing is a great cardio workout..burns tons of fat :) free and cheap and you dont have to leave the house,lol

  • Monday, September 10, 2012 at 2:20 pm
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    You and your baby are beautiful! I think your figure looks great already but if you are trying to tone up at home you could always try the wii fit. I use the My Fitness Coach program and really enjoy it. I have a friend who had a bit of a belly, even five years after her youngest son. She started doing the ab ripper X from the p90x series and completely lost the belly! Who knows, maybe it could work for you (though I don’t see any belly to lose!). Of course, and this is probably obvious, also just give it time. As you shed those final pounds and your body fully heals, I suspect you’ll look in the mirror and see a lot more of the “old” you. Hope all goes well and you continue to enjoy being a mama!

  • Monday, September 10, 2012 at 4:49 pm
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    A friend of mine said that it takes nine months to put it on, so anticipate it will take nine months to take it off. And truth be told I didn’t get really down to what I wanted until a good ten months after my first. So my suggestion is don’t be too hard on yourself. It takes a while and there’s no time limit on it. You can still get down to your goal weight slowly. Just keep on eating well and exercising gently while you can.

    One of the things my first baby LOVED was to go on walks. He hated his stroller, so I used to put him in a carrier, and let me tell you a few months of walking for an hour with a 15 pound baby really helped! That way you can be with your baby and getting a bit of exercise.

    (FWIW I gained 70 pounds with my first baby, and it all came off after with no special exercise program.)

  • Monday, September 10, 2012 at 8:17 pm
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    wow you look wonderfull! what great curves you have! Please enjoy what you have. If you look at many pictures of any women who had a baby you would be surprised how wonderfuly you look! No offence to anybody that is having problems! I just want some women to know how great you body does look and dont look at hollywood!! A great workout I like and did after I had a baby was Brazillian Butt Lift! I got in great shape after I gave my body time! Enjoy your baby now and workout when you can You look great!!

  • Monday, September 10, 2012 at 8:30 pm
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    Honestly, you look pretty good for 14 weeks pp!!! and looking at your pics, I would say it’s only a matter of time before you get your pre pregnancy body back! You also seem to have great skin so that’s something else to feel glad about :D Don’t be too hard on yourself, you’re almost there!

  • Tuesday, September 11, 2012 at 9:58 am
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    Honestly you look fantastic for only being 14 wks pp! My tip for working out at home is work out videos! Try easier ones to start out with since your body is recovering. I love Leslie Sansone WALK AT HOME videos! They are great for beginners and you don’t need any weights or anything. I lost 45 lbs doing her 15/20 min videos about 3 times a week. My baby loved watching me work out when she was little. Good luck!

  • Wednesday, September 12, 2012 at 6:05 am
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    You really do have such a lovely feminine shape! I personally have found that nothing works better for toning than carrying your little one in a carrier while you do the housework or go for a walk (hills are sooo good!)seriously, try vaccuming or hanging washing.. you will feel it!! For me it makes life easier and bub is happiest when she is carried :) its a win win situation… I would just like to add that if you are going to wear your bub find yourself a soft structured carrier like an ergo, ones that hang bub from the crutch (ie baby bjorn carriers)are really bad for their hips and spine aswell as their circulaion. All the best to you beautiful mama!

  • Friday, September 14, 2012 at 10:13 pm
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    Thank you for all the kind wordsandsuggestions! I have recently purchased a Pilates DVD and it seems to be working! ;) I haven’t lost any more weight but I do feel as if I am becoming more toned. I have also taken the suggestion of walking with my baby in a carrier which we are both loving!
    Again I am greatful to all the brave m

  • Monday, September 17, 2012 at 10:32 pm
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    I think you look great! I am still pregnant (36 wks right now) and I’ve been nervous about what I’ll look like afterwards. Pre-pregnancy I was 5’6″ 125, I’ve gained 50 lbs so far and that’s with being aware of what I’m eating for the past 2 months and sticking to a a diet (due to gestational diabetes). Your pictures gave me some hope. Congrats on your little one, and good luck on your journey :)

  • Saturday, September 22, 2012 at 5:09 pm
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    You look really good for such a short time. I think that as hard as it may be you need to make time for yourself without the baby. I have learned that moms take extra care of baby when we are not around. Trust your mom for a bit. If you do it for an hour or so it gets easier. I was the same way with my son (now 3). Remember the habits you instill now are going to stay so you don’t want a child that can ONLY be with you.

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