Happy Wednesday, Loves! I cannot believe I am already updating you guys on my postpartum journey! Reina Ruby is now 8 weeks old and I finally (maybe, sorta??) feel like we have our own little routine down. I am so incredibly blessed that she is such an “easy”, happy baby!! Our Reina is just a JOY! She is my flirty baby…always smiling! She has recently started to discover her voice so those sweet coos are coming along. Melts my heart! Today’s post is all about a postpartum update. I get asked often over on my Instagram (@nickyschmaderer_fit) about how I do XYZ or how I feel. I could literally go on for hours about this but I am breaking it down today for you all! If here is a question or topic I did not cover, please comment below!
Postpartum Update
How I feel:
I feel amazing! I have said it before and I will say it again, I am truly blessed that I am able to experience great pregnancies. If you have been following along in my journey (and kudos if it has been before kids!), you have seen how I strive to take care of my body during pregnancy. I can 100% say this transfers over into postpartum. Of course I still feel all the “things”; soreness, tiredness, self-doubt, mood swings…which is completely normal. It takes time for the body to heal and I am a firm believer that doing certain things prior and after only helps the healing process. It helps both physically and mentally! My mom struggled with Postpartum Depression after she had my younger brother so I have always been on the lookout for myself to ensure I do not get it, or if I do, to know the signs. We go through sooo many things during pregnancy and after that people don’t “tell” you about. I definitely have my good days and bad days but I know by me sharing my personal journey with you all helps me a lot. It is like therapy! Analyzing how I feel and writing it down is powerful and I encourage every Mama to do so!
How I feel physically:
I delivered both girls vaginally with slight tears each time (keeping it real!). The healing process with Reina was more painful than it was with Noelia during the hospital stay. When I would breastfeed Reina those first couple days I would get severe cramping from my uterus trying to go back down. Mix that in with the pain of my nipples tendering up again for breastfeeding. I would cry almost every time…I almost dreaded feedings because I knew I would be in a lot of pain. Thankfully I had great nurses that brought me heat packs which did help! Other than that, I felt great physically. I would do a few walking laps around the labor and delivery floor everyday that we were there just to get my body moving. I went on a walk the day we brought Reina home, too. For me, being physically active is the best medicine both for the body and the brain. If you feel good there should be no reason in stopping yourself from doing it! There are sooo many opinions out there about what a woman should/shouldn’t do during pregnancy and after when it comes to physical fitness. At the end of the day, it is your body and only you can care for it. Unless you have a diagnosed condition during pregnancy, being active is the best thing for you!
I walked almost everyday until I felt ready to head back to the gym to do light dumbbell exercises. This was around 3-4 weeks postpartum. I stayed away from all compound movements like squats, deadlifts, etc and just focused on hitting each muscle group with dumbbells and machines. Around 5-6 weeks postpartum I started picking up the pace because I was honestly bored at the gym and felt great! What I love about my Doctor is that she fully supports a moving Mama. She always gave me the “GO” on what I wanted to do physically during pregnancy and now after.
The only thing physically that disappoints me is my Diastasis Recti, or separation of the abdominals. I got this with Noelia, too. D.R. is not caused by physical activity according to my Doctor. It just happens. Both my preggo bellies went straight forward so I feel that this is the reason for my D.R. It is just how my body is structured and how it carries babies! There is a procedure I can do in the future to close the gap but we will see if I do it once we are done with kids.
38 weeks pregnant on the left and 8 weeks postpartum on the right
Here I am!! The woman body is amazing, isn’t it?? Just wow. God created us to be very special, Ladies! May we never forget that. Our bodies create a HUMAN BEING in just 9 months. I am just blown away by that! I saw a quote on Instagram the other day, it says…
“Our bodies do miraculous things. They push, pull, stretch and squeeze love into everything they touch. How lucky are we to be able to wear our memories and milestones on our body like badges of honor”
I often get discouraged by the saggy skin and stretch marks around my belly button but quotes like that remind me that my body just did the most amazing job it will ever do! It took 9 months to form a baby so we must give ourselves AT LEAST 9 months of Grace! Your body pushed its internal organs to the side to make room for your precious baby to grow. We must take a step back and acknowledge what our bodies when through, Ladies! Amen, right?!
Skin takes time. Weight loss takes time. Agility takes time. But time with your baby is all that matters. Everything changes after you have a baby in the most beautiful way but there will be days that suck. The days that feel like you aren’t doing enough or you’re drowning in life’s demands. There will be struggles and please know this is completely normal. Your hormones are raging, your body is healing, and everyone around you seems to have it all together. Please know that you ARE ENOUGH, Mama. Never allow the lies of that day diminish how amazing you are. You are everything to that baby! Remember that!
9 Days Postpartum
8 Weeks Postpartum
You can see the skin around my belly button that is still healing and going down. High waisted anything helps right now to suck everything in, LOL!
ANSWERING YOUR INSTAGRAM QUESTIONS
I asked you guys on Monday to send over your questions you had for me that dealt with my postpartum journey. I answered a lot of them over stories but here are the ones I did not get to! I did combine some of the questions into one if they were similar.
How many calories did you consume while pregnant?
I am not sure on the exact number but I would assume 2,500 or slightly more. :)) I LOVE CARBS, OKAYYY! Haha. I ate like I normally do just more. I still ate 6 small meals a day and ate good, Whole Foods but I did not deprive myself if I wanted something sweet. Staying active during my pregnancy also helped me in being able to eat more and have goodies yet still keep the weight gain on track.
How did you deal with morning sickness?
I did not have morning sickness, thankfully!
What are you eating on a daily basis? Are you dieting?
I am not dieting. I strongly dislike that word. I am currently being mindful of what I eat and am tracking my daily intake in the FitnessPal App. What I eat everyday varies but here is what a typical day looks like…
Egg whites, Turkey Bacon, English Muffin
Chobani Yogurt and granola
Salmon or Chicken with rice or potatoes
Repeat above
Oatmeal with Peanut Butter
Egg whites with red onion, spinach and some type of carb
Did you do Placenta Ecapsulation?
No.
Best affordable undies for post birth?
I bought Calvin Klein boys shorts from TJMAXX! I think any type of boy short works best.
How did your perspective change after having a baby (family time, work, money, etc.)?
Everything changed! In a good way. I value my time so much more and the people that I have in my life. If someone or something feels toxic, its gone in a snap. I just don’t have time for bulls***! I value time with my family greatly and their ability to watch my kids when I need the help.
Once I had Noelia, my outlook on life changed. I realized how unsatisfied I was in my job and knew I was meant for something greater that would allow me to “fill my cup” yet be more available to her and future kids. I feel like this goes two ways for people after kids; they either settle and just go through the motions because they are comfortable or they want more due to the inspiration their kids give them. Noelia is definitely my inspiration and why I now have Vida Noel. I wouldn’t have any of this if it wasn’t for her. Thank you, Noelia and thank you, JESUS!!
Money will always be a struggle. It is in our nature to feel like we never have enough but Brody does very well in balancing it all for our family. We aren’t the best with money but we do our best!
Thank you all for reading this post and for following along in my life journey! Again, if there is a question or topic I did not cover feel free to comment below and I will answer it for you!
