The past 5 months have FLOWN by! I cannot believe Hannah is 5 months old. She is chock full of curiosity and I love seeing her discover new things! Her little brain is ALWAYS churning.
I started giving her some apple and banana. More on that in a future post!
This face makes me melt.
I could not be more proud to call myself her mother. She has been such a little miracle and brought so much joy in 2012, especially when I experienced so much pain this past year. Happy to have her! 
As for post-baby body? At 5 months post baby, my self esteem is growing. I am not as self-conscious and I am definitely seeing results. My hard work is paying off and it’s a great feeling. In the past month I’ve lost another inch from my waist (one more inch to go!), a 1/2″ from each thigh (at pre-pregnancy size!), a 1/2″ from my hips (one more inch to go!), and another 2 pounds!
With only 3 more pounds to reach my goal and 2 months to get there, I am confident that by the time my friend’s wedding is here, I will be back to “normal” again.
Whenever I thought about having a baby, I only thought the worst; I’ll have to wear “mom” jeans, I’ll have stretch marks, my hips will expand and never go back…I always thought about stupid, superficial things. I can even remember my Grandma telling me that I should expect to add 10 pounds permanently after each baby I have. That is insane!? And after going through the process myself, completely unnecessary!
YOU CAN GET YOUR BODY BACK POST-BABY!! I am in the process of proving it to myself!!
I just don’t see why an extra 10 pounds per child needs to be “standard?” If you are taking care of your health, you SHOULD be able to lose the weight and keep it off!
While I 100% agree that it is very unrealistic to think you will be back in pre-baby shape in just 6 weeks, I KNOW (firsthand) that it IS possible to gain a healthy amount of weight during pregnancy (25-35 pounds) and still make it back into your pre-pregnancy jeans! It just takes time and motivation to do so!!
This is my current motivation:
This was my body the summer before I got pregnant with Hannah. I was HEALTHY, LEAN, STRONG, and FLEXIBLE. I will make it here again and I will post pictures to prove it!
Lots of things were shifted and stretched during my pregnancy and since I’ve been giving my body the proper TIME it needs, things seem to be going back to where they were on their own. I truly believe that because I am giving my body the time it needs, putting my daughter first, and not stressing over the pounds, my body is responding to me 10-fold.
Now, while I am seeing results in lost inches and pounds, there is something still missing. This past year, after losing my mom, having a baby, and changing occupations; life really took its toll. I know I’m not getting enough sleep, I’ve been really stressed, I’m carrying around a 15 pound weight most of the day and it’s causing lots of back tension, I have less time to stretch AND do a workout. I just don’t feel like I am taking care of ME in the best way possible and I see the negative in my back and my skin!! I look tired. I look like something is missing.
So here is my plan for January in 2013!!
- DRINK MORE WATER. Some of you may be thinking I’m CRAZY because I already drink tons of water, but I know I need more. It’s reflective in my skin. So I am going to make a valiant effort to get MORE of the good stuff on a daily basis.
- STRETCH!! Every night. No excuses. I am going to stretch out my body and be able to do a back bend once again!!
- AM Workouts. It will be much easier to get in a good workout if I use Hannah’s morning nap as my workout time.
- SWEETS. I’m done with you!! haha okay just kidding. BUT the excess of December is behind me!
- De-Stress! I am going to try my best to stress LESS in 2013. Let’s face it; a death and a baby in the same year? Yea, you could say I was stressed. Time to rejuvenate and find my Chi in 2013!
You’re such an inspiration, Erin! I truly admire your healthy approach to regaining your pre-pregnancy body. Like you, I’ve always feared the weight gain – and body change in general – that comes with carrying a baby. However, your’re so right – there’s no reason our bodies can’t return to their “happy place” if we’re eating right and exercising moderately. We just have to TRUST the process!
Hannah is such a cutie!! You must be so proud!
I should’ve said I changed jobs…sorry June!
Thanks Lauren for the recommendation!! I will check it out on your site tomorrow!
You changed your occupation?
Way to go Erin! Your positive attitude is always so inspiring. I received this amazing water diffuser for Christmas that has definitely helped me up my water intake. You might like it! It has a cylinder in the middle where you can put lemons, cucumbers, mint leaves, etc and it slightly flavors your water. I LOVE it! I have a picture on tomorrow’s blog post. Lemon cucumber water just tastes so much better!