Body After Baby

Before I got pregnant with Gabrielle I decided that if I couldn't get pregnant, I'd get fit. I cleaned up my diet and started devoting time to the gym. I wouldn't have considered myself to be a "gym rat" but I was definitely there a lot. I enjoyed it. One of my best friends also went to the same gym. We would chat it up while on the treadmill and them hit the weights. It was fun. Honestly, I think that it was the first steps to getting out of the depression that I had quickly fallen into. Excercise saved my life. 

This was me, the morning after getting a positive pregnancy test. I was proud of how far I had come. Abs were starting to form. My hips were slimming down. I was definitely headed in the right direction. I vowed that I was going to keep going to the gym, and I did, until morning sickness and sciatic pain took me out (22weeks). My excercise came to a halt. By that point, I was willing to take a break. I still had to take care of Jordan and it seemed that with every run on the treadmill came awful pain. 

Throughout my pregnancy I gained 35lbs. I gained 30 with Jordan. I felt pretty good about that number. This was my last pregnancy and I felt like I enjoyed it. 

So...almost 16 weeks after giving birth, where am I at? I'm about 10lbs away from my pre-pregnancy weight. There are no abs coming through. I have skin that may be loose for the rest of my life. My hips are the widest that they've ever been. Some days it's depressing. Some days I don't notice it. When I get down on myself I look back at that picture. I got my body to look like that. There wasn't a magic pill. I didn't starve myself. I was determined. I did it once, I can do it again! This body has now given birth to two babies. These hips and thighs are strong enough to pace the floors and flights of stairs with a fussy baby. The flabby belly is Jordan's favorite part about his mommy and that makes me feel good. My breasts are flabby because I'm still feeding a baby. The body is an incredible thing. And, for that, I am proud of mine! 

I am going to periodically blog about my weight loss journey. Help keep me accountable! 

Oh! Hey!

Apparently I wrote this back in January and never published it! I was sleep deprived at that time, forgive me! Here are a couple pics highlighting my life from Oct-Dec.!

October:

My 1st baby shower thrown the ladies in my small group. 

Jordan was IronMan for Halloween! 

Last Pumpkin Patch as a family of 3

My 2nd baby shower thrown by my mom and two of my great friends!

November:

We finally finished Jordan and Gabrielle's bedroom. I am very happy with how it turned out! We still have her newborn pictures to hang on the wall above her crib but we are done! 

My 3rd, and final, shower thrown by some of my closest girlfriends! 

I got my maternity pictures taken.

 We took Jordan to see Santa before Gabrielle arrived! 

December:

Last picture as a family of three! There is always someone with their eyes closed.

Headed to have a baby! 

Gabrielle Amara Patel born December 5, 2013 at 9:54am.

 

Life After Baby #2

Hello? Is anyone out there? No? Okay!

I don't really expect to still have many, if any, followers left. I know that I kind of left everyone hanging back in September. Truth is, life got busy. I was showered by my amazing friends and family. The holiday season got into full swing and before you know it, it was Thanksgiving. We were really hoping that Ms. Gabrielle would make her appearance at Thanksgiving but no such luck. Instead, she decided to grace us with her presence on December 5th! My labor and delivery was quick. They started the induction at 7:00am and she was born, epidural free, at 9:54am. She weighed 6lbs 14oz. She is perfect.

 

So, what is life with two children like? Busy! Gabrielle is a diva (that's code for high maintenance). We got off to a rough start with breast feeding. She wanted no part of latching but took a bottle like a champ. Because she wouldn't latch well, and when she did it wasn't for very long, I was exclusively pumping. Breastfeeding alone is difficult. Pumping exclusively is that much harder. There is a schedule. There is a pump to lug around...

Side note: For those of you that are thinking of having children (or more children), breastfeeding does not come naturally to everyone. It wasn't natural with Jordan and it wasn't natural with Gabrielle. Don't beat yourself up over it. Being a mom for the first time, second time, tenth time, is hard enough, don't stress yourself out if you can't get the hang of it initially. If you're the ambassador of the "breast is best" committee, don't leave me any nasty comments. I wish someone would have told me that from the beginning. But, now I know and I'm passing on the information.

Anyway, I exclusively pumped for the first month. We found a groove and we were rolling with it. That was until she decided that she needed more milk than I was producing. We talked to our pediatrician about the best thing to do, given that we were having a latch problem. He suggested that instead of feeding her breast milk for every bottle to supplement every other bottle. We were okay with that. My motto is "happy mommy, happy baby." And that's where we are currently. I'm still pumping but still offering her the breast. Some days she feeds like a pro. Other days, she wants no part of it.

Sleep: Surprisingly, she has been sleeping through the night since about 4 weeks old. It isn't anything that we did. I don't know the secret. What I do know is that I woke up in a panic one night because my breasts were full and I hadn't heard her crying. Well, she was still sleeping. She typically sleeps from 10:00-6:30. Again, I don't know what the secret is but we are rolling with it!

Brotherly Love: I've had a lot of people ask me how Jordan was adjusting to having a sister. Honestly, he loves it. I was very nervous and carried a lot of mommy guilt over bringing a new child into the home. Jordan is a very sweet and caring person but I didn't know how he would react. It's been just the three of us for close to five years. He has all of my attention at home. I have to say though, I am very proud of him. He doesn't show any signs of jealousy. He loves to hold Gabrielle and give her kisses. We are working on him being a bit more "gentle" but overall, I can't complain.


We are so blessed and so excited to see what God has in store for us next. I am going to try and blog at least once a month to keep everything/everyone updated. I'm on Instagram (daniellepatel) if you want to be more up to date on the happenings of my life!

Until next time...

 

Bump Attack: Weeks 26-28

HELLO THIRD TRIMESTER!!!

Weight Gain: 22lbs

Cravings: I've moved on from Twizzlers and now I am loving ice cream sundaes. We went to a ice cream parlor themed party and from that point on, I was hooked. I think I should have stuck with the twizzlers. LOL!

Symptoms: My sciatica is still hanging around. I see the chiropractor weekly and also get massages in hopes of relieving the pain. So far, I don't know whether it's working or not. What I do know if that I am still walking with a limp. It's no unbearable, like it had been, but it's definitely still present.

My ankles and feet have started to swell. Honestly, I knew it was just a matter of time. I am trying to "rest" as much as possible but some days, it just doesn't happen.

Wedding Rings: Still on and still loose.

What's New: I passed my glucose test!!! You know that I was nervous about this test. I knew that not passing wouldn't be the end of the world but I wanted to pass so badly. With the good news came slightly bad news, I'm anemic. This also, isn't the end of the world, but it does explain my exhaustion. I upped my iron supplement dosage and hopefully that will help.

What's Next: Nothing too exciting! I will have my first shower on October 12th. For now, we are just trucking along, counting down the weeks!

I've had a couple of people ask how I am decorating the nursery. Truth be told, there really isn't a "nursery." Jordan and Gabrielle will share a room. Luckily the room is big enough for each of them to have their own space. Here is a glimpse at the baby bedding that we are having made!

My dad is coming to paint in the next couple of weeks and then we will be in Operation "Room Change." I am going to take pictures to document the process so stay tuned!

Counting down the weeks...11 weeks to go!

Our 4th/5th anniversary at The Melting Pot. 27 weeks!

 

Bump Attack: Week 22-26

Weight Gain: 18lbs...again, I'm not surprised.

Cravings: I'm still loving Twizzlers! Oh, and I also found a new love for waffle bowl (not cones...this could mean trouble) and ice cream. 

Symptoms: the morning sickness is completely gone! Wahoo! I am so happy to be over that hurdle. 

The round ligament pain and sciatica hit at the same time and I thought for sure thy I was having a baby. Not only could I not walk without a limp, I then couldn't walk completely upright. It was rough. Several times I cried. But, it's getting better and that's all thy matters! 

Rings: Still on! 

What's Next? I have to take my glucose test again. I passed the first one with flying colors. This time around, it's routine (everyone has to take it at 27/28 weeks) and I'm praying that I pass it again! 

We are steady purging our house to make room for baby girl. My dad is coming to paint in a few weeks then we will put up the crib and the bedding. I'm starting to get a little antsy! Only 13 weeks and counting! 

Bump Attack: Week 20-22

Weight Gain: 16lbs...WHAT! Honestly, I had a feeling that all of the dessert would catch up to me. Time to reel it all back in.

Cravings: sweets...dessert to be exact. Also, Twizzlers, I  never used to like those things but I love them now.

Symptoms/Aches/Pains: No Zofran in 2 weeks!!! I am keeping my fingers crossed that morning sickness is a thing of the past. Fatigue: yeah, I'm still exhausted. I have come to grips with the fact that I may just be tired through this whole pregnancy. My shoulder pain has subsided. I think the pregnancy pillow is helping a lot. The sciatic pain...totally different story. Ms. Thing is sitting right on my sciatic nerve causing me to lose balance if I get up too fast. Sometimes, my leg will just give out on me, for no reason. I have been walking around like a little old lady for the past 4 days. My mom called it "The Pregnant Girl" shuffle today. LOL

Wedding Rings: Still on!

What's New? We decided that we needed to get rid of all of Jordan's clothes before we went crazy buying stuff for baby girl. Know what that means?!? That means 9 tubs of clothes and shoes to sort through. We knew that we wanted to sell as much as we could and then we will donate the rest. I have been sorting, tagging, and pinning clothes for nearly a week. I'm surprised my eyes aren't crossed.

This little guy started school last week! It's bitter sweet.

 

Bump Attack: Week 18-20

Weight Gain: 12lbs

Cravings: Same as before, nothing new! Aversions: none really. Nothing tastes good and everything tastes good, all at the same time!

Symptoms: I haven't taken my Zofran is 4 days! Wahoo! I am hoping and praying that we are at the end of the morning sickness. Fingers crossed!


 Fatigue...goodness. I was telling Ashish that I refuse to believe that I am going to be this tired until this pregnancy is over. I need an IV of caffeine some days. Geesh!

Boy or Girl? GIRL GIRL GIRL!

Maternity Clothes: I'm still able to wear most of my clothes. My jeans are a little too tight toward the end of the day but it's not horrible.

Stretch Marks: no new ones!

Aches and Pains: I feel like I traded one symptom for another because my shoulders have been killing me. At first I thought that I pulled something but just as fast at the pain came, it went, the first time. The second time that I experienced the pain, it was in the other shoulder and there really wasn't any reason for it. The only thing that I can attribute the pain to is trying to sleep on my side. I am a back sleeper and I am beginning to train myself to sleep on my side. Well, my shoulders are all uneven creating pain in each shoulder. I hope that I can get comfortable soon. Not being able to lift my arms up is starting to become annoying.

Wedding Rings: Still on!

We are in nursery prep around here. Jordan and baby girl will share a room so we are trying to get everything sorted out before we buy more furniture.

Thanks to everyone that sent their well wishes about the baby. You ladies are the best!