how much pregnancy weight did you gain? + Whole Foods Champions

so the big question has been 'how much weight did you gain from your 2nd fit pregnancy!?'. my hubby kept track of my stats cause i didn't care to know them one bit (screw the scale!).  he finally revealed them just for this post, so here goes:

starting weight: 151 lbs.

40 week weight: 181 lbs.

1 day postpartum weight: 167 lbs.

1 day postpartum progress pic:

so a 30 lb. gain (i gained 26 with my first pregnancy) and a 14. lb loss before leaving the hospital.  what do those lost lbs. include?  see that awesome chart below.  there is so much more going on in here/there than just plain ol' 'weight'/fat gain from excess eating. on delivery day, the baby, the placenta, and a ton of fluid exits your body.  my OB told me i would feel more menstrual cramping while breastfeeding as my uterus shrank back down to size and i definitely did.

as the days pass (i'm now on postpartum day 9) the lbs keep dropping with the help of breastfeeding, proper nutrition (plenty of fruits, veggies, good fat, lean protein, good carbs for the most part, and WATER) even though these boobs still feel like 5 lbs each.  Hubs will measure my body fat percentage next.

aaaggghh, i have kidS!!!

Fathers' Day on the left, and 7 days postpartum before heading out to Odego's 1 week checkup on the right. good nutrition goes a long way and pays you BACK! but as you guys already know the road to postpartum recovery started with an active lifestyle and proper nutrition before i even got preggo.  visit www.6packUSA.com (or click on the icon over there in the sidebar)  for more info on how to get your own 6 week nutrition and workout plan, or email me at leah.egwuatu@packusa.com with any questions you have about our program. i can't wait to get back to my workouts soon as i'm cleared to do so!  for now, walking to the mailbox and back is pretty much it until that fateful day.

i definitely remember feeling like i would never get better 'down there' my first week after having Chiso in 2011. this round, breastfeeding led the pack as far as pain level though.  Odego was born on tuesday and my breasts were a lot fuller by thursday evening when we arrived home. but uuuh, friday morning? BOOM. engorged city. felt like i was being suffocated by an extremely tight inner tube around my chest and the soreness extended under both arms.  heavy, sore, sensitive, sandbags.  and i haven't even started on the nipples!!!  over time my supply has finally adjusted to Odego's needs, but this is what has helped make that transition a little easier:

• prayer and patience

• nipple cream

 this super thick, non-greasy Lanolin nipple cream by Lansinoh has been a God-send and has kept my nipples from falling off.   i apply it after every shower and feeding.

• nipple shield

my mom helped me get the boy's room organized and she found a brand new unopened nipple shield in some of Chiso's old things!! cause i sure was about to go buy one.  now that the pain has almost subsided, i'm using it less and less these days.

•   nurse, nurse, nurse, pump, pump, pump

Odego would nurse for 10 min on one breast, completely pass out, and leave me in pain! when he would wake up i would nurse him on the other breast until he fell asleep again to keep it even, but again, they were SO full i still needed relief.  my lactation consultant told me to pump  only to relieve the pressure, but to NOT empty my breasts like i reeeally wanted to. else, the milk would come right on back full force to keep up with 'Odego's' demand. remember that, 1st time bfeeding moms!  i LOVE my dual electric backpack Medela pump.

• hot showers + massaging and compressing

simultaneously of course.  this helped to soften the nipple/areola area and reduce overall tightness so that Odego could even latch properly.  i took warm baths all the way up to my 40th week, so hot showers have been pretty magical and really do make you feel like a new woman according to one of my postpartum nurses.  after giving birth to Odego, he immediately started sucking his fingers in my mom's arms and probably did so in my womb as well.  so thankfully, latching hasn't been a problem for us! enough about boobs.

  north side Houston peeps, LOOK!

unfortunately, i missed the media opening last friday, but was so honored to be invited!

 Whole Foods Champions is officially open as of yesterday, June 25th! i grew up on the north side so i will definitely be making the drive to check out the new store regardless. enjoy it, northsiders!

le