6-Week Postpartum Update: Expectation vs Reality
I gave birth to my third daughter six weeks ago. For the most part, my pregnancy was uncomplicated. My biggest problem was circulation issues in my groin and legs which significantly reduced my ability to strength train and run. Mentally, this was extremely difficult. I struggle with anxiety and overwhelm when I can’t do identity-affirming activities, which for me is a clean diet and exercise.
I was induced the day after my due date. After thirteen hours of labor and two pushes, she was out! While the pregnancy and delivery were fairly easy, I had very different expectations about what the newborn stage would look like with my third which I will get into below.
Postpartum Body Changes and Current Fitness Routine
My body healed pretty quickly after delivery. I had an uncomplicated vaginal delivery with no tearing. I started regularly walking a few days after giving birth and light jogging at two weeks postpartum. This is by no means a recommendation. However, since this was my third birth, I listened to my body and did not push myself to do more than I was ready to do. Also, I had been seeing a pelvic floor therapist throughout my pregnancy due to the circulation issues mentioned above and did all activities under her guidance.
Going forward, I am going to continue to focus on five days a week of strength training with alternating body parts and running two to three days a week to train for a half marathon I’m running in December.
Diet and Nutrition
I struggled with low milk supply with my other two babies so this time I focused my diet on food and nutrients that will help maintain my supply and provide me with the nutrition to keep up my energy.
On a typical day, I start off with a protein and nutrient-packed smoothie. Lunch is usually some kind of combination of protein and vegetables (salads or stir-frys). To be honest, dinner is all over the place at the moment. I try to eat dinner with the big girls but depending on the baby’s mood, that doesn’t always happen.
Going forward, I’m going to focus on keeping up my protein intake and hydration, especially as my training increases. I’ll do a separate post dedicated specifically to supplementation.
Emotional Rollercoaster
I have had different emotional responses to each pregnancy. This time around the overwhelm and stimulation overload has been difficult. Millie was born the same week the big girls started school and our schedules have been jam-packed since she arrived. Looking back, I should have said no to activities and events that I wasn’t ready for but instead, I pushed forward with it all and regretted the strain it put on me and Millie. Additionally, I had unrealistic expectations of the baby. I assumed the third child would seamlessly adapt to our active lifestyle. While that may be true down the road, I shouldn’t have expected this from her first few weeks of her little life.
For the next six weeks, I’m only saying yes to activities and events that bring me joy. I’ll never have this precision time with Millie at this stage again and I’m OK being selfish with my time.
Sleep Deprivation
At six weeks postpartum, I get between four and six hours of sleep a night. On the days when my sleep is on the lower end, I have learned to pare down expectations and activity and focus on recovery. This could mean fitting in a nap mid-day, spending extra time in the sauna, or taking a warm bath and going to bed early.
Going forward, I’m hoping for longer stretches of sleep for the baby which will mean more sleep for me. With the other two babies, I found the best routine for me is to wake up one to two hours before the baby each morning to fit in my workouts and get myself ready for the day before being interrupted by the chaos of kids.
I’m so very grateful for the time off of my corporate job to be able to spend with Millie. I’m looking forward to using this time to start taking clients again and enjoying all of the newborn milestones as they come.
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