That you gained that little while pregnant is impressive. That you've lost all but 5 pounds of it is extraordinary. And what you said about the skin needing time to shrink is right on. This is an issue that anyone who has lost a significant amount of weight deals with. I yo-yo, but one thing that helps my skin in these circumstances is using creams with Retin-A. From what I understand it helps tighten the skin.
It seem like just a cosmetic issue, but wanting to look the way you remember yourself looking (does that make sense) isn't necessarily about buying into society's representations of women. You looked like your pre-pregnant/post-pregnant self for a long time - I don't think it is such a bad thing to miss that.
Someone told me that your body holds on to about five pounds until you stop breastfeeding as an emergency storage system. Most of the moms I know found this to be true, no matter the shape they were in. You're doing awesome.
kate, hi i'm kate.
saw you in jo(e)'s sidebar.
what a lovely babygirl you have, i've read your birth story.
i've had five babies, the youngest of whom is now six... and i've finally returned to my pre-pregnancy weight - when i was nineteen lol.
the skin on my stomach is still a little stretchy... but heck, it's done this five times.
so, i know you said you're not after accolades, but *three cheers* for you.
for enjoying your baby.
for enjoying the power of your body to grow your baby.
for the energy to return to you.
love
kate in new zealand X
I would say to wait until you're done breast-feeding to worry about those last 5 pounds. So many women I know carry weight in their chest; the weight you are carrying is nourishment.
It takes time to adjust to the new you. Look in the mirror every day and tell yourself how great you look! I found it tough to get used to having actual boobs after number one (I was always pretty flat - never wore a bra before getting pregnant the first time and liked it that way). They just felt so weird. I felt really self conscious hugging people but I did get used to them, good thing cause the girls never went back to the way they were before.
Body image is a strange thing - you are doing awesome!
I second what LL said. It takes time to get back to your "old body." And even when you get back to your pre-baby weight, you won't look the same. Here is the reality: you carried La Dudarina inside you for 9 months. That profoundly changed you emotionally, intellectually, and, yes, physically. As I've blogged about, I look basically the same that I did before I got pregnant with Wild Man except my breasts are a bit droopier (absolutely nothing to do with b-feeding, and everything to do with going up and down 4 cup sizes while pregnant and nursing) and my stomach is a bit rounder. I manage to exercise, although not as much as I'd like, so I feel like I'm in good shape. But, like you, (and I imagine almost every other mother in the world who can't afford to hire a full-time personal trainer, a chef, and a nanny) I am occasionally nostalgic for my pre-Wild Man body. Here's the thing though: I'm more muscular and fitter now than I was before he was born (lugging around a baby has given me the biceps that lifting weights never did!). Try to remember that you're only 7 weeks post-partum--and you totally kick ass for getting back to your workout routine so quickly.
Dear Kat,
From my own experience, your breasts need some time to realize that they don't have to be humongous to make milk. Eventually, say 3-4 months, they will get smaller, even though they will be delivering much more milk than they do now. I went from a very polite samllish B-cup to a size H(!) cup, I kid you not. I could hardly stand straight. I did go up in size somewhat permanently, to a largish B-smallish C. The belly was gone within 6 weeks after #1, this took 6 months after #2, after #3, we're (almost) 3 years, and counting. Mind you, there were 9 years between #1 and #3.
You are totally kick-ass, and breast-feeding is the best thing you can do for your baby, and for regaining the body you want. With exercise and patience, the rest will come.
Um, you are awesome. Seriously.
But I know how you feel. I felt terrible about my body post partum, because without the excuse of being pregnant, I just felt fat. And getting back into shape after a C-section was a lot harder than I thought. So, yeah. I know how hard it was (and how hard it continues to be).
But seriously, way to kick ass. I'm totally in awe of your post-partum fitness. That's why I want to be K8 when I grow up.
Have you seen images of Mother goddesses from Malta? They are awesome with huge hips bellies and breasts. It is all part of being a Mum.
http://www.maltesering.com/
archa...her_goddess.asp
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