I’ve been a little busy here at the Beaudoin homestead, so
please pardon the lapse in blogging. Today marks my last day of maternity
leave. While it is certainly not a vacation, the time flew by faster than I
expected. The first month (especially weeks 1-2) were literally about survival.
Our focus was on keeping the baby safe, fed, rested, and happy. Much of those
weeks were a blur as I reflect now. I had a sense that my life had completely
changed (and it sure had!), but it was also overwhelming to realize that all
the “me” time I had enjoyed was basically gone. Even though we had the birth
classes, support from friends and family, nothing totally prepared me for this
life altering realization. I had to figure out ways to adjust my workouts and
routine to accommodate a changed body and new family.
In the early weeks, I struggled to transition to healthy
food choices (I just really did not eat much at all which was an extension of
the third trimester) and motivation to go walking. Once I did get the baby in
the Tula carrier, sling, or wrap, I found the benefits to be valuable for my
sanity and True’s comfort. He loves being carried and close, so we mutually
benefitted from babywearing. I acknowledged that time and my body would not be
ready for major workouts until at least 6 weeks. Frustration with this was
eased by the fact that I had a completely natural water birth and went home 5
hours after our son was born. My body had been to war and back in record time!
If I had a few granola bars or a slice of pizza for a bit, it was OK. In time,
I would get back (and possibly be stronger) to where I wanted to be physically
and emotionally.
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| 1 Week Newborn Photo session |
So here I am…12 weeks later. I have been out for many walks,
a few runs, one bike ride, and completed a round of the 21 Day Fix (and a
somewhat 80/20 round as well). I also turned 35 this month--but age is a state of mind right? I dedicate a minimum of 30 minutes to working
out every day. If True is in the bouncy chair near me and I have to hit pause
and hang with him for a bit, that is fine too. I’ve made it happen. It makes me
a better human and a better mother. I joined a Beachbody
challenge/accountability group coached by my good friend Aimee. I’ll be the
first to admit that I was a bit skeptical of the program (and to be truthful
upon my return to Facebook, the posts can get a bit excessive from all the
coaches online), but what worked for me were the 30 minute workouts, food plan,
shakes, and being held accountable to someone. I mean let’s face it, my baby is
not going to tell me to get up and move. I cannot get back to crossfit until I
have a consistent schedule and True is settled into daycare. I absolutely do
not have time to do triathlon workouts spread out through the day. I have a
tiny window in which I need to get maximum benefits from the workout. For that
reason, things like the 21 Day Fix and PiYo (which I’ll start soon) are a great
solution for me now. This is not permanent for me—I want to get back into
triathlons, shorter distance running, and crossfit. I just have to accept that
things look a bit different now. Portion control and easy meals (like shakes)
have been crucial to getting back to pre-baby weight. I’ll admit that most of
the weight just kind of fell off in the first three weeks, but the struggle to
lose the last 10lbs is always real. I’m just 2lbs shy of that pre-baby weight
and 10-15 away from my stretch goals. I genuinely have some abs (I’m convinced
those became WAY stronger while pregnant) and enjoy how I feel when I make
healthy choices. I look forward to changing up my routine when time permits,
but I do strongly recommend the Beachbody workouts for new moms and anyone else
who has limited time. The accountability group is a tremendous resource for
support, recipes, and meal planning ideas.
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| 10 Weeks Postpartum and our first day at the ocean |
Each day (typically morning) True loves to watch me workout,
so I feel this is setting the right example early on. He likes the fresh air on
walks and the calm when we do yoga. It has taken the full twelve weeks, but we
are finally getting into a routine. It would be fantastic if the U.S. would
catch up with other developed nations and offer 6 months to 1 year maternity. I
go back to work tomorrow and know I’ll be fine. But, wouldn’t it be great if
there was more time for mom and baby to continue to develop that bond and then
return to work comfortable knowing developmental milestones have been tended
to? I’m fairly certain this will not be happening anytime soon considering the
current political climate; however, it is something that I hope our leaders
will give more thought to as a new election season approaches—we should empower
women and families rather than setting up obstacles. Maternity/Paternity leaves
are not vacation. For anyone who thinks this, I would have asked you to spend
time with me on Monday for what should have been a quick walk with my dog and
the baby and turned into me needing to hose dead animal off the dog while
trying to calm my very hungry baby who woke up early due to having to detour
back to my house for the dog washing incident J
I think the UPS man took pity on me when he saw me with the dog and the
screaming baby, but he was more than happy to jump back into his truck! Props
to all the families making it work one way or another.
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| Babywearing is a must for us! |
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| Final day of maternity--snuggles |
I’m looking forward to blogging more in the upcoming months
when I have more to report. As far as events on the horizon, I think the main
run I will do is the Turkey Trot 4 miler at Thanksgiving. That will give me
time to train in the fall. I see more runs next year when True hits the 8
month mark and I can jog with him in the BOB. For now, we will keep plugging
away with our short but effective workouts.
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| This little guy is super strong--neck strength, rolling, planking--he's on the move! |
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| Love the Solly wrap |
~Laura
