Post Partum Jeans

For some reason, subconscious or otherwise, I have an obsession with jeans.This obsession was brought on from having babies. While I have written before about pre pregnancy jeans, I feel that post partum jeans deserve some attention. I think most women can agree that finding a pair of jeans that fit well and make us feel slim is fairly important (to us anyway). Finding the perfect pair of jeans is no easy task. The larger difficulty is finding the perfect pair of jeans after having a baby. After wearing maternity jeans for months, getting into a normal “feel good” pair … Continue reading

The Pre Pregnancy Jeans (Part II)

I lost twenty pounds in the first few weeks after my daughter was born. Of course I still had the ten pounds left from my first pregnancy. At two weeks post partum I was able to fit into a pair of my post first pregnancy pre second pregnancy jeans. Granted these particular jeans were a bit loose pre pregnancy and at two weeks post partum they were a little tight. Nonetheless, I was very happy that I could fit into these pre pregnancy jeans (which was very different from my first pregnancy; I bought jeans that were four sizes larger … Continue reading

The Pre Pregnancy Jeans

There is a lot of anticipation for post partum women to get back into their pre pregnancy jeans. It seems to be an ever present goal one that marks the successful manipulation of the post pregnant body back to what is considered normal. To an even greater extent, a woman’s pre pregnancy jeans fitting again after giving birth is the litmus test that the woman has officially bounced back. This has been my position from the very beginning of my first pregnancy. I thought that if my pre pregnancy jeans fit again after my baby was born, then I would … Continue reading

The Skinny Jeans

At seven weeks post partum, I was itching for a new pair of jeans. After wearing the same maternity skinny jeans for over six weeks post partum, I was more than ready to put those jeans away with the rest of my maternity clothes. I have been exercising nearly every day for the last three weeks. Even though I am not back into all my pre-pregnancy clothes, all but one pair of my pre-pregnancy jeans fit again, which in my mind justified a new pair of jeans and not just any jeans; a pair of well fitting dark wash skinny … Continue reading

Losing the Pregnancy Weight Part III

Burning calories is some what intangible. I really have no idea how many calories I am burning each day by breast feeding my daughter. I would like to give credit to a healthier diet and a commitment to long term exercise for my seemingly quicker come back from having my daughter. Having these habits in the beginning really do make a difference. At almost five weeks post-partum I have not actively worked at loosing the excess weight for very long. My efforts have just begun and I am determined to get closer to my pre-pre pregnancy weight (what I weighted … Continue reading

Losing the Pregnancy Weight Part I

Losing the baby weight can be and often is a rather difficult challenge. With my first pregnancy, I did not have the long established habit of regular exercise; I was well within the normal and healthy body mass index but I had very little muscle tone; I was not in shape. I began exercising with my first pregnancy (talk about a real motivating reason to exercise). Even though I exercised regularly throughout my first pregnancy, my workouts were really tame. The biggest challenge came after my son was born. I had gained about twenty pounds more than I had wanted … Continue reading

Pregnancy Reflections: Exercise

I cannot reiterate enough how important it is to exercise frequently and consistently throughout pregnancy. The results are quite amazing. I first became committed to exercise with my first pregnancy. I did not exercise nearly as frequently or intensely with my first pregnancy nor was I as consistent with my workout routine. I gained more weight with my first pregnancy and it took me over six months to get close to my pre-pregnancy size. I was also in the process of transitioning to a whole food diet with local and organic foods. It was during the post pregnancy phase of … Continue reading

Autumn and Pregnancy

Autumn is a glorious season, one that I have not had the pleasure of experiencing for the last five years. I always felt a considerable loss as I went off to work during the autumn months year after year. With much anticipation my husband, son, and I returned to the Midwest with high hopes for cooler temperatures and the changing leaves of red, orange, and yellow. Having endured late pregnancy during the hot summer months in the desert with my first pregnancy, I was particularly looking forward to the cooler temperatures that the Midwest would afford me during this pregnancy. … Continue reading

Make Your Own Humorous Pregnancy T-shirts

You’ve probably seen the cute maternity t-shirts that have funny slogans like “I’m a Baby Machine.” Sometimes the shirts feature puns or funny pictures. The only problem I had with these shirts when I was pregnant was how expensive they are. Some of the shirts I found were running for $40. That is just too much for a shirt that I’m only going to wear a few times during the next 6 months. Making your own funny t-shirts is easy if you have a few basic, solid color maternity shirts and iron-on-transfer paper for your ink jet or laser printer. … Continue reading

A Green Pregnancy

I’m not one to jump on the bandwagon “just because,” but I’m glad to see environmentalism reach a peak of popularity in our society. Living “green” is often synonymous with a frugal lifestyle, living responsibly and gratitude for our resources. No matter what your reasons are for going green, it’s a move that benefits everyone. You can do little things in every area of your life to reduce your footprint, even during pregnancy. Having a green pregnancy could mean restricting yourself to a completely organic diet, but not everyone has that kind of grocery budget and there is more to … Continue reading