Post-Pregnancy Challenge #2: Aching Back

Is it me or does this kid just keep getting heavier? Don't get me wrong- its a good thing! The first few months of his life I agonized over every ounce he gained or lost and fought to get him back to his birth weight- which finally reached by six weeks or so. Now he's weighing in at about 28 lbs or so. I wish I could tell you more accurately but you try getting him to stand still on the bathroom scale long enough for it to read anything but "ERR"! Needless to say- my back aches on his clingier days and I don't think I'm the only one out there with a sore back... am I?

So what does our "Lean Mommy" author and fitness guru, Lisa Druxman, have to say about how to alleviate post-pregnancy back pain? She recommends safe lifting practices for everyday activities such as nursing and picking up baby and all of his/her gear. This means that when you are breastfeeding you should bring your baby to your breast and not the other way around. When picking up baby and all of their gear make sure you bend your knees and lift with your legs instead of your back.

Lisa also recommends exercises to strengthen your core (abs and back muscles) and keep your torso strong and stable. Here are a few that you can try at home:
1. Supermoms: lie face-down on your stomach with your legs straight and arms out overhead, tighten glutes and raise thighs and upper arms and inch or two off floor, hold, lower, and repeat

2. Plank: Lie on your stomach with legs extended and prop yourself up on your forearms, pull in abs away from floor to engage muscles in entire torso, raise hips and then knees off floor until you are up on your toes with your body forming a straight line from head to toe. Make sure your hips neither sag nor stick up in the air, breathe normally, hold, rest, and repeat!

Post-Pregnancy Challenge #1: Poor Posture

There's no doubt about it- carrying that baby (and later the leftover baby weight) in your belly takes a toll on your posture. Our center of gravity shifts forward to make room for a growing baby which can lead to increased curves in our lower and upper backs, forward tilting of our hip bones and even a slight jutting forward of our head and neck. To make matters worse, mommies (myself included) tend to spend a lot of time hunched over doing things like feeding baby, taking baby in and out of the car seat, crib, or swing, taking things in and out of the dryer and dishwasher, and (ahem) catching up with old friends on Facebook! Our muscles can strengthen to support our mom-posture and if we don't do anything to rebalance ourselves we can become stuck with this poor posture for life!

If you know me, you know this is one of my big things, and I'm reminding myself as much as I'm reminding you: Stand up nice and tall, shoulders back and down, and abs in tight!

Additionally, fitness expert Lisa Druxman, in her book "Lean Mommy", recommends the following stretches and exercises to help reestablish good healthy posture:

1. Stretch the muscles in the chest (clasp hands together behind your back and pull away from your body until you feel the stretch in your chest).
2. Strengthen the opposing muscles in your upper back with a tubing row or a tubing lat pull down.

So stand up tall, roll those shoulders back and down and pull those abs in tight- and come on out and workout with some new friends at a Stroller Strides class near you!

Post-Pregnancy Challenge #3: Too much belly & too many pounds

I had been warned by many who had gone before me not to expect to be able to shimmy into my pre-pregnancy jeans for the post-delivery trip home from the hospital. But I wasn't prepared for how long it took to look and feel like myself again. I remember one particular day when I broke down in tears in my mother-in-law's kitchen because none of my clothes fit. My regular jeans didn't fit up past my thighs, my maternity jeans kept falling down, and my shirts were all too tight or short because of my giant nursing boobs- ahh! It felt like a bad dream- I couldn't even dress myself! Needless to say, sleep deprivation did not help!


Here is a picture of Monty and I a week or so after coming home from the hospital... I'm being vulnerable here people! This is the closest I came to being in front of the camera for several weeks.

The great news is that your stomach, like mine, will naturally recede as you lose your baby weight. Being active and making smart food choices are key to taking off those inches and pounds and following some of Lisa Druxman's tummy-tightening moves will help you do it easily, safely, and in a way that is more likely to result in permanent change. In her book, "Lean Mommy", she recommends the following exercises:
1. Isometric crunch: on your back, knees bent, feet on the ground, hands behind your head to support your neck, raise your upper body (concentrating on bringing your ribcage to your hip bones) and hold for 15 seconds, slowly working up to being able to hold for longer and longer, rest and repeat

2. Oblique crunch*: in same position, cross right ankle over left knee, lift and rotate your torso (leading with your left shoulder) to the right side and hold for 5 seconds, slowly working up to being able to hold for 10 seconds, rest and repeat

*If your doctor told you that you have a split in your abdominal muscles and you should be careful exercising, please inform and consult with your Stroller Strides instructor- we can give you safe modifications!*

10 Common Post-Pregnancy Challenges

1. Poor posture
2. Aching back
3. Too much belly & too many pounds
4. Uncontrolled peeing or leaking
5. Separated abdominal muscles
6. Scrunched shoulders
7. Discomfort or pain in your wrists
8. No time to eat right or take care of yourself
9. Tired all the time
10. Baby blues

Any of these sound familiar? Over the next few weeks I'll tackle them one by one- sharing my experiences with each and what pre and postnatal fitness expert, Lisa Druxman, has to say about how to overcome them!

How soon can you exercise?

I had a 9 lb 8 oz baby boy in January of 2009 via c-section. It was a matter of fetal distress, lack of dilation, fetal positioning, etc but he came out big and healthy and I have no regrets. Well, maybe I regret gaining so much weight during those 10 months- but thats for another post!

Those first few weeks after my c-section are pretty much a blur in my mom-memory. But I do remember how good it felt to get out of the house and push my new baby around the neighborhood in the stroller. At first I made it only to the corner and back. But day by day I went a little further and felt better and better. Was it the change of scenery? the fresh February air? Regardless- it felt so good and I made it a habit to get out daily for a stroll.

I couldn't tell you what my doctor recommended for exercise those first few weeks (blame the mommy-brain) but I'm pretty sure the advice was simply to wait until my postpartum checkup. Even though I'm not currently pregnant I think a lot about how I want things to go next time around. I think I'd like to try a VBAC (a vaginal birth after cesarean) mostly so I can get back to teaching Stroller Strides class faster. But whichever way it works out for me- what kind of exercises will I be able to do during those first 6 weeks? Here is some great info on that very subject...

Click the link!

Are you getting enough protein in your diet, moms-to-be?

Luna Moms Club Tip of the Week:
Protein provides materials for the growing tissues, including the placenta, the mother's blood, and the baby. You can get more calcium into your diet by adding in eggs, fish (avoid those high in mercury), poultry and beef, tofu and cottage cheese. Aim for 74 grams of protein daily during pregnancy.

Keeping Kids Cool in the Stroller

Starting July 1st (a Friday) we're moving Stroller Strides classes to 9am. This is an effort to keep our moms and kids out of the midday heat. However, it can still be pretty steamy here any time of day in the Raleigh area so I thought I'd share some ideas to keep kids cool in the stroller. Feel free to comment with your own ideas for keeping kids cool in the stroller too!

*Keep baby hydrated with a water bottle or sippy cup of nice cool water- don't forget one for yourself too!

*Bring a snack of frozen fruit to be eaten in the stroller

*Keep your kiddo up to 10 degrees cooler with a Stroll-n-Cool stroller insert ($53 including shipping).

*Provide plenty of shade for baby. If your stroller lacks a large enough canopy to provide shade- try one of these products...

*Shade your baby in the stroller with a fashionable parasol from BabySunX ($42.99).


*Shade your infant in his/her car seat with a darling Airy Cotton Car Seat Cover from BabbCo ($50).


*A "ray" shade (available on Amazon, Target.com, Babies R'Us, etc).

Check out these items and more at www.strollerstrides.com in the Stroller Strides store under "Stroller and Class Accessories".

Of course, Monty's favorite way to keep cool in the stroller is to dump his water bottle on himself... he's wet, but happy! Whatever works, right?!