Weight Loss After 2Nd Baby?

J.

I have an exercise rubber band that I use. It's more for toning than cardio but it really helped me tone up after my pregnancies. There are a series of exercises I do. I generally only do it for 15 minutes at a time or a day if that is all I can manage. The only cardio I do is pushing the stroller. Good luck
L.

Walking is definitely the way to go. If you don't have one yet, invest in a good stroller (or double stroller, since this is your 2nd) that has a wind/rain cover so the kiddies will stay warm and dry while you walk. Make sure you have good walking shoes, plan to bundle up well, and walk, walk, walk. Even in winter! Unless it is icy and snowy, plan to do it 3 times a week. The other two days do a 20-minute pilates routine that works really well, the Mari Windsor Pilates. The fresh air on your walks will make you feel great. Good luck and congratulations!

Breastfeeding is the best weightloss program ever! I have a four month old and an 18 month old and I am now a size smaller than I was prepregnancy with my first!! I am very active from obviously chasing a toddler around but I have yet to start exercising again. Just give yourself sometime and the weight will just melt off.

Congratulations on #2. Be gentle on yourself as most OBs won't clear you for exercise until 6 weeks. I started walking at 4 weeks with my first and it started the bleeding again.
I like arm weights, I do them when the kids are playing -started with 8 pounds each). I also try to do a Pilates DVD 2-3 evenings a weeks- that helped "lift" everything back up. AGain, I think you need to wait a bit more before starting that-its a lot of abdominal work.

Hi J., I was back in my prepregnancy wardrobe (size 5) after delivering my 3 child, within 4 weeks.

I am still breastfeeding, and did it taking all natural herbal and vitamin supplement drink that helps to shed excess water and eliminate excess fat deposits. I have yet to hit the gym, so I can attest that it does work!

I also have some body shaping garments that will help you tighten your belly without hitting the gym.

If you are interested email me at ____@____.com and I will tell you in more detail and send pics of the garments if you are interested.

G.

I very highly recommend Stroller Strides, or if there isn't a group in your area some other kind of stroller fitness class. I am able to bring my son to class, and assuming your first child is still stroll-able you would be able to do it easily with a double stroller. I would never have lost the rest of my baby weight without an out of the home workout like this, but like you I couldn't get out to the gym, find and pay for childcare, etc.

Stroller Strides is a combination of cardio and resistance/strength training to build muscle and burn fat. The exercise combined with the company of other moms is great, because I don't have the time for, nor am I really the type of person to join a mom's group. So, you really get a two-in-one!

Congrats on number 2!!

Best thing I found was just getting outside w/ my daughter in the stroller and go for walks...start slowly at first and build up as your body feels better. You may also consider a excercise ball to do crunches on...it's low impact and safe for you back.

I had a great experience losing weight by attending Weight Watchers meetings. I started when my 2nd baby was just about 2 months old. I had no problem whatsoever with my milk production. I wasn't necessarily eating less (you get alot of points when breastfeeding) but I was eating so much healthier. I lost about 20 pounds over the course of 4-5 months. Weighed less than I did before I got pregnant with my first daughter. I felt really good and was able to bring my two girls to the Mother's meetings. I don't think all locations have these meetings but worth looking into. I found the meetings helpful b/c you are accountable to the scale, get great recipe suggestions and it helps to listen to others going through the same hurdles of losing weight while taking care of kids. It has been almost a year since I first joined. I have gained about 5 pounds or so (haven't been to a meeting since the beginning of the summer)and plan on going to a meeting next week to get back on track. I also have to get myself committed to regular gym workouts. Good luck with whatever you decide!

Hi J.! I agree that the uterus does not shrink as quickly after the second, that was my experience too. It really took me a good year to feel somewhat back to "normal" after my second, but that was not the normal I had before I had any kids! I find that while the scale may say the same thing as it did before having my kids, things have just fallen and settled a little differently now! Anyway, I started by just walking with the stroller to get a little resistance and a better workout. That worked really well! I live in a very hilly area so that was a little bonus. I am a runner, so after a couple weeks of walking I was ready for jogging, then I built back up to a decent run. It honestly took about two months of that stage until I started to feel my breathing settle back into the usual rhythm, and I didn't feel so winded (I also had c-sections, so the recovery was longer and harder). You don't need a gym for either of those options, though I do belong to a gym and I was lifting weights twice a week and doing a circuit routine to try to get the metabolism back up and swinging. You can, however, do this at home, by incorporating jumping jacks, mountain climbers/running man, squats, high jumps, etc., and you could buy a set of 5-lb. and 8-lb. dumbbells and do this sort of thing in your living room. For women it is important to do a little strength training but to try and keep your hear rate up, not just stand there and do a few bicep curls. It is the best way to burn fat.

None of my working out affected my milk production. I limited it to no more than an hour a day, sometimes less, because I did feel very "full" by the time I was done and it got a little uncomfortable. Plus, the baby would usually be ready to eat again at that point. It got a lot easier to predict my kids' eating schedules when they hit the 2 - 3 month mark, so I'd plan accordingly, Good for you for making this effort! I am not a woman for whom weight just naturally falls off, I have to work at it, but I have come to savor my workouts and I feel so great afterwards. Good luck!

Hey J.,
I am a mama of 4 so I can understand the limitations of having more than one and still making time to take care of yourself! I just recently am back to my pre-childbearing weight after 4 babies in 7 years by learning about low glycemic eating and changing my eating habits. It is easy. I also make sure to get moving doing something every day and take good vitamins to keep my energy up. Being a mom of more than one can be exhausting. If you want to know more jlmk, it's pretty easy!