So wanted to give a quick update on how I’m progressing post baby. Btw Cameron is doing great!! Gaining lots of weight & bringing me so much joy daily. I love him so much!! Today marks 7 weeks post partum. My weight loss has actually stalled since about 4 weeks after I gave birth so I still have 10 pounds to lose to get down to my pre pregnancy weight. Everyone’s body is different & I can’t say I’m not a little jealous of those who drop all their pregnancy weight super quick lol! However I am a hard worker & everything is always sweeter when it’s actually a challenge! Makes you appreciate it that much more! 💪💪

I am also still exclusively breast feeding so maintaining my milk supply is extremely important to me. That means I have to make sure I’m eating enough & drinking enough. I was not previously tracking my calories up until now but I started last week to track so I had a better idea of where I was at. I do think I may have been eating a bit too much so I am now making a conscious effort to eat a bit less. I don’t really want to track everything 7 days a week so I’m just planning on tracking here & there right now to make sure I’m staying accountable.

Now that I’m cleared to exercise I have started running again & doing strength training. Currently I’m doing strength training sessions 3-4x a week & 15-45 minutes of cardio 5-6x a week (walking with Cameron in a body carrier or running). I am keeping my strength training to 15 minutes or less bc Cameron really hasn’t been napping much or for very long during the day & that’s a realistic amount of time I can commit now.

Below are a couple recent workouts I did that are quick, require no equipment, can be done in a small.space, & are effective at hitting many muscle groups at once.  One is a lower body workout & one is a core focused workout.

Workout A (lower body focus)
✳ 4 sets of 20 walking lunges (20 steps total)

✳ 4 sets of 10/ leg reverse lunges with front kick (lunge backwards with one leg then immediately kick same leg forward)
✳ 3 sets of 10 sumo squats (squats with feet turned outward 45 degrees-squeeze glutes hard at end of squat)
✳ 4 sets of 12-15 glute bridges (squeeze glutes hard at top of bridge & hold few seconds)

 
Workout B (core focus)
✳ 3 sets of 20 reps Russian Twists
(Lay on back & place palms together elbows out to sides as shown in pic below, crunch upper body up & bring legs up too as shown below, twist to one side to tap elbow to floor engaging abs entire time then twist opposite way & tap elbow to floor, each tap is 1 rep)

✳ 3 sets of 30 ab holds with flutter kicks
(Lay on back, legs straight out, hands palm down under lower back, crunch upper body up & bring both legs off floor at same time, cross feet over each other (changing which foot is on top each time) each cross is 1 rep)

✳ 3 sets of side planks with hip dips
(Begin in side plank position, hold side plank for 15 seconds then tap bottom hip to floor & return to start, do 5 taps then hold side plank position again for another 15 seconds. Repeat on other sure to complete 1 set)
I would suggest doing less or more reps or sets than I listed based on your personal fitness level. I consider myself fairly strong but i have def lost strength. The reps & sets I listed was challenging but not super intense for me. i want to get a great workout in but I dont want to push so hard I injure myself.  Also I do not rest or I rest very little between exercises & sets.  That helps intensify the workout & make it that much quicker too!

I will be doing new workouts every week so let me know if you want to see more of them!  Thanks for reading 💗

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(L-R top to bottom- 3 mths 4 mths, 5 mths, 1 week postpartum front, 6 mths, 7 mths, 8 mths, 1 week p.p. side)

So I had every intention of writing a blog post close to labor and taking a final 9 month photo closer to the end of the 9 months however my little guy decided to come out early.  I was getting a little stir crazy and was looking forward to meeting him early however I had heard from so many people that the first one usually comes late and the labor is long, etc, etc.  I really did not think he would come out early lol!  I had inquired on social media other mom’s ideas for naturally inducing and got a bunch of mostly fun ideas & I had planned on trying most of them out however one of the first ones I started with seemed to do the trick bc I went into labor the night I ate these Labor Cookies lol.  You can try them for yourself but no guarantees haha!  The recipe will be at the end of this post.

So the last bit of my pregnancy I started to get really uncomfortable.  I did manage to run a 5k at 36 weeks (slow and steady pace) and I felt really good but there were plenty of days I rested more than anything.  My heartburn was terrible still also so I was having a hard time eating and ate kinda a lot of ice cream and just carbs at the end lol!  My weight had gone up a bit and was going back and forth between 27-28 pound gain.  The day before I went into labor it was 27 pounds up so that is what I will say my total gain was.

About 3 days before I went into labor I had gotten sick and was having some contractions so the Dr had told me to come into the hospital.  I ended up getting checked out and having an IV but besides that I was fine & sent home.  I was generally feeling ok so I made these labor cookies with the help of my hubby.  They tasted pretty good and so I ate 7 of them bc the recipe said to eat as many as you could lol!  That night I started having really bad contractions and bleeding lightly.  I called and they said the contractions were too far apart.  About an hour and half later I started bleeding heavily still with far apart contractions so they told me to come to hospital.  I went in and the Dr said the baby’s head was too low so they broke my water and gave me pitocin.  The pain was horrible and the total labor was 10 hours.  I really don’t remember parts of it.  The best part was the end when I saw my beautiful son Cameron’s face.  Cameron Jaxson Brockner was born almost exactly 2 weeks early at 6 pounds 12 ounces 19.3″ long and perfectly healthy.  My joy is indescribable!!!

So as to be expected mom life takes some getting used to.  Breastfeeding is difficult & I have shed quite a few tears but I am finally getting the hang of it.   Also the sleep deprivation and hormone imbalance is crazy lol!  Thankfully my husband is the sweetest!  Today is 1 week postpartum and I have lost a total of 12 pounds so 15 pounds to go to pre baby weight.  I am only walking a few times a week at this point and will pretty much just do that until I am (hopefully) cleared at 6 weeks to exercise harder.  Currently I am eating whatever I want to also.  Will continue to update my transformation and postpartum journey.  Thanks so much for reading!!

Labor Cookies

So sorry that once again this is late.  Between moving & some additional chaos I just got a bit behind on these lol!  These last few comparison pics will be from my new house so they aren’t going to be exact as far as lighting, angle, etc since it’s a different location but should still be a good comparison!  So everything is still going really well!  I have been going to doctors every 2 weeks and start going weekly very soon.  My little boy looks great and I am feeling pretty good!  I would not say lovely bc I am definitely uncomfortable at times.  Overall though I feel good! 😊

So one thing that is interesting is that my weight has been fluctuating.  I have gained 23-25 pounds depending on day.  I do weight myself daily bc I like to see where I am and it keeps going up then back down.  I was a little concerned but my doctor said that it is totally fine.  The baby is getting bigger and that’s all that matters.  In fact some people lose weight in third trimester so we shall see what happens.  It is weird bc even though I haven’t gained any solid weight for about a month & a half I think my belly looks bigger.  I am pretty sure it is bc of his position though.  It really doesn’t make much sense otherwise lol!

So another thing that has plagued me in last few weeks is heartburn!  I have very rarely had heartburn before.  Less than a handful of times in my life and now it is a daily problem.  It really sucks to be honest with you!  It is probably the worst part of being pregnant that I have experienced so far.  Tums are just not cutting it anymore either!  I was daily taking the maximum amount of Tums and it was still really horrible.  I was having problems eating which isn’t good especially since I am not really gaining weight at this point.

So I have made some dietary changes.  I have been having only 1 cup of coffee a day (I just can’t cut it back anymore than that bc I am not sleeping well & I truly don’t think I can function on no coffee hahaha!).  I have also stopped eating sour foods (super sad bc I have had cravings for sour foods since getting pregnant), stopped eating red pasta sauce, cut way back on bacon, & tried drinking even MORE water which is difficult bc I drink a LOT of water anyways.  None of this has had a significant change on the heartburn although it has helped a little.  So alas I have started taking a heartburn medication that my doctor approved.  He approved Zantac but I am taking the cheaper generic version at the lowest strength possible.  I feel bad taking any medication but this really does help.  I usually take only 1 a day but sometime take the max dose which is 2.

In addition I am drinking this awesome tea I found on Amazon.  It is called Lighthearded by Birds & Bees.  It is not strong enough on its own (I did try just the tea & Tums prior to the pill) but if I drink 2-3 cups of this plus 1 heartburn pill it usually does the trick or at least helps in a massive way.  BTW you cannot take Tums if you are taking the heartburn medication so this is my secondary measure to try to not have to take a 2nd pill.    It really doesn’t have much taste.  Maybe like a weak chamomile I would say.  I make it in my French press & brew for 15 minutes.  Worth the price for sure!!

So another thing I want to share now bc several preganant mom’s have asked me is what I am doing to prevent stretch marks.  Now I will say I am obviously still pregnant so I cannot vouch this 100% works yet lol!  So far no stretchmarks though!  Also I want to say that I do not think stretch marks are something to be ashamed of!! I know many beautiful women with stretchmarks!!!  I know they are inevitable for some people based on genetics, how much they gained, what they were going through at points in their life, among other things.  I think you should, embrace as much as you can what your body is but I am just trying to do my best to do what I can.  I am lucky enough to be able to have the means to do this.

So anyways this is my stack of products: Rosehip oil, Shea Moisture Coconut & Hibiscus oil with vitamim E, Palmer’s  cocoa butter massage lotion, & Palmer’s cocoa butter tummy butter.   All of the things can be found at Walmart or Target except the rosehip oil.  I buy that on Amazon lol.  I did do a lot of research btw so I am trying to use everything I read was really helpful and I am putting them on in the way I read was most beneficial.  So first of all it is best to put these on warmed and damp skin.  It helps the products absorb much better and that is one of the keys from what I read.  So after a shower or bath is ideal.  So twice a day first thing after lightly drying off apply the rosehip oil (1/2 a dropper full), then coconut oil blend, then on top of those I use the cocoa butter massage lotion (in morning) and I use the cocoa butter tummy butter (at night).  I also usually add an additional standard lotion just to kind of help seal everything in bc it can be hard to rub it in fully without  using a faster absorbing one one top.  I know this founds ridiculous & like it takes a long time but it really doesn’t & at least I can say I gave it a valiant effort haha!  I put that concoction everywhere too btw!  Also drinking tons of water is supposed to be helpful with skin stretching so if you’re not already start chugging lol!

Hopefully this helps some people!  I really appreciate you reading this & following this journey with me! 💗💗💗

Some interesting things have been happening lately!  So far in my pregnancy I have generally been able to hide my bump when/if I felt like it but that is pretty much not happening anymore lol!  I am getting asked pretty regularly if I’m pregnant so I guess there is no hiding this little guy anymore!  My stomach is definitely growing forward more and I think my abs are pretty much gone at this point.  They will be back though mark my words hahaha!

So this month I have started to get some issues that I have really never had.  One is heartburn!  Ughhh!!!  I thought I may be able to avoid this by avoiding certain foods.  While there are definitely things that flare it up it seems to come out of no where and for no real reason.  Tums are becoming something I carry in my purse lol!

Second major thing that has been happening is muscle spasms and cramps in my legs at night.  I am already having problems sleeping and this is just the icing on the cake!!  Several times a week I get these and they wake me up and I can’t help but cry bc they hurt so bad!!  I literally cannot move my leg or legs when I get these bc my muscles are so tightened.  The doctor advised me to do things I am already doing (eat bananas, tons of water, stretch) & he pretty much said it is an unfortunate thing that you cannot really do anything about if I am already doing those things.  Hopefully they get better or less frequent!!

So in the flip side I am feeling really good besides that!  I have gained 15 pounds so far and I am a bit nervous about my overall weight gain but my doctor said I am perfect & right where I should be.  The above pic shows my evolution so far!  I am tracking my calories still most days.  The main reason is because I need to make sure I am getting in enough protein.  That has been stressed every time I visit bc of some tests I had done so tracking helps me make sure I am getting this in.  I know I am not overeating (beyong where they wanted me to taking additional calories for baby into account) on most days so we shall see what my total weight gain ends up being!  I feel good and that I am doing the best I can with my diet and exercise so that is really the most important thing!

My little guy is constantly moving it seems.  He is definitely a night owl too!!  Initially there was concern that he was going  to be small but now they are telling me he looks like he will be big and long.  I had no clue my husband was almost 9 pounds too so I am a little freaked out I will have a giant baby hahaha!  Absolutely everything is coming back perfectly with all his tests and that is such a blessing!  He had an echo to really look closely at his heart (in part bc of my neice’s heart problems) and it looked exactly as it should.

Looking forward to seeing how the next few months progress!!  I will probably be posting about my current prenatal fitness routine and maybe my diet too.  I like seeing what other mom’s to be are doing to stay healthy while pregnant so hopefully you will enjoy that too 😊  Thanks so much for reading and for all the love & support!! 💗💗💗