My body grew and produced another human being. That is nothing short of a miracle. I still struggle with not being as fast or the same shape as I was pre-baby. I do keep reminding myself that I grew this awesome little dude and so far have been his only source of nourishment. That's a BFD.
So, what all has changed?
I'm still about 10lbs heavier than my pre-pregnancy weight. It's mostly in my thighs...which I hear helps to make a smart baby, so I'm trying to appreciate it that way. My hips spread..and most of that happened during delivery. Seriously, pants that fit before the baby came out did not fit afterward. Super weird. My ribcage also expanded. I'm hoping this comes with increased lung capacity. Lastly, my pelvic floor and core are still not exactly what they were pre-baby. They are a million times better than they were after delivery, but I've definitely still got work to do in this area.
Lastly was a lie...holy boobs. The girls got out of control when my milk came in. Now they're OK...still bigger than they used to be. Oh, and super lopsided.
To deal with each of these things:
Weight: Honestly, 99% of the time I don't even think about it (too damn busy or sleepy). A lot of my old clothes fit, so it really doesn't matter to me. I do wear longer running shorts, and always spandex. The loose ones cause some chafe.
Hips: They are slowly decreasing in size, but I think they will always be a little bit bigger than they once were (sigh...) As I said before, all of my old clothes fit, they're just a little snugger around my hips.
Ribcage: This surprised me. I had no idea my ribs had expanded so much, but they were housing that little guy (and all my organs) for 9 months. My bra size went from 34 to 36 (probably 35 but they don't sell those), So, I've just sized up.
Pelvic floor/Core: things are still loose, I wear my amphipod hip belt to hold things in place when I run (its just more comfortable) and I do core work 5-7 days/ week. I didn't end up with any really serious damage, but it will take time to heal. The time it takes has surprised me some. I thought it healed up within 6 weeks. I think it takes more like a year.
Boobs: yeah...I had to buy a real, grown up sports bra. I went from a B to a D... I recommend the Fiona from Brooks. Skirt sports sells something similar. Bonus if you breastfeed, the straps unhook in the front providing easy access for a hungry baby.
Overall, I think this is probably pretty lucky. The hips, ribs and pelvic floor stuff actually all surprised me. Maybe not that they occurred, but to the degree that they occurred. The only thing that bears on my running at all is my core. I work on that daily, so I hope that within the year it will be healed.
Well, that's all I got. I hope someone finds this helpful. I would have liked a heads up on this stuff.
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