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My Life with 3 Kids


The new little peanut
Well, it’s been exactly 3 months since I last wrote any blogs and my life has been nothing less than chaotic since then! We welcomed our third baby girl on August 18th and she is everything we had hoped for, and sometimes several things we had NOT hoped for! Having three girls under the age of 8 certainly has had its challenges, but we are all doing our very best to adapt to the changes. My oldest has really stepped up as the big sister and helps me A TON with the little ones and while my 4 year old loves her baby sister… she doesn’t always love not being the “littlest” anymore. My 2 big girls started school the day after the baby was born, setting off a whirlwind of changes (…and diapers, and cheerios, and hair bows, and everything else associated with little ones!)  at our home within a matter of 24 hours. Needless to say, all this excitement has left very little time for me to care for myself. This is a time in a woman’s life when our needs are without a doubt put on the back burner, which is why I was so adamant about staying in the gym throughout my pregnancy. I continued to lift weights and strength train until my 35th week of pregnancy. I am very lucky that I had good enough health to be able to do this!

My health and fitness thus far


At 5 weeks post-partum, I started going on walks with my little nugget wrapped up in a Moby wrap and let her nap while I walked through our neighborhood.  I started with walking around the block and now I walk about 2 miles, a few days a week while the big kids are in school. I really took it easy at first, seeing as how I was recovering from my third c-section. I also wasn’t sure how the baby was going to fare, but she LOVED IT! And since I’m carrying her (and she’s pushing 12 lbs. now), I burn a decent amount of calories (over 200) considering it’s only a leisurely stroll. Then at 6 weeks, I started going to the gym. Again, I am just doing light weight movements to get my body back into the swing of things, but without risking an injury due to my recent surgery. My workouts aren’t ANYTHING like they were pre pregnancy… yet. But I have no doubt I will get myself back to that point when the time is right.


Me the day before delivery versus
2 weeks post-partum
My diet has been… well… pretty mediocre. I have been food prepping (when the baby lets me), but I’m now making meals that will feed the whole family in the shortest time, and not necessarily the most healthy foods. Since I am breastfeeding (A LOT), I have not been super strict on my diet, seeing as how I need extra calories to produce milk. However, I could definitely do better at cutting carbs and sugars while increasing protein and veggies. Again, this is something that I know will get better with time and I CAN’T WAIT to make foods like zucchini lasagna and stuffed peppers again! But for the time being, it’s spaghetti and PB&J’s!

I am more than happy with my body’s recovery after baby #3! However, as I was afraid, things aren’t quite going back to normal as quickly this time as with the first 2. Um… HELLO having kids in your 30’S!!!! I still have a few pounds to lose, I’ve lost a lot of muscle and my old jeans don’t fit. (I know, I know… your size 4’s don’t fit 8 weeks after having a baby. Somebody call the waaahhhmbulence!) However, I am not really sweating it. I know that in due time, I will get back to my old routine, as best I can. I know that I ABSOLUTELY LOVE working out and healthy meal prep! I know that my lifestyle will absolutely take a hit with a newborn baby plus 2 little kids to tend to. I know that by giving in and buying bigger jeans, I am not giving up or throwing in the towel. I am simply acknowledging that this time isn’t for me… it’s for my baby girls.

 
 

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Annie McDonald @ Houseofglutes@outlook.com.

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