kaimui22

10# B仔

Hardly anyone really stays home for the entire first month...actually it's not quite possible because you have to go to your doctor for a checkup about 3-4 days after you are discharged from the hospital. Then your baby needs a checkup as well before they are 1 month old. So you can probably use those 1 or 2 outings to go get some support clothing as well...you will need the sales to help you measure to make sure you are getting the right size, esp. for the bra.

As for diet, you shouldn't even think about dieting the first month...first month is most important to nourish your body so you should not be allowing yourself to starve and you need to eat lots to refill the nutrients in your body as you are breastfeeding your baby...BUT, usually just by breastfeeding and by being so tired, you've have lost a lot of weight the first month. Also during the first month your body will flush out a lot of the water weight and blood..etc so you'll lose a lot of weight that way as well.

And for the stretchmarks..it's genetic. If your mom didn't have any, you'd probably be lucky enough to not have any as well. BUT it also depends on how much weight you gain and how you carry the baby. Some people carry it high and so their tummies aren't as big. And stretchmarks are prone to EVERYWHERE, not just butt and tummy. Breast will get a lot stretchmarks if you gain a couple cup sizes...also thighs and your lower legs from the water retention and swelling..

B仔

咁我個FRIEND唔係話DIET，佢係話佢坐月個陣戴個D SUPPORT 野同埋搽CREAM，按摩吓囉。。。

我個FRIEND話佢陀BB個時，重咗60LB。但係講真，我嗰時又唔係好覺 LOL
另外個FRIEND話佢亞嫂搞到肥腫難分～ 因為唔聽話，唔買SUPPORT野戴，又唔搽CREAM，唔食清淡D。。。

貪靚呢家野，真係寧可信其有，到時做到足，都好過唔聽話唔做～ 一陣冇得番身點算？！

kaimui22

creams and lotions and supportwear is OK la...and actually if you are breastfeeding, your metabolism goes super fast and you hardly gain any weight....so you can eat a lot of stuff

as for the support underwear, it might help a bit with getting your shape in control but it's mostly to help support your organs and also your back. you lose SO MUCH calcium during the pregnancy that after having the baby, a lot of moms feel like they've been hit by a car...everything is loose and hurts. A good bra will help support your breasts AND also your back. your breasts (when engorged) will feel like about 10lbs each (not kidding)...good support underwear will help keep the uterus in place BUT you cannot wear too tight and make sure you wear clothing that can breathe..you will sweat A LOT after having a baby so you need material that can breathe and must change frequently to combat bacteria growth or else you will get infected >_<

raima

i'm not too optimistic about how effective those anti-stretchmarks cream/lotion. just be prepared that you'll get it. and if you use the cream/lotion and ended up not having any, then that's a bonus. but i guess it most depends on how quickly and how much weight the mom gains. gaining too much too quickly... of course there will be stretchmarks.

but then gaining 60 lbs sounds a lot! even for a person who was underweight to begin with. was it a steady/healthy weight gain? or maybe twins or more?

raima

my concern with those supportive undergarment is that they are usually very tight or one piece. and i heard people wear them 24-7 to be effective. but after giving birth, the mom will be tired and every time she needs to pee, she will need to struggle to take it off. and what if she had a c section, i don't think it'll be a good idea to wear something cover up the stitches part.

布小熊

As for diet, you shouldn't even think about dieting the first month...first month is most important to nourish your body so you should not be allowing yourself to starve and you need to eat lots to refill the nutrients in your body as you are breastfeeding your baby...BUT, usually just by breastfeeding and by being so tired, you've have lost a lot of weight the first month. Also during the first month your body will flush out a lot of the water weight and blood..etc so you'll lose a lot of weight that way as well. kaimui22 發表於 2010-2-18 11:48 AM

Agree. Don't go on diet right after especially you are breast feeding. We suspect my sister did it.... and her baby didnt' have enough milk and both she and the baby were sick numerious number of times. She is super skinny now. BUT my 2 friends who didn't go on diet at all are SUPER skinny now! They both breastfeed their babies and both babies are cubby and cute! (not over the norm heavy tho)
I heard that most of the "fat/food" goes to the baby thro breastfeeding anyway.

kaimui22

raima :
don't worry about the peeing part...most of those 1-piece undergarments have a hole in the bottom so actually you wear your normal underwear on TOP of the support garment. Yes, it sounds kinda gross and I wouldn't risk getting that one piece thing dirty so maybe 1 piece isn't so good. There are also top/bottom ones..so you just need to take off the bottom pants. And if you had a c-section, you shouldn't be wearing anything that will press on the wound for at least a week or 2...your stitches need to breathe to heal and if you keep covering it up and not letting it breath, it will get infected. Anyways, any woman who has had a c-section should be getting garments to SUPPORT their body, not necessary for slimming purposes...so no need to get those super tight ones at first.

布小熊:
a lot of moms try to diet right away after having a baby..and end up having the baby and also mom getting sick a lot. also those moms who try to restrict their diets or calories end up not having enough milk...then they complain and then in the end give up after a week or 2. definitely not good for both the mom and the baby. i didn't diet in the first month (or afterwards...hahaha) and therefore I am still chubby and carrying a lot of the "baby weight" but at least my kids were both b-fed until at least they were 6 months old. Both didn't get sick as often as the other kids we know who didn't get breast-fed. Also, I lost 30lbs in the first month just by breastfeeding ..and I ate soooo much that first month. And if you breastfeed long enough, the baby gets a lot of the fatty milk...which is good for the mom and the baby!

raima

kaimui22: did you exercise during the first month? did you feel comfortable enough to exercise?

there are lots of books out there that talked about how to care for a newborn and such. but i hardly found any that talks about the mom (body and mind) after she gives birth. any recommendation?

kaimui22

raima:

It really depends on whether you had a c-section or natural childbirth...if you had a c-section, you have to wait for your doctor to OK you at your 6 week checkup. If you had a natural childbirth, it is still better to wait for about 4 weeks before starting any vigorous workout. Also, I know at Richmond Hospital, when you have a baby, they will give you a baby package with some info sheets and there is a course you can register for free, it's provided by richmond health or something...you can register after you had the baby 3-6 weeks. During that course, there is a nurse who will check how your stomach muscles are healing and teach you some simple exercises to strengthen your back/stomach muscles. She will also check if you have stretched your muscles too much. If yes, she will suggest you to buy a brace for your stomach and teach you how to exercise to heal it. I went around my 5 week and there was a mom who started RUNNING 2 weeks after she had her baby. The nurse checked her stomach muscles and said she had rushed too fast in exercising and in fact might make it even harder for her muscles to heal as they had separated too much during her pregnancy....

Also, the first month, you hardly have any energy and time left for yourself to exercise...if you breastfeed, you are looking at feeding every 2-3 hours. And between those 2-3 hours, you will want some time to sleep, eat, take a shower...etc. I wouldn't rush myself into exercising the first month...at least get a doctor or nurse to check to make sure your body is healed at least 80% before doing anything...otherwise, you might actually bleed longer than you should. Remember, you might bleed up to 6 weeks after having a baby..if you are exercising too much, you might have blood clots.

As for book...no book will get your ready for childbirth or the feelings you will experience afterwards. BUT, I did join a forum (justmommies) and they have subforums and groups of mommies that have the same due date as you and they give each other a lot of support. Also everyone in the forum will ask questions, talk about their newborns and answer any questions you might have. It helped a lot to know that a lot of people are experiencing the same feelings as me at the same time. It's like a support group at home. Also lots of great resources on breastfeeding, pumping..etc etc