Excess baggage

Since giving birth my appetite has been absolutely monstrous! Producing all of that beautiful breast milk to feed my growing baby Grub is hard work for my body. I always told that as soon as I gave birth, that all my 'baby' weight would fall right off. How wrong I was.

Wedding day 'ideal' weight

I still have 'fat days' when I can't find anything to wear because nothing sits the way it used to, not to mention how massive my boobs have gotten. I also find it hard to mentally push aside all the images and articles of celebrities that have gotten into shape two weeks after giving birth. But I always find myself asking, "Do they actually spend time with their newborns, or are they too busy working up a sweat so they can feel better about their body image? Surely they can't be eating a healthy diet!".

Giant boobs

I feel that reality is, you'll never get your body back to the way it was pre-baby, its just been through one of the toughest physical efforts it will ever have to endure. For nine months it created life, its not going to take two weeks to get it all back, give yourself time. The main thing is to eat healthy and stay active, thats all you can do. Obsessing creates more problems and solves nothing. Besides, everybody's body works differently, I have friends who within four months of giving birth have gotten back to their pre-baby weight without doing anything differently. Whilst other mothers, after a few years of giving birth to their first, have just become comfortable with their weight again.

I found this guideline of healthy eating for breastfeeding women, to help me remind myself when I feel down about eating. It makes me feel like I'm not eating enough!!

Healthy Eating Guidelines for Breastfeeding Women

The Australian Guide to Healthy Eating recommends the following servings per day:

- 5 - 7 servings from the bread, cereals, rice, pasta, noodles group.
An example of one serve is 2 slices bread; 1 medium bread roll; 1 cup of cooked rice, pasta or noodles; or 1 1/3 cups of breakfast cereal flakes.

There is an allowance of about 20 g a day for poly or monunsaturated fats and oils that can be used to spread on breads or rolls or used elsewhere in the diet.

- 7 servings from the vegetables, legumes group.
An example of one serve is 75 grams or 1/2 cup cooked vegetables; 1/2 cup cooked dried beans, peas, lentils or canned beans; 1 cup of salad vegetables; or 1 small potato.

- 5 servings of fruit. An example of one serve is 1 medium apple; 2 small pieces (150 g) of fruit (apricots, kiwi fruit, plums); 1 cup of diced fruit pieces or canned fruit; 1/2 cup of fruit juice; or 1 1/2 tablespoons of sultanas.

- 2 servings from the milk, yoghurt, cheese group.
An example of one serve is 250 ml of milk; 250 ml of soy milk; 40 grams (2 slices) of cheese; or 200 g (1 small carton) of yoghurt.

- 2 servings from the meat, fish, poultry, eggs, nuts and legumes group.
An example of one serve is 65-100 grams cooked meat or chicken; 2 small chops; 2 slices of roast meat; 1/2 cup of cooked dried beans; 80-120 grams of fish fillet; 1/3 cup peanuts (almonds); or 2 small eggs.

Source: Australian Department of Health and Aging

Give your body time to heal, look at the miracle your body just produced!

MamaKoo