#BabyWeight #WokeWednesday

You know those IG women. The ones with the banging bodies two hours after they gave birth. The new moms with the insane snapback game. Moms are posting pictures of their bodies after baby and it makes some of us second guess our progress. I honestly don't think we even mean to do it. I think it starts as inspiration and then we slowly slip into comparison. I've done it. Recently actually. 

I had Jaxon in early December of 2016. I was 170 lbs when I went into labor and was heavier than my husband! I didn't look like myself and I was still in limbo. My maternity clothes didn't fit and my pre-baby clothes were still just a tad too small. I wanted to get back to my old thirst trappin self but then I became weak and fatigued. I was breastfeeding and not eating enough calories. On top of that, I was stressing myself to work out even though I only had two hours of sleep.

I was miserable from overworking myself. I eventually had a meltdown in the shower after staring at myself for five minutes straight. Once I realized what I was doing to myself, I decided to stop that shit and focus on my health rather than just my appearance as I always had.

I was rushing to a destination I may never visit again. Plus,I stopped and realized how incredible my body actually is. It's dope af! Not only did my body grow a human, it catered to it! My body squished my organs so my baby could grow! My waistline was almost double! I wanted to show a few pictures to demonstrate the changes my body has been through.

I only have a SnapChat so there aren't too many pictures of my body at a full length. This is what I (Devon) dug up for comparison.

This is me Pre-pregnancy at 134 lbs.

This is me between 36 and 38 weeks pregnant.

And this is me 10 weeks post partum at 136 lbs.

Sure, I'm only two pounds away from my pre-baby weight but my body is no where near what it was. I'm a small girl and Jax was a big baby at 8 lbs 2 oz! I've lost some of my muscle strength and flexibility so right now I'm working on getting back in shape. 

Up until I was seven months pregnant, I would exercise 5x a week first thing in the morning. 

I'd wake up at 5:45 a.m, work out, shower and be ready for the day before Bella even woke up. 

Now, I'm just trying to leave the house before school starts!

My days with a newborn and a school aged child are intense which means SLEEP > EXERCISE.

But I do love being active and I've realized that working out means better me and that means better wife/mom. I (and my family) can tell a difference in my energy and attitude. 

Since having Jaxon, I've had to make an adjustment to my workouts. I work out when I can or when I need to maintain my sanity unwind.

We're finally starting to establish a schedule so I work out maybe 3x a week. But whenever I do, I go hard because I don't know when I'll have another opportunity. When I do workout, I do it from home. It's just too convenient. We have a Smart TV (phenomenal investment) and I put YouTube videos and sweat.

It works because...
1. I don't have to leave (always a plus)
2. I'm being told what to do so I don't waste time at the gym
3. I can pause and check on Jaxon
Bonus: Sometimes, I can't do a video all the way through. Since it's a video, it helps me keep track of how long I've actually exercised.

No, I'm not where I want to be but I'm where I need to be. I'm happy, healthy and mobile. And so is my baby. At the end of the day, that's what really matters.

I promise. 

I'll get where I want to be but for now I'll enjoy my little sleep time with my baby.