Posts by imolde_nuf

I've read that losing more than a pound a week can release toxins into my milk and am concerned about it.  If its just fluids still, all is well.  If not...even second time mommy's get nervous I guess.  :D  I'm lucky if my husband puts his own socks in the laundry basket for me to wash or delegates the cleaning up toys to my daughter for me.  My two year old is more help than he is...then again, I don't have to work.  *shrugs*  Its just me.  It always has been just me.  I thought having a husband it would finally be us.  But nope, its still just me with twice the work to get done.

Original Post by momfrombrooklyn:

My baby is 3.5 months old and I have exactly the same 20 lbs to get to my pre-pregnancy weight. I am breastfeeding, counting calories, exercising for 3 weeks now and lost only half a pound! I can't go below 1700 cal a day, but I will start to exercise more: I am already running 3x/week, doing yoga 2x/week and weights 2x/week. I will add two more 30 min weights and 3x more cardio. I literally have to schedule my time to the minute, it's tough to be working, nursing and have time for yourself, but I want to back to my previous self again!

Kudos to you!  I'm still trying to figure out how to nurse, take care of my two year old, and exercise at all.

Other than the above mentioned, you should also try WIC.  You may be able to talk to the breastfeeding peer counselor even if you don't qualify or want to be on WIC, esp if you live in a small town.  You didn't ask for advice from us...however, I thought I'd offer some anyway.  :D  First, know that many mothers do not produce as much milk as easily with the first baby, probably due to the increased stress from just learning to be a mom.  So if you fail with this one, or only succeed for a little while, there is no reason you shouldn't try with your next (if you have more).  I crashed and burned with my lack of knowledge with my daughter, but now have a very happily exclusively breastfed 7 week old boy.  Second, in general, boys tend to be more active nursers which allows your milk supply to regulate more easily.  Third, you almost certainly will get engorged.  BUY OR RENT A PUMP!  A GOOD one.  Even if you don't plan on using it.  I'm renting the electric from WIC and it was such a blessing.  I had an evenflo double pump and it was crap.  My hand pump broke in just 10 days b/c I had to pump at very least every morning.  I couldn't lay on my belly or even side I had so much milk in there.  Get a small tube of lanolin cream.  It really makes a difference.  It hurts the first week or two.  Buy good breast pads, you may want to look around for samples to last you the first few days to see what brand you like.  My baby is 7 weeks and I still leak if I bend over or if any kid around me starts crying or anyone says wah for that matter.  Buy a nursing pillow.  It helps raise the baby up so that you aren't straining your neck and back.  Try you best not to supplement.  Babies don't like to wake up to eat those first few days and they act hungry many times after they do eat.  The nurses will all have their own opinion on if you should supplement or not.  Ask if they will test your babies blood sugar before supplementing.  If it is low, then you know you will need to.  If not, it is up to you to see if you think your baby is in any discomfort from not getting enough milk, know that your milk will come faster if you just keep breastfeeding, even if it means being hooked together for hours and hours at first!  And anytime you think about stopping, remember this:  Breastfeeding is comforting for you baby.  That means s/he benefits and you can easily shut him/her up at anytime with no equipment!  :D  Feel free to send me a message if you need help.  I'm just so dang proud I've got it this time around.

Haha, we have three girls and preggo with number 4 (last one).  I bet my hubby will cling to that 1% as well if our ultrasound says its a girl.  How many girls do you have?

Congrats to you!  Thank you for your story.  I like how you say "get used to" my new weight.  That makes perfect sense to me.  I guess you body is designed to fight weight loss and if you push it too far, it adjusts.  So if you allow it time to think "whatever was causing me to not get enough food is over" maybe you can trick it into giving up more weight a little later on, once the highest weight is not what it "thinks" of as normal.  Right?

I don't plan on eating like I used to at all!  I ate way too much saturated fat and sodium, and not near enough unsaturated fat or vitamin A.  I know much more about balance now...and I'm not sure I could quit the gym if I wanted to.  I love having my adult time before the kidos get up!  They gym is mommy's quite place.

You didn't compare how hard getting back to dieting was to starting.  Did you have a hard time getting started as well?  Which was easier?

What is your diet like?  Are you getting enough iron from food but just not absorbing it?  Are you trying to get most of you iron from supplements?  Is there any reason (bleeding, pregnancy) that could cause you to need more iron this time at the doctor than last time?

"Certain foods limit the absorption of iron. Foods on this list include black tea, coffee, dairy products consumed in large amounts, and wheat bran." ---http://health.howstuffworks.com/alternative-m edicines-for-anemia.htm

Supplements are harder for the body to use.  Plant sources break down more slowly (12 hrs) and are used less compleatly, where animal sources are broken down often within an hour.  Are you taking vitamin c supplement or, say, drinking orange juice?

My advice is keep taking the supplement but focus on eating a balanced diet with all the nutrients you need.  Then keep testing and see if your diet has helped.  Talk to your doctor to find out if there are any hidden causes that could prevent you from absorbing iron and get tested for them if needed.

I have to admit right off that I only read about half the responses before having to jump in, so if I missed an important detail, I appolgize.  I am a bisexual woman who has a kinda open relationship with my husband.  I am allowed my "friends" and he is allowed my "friends".  This was talked about extensivly before we got married.  ---Just giving you my background so you know from what experience I speak.  I don't think cheating is a good idea, as someone mentioned, you are potentially exposing your family to STDs.  That is a risk your wife should decied if she is willing to take for herself.  Sex 2-3 times a year is still enough to expose her to an STD.  Women tend to be more emotional in their sex drive.  She may be feeling unhappy with another aspect in your relationship that is leading her to be "turned off" all the time.  This is probably a lot of your small issue with her strech marks as well.  Perhaps it is the fact that you don't share her religion that is leaving her feeling distanced from you, as it is such a major part of who she has become.  Perhaps it is something she's never told you, or that you don't think is a big deal.  Maybe she's just tired from cleaning up after kids all day and just feels like an unsexy mom.  Who knows?  Maybe she is cheating on you.  I hate to put that idea in your head, but it is possible.  Is she not interested in sex altogether, or in you?  Have you talked to her about some of these things?  I'd say you owe it to her, since you took vows, to work on fixing the problem.  You seem to have already detached from the marriage already, and are just waiting on the day you can tell people (including her).  Emotional cheating is more damaging to a marriage than physically cheating in my book.  Are either of you guilty of that?  And what happens if you meet someone, be it man or woman, that you have that emotional connection you are missing with your wife?  You will begin to feel more trapped and probably act snippy in response.  If you do decied that this marriage is not worth staying with forever, leave.  Being married for money or kids almost never works out well.  (((Hug)))  Think harder.  Talk to your wife.  I wish you the best.

As I am reading and typing this, I'm eatting my second piece of a 220 cal per slice pie I made.   If I can stop at this piece, I'll be ok...but the rest of it is looking at me!  Two pieces is too many, but the whole pie would start a possibly never ending binge.  I know if I eat too much more of this, I'm going to start looking for the next thing.  It feels so good during the binge that I tend to forget how horrible I feel afterwards.  I'm still using good food as a "treat" for doing so well on my diet...grrr, have to change that mindset...Thanks for your reminder of how it feels the day after a binge.  I think it was just what I needed to stop at this piece of pie.  I just finished it, and now I'm full AND satified!

That is wonderful!  I'm sure your son will grow up much more cultured than most.  How do you pick your cds?  Do you do traditional music, pop music, or both?  I don't know that I can get my step kids to listen to much of that kind of music, by my little one is still younge enough to start.  She already loves African rhythms and rock beats, anything with strong percussion.

Have you thought about using cinnamon?  Check out this link.  You could just put it on food or take the pills.  The general recomendation that I have found is 1/2 tsp to 2 tsp a day.  I don't know how you feel about stuff like that, but if you like the sound of it, it'd be worth talking to your doctor about.  There are no negitive side effects that I have found (online or personal experience wise).

http://thyroid.about.com/od/loseweightsuccess fully/a/cinnamon.htm

http://forum.lef.org/default.aspx?f=35&m= 17335&g=21822