Category Archives: Philippines

So it’s been 2 weeks since Elena was born, and though I don’t plan on doing more of these updates (because no one cares, really), I figured a 2 week update to see where things are headed and how they compare to my last week of pregnancy would be good!

Total weight loss:  18lbs!  Who knew popping a baby would be the best weight loss solution?  Now if only it wasn’t incubating her that made me gain weight in the first place, things would be good.  9 more pounds to go to get to my pre-pregnancy weight, but I have a feeling without exercise it’ll take me a while to get there.  It certainly doesn’t help that my diet has been less than stellar since I came home from the hospital.

Exercise: Recovery has been much tougher than I expected.  Had a lot of pain last week, went to the doctor for a check up and had to have some stitches manually removed (because they didn’t dissolve as planned), and left with prescriptions for antibiotics and an ointment for the swelling on the stitches site.  So yeah, recovery has not been easy.  (But I heard that as much as the first couple of weeks can be tough, things do get back to normal quicker than if I needed a c-section, so there’s that. )

Said that, I feel MUCH better today than I did a week ago, so obviously both time and the meds are doing their job.  But since then I’ve been resting and avoiding walks (as they were triggering the pain), exercise will not be in my horizon any time soon.  But hopefully at a month post-partum I can hit the gym again?  I feel gross and definitely miss hitting the weights and the treadmill!  It will probably take me a little longer to be able to run again (have I mentioned I am planning – hoping? – to run the Marine Corps Marathon again this year?), but I think I can hit the weights by early April, hopefully!

Measurements:  There’s still a LONG way to go before I get back to my pre-pregnancy measurements, but amazing how much change can happen in two weeks!  My hips went down 2”, my ribcage went from 34.5” to 32” (this is the only part that is almost back to normal, only another inch and a half to go for my pre-pregnancy measurement!), my waist went from 37.5” to 31.5” – a great 6” decrease(!), but still a far cry from pre-pregnancy 27.5” waist. The widest part of my belly went from 44” to 38.5” and yes, it’ll be a while before it’s back to its original measurements too. 

The only part that didn’t decrease was my now porn-star proportions boobs.  My bust got up to 41.5” during pregnancy.  But see how my ribcage went down 2.5” already?  The boobs only went down 1” – meaning they actually grew 1.5” since giving birth.  They are seriously scary.  I was a 34DD pre-pregnancy, so at this point, I must have run out of the alphabet. 

(And if you think this is a gloating “look at my gigantic tatas” post, you don’t know me at all.  I had really hoped they would not get bigger during this ordeal, as I had enough of a complex with my pre-prego cup size:  do you know how hard it is to find good fitting bras when your ribcage is a normal size but your boobs are not?  Plus, I can’t even imagine how running will feel like now.  Will I topple over?  Stayed tuned…)

Despite the significant reduction in belly/waist size in two weeks, it will be a while before the belly stops jiggling with every step.  Things weren’t very toned before (though boy, did I try!) but they’re definitely way flabbier now. 

Maternity clothes?  Still wearing maternity shorts (yay for no muffin top!) but I fit into most of my t-shirts now (though some are a bit on the tight side on the chest/arms).  It feels so good to be able to change up my wardrobe a bit!

Stretch marks?  My almond oil + Burt’s Bees Belly Butter massaged twice a day WORKED!  Went through the pregnancy without a single stretch mark on my belly!  And don’t go saying that stretch marks are genetic, because not only I have stretch marks on other parts of my body due to weight gain in the past, but I developed new ones on my inner thighs during pregnancy (I was moisturizing my belly religiously and never crossed my mind that other parts of my body might be expanding too…). 

Sleep:  No more pregnancy insomnia!!!  Though my sleep has been in chunks thanks to having to get up to feed the baby multiple times during the night, the sleep I’m getting is some good DEEP sleep that was highly missed in the past 9 months.  So yes, I’m tired, but man, sleep has been a lot better than it was a month ago!

Best moment this week:  Seeing Ellie’s newborn pictures.  True, it took us 4 hours to get a few shots, but tell me if it wasn’t worth it…

Miss Anything?  Definitely don’t miss being pregnant, ha!  But I do miss the freedom of being able to leave the house when I want to and not having my life controlled by someone else’s peeing/pooping/feeding schedule.  But that’s what I signed up for, right?  And I heard it’ll get easier in a few weeks.

Food cravings:  Sadly, I’m craving lots of sweets, and since Karl has been home on sick leave to help me out (it’s great he had enough days to take since he doesn’t get paternity leave, as his help has made a huge difference on my recovery!), we both have been eating crap.  No good.

Belly Button in or out?  My belly button never “popped” (yay!), and now it’s back to its usual very deep self.

Wedding rings on or off?  Wedding ring is back on after over 2 months of being off!  Sadly the diamond of my engagement ring is slightly loose, so have been keeping that off until we can get it fixed back in the US.

Other random updates…  Lucas (the cat) has been staying the hell away from the baby.  He used to sleep in her pack & play (we have been using it in lieu of a crib since we’re moving soon), and every trick I tried failed (cats don’t like stepping on aluminum foil?  Well mine sleeps on it!), but since Ellie got home, he hasn’t gotten near to the pack & play once.  My friends had warned me that their cats had the same reaction, so I’m relieved that it was that easy!

Lily, however, has been going through a really tough time.  She doesn’t get that Ellie is a baby, not a pet, so she’s been acting replaced and depressed.  To make things better for her, we took her to Seafront (where we lived temporarily when we first got to Manila) this weekend, to burn some of her energy off.  It worked!  Though she’s not back to her usual self, she is a bit more hyper now. 

Karl has stepped into fatherhood like a natural.  It is really wonderful to see how much he loves this baby, and how sweet and gentle he is with her.  He sings, talks to her and does most of the diaper changes (at least for now while he’s home).  I knew he was going to love her, but I think just like me, he was taken by surprise at how much you can love this little person you just met.

I keep taking pictures of the two of them together.  It’s so sweet!

And I’ve been doing ok.  Aside from the tough recovery, I have been doing my best to get out of the house, get to the MADS coffee mornings for some girly chat with other moms, I’ve had a few friends visiting and gotten out of the house a few times. 

Some days when she cries to eat yet another time (“she just ate!  She can’t possibly be hungry!”) I think “now this is how my life will be like, every.single.day” but I’m so in love with this baby (and she is so freaking cute), that I still think it’s worth it.  Though this conversation did happen last night:

Karl: “So having a baby really is just like having a boss.”

Me: “Yeah, like having a boss that beats you!”

But even though it’s only been 2 weeks, I can no longer imagine how life was like without her (though maybe that is because I’m too sleep deprived to even think).  I’m still in awe that this little baby came from inside me (even though I have the stitches to prove it!).