There is a lot of anticipation for post partum women to get back into their pre pregnancy jeans. It seems to be an ever present goal one that marks the successful manipulation of the post pregnant body back to what is considered normal. To an even greater extent, a woman’s pre pregnancy jeans fitting again after giving birth is the litmus test that the woman has officially bounced back.
This has been my position from the very beginning of my first pregnancy. I thought that if my pre pregnancy jeans fit again after my baby was born, then I would had achieved my ultimate “mommy” goal. After gaining fifty pounds with my first pregnancy and after realizing that I had a long way to go (four sizes to be exact) before my pre pregnancy jeans fit again, I was a little more than discouraged. Trying on my pre pregnancy jeans periodically did not help either; I could hardly get the jeans past my knees let alone my thighs. At five months post partum, I was still wearing maternity jeans. It took nine weeks of intense workouts every day of the week and a little calorie reduction, for me to loose the bulk of my pregnancy weight. I still had ten stubborn pounds that I was still trying to loose when I became pregnant with my second child.
With my second pregnancy I worked really hard and exercise almost daily while also eating a variety of healthy whole foods for the duration of my pregnancy. I was determined to gain only the recommended amount for a woman with a normal BMI. With my second pregnancy I gained thirty pounds, which made me think that I would have a much easier time getting back into my pre pregnancy jeans (jeans that I had bought after I lost the bulk of the weight from my first pregnancy)…
(To be continued…)