Miserable about my postpartum body

[feelinghopeless123]

I had a baby three months ago, which I know isn't that long but honestly I'm disgusted by how fat and flabby I let myself become.

I've suffered with eating disorders in the past so I know a lot of this is those old thoughts coming back to the surface, but I don't know what to do. I want to enjoy my baby, I want to make sure I eat enough to keep my supply up as I'm exclusively breastfeeding but I'm miserable.

I don't have the energy to go to the gym with the small amount of sleep we are getting and it's so hard to eat healthily when I feel so lazy and crap.

I do go on a dog walk with the pram every day and I'm trying to eat better snacks and less a crap, but I think I'm just emotionally eating because I'm so miserable, but then also miserable being so fat.

I don't even know what I want from this, maybe just some kindness or someone who's feeling the same?

I feel the same, DS is 2 and a half now and I'm still just exhausted, and in the same rut with snacks and lack of exercise (toddlers dont walk very fast!) I'm getting through by knowing it is temporary - when DS has more hours at nursery I will have more. time to exercise and batch cook healthy things, and I can catch up on rest as well which is just as important. I have bought a few new clothes that flatter my curvier shape (only a couple of pairs of trousers and tops) so I dont feel so frumpy. Can anyone have your baby so you can run/swim/go to the gym? Or help with cooking?

Be kind to yourselves, body has been growing a baby for 9 months! It’s not meant to snap back. It’s done an amazing job producing a human being. Be patient, take small steps, getting out walking etc. and second that to buying a few new pieces that flatter your body now.

I felt like this at the start and I'm sure everyone does. I was overweight before I had my DD and didn't gain that much during pregnancy tbh, but just felt awful and I think BF didn't help in some ways as I had to wear awful bras (massive boobs pre pregnancy plus BFing made for very limited options) and easily accessible tops which felt like tents and I kept leaking etc...all of which just isn't good for self confidence in general I think!

Things gradually got better but my eating was much improved when we got to weaning at 6m. I love cooking but didn't have the energy before, now I was all about homemade purées and BLW, flavours to try next etc. It also was a switch in my head to think of meals nutritionally as well. I'd always sort of ate what I fancied without thinking of balancing carbs/fish/red meat/ veggies etc across the week so that has worked wonders for my healthier eating and a much better change in mindset from dieting. Once you start sleeping and they start moving, you don't need the gym imo just keep active with them.

It does and will get better but for now try to be kind to your body, it made that wonderful little baby you have now x

Same here OP and my little one is 2. I've actually put more weight on postpartum than during pregnancy. My DS used to only nap on me so I was sitting on the sofa / in bed watching Netflix for a big chunk of a day for a whole bloody year.

I've attempted 3 times now to loose some weight by dieting and exercising but my time is completely at his mercy. If he doesn't nap, I can't exercise. If he doesn't sleep well at night, I don't have any energy and just want to eat crap. And now that he is in nursery we are CONSTANTLY under the weather so I've given up. I'm miserable and fed up but hoping I get to sort it out once and for all next year. I'm pretty unlucky with genes as well as I really need to be consistent with BOTH diet & exercise to maintain my weight so there's not much I can do right now. I truly is depressing.

I think most of us feel like this. I remember crying at about 4mo pp with DC2 because I still in maternity leggings and just felt like crap. I never really got in a good place with diet/exercise after DC1 but sort of tolerated it because I knew it was likely I'd be having another baby eventually. It takes a long time to grow a baby and a long time for everything to settle back afterwards. You will get back to a happier place with your body, it just takes time.

My body shape has definitely changed when though I'm now a couple of kilos lighter than I was before I got pregnant the second time round - I'm wider than I was and an expanded rib cage means I can't fit in some of my old clothes so goodbye vintage dress collection 😭

I do two exercise classes a week - one is a mum & baby one so I can take the kids and an evening Pilates class when DH is home to do bedtime. I do the odd YouTube video if I get time/feel in the mood. I try to get my 10k steps in every day though that's easier some days than others. I try to make good food choices and not beat myself up about the bad ones - we have a treat tin but with 100cal things like penguins and KitKat's because if there's biscuits open I'll just eat the lot. I try to drink enough water every day rather than just endless cups of tea. Definitely a work in progress!