all you experienced mothers help please

[sandy201]

OK.. I had my first child at 40.. Shes beautiful (of course) she was 3 weeks premee , she hasnt slept through the night once since shes been born, but now she finally hit 7 months and she wakes up at 1230 and 400 and then dad gets up at 6 to let me sleep from 6 to 8 before he goes to work..so heres my problem, Im just finally getting enough energy to get back into shape, I was in really good shape before her, plus working out for me is a stress reliever and I love feeling good about my body. How do you get back in shape with a baby if you cannot afford a bike for a baby and you. I would feel guilty leaving her, and going ot work out why she just sat home, she needs to play as much as she can right now.... is there anyon that can suggest to me a exercise program that doesnt cost alot of money that I can do with her.. and /or should I feel guilty if I took an hour to walk everyother night and left her with dad. She doesnt go to any playschool, so the only activity she gets is from me? Im lost here, I need to have excercise in my life, but even a 20 minute sloww walk with her she gets cranky and wants to come home , plus i live in arizona (way to hot for her to be out side at any hour).. I know it sounds triial but anyones help would be aprreciated! Thank you! Also what excercises do you do with a 7 months to help them start to walk or how do I play with her to know Im giving her what she needs physically as well?

[seattlemom2plus]

I am so glad you posted this, I am definitely wanting to start a Mommy Weight Loss Group because it is so hard to lose the weight after pregnancy.  I know there are women out there that the weight just falls off, and bless them!  But for me, I am a stay at home, work at home mom.  I am with my children 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.  No preschool or daycares, so this does present a challenge that I had to work around in order to get back to my pre-pregnancy weight.

And yes with cooking, cleaning, laundry, working, taking care of the family pets, etc. it takes up a lot of my day.  With my 2nd son I put him in a carrier pack and strapped him on me and walked for 30 minutes.  I tried to do this for 5 days a week, so it helped with me getting my butt in gear.  The last thing you want to do when you are exhausted from waking up all the time is exercise, but I was able to commit to that 30 minutes.

My first son hated a carrier, hated the stroller, so I had to pack him on my hip or on my shoulder around the neighborhood.  Do whatever it takes to get your body moving :)  It helps with dealing with all the new challenges that parenting can present.

[MH Community Mgr]

Hi,

We're going to be starting a Mommy Weight loss group ...

Is this something you'd be interested in?

Best,

Cheryl

[babywanted556]

I'm about 40yr old when I had my first son.  He is now 9month old.
I was 125lbs and up to 165lbs when I pg him.  He was induced at 37week due to preclaimpsia.  He waked up every 1.5hr-2hr at night till 6.5 month old.  Now he still wakes up 2 times/night for formula, and couple times but when I refer him pacifier he could get back to sleep, otherwise he will sit up and cry.
After 2 weeks after birth, I was 130lbs, and was 118lbs when he's one month old....due to lack of sleep, no workout at all. After I wean him at 7 month old, now I gain to 127lbs.  I have full time job, and so busy when I got home because I need to cook solid, clean up the house, play with him a lot with no time left for excirse.  I believe do alot of house work/play with him is one way of excirse that make me lost weight.

[HeatherLF16]

My little one is 8 months (almost 9 months old).  I had to have a csection so I didn't workout for the first 2-3months after birth.  I lost most of my baby weight by the time he was about 6 months old (gained 40lbs almost) just by taking 20-30minute walks with my baby daily (nothing too long), and doing workout videos on demand on my comcast cable (usually also 30 minutes).... they have everything yoga, cardio, dance, weight training.  You just go to the sports and fitness sections and they have tons of free workout videos.  Usually, I time this around his 10am bottle.  I use a slowflow nipple so it will take him a while and he lays on a pillow on the floor and watches me.  When he is done I pause the video and put him in his exersaucer or highchair with some toys.  Usually, I will count along and come over and tickle his feet while I am doing the workout and he laughs and laughs.  Also, sometimes I will just turn on the music and dance with him for 10 minutes in my arms (he weighs 22lbs so this is a workout in itself).  I have stairs so I make sure I walk up and down with him as much as possible.  Sometimes, if baby doesn't let me get a workout in or we are out and about all day I take a run at night on my treadmill after my husband gets home.  But, that would be maybe one day a week if that.  I workout 4-6 days per week and rarely get a break from my baby so I had to find a way to do it with him.  Also, I have been eating very clean nothing processed for the most part it has really helped me feel and look better (fruits, veggies, chicken, nonfat dairy, oats, brown rice, almonds).  :)

[VaniDavila]

Hello, I know how you feel about wanting to get back in shape. I struggled with my weight since the birth of my first daughter. First of all, there's nothing bad with you wanting to take time off from motherhood to go for a walk, especially when it's really hot outside. What I would recommend too, if you don't want to leave your baby is to buy a baby wrap. The baby wraps will actually keep your baby close to you while you exercise. The one I bought had suggestions of what workouts to do with your baby wrapped on you. There are many workout options for mothers. Maybe you can do video workouts when your baby is sleeping. About baby workouts, all I do with my 6 month old is make sure she is active. I have a walker for her so I place her in it for a while. She walks around a lot in it. I also put her on the floor where she rolls everywhere. She has a step'n play piano which she loves because she can twist and walk back and forth with music activation when she steps. She also loves me to hold her standing and she jumps. Be creative and do different activities with your baby.