Up to some Old Tricks...

For some of you trying to recover from the brith of your fist child, i do have a few old tricks that are tried and true... they don't necessarily translate to super quick weight loss but they do help in the long run...
1) Get moving... but not too soon. if you're like I am, before the baby even arrives I have great plans for how fit and healthy I will be as soon as I give birth. No more milkshakes everytime I pass our local Krystal (that's like White Castle to you Yankees)! I will be up and walking vigorously within days, or at least getting out those hand weights! I will eat only fresh veggies and lean protein (until that first Cookie Bouquet arrives... then all bets are off!). Here's the deal, take it slowly. give yourself some serious slack that first 6 weeks... eat what makes you happiest, only move when you have to, do not forgo a nap because there is laundry to do. You will be so tired you will be seeing stars, the last thing you need to be doing is hauling baskets of tiny socks and onesies up and down the stairs. DO keep taking your prenatal vitamin (I still take mine and when I don't I can tell a difference in my energy level). DO eat regulalry, but try and keep the sugar to a minimum because it will mess with your mood. DO sleep whenever possible, but DO expect a big fat bawling-like-a-baby meltdown after about 5 weeks postpartum. DO get help from your doctor if you feel like that every day. DO keep caffeine to a minimum, even when you are dragging. My last baby NEVER slept and if I was jacked up on diet coke it made things even worse. DO try getting out with the baby for fresh air every day. If it's hot go early in the am or in the evening. If it's cold go at noon, even if it's chilly. Fresh air is good for babies (at reasonable temps) and good for you too. DO get some comfy post partum clothes, even if it's in a size that will curl your hair. Well fitting clothes are better than ill-fitting ones, or worse, your old maternity stuff. It's all mental. Well, that's my older mother wisom for the day!