Hi Pearl! If you exercised throughout your pregnancy and had a normal vaginal
delivery, you can probably resume your pre-pregnancy workout or a modified
version within days of giving birth, depending on how you feel. But if you had a
c-section, you'll need to wait about six weeks, or until your incision has
healed.
If you stopped exercising during your pregnancy or did not exercise regularly
before, start out slowly. Too much physical activity during the first few weeks
after delivery can cause your lochia to become pink or red and flow more
heavily-a signal to slow down. Tell your practitioner if your lochia restarts
after it had stopped.
The best way to start dropping those pregnancy pounds is to do some form of
aerobic exercise to get your heart rate up, such as brisk walking, swimming,
running, or biking. Try to fit in 30 to 50 minutes of physical activity at least
three to five days a week. But don't lose more than one pound per week,
especially if you're breastfeeding.
Click here to read more about getting your shape back.
In week 6 we explore...
- Your New Baby - Keep Miyuki Maddox Covered
- Your Baby Journal - What Calms Your Baby?
- Expecting Again? Win FREE Cord Blood Banking
- Pottery Barn Kids
- A Quote Worth Repeating - By Marian Wright Edelman
- This Week's E-poll Question - Stretch Marks?
- Tips from the Trenches - Paper Pleasures
- Links to Other Features
Your New Baby
Miyuki Maddox loses a great deal of body heat through her head, hands and feet,
so be sure to keep her well covered when you go outside. Keep a cap or bonnet on
her and throw an extra blanket over the carrier just to be sure that her little
hands and feet stay cozy and warm. You can always take off extra layers.
You have probably noticed that Miyuki Maddox wants to be fed more often this
week; a baby's appetite usually picks up a bit around six weeks of age. If
you're breastfeeding you could also be helping Miyuki Maddox's brain
development. A recent study of more than a thousand children showed that those
who were breastfed scored higher on intelligence tests than those who were
bottle fed.
Click here to read more about breastfeeding.
Your little one will relax and unclench her hands more this week, and as her
eyesight continues to improve, she is probably looking around more often and
checking out her big new world.
Miyuki Maddox's cries may be developing distinct qualities, depending on the
problem. You may start to be able to tell by her cry if she is hungry, needs a
diaper change, or is scared or lonely.
Your Baby Journal
Pearl, new parents spend a lot of time calming and comforting their new baby,
and figuring out what works best can be a frustrating learning curve. In your
journal, write down all the things that you've found calm your baby. In the
years ahead you can read this entry to a worried new parent and perhaps save
them the frustration. Write now.
Click here to access your journal.
Be sure to add all your new baby pictures to your photo album and share with
your friends and family.
Click here to access your photo album.
Expecting Again? Win FREE Cord Blood Banking
Storing your baby's potentially lifesaving cord blood stem cells provides you
with a powerful medical resource that may be used to cure many severe illnesses
for you, your child and loved ones. If youre expecting, or know someone who is,
take advantage of this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
Enter now to win Free Cord Blood Banking from Cord Blood Registry - The Name to
Trust!
Click here to enter!
Pottery Barn Kids
Pottery Barn Kids provides casual furnishings and textiles designed to delight
and inspire the imagination. As a chip off the old block, the collection has
inherited Pottery Barn's comfortable, well-designed aesthetic. And every Pottery
Barn Kids design is guided by a careful regard for child safety standards.
Click Here
A Quote Worth Repeating
"If we don't stand up for children, then we don't stand for much."
- Marian Wright
This Week's E-poll
Do you have any stretch marks?
A Tip from the Trenches
Many new moms quickly become pack rats, saving every little thing associated
with their baby. If you saved the wrapping paper from gifts received at your
baby shower(s), try lining your baby's drawers and the shelves of the changing
table with the paper. It'll make you smile every time you reach for an item and
catch a glimpse of it.
Links to Other Features
Click here to check out the lists to organize your life.
Click here for more helpful baby resources.
Click here to see what's new with the moms and babies in your Birth Club.
Until next week,
Catherine
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