The Benefits of Postpartum Belly Wraps

I remember the ignorant bliss of thinking I'd deliver my baby and leave the hospital rocking pre-pregnancy clothes. Like magically, I'd lose all of the weight I'd gained during pregnancy. Ha! My baby accounted for a third of the weight I gained. There was no way I was squeezing into my prepregnancy clothes.--I left the hospital looking like I was still pregnant. Which, sucked. I was tired of the weight, back pain and feeling like a dumpy, frumpy toad. Then my sister gave me a postpartum belly wrap.

 My back pain and frumps faded.

FUN FACT: Abdominal binders were originally created to help with back pain because they increased abdominal support, which helped people with back pain get around better.

According to Jay Goldberg, MD, an obstetrician/gynecologist in Beverly Hills, Calif., agrees. "We have been prescribing abdominal binders for a long time. They have been used for tummy tucks and back problems, but with obstetrics, these wraps help women recovering from a vaginal delivery or a C-section with their posture, abdominal support, and self-confidence.”

Benefits of Postpartum Belly Wraps:

• Supports lower back.
• Creates good posture especially with C-Section mommies.
• Promotes good blood circulation to assist with healing.
• Helps the stomach's natural ability to compress back into shape.
• Promotes less water retention.
• Assists with the tightening of loose skin.
• The gentle compression of the belly binder on the abs may help the uterus return to its normal size quicker when worn for four to six weeks after delivery to reap the maximum benefits.

Of course Hollywood has sworn by them since the original Belly Bandit came on the scene:

I'm a firm believer in the benefits of a postpartum wrap, and it's all for one simple reason, Posture.

Belly binders/wraps/bands, call it whatever you want, help with posture which instantly leads to looking, and feeling, taller, thinner, and most important, engaging muscles. The better posture reduced my back pain and increased my abdominal engagement which helped with healing from my c-section. I loved mine and have since gifted quite a few, most recently to my sister-in-law.

Bottom Line: Belly Bands force your body into engaging your muscles, and that leads to healing, strength and yes, weight loss. Though, if rapid weight loss is your goal, you'll need to exercise and eat a clean, healthy diet.

You can check out the original Belly Bandit here.

Because Mommies Have Sensitive Tummies Too #DrinkPremama

This post was sponsored by Premama as part of an Influencer Activation for Influence Central. All opinions expressed in the post are my own.

Sensitivity should be my middle name. I'm thoroughly sensitive from the inside and out. From my sensitive skin to my feelings, to my tummy, I am always dealing with one sensitivity issue or another! 

This was never more true than when I got pregnant. I struggled daily not only swallowing my prenatal vitamin, but it upset my stomach to no end. Knowing I had to take them, I talked with my doctor about other options. That's when I found out, hard pills are not the only way to take a vitamin. 

This information changed the game. 

First I tried a chewy vitamin, but the flavor was so yucky, I had to hold my nose chew them up, then wash them down with water.

I was so annoyed that something so good for me and baby, made me so sick!  

Thankfully, the wonderful people at Premama knew there were preggies in need of vitamins, delivered in a convenient non-pill non-nauseating way. 

Now that the hubs and I have started talking seriously about having #2, getting my health and diet in check are essential. And since my diet doesn't always deliver the vitamins I need, making sure I get my recommended daily intake is very important to me. 

What's more, Premama Prenatal vitamins can be blended in Smoothies! Check out these super food Premama Prenatal smoothie recipes!  *(Don't forget to Pin the images for later!) 

Berry Bomb Smoothie

 I seriously LIVED off smoothies when I was pregs with Ollie. 

Tropical Island Escape Smoothie:

If, like me, you struggle with swallowing pills or get an upset stomach from vitamins in the morning, definitely give the entire Premama a try. You and your growing baby will be so glad you did! I know Ollie and I were both stoked with I got my prenatal vitamin under control. 


Premama is so sure you will love their essential vitamin drink mix, they're giving away a  free sample of either Premama Lactation or Premama Fertility through September 29, 2016! ? To get yours, see below. 

TIP: Now through September 25, 2016, Premama is on super sale at your local Meijer Stores! To find a store near you, click here!

Postpartum Depression at 9-months postpartum

I have three great posts I have been working on, but I just don't have the drive I need to finish them.  Why?  Because I am lacking passion right now. My postpartum depression is back, or really it was never gone, I was just managing it better then I am now.  Maybe it's the holidays, maybe it's the cold weather, maybe it's just hormones... whatever it is, I am suffering on the inside something awful and it sucks.  Sucks ass.

From the beginning of my pregnancy I talked about my fears of getting postpartum.  Being that I battled depression in my teenage years and a little in my 20's, I knew I had a higher probability for getting PPD. However, I was shocked that I didn't really experience any hardcore symptoms of PPD at first.  Of course I had some weepy moments, or psycho lashouts at FTD, but nothing too bad or that would last for more than an hour or so. The PPD didn't really start taking over until around the third month.

Worried that I was losing control I saw a therapist. Since I was determined to not take any medication, I wanted to start with "talk therapy."  After a full assessment the therapist felt that with enough sessions she could give me  the tools to manage the PPD and thus avoid medication.  By the 8th and final session I felt great.  Well, confident that I could manage with my new set of tools.  (for a list of the tools click here)

For the past few months I have been managing quite well.  I have certainly had low moments, but never once did I consider harming myself or Oliver.  My low points are mostly filled with fear over the future and the uncertainty of the world I have to raise my son in, I also get very anxious about my lack of a steady income, and how I will be able to provide the best for my bub.  Life in general.

The PPD mostly attacks my outlook on life.  When it's high gear I feel overloaded and full of fear, I look at the big picture and get way overwhelmed by it all, I even start to worry about how I will send Ollie to a good school. Basically I tailspin out of control, it's not good. When I have control, I take life in small bites and stay positive.

Lately the Holidays, the end of my unemployment benefits, my lack of healthcare coverage and no great job on the horizon has got me way down.  The sad part is, I feel sorry for myself, so I am not pulling out the tools I need to fight the PPD and get out of my rut.  Not good.

*** FTD here - I'm an insomniac and at 4:30am thought I'd have a look at the 'ole blog - as some of you may have noticed...this post doesn't seem finished.  I'm not sure April actually meant for it to go live! Anyways...I fixed the SHOCKING spelling mistakes and when she gets up in the morning, she can sort it out! YIPEEEEE. In the meantime, here's an awesome picture to lighten the mood.***

Hopefully, this WILL be my breakfast tomorrow -  delicious poached eggs on a bagel with bacon, mushrooms, sausage and topped off with a magnificent, homemade hollandaise sauce. Yes gentlemen...that's why I married her!

Observations at 7-month Postpartum

Yes, SEVEN!!!! full months since I delivered my beautiful baby via the sunroof (C-section for those non-TOBP peeps).  How in the hell has 7-months passed already?

Oh, and I know I said somewhere around 3 or 4 months I was no longer going to refer to myself as postpartum, and then each month I have said, "OK, one more month of observations."  Well, my dear friends, I have officially fallen off of my high horse and hit the ground hard enough to knock some sense into me. Hell yeah I'm still postpartum!  I also realized the longer I rock out the "I'm postpartum" mentality, the longer I have something to blame for the pudge, gas, bad attitude, random acne breakouts... Oh hell, let's just get the observations list a rollin'....

1. I'm still amazed I am a mother. I wonder if I'm totally a head case for having a 7-month old baby and still finding myself in awe that I am actually a mother.  I have a baby... a son.  That's insane to me.

2. I have been breastfeeding exclusively for 7 months, not one drop of formula. I am here to tell you, "When you breast feed the pounds just melt off," is the biggest load of horseshit.

3. I have officially declared war on the last 15 pounds of baby weight.  Maybe it's 20... no I think it's 15... I don't  know because I don't own a scale. I refuse to let that hateful piece of anger inducing crap into my house.  My pants fit or they don't, a number doesn't do anything but piss me off.  With winter around the corner, it's time to face the fact that I have 3-4 months to loose the extra weight before I am couch bound.

Once the cold sets in, I hibernate like a bear.  What ever fat goes into winter with me stays, and usually multiplies.  I'll just tell you right now, by the time January rolls around I don't even lie to myself about New Year's resolutions and gym memberships. Every year I sit on my ass, knitting winter blankets to stay warm and blaming Mother Nature for my problems.

4.Thanks to breastfeeding I still have not started menstruating yet.  Which is super cool.  I may be ovulating, but I couldn't tell you if I am.  (FYI: If you want to leave a comment about how I can "reach down" and find out.... PLEASE DON'T I've heard, and no thanks. ;p)

5. I'm still struggling with the over whelming desire to punch FTD. In the face. Very Hard.  Damn hormones. ;) Co-parenting takes a lot of work, compromise and understanding.

6. I still have strange bouts of acne flair ups.  I'm 34, not 13. I'm so over it!

7. I have gas.  STILL!  WTF?  It was so much fun grossing out FTD during my first two trimesters of pregnancy. The third trimester it got old.  Now it's just plain annoying.

8. My hair has stopped falling out like crazy.  Thank God.  I was so sick of unwrapping my hair from my son's body.

9. My feet have nearly shrunk back down to normal. My feet grew a full size and a half during my pregnancy. I had people following my footsteps to find Sasquatch!

10. I'm still a hormonal hot ass mess.  I can cry on cue, then laugh hysterically and then declare war on FTD the next breath.  I was told that I may stay this way until I stop nursing. Which, idealy is when Oliver can have cows milk when Ollie is a year old. Ugh. 5 more months.

11. I'm finally out of my maternity clothes.  It's really nice.  Don't get me wrong, I'm still wearing larger size clothes than pre baby, but my maternity tops and bottoms are packed away.

12. "It takes 9 months for your uterus to shrink," says my best friend.  Why yes, she is awesome.  For some reason hearing that made me feel at ease, like I have two more months before I should even expect the pregnancy pooch to piss off.  Of course I asked her, "What about Beyonce and Heidi Klum?"  She explained they were freaks of nature.  I love her. You can love her too. Nine months ladies for your uterus to shrink... go with it!

13. My boobs are massive!  Freaking massive!  It really does seem like they are growing in relation to Oliver's milk needs.  So, does that mean my breasts will be larger than my head by 9 months?  I'm seriously concerned.

14. I'm still not sleeping well.  I keep the monitor on all night, so I wake up to every peep Ollie makes.  I just cannot bring myself to turn it off.

15. I honestly believe I am going to emerge from my postpartum life, the breastfeeding and pregnancy weight gain woes brilliantly in the end. I have a goal of doing all of this at Oliver's first birthday.  I'm not joking.  I feel like a woman now.  Mentally I love the direction I am going.  I just pray physically I will continue to get better as well.

16. #15 being said... I still want to run away every once in a while. I want to start over at 20.  I think I get so over whelmed by the responsibility and commitment.  I want to run away to No Responsibility Island.

17. Routine, Routine, Routine. I'm not sure who benefits more from the routine, me or Ollie, but it makes each day so much easier.  Wake Up, nurse, play, nap, play, nurse, play, lunch, nap, play, nurse, nap, play, dinner, bath, nurse, sleep. Repeat.  I love it! I need predictability.  We both do.

18. I freak out at least once a day trying to figure out the future and how I will pay for it... clothes, toys, food, schools, new house.  Daunting.  I have to remind myself, one day at a time...

19. I want so bad to be the very best role model for my son possible. I want us both to be proud of me.

20. Oh My goodness I love my son.  More than words will ever come close to describing. When I smell him and hold him close my heart slows down. I relax and my body fills with this beautiful rush of love.  Oooh sooo amazing.

Don't forget about the Citrus Lane Giveaway! I've added new ways to enter!  Click Here for details!

Observations at 6-months postpartum

(I know I said at 5-months postpartum I was no longer going to talk about being “postpartum.”  I changed my mind. As long as I have “postpartum,” I have something to blame.) 

I absolutely cannot believe it has already been six months since the birth of my beautiful son, Oliver.  The time has flown by so quickly. However, when I look back on the past six months, so much has happened.  My son has gone from a limp little slug of a baby, to a strong rigid lean mean boxing machine.  I have gone from a foul-mouthed selfish brat, to a creatively foul-mouthed, not so selfish mother. 

Without further adieu… My observations…

6-months Postpartum

1. I still have a bunch of junk in my trunk-I need to see the research on “Breastfeeding helps you loose the baby weight,” because I think that’s a load of poo.  I am still a ravenous piglet with a raging sweet tooth.

2. My feet are still a size larger than pre-pregnancy-The day I delivered my son, my feet had grown nearly a size and a half.  One shoe size is completely normal. I think the extra half size came with the additional 20 pounds I packed on after the “recommended” 25 pounds. Since loosing that extra half size I can finally squeeze my hoofs back into my old shoes. However, long distance walking is out, or pools of blood will start to leave a Hansel and Gretel trail.

3. My chest looks like it could feed a small village- I am completely amazed that women pay for breasts this big. I am so sick of of lugging these milk jugs around.  The scary part is that the older Oliver gets, the larger the jugs get.  Will I need a wheel barrel by 12 months?

4. My hair has stopped falling out.-Finally! I was so tired of unwinding my hair from my son’s body.

5. I no longer want to kill dear old dad!-I wanted to physically harm that man during and post pregnancy. Now, I love him all over again! He really has become the most amazing father.

6. I’m still not sleeping through the night.-This is so incredibly annoying! I still cannot sleep long stretches, even though Oliver is. It's so frustrating!

7. My c-section scar has healed up brilliantly, but I still have some numbness--The right side of my scar still feels a little numb.  I had a fair amount of nerve damage in the area, and was told I may or may not regain full feeling.  So far, not so much.

8. That worry I carried around throughout my pregnancy that something awful would happen to my baby… I still have it.-Apparently that friggin anxiety is going to be with me for the rest of my life.  It’s called being a good, caring, loving mother.  Shitters! 

9. My abdominal muscles still have not fully recovered--I suppose I could do a few more sit-ups…I'm working on it!

10. I will always be a little Postpartum--I have grown a human!  My body and mind will never be the same. In fact, I have given up hope of ever fully getting them back!

Tomorrow: 6-month well baby check up, and mom and dads 6-month observations!

Observations at five months Postpartum

5 Months Postpartum:

1. I still have quite the pregnancy pooch.

Reality- I’m sick and effing tired of the pregnancy pooch! Walking is just not cutting it.

2. My hair is falling out strand-by-strand, minute-by-minute.

Reality- I’m going to be cutting my hair in half! Oliver has a strand wrapped around him at all times.

3. My knees and back are constantly aching. 

Reality- I think I am carrying about 15 extra pounds still or 3 dress sizes bigger than before baby. My knees will tell you possibly a little more.

4. I still think I stink!  Like I am still oozing pregnancy hormones and gunk.

Reality-I’m showering sometimes twice a day and am still stinky and sweaty.

5. Since I am still nursing, my hormones are still WAY out of whack.

Reality- I’m kinda bitchy sometimes. "Sometimes" becomes a lot when I don’t sleep well. And I still have teenage acne!

6. I’m ravenous with a raging sweet tooth.

Reality-I still have the “I can have whatever I want” pregnancy mentality when it comes to food.  I can rationalize every bite that goes into my mouth! So bad…

7. I love being a mom so freaking much!

Reality- It is the true meaning of life!

This is my last "postpartum observations," because I am no longer "postpartum." I am a mom who delivered 5 months ago. I’ve been dragging that “postpartum” term around as a crutch to hold up my baby weight and poor eating choices. I’m dropping that postpartum mentality so I can get on with it!  I am a mom, a very blessed and proud mom, who has 15 pounds to loose, an attitude that needs to be adjusted, a mouth that needs to stop being filled with naughty goodies, I have joints that need to desperately be exercised and a mane of hair that needs to be tamed before it strangles my son. 

I positively Love Love Love being a mom!  It's time to shed the memories of pregnancy.  I'm moving forward with my son and not looking back to blame my pregnancy anymore.  I am holding myself accountable now for all of the things I have been blaming on being Postpartum. Tomorrow is a brand new day.