Cora | Team Trader Mom

My body B.C. (Before Cora), looked like this.

(Taken after completing the Warrior Dash in June 2012)

(Taken outside the Olympic Swim Trials in June 2012)

My body at the end of the pregnancy looked like this:

And now today, 1 week A.D. (After Delivery), I look like this:

Basically I look like I did at about 26 weeks pregnant.

This is totally normal. Ones bump doesn’t just go away overnight.

Which sucks.

But at least it’s shrinking. I’ve dropped 24 pounds since giving birth, which is comprised of baby, placenta, blood and other fluids from the uterus and water weight. 24 lbs in 1 week ain’t bad…but it will level off soon and I’ll have to start doing real work.

I have been paying better attention to my diet – eating more fresh produce, whole grains, and less processed stuff. I’ve also drastically limited the sweets. Not eliminated mind you, just limited. There’s a big difference. If I eliminated sweets altogether, I’d fall off the band wagon in no time. But by allowing myself some indulgences, it’s easier to make better choices all around.

I am not allowed to workout yet and it’s killing me. I am good at that for sure. Exercise has always been my strong suit when it comes to maintaining a healthy body. I most likely won’t be able to get back to full workout mode until about 5 weeks from now, with the doc’s okay. I will be very ready.

But the time to heal is important too. I put my body through a lot over the last 9 months and in particular, the last week. I am very sore and deal with pain every single day. There is a lot of recovery needed and I don’t want to shortcut that and risk more issues down the line. It’s hard for me to “take it easy” and “do nothing”. I’m a doer. But it’s not really “doing nothing” – it’s allowing my body to heal which is a very important job.

So, while I really want to drop the last 24 pounds (if not more) quickly and feel like my old self again, I know that it’s a process. After Isabella it took me a full year to get it all off. I hope that it doesn’t take as long this time but if it does, so be it. Slow and steady wins the race!

In the meantime, I shall enjoy time with my girls and practice a little patience.

Check out these other posts!

Team Trader 2.0 | There’s a Light | Update in Pictures

Yawn.

As you can imagine, I’m not getting the greatest sleep these days. You know, with a new baby and all.

Meet Cora Jane.

She made her debut on Monday, 4/8 at 7:38 am. I plan to write a full account of her birth story one of these days, but for now I just wanted to give a quick update. Her birth saga is actually just that – a saga. Nothing was as I had imagined or planned it, yet it was all perfect in its own way.

I am doing well. Was able to have a successful VBAC. Although it hurts to walk or sit, I’m glad I pursued the VBAC option. It was an experience unlike any other.

Isabella was not quite sure what to think of Miss Cora at first.

She seemed to be more excited about the hospital itself, and the room service, than the actual baby. She refused to hold her and pretty much kept her distance. However, once we brought Cora home, she started to come around. She still won’t hold her, which is totally fine since Isabella is a big ball of energy and you never know when she’s going to jump up or do something silly, and some of the concepts of a baby are still foreign to her. She does like to “play” with her and every day she tells me how cute the baby is.

Already we can see so many differences between our 2 girls. Isabella was alert and active from the moment she came in to the world. Cora has been much more laid back and sleepy. Although not colicky or extremely bad, Isabella was way more fussy. She cried a lot. Cora just goes with the flow. Oh and of course, Isabella loved her pacifier from the second we gave it to her. Cora refuses to take one (thank God!) I guess all the categorizations they make about oldest and youngest children are true for us – at least so far!

Here are a few picture comparisons of the 2 girls.

Do you think they look alike? Also, notice that Isabella’s eyes are open and alert in every single picture while Cora is sleeping in most of them.

Day 1: Isabella

Cora –

Of course I had to take one with Samson (who by the way had a freak out moment when we first brought Cora home but has quickly welcomed her to the pack)

Isabella:

Cora:

And finally, wearing the same outfit:

Isabella:

Cora:

So there you have it. The adjustment has been much easier this time around, probably because we knew what to expect. We were a lot smarter about some things, having learned from experience. Not to say that it’s all been easy, but it definitely was not as jarring and life altering as it was the first time around. Having a more easy going baby helps a lot too.

Not sure how often I’ll be able to post but I will try to get back soon with Cora’s birth story and an update on how I’m feeling and doing. Operation “No more maternity jeans” has begun!

If you liked this, see how we got here!

There’s a Light | Stats | Nursery Reveal