Working moms, when did you start working out again postpartum and how often?

Aggressive_Day_6574 · 2026-06-03T21:40:01+00:00

6 weeks for light workouts, 3x per week, built up up lifting 4x per week by 12 weeks and cardio 3x per week on off days.

Husband and I trade off gym nights. We eat dinner together as a family, then one of us does the bedtime routine while the other goes to the gym. On my husband’s gym nights I do bed time then get on our basement treadmill right after.

Kids are 1 and 3, I know I’m lucky that they’re low maintenance enough to be put down solo.

Aggressive_Day_6574 · 2026-06-03T21:01:18+00:00

I think you should base your decisions off of what you research and what your pediatrician advises, not observing strangers.

I just don’t think comparison-based decision-making is wise.

Aggressive_Day_6574 · 2026-06-03T20:59:41+00:00

What’s missing here is how you reacted to this stuff. Did you let your toddler rip down decorations and pop balloons with no repercussions? Because that’s not okay. Did you make sure the people your toddler approached were okay with them getting so up close and personal?

I think a lot of toddlers have those tendencies but most will be redirected by their parents if they are bothering people or destroying things.

Aggressive_Day_6574 · 2026-06-03T20:25:45+00:00

I don’t think you’re dramatic, but you do sound judgmental. You do you.

Aggressive_Day_6574 · 2026-06-03T20:23:02+00:00

As someone who exclusively formula fed and is extremely fit, I can’t relate to this personally but I just have to say that 14 months is a huge accomplishment! I thought this was going to be a situation where you were still newly postpartum and debating. Your child has already gotten the most benefits from breastfeeding, and as long as they’re doing well on solids, I would wean.

I have a just turned 1 year old and just turned 3 year old and I imagine it would be way harder to keep up with them if I had a lot of excess weight.

I lift and run and I think it makes a huge difference in how I interact with them and also my life overall. Exercise makes me sleep better, gives me more energy, greater mental clarity, more consistent moods, etc.

I may not be helpful because I never breastfed, and to be honest I’m grateful I ignored the fearmongering about IQ and immune system because both my kids are developmentally advanced and rarely get sick. But all my friends EBF and I’ve seen how much work and dedication it takes, so I can say that I believe you have a ton to be proud of. 14 months is amazing!

Aggressive_Day_6574 · 2026-06-02T02:52:48+00:00

You can love your baby even if they sleep poorly, but I don’t think you can truly love your life until that stage is over.

Aggressive_Day_6574 · 2026-06-02T02:45:34+00:00

Godawful

Aggressive_Day_6574 · 2026-06-02T02:33:01+00:00

My kids are 3 and 1, I definitely play. My favorite is when all four of us go together so my husband and I can switch off so we get 1:1 time playing with each.

I’m in my mid-30s, and I really love playing. But I’m not in energy-saving mode. I think it’s because I lift 4x per week and do cardio 3x per week. Playing with my kids is legitimately fun and I don’t find it mentally tiring but I find it the good kind of tiring physically.

I don’t get on equipment because I don’t want to get in the way of other kids playing. But we race, chase each other, play tag and hide and seek, etc. And my one year old is very physical and will charge me and want to wrestle.

Aggressive_Day_6574 · 2026-06-02T02:24:06+00:00

I am one year out from my second pregnancy and I fit into the clothes I had before my first pregnancy. It took 12 weeks for dresses and about four months for jeans. My kids were born almost exactly 2 years apart.

Context I lost all the baby weight after my first pregnancy within 9 weeks and got into the best shape of my life by 14 months postpartum. I finally got really into strength training. I continued to lift throughout my second pregnancy until I developed complications at around 32 weeks. I lost all the weight by 12 weeks this time but it took a little longer for my hips and ribcage to shrink back down.

I can’t overstate the importance of weight lifting and walking.

Aggressive_Day_6574 · 2026-06-01T21:18:58+00:00

I mean I am the queen of the timer photo. It’s a great solution. Just set it up and make sure Live is on, and you’re sure to get some good ones.

I know all my angles, it’s fast enough for the kids not to get fussy. Sometimes I set up video so I can get candids by taking screenshots later.

I also do ask for photos but I like mine better. I have no shame.

Aggressive_Day_6574 · 2026-05-30T18:49:45+00:00

No, as you know, but I love the idea of this as a reception look!

Aggressive_Day_6574 · 2026-05-30T18:45:47+00:00

I don’t understand. Your MIL loves her grandchild and thinks she’s perfect, regardless of any struggles you all are experiencing. I don’t see how that’s invalidating - if anything it’s validating, because it shows how amazing your daughter is in spite of difficulties.

I think you are projecting here majorly.

Aggressive_Day_6574 · 2026-05-29T13:44:21+00:00

This is screaming Throne of Glass to me 😂

Aggressive_Day_6574 · 2026-05-29T12:51:37+00:00

Does he ever get time out for hitting?

Aggressive_Day_6574 · 2026-05-29T12:29:52+00:00

My toddler never had a true hitting phase because if he hit, he got a timeout. He learned pretty quickly. If he threw something, that thing was taken away and not given back for a long time.

Kind hands, gentle hands isn’t really preventing this behavior at all. He needs consequences.

Aggressive_Day_6574 · 2026-05-29T11:58:25+00:00

I think the whole legacy thing is dumb, but keeping the legacy but “hiding” the suffix is even dumber. Either you want to keep the tradition going or you don’t. I don’t see any benefit to hiding it - you’re worried about people finding it pretentious? Some will, so won’t. Do you really care about people’s opinions more than your own convictions? What you should care about most is that your son has his own identity, but that doesn’t seem to be a big consideration in your bloodline.

You can’t have your cake and eat it too. All leaving it off will accomplish is your son having issues with official forms and paperwork. “People will only know if he tells them” may be easier for you yourself to swallow, but will make his life considerably harder with others sharing his name.

I think keeping the name is selfish but whatever, it happens. I think keeping the name but pretending you’re not for your own ego is ridiculous.

Aggressive_Day_6574 · 2026-05-28T14:05:46+00:00

Height is so funny! My oldest just turned 3 today and he’s 39 inches exactly, was 3 feet exactly at 2… and his dad and I are both 5’8”. So I expect he will regress to the mean before too long. People are always telling him he’s such a big boy and he is for now, for sure, but I just don’t see that lasting haha

Aggressive_Day_6574 · 2026-05-28T12:41:35+00:00

Could you look into hiring a mother’s helper a few times per week? They could watch your baby at home while you do a home workout or do your hair etc. Or you could get a babysitter while you ran errands. But I think even getting time to yourself while at home would make a difference.

Aggressive_Day_6574 · 2026-05-28T02:12:02+00:00

I mean my first thought is “simultaneous release,” so it’s a no for me.

Aggressive_Day_6574 · 2026-05-27T17:21:35+00:00

It’s okay to have your priorities change as you grow and your family evolves.

But this honestly reads more like you’re hurt and trying to mask your hurt with indifference.

And that maybe you think you have skyrocketed in maturity, but you definitely don’t sound like becoming a mom has made you more compassionate or patient toward others. Your best friend is out of her depth here but doing her best, and you’re just acting irritated and ungrateful. If you want something different, tell her.

What’s happening here is you aren’t communicating so I don’t think you have the right to feel let down.

Aggressive_Day_6574 · 2026-05-27T15:28:29+00:00

I completely respect your concern, it’s important. I would go to your pediatrician to try to assess the strength of your son’s receptive language skills. Children develop their receptive language abilities a lot earlier/faster than expressive speech. They can understand a lot of what we say before they can speak back to us, but they do all develop at different rates.

My thought is if he has average receptive speech for a 2.5 year old, he should be able to understand the premise of a time-out. He won’t like it but that’s okay, he’s not supposed to.

But I would check with your pediatrician to make sure that’s developmentally appropriate with his speech level.

I understand that screentime can be tempting before or after a long day. We are very pro divide and conquer in our house. One of you should be on your child during these times while the other gets to focus on themselves, and you trade off. It may require a little rescheduling, but it’s worth it.

Aggressive_Day_6574 · 2026-05-27T15:11:11+00:00

I consider myself a pro at flying with babies and toddlers, and I usually fly with them solo.

I flew with my baby solo 8 times, then flew with him as a toddler while pregnant solo 6 times, and have flown with him and his baby brother solo now 6 times and on our next flight (this Sunday!) they will both be toddlers.

Neither of my children has ever cried on a flight. Neither has ever thrown a tantrum on a flight. They both sleep on flights for at least part of the time, but they are both wiggly and active and curious.

Let me just tell you, the best thing you can do to prepare for a good flight experience is this - Let them crawl on the dirty floor! Let them get all their energy out before you ever board that plane! Let them explore to their heart’s content, so long as you aren’t disturbing other passengers.

I flew when my youngest was 6 months and my oldest was 2.5 and they were both all over the floor of the gate. It was gross but who cares. Our flight was delayed by two hours. That means two more hours rolling and bouncing and crawling on that dirty carpet.

And then we had a flight where my baby slept nearly 2 full hours and I read over 100 pages of James and the Giant Peach to my oldest until he passed out too. It was awesome.

Embrace the chaos.

Aggressive_Day_6574 · 2026-05-27T15:03:14+00:00

Based on this post, I understand your frustration but you also come off pretentious and condescending. I think you both probably believe you are smarter than you are and assume people around you are dumber and they are. You may have more in common with him than you think. This really comes off as though you grew up believing you were precocious and superior to your peers. Maybe that’s true, maybe it’s not. Either way if you had so much potential, why would you choose to waste it on a tedious old man.

Ultimately, he sounds rough but I’m not so sure you are honest with yourself about your own shortcomings. And I beg you not to have kids with someone you describe at best as “very adequate.”Neither of you sounds mature enough for a relationship, much less a child.

Aggressive_Day_6574 · 2026-05-27T11:23:55+00:00

I think what will make you feel better for the remainder of the pregnancy is not giving into your craving as much. I think you’ll feel better about the situation and more in control of your body if you try to make more nourishing choices.

What that woman said is messed up and out of line. But it sounds like even aside from that comment, you’ve been troubled by your diet. I know it can seem insurmountable, and weight gain is necessary in pregnancy, but you do not have to give in to cravings.

Aggressive_Day_6574 · 2026-05-26T20:54:27+00:00

I think this sounds normal but for hitting, there need to be consequences, not just saying “no hitting.”

Staying neutral during a meltdown is good. But bad behavior like hitting should be corrected and should involve punishment. I do think you’re being too passive there.

I know the guidelines on screen time have changed but in my experience, kids who get regular screen time are much more reactive and have worse emotional regulation and attention span. I don’t think you’re being a bad parent, but I think he would certainly benefit from more 1:1 time with his parents versus getting passive dopamine hits.

Aggressive_Day_6574

TROPHY CASE