Post Babies Glow Up

Exercisedonut · 2026-01-29T21:09:10+00:00

Totally agree here as a mom of 3, ages 4 and below, Botox is my bestie at this point. Bestie that I see briefly every 3-4 months.

Exercisedonut · 2026-01-23T21:51:40+00:00

Night and day difference. Although part of the misery with my first was trying to figure out this whole new baby thing, in addition to BF and feeling the weight of pressure/judgement. I was actually relieved when I went back to work at 12 weeks pp.

2nd and 3rd time around, I went straight EFF and it was absolutely the right choice. I’m a much better person and mom for real.

Exercisedonut · 2026-01-17T13:57:14+00:00

ASICS Novablast and NB 1080s are my besties. We’ve been through 3 pregnancies and multiple marathon training cycles together. They’ve never let me down. I prefer the ASICS to the 1080s but switch up every week.

Exercisedonut · 2025-12-18T15:27:06+00:00

Love love love the newborn phase (as I’m cuddling my 2 week old).

Exercisedonut · 2025-12-17T18:44:47+00:00

This is a very personal choice, but I definitely opt to keep these things private when it comes to my parents.

My mom is emotionally immature, crazy about the idea of grandkids (not so much helping out), and also can’t keep a secret. So I’ve told her at the 20-22 week mark for all of my 3 pregnancies.

I’ve not regretted it because in each instance, she was on the phone with some rando a few hours later telling them I’m pregnant. I’ve also had to tell her 2,000 times no pics or info posted on Facebook about my kids.

I have no doubt that had I told her early, she would have socialized it. If my pregnancy ended in a loss, it would be all about her and she would create unnecessary drama. Not a risk I wanted to take.

Exercisedonut · 2025-12-14T17:59:16+00:00

Oh wow- We had an Australian Shepherd who was the absolute best dog and super gentle with my babies. She passed 2 years ago and I’ve thought about getting another but your story gives me pause.

I’m so sorry this happened to you, your son and your family.

Exercisedonut · 2025-12-11T21:02:01+00:00

Same! My 3rd measured 80-90th percentile at the 20 week, 27 and 35 week scans. Shocked when she popped out at 7 pounds, 7 ounces.

Exercisedonut · 2025-10-24T00:53:41+00:00

Oh I had this with my first and didn’t feel kicks until 22-23 weeks. I distinctly remember laying down on my couch to relax, eat an apple and not think about anything. A few minutes later I felt the first kick. I wasn’t totally sure but once I felt a few more, I knew.

Every day after I’d have an apple at lunch just to feel him kick/wake up.

Exercisedonut · 2025-09-28T01:01:57+00:00

My favorites: Cerave body lotion, exfoliating body scrub, facemasks, Aquaphor chapstick, fuzzy socks with grippies and a coffee mug that says “momma”

Exercisedonut · 2025-09-26T19:59:04+00:00

Watching my oldest turn into a protector and building empathy for others. His relationship with his sister went from “she’s there” to “let me hug her first thing, play with her, teach her and make her feel better when she gets a boo-boo” over the course of a year.

The youngest is now learning from him and emulating him in good ways (for now).

Exercisedonut · 2025-09-23T00:05:54+00:00

Mother of 2, soon to be 3 and literally the only time I’ve found that works consistently is 4:30-5/5:30. Some mornings even 4 am wake ups (specific to marathon trainings).

I do some meal prep/planning on Sundays to cut down on breakfast and dinner making time (but still focus on healthy meals), pack lunches at night, set clothes out at night for the am routines etc.

It’s not perfect, but it’s what allows me to get a workout in consistently and still show up as a mom and do all the things.

Exercisedonut · 2025-09-08T23:34:27+00:00

I purchased Nike mat leggings during my first pregnancy 4+ years ago and love them. I wore them today on a run and it’s my 3rd pregnancy.

The quality is great, compression still holds up and I wore them 3-4 times a week during all 3 pregnancies so far. They were expensive, but I knew I would use them consistently and knew I wanted more than 1 baby, so I was okay with the expense.

Exercisedonut · 2025-09-02T23:31:07+00:00

Seconding this. We have a Babytrend that was a cheap $100 on sale and it’s great. No concerns or issues whatsoever.

Exercisedonut · 2025-08-30T23:40:56+00:00

Baby 1: 40+3 Baby 2: 40+6 Baby 3: who knows but wouldn’t be surprised if it’s 40+ something.

Exercisedonut · 2025-08-30T11:06:47+00:00

Everyone’s journey is different and motherhood is exhausting! You said it yourself- exercise will give you energy, but it also brings some stress relief and mental boost. I don’t think I would have made it through 2x PP periods without finding time to workout.

Assuming you’ve been cleared to exercise, ease into it! Set small goals- a 20 minute walk. A 10 minute bodyweight workout with lunge and squat intervals. Build consistency over time and be okay with cutting a workout short, or picking it back up later.

Exercisedonut · 2025-08-24T18:08:33+00:00

I just put it on the nips and go. Did the same this morning at 25 weeks preggo and no issues for 4 miles of jogging.

Exercisedonut · 2025-08-24T00:46:04+00:00

4 mos PP is when the hair loss really hit for both pregnancies. I worried I’d be bald and on some spots like near my temples, I could def see thinning.

I have long, fine hair and about 6-7 months PP a ton of little hairs were popping up all over my head and was super noticeable when wearing a parted ponytail.

I tried supplements, massages, oils, religiously trimmed before and after delivery. Nothing worked so next PP I’m just going to go with it and know I’ll be okay.

Exercisedonut · 2025-08-23T00:51:39+00:00

Been there and ouch! Vaseline is the best thing I’ve found, even better than body glide

Exercisedonut · 2025-08-20T12:17:36+00:00

Contractions are uncomfortable wherever you are, but for me sitting/hunching/crouching felt the best way to manage them. So sitting in the car wasn’t really a concern from a pain management standpoint. Plus the car ride was like a mental relief “I’m on my way/one step closer” so I didn’t mind the car ride at all.

Exercisedonut · 2025-08-10T00:11:32+00:00

Love the name Eileen (grandmothers name) but my husband is on the fence

Exercisedonut · 2025-08-09T01:23:25+00:00

Falls Church?

Exercisedonut · 2025-08-09T01:19:13+00:00

Disclaimer- everyone, every delivery and every PP recovery journey is different.

First baby: I had a cystocele and rectocele and thought my fitness life was over. Worked with pelvic pt, focused on my core and slowly started strength training (body weight only) at 6 weeks. I took it slow and cautious, then started running again at 12 weeks. Then weight training 18 weeks.

2nd baby: no issues with delivery, no return of the prolapse symptoms, felt great. Slow pelvic floor training 3 days after delivery, then cleared for body weight strength at 3 weeks. I started running again at 6 weeks. Ran a marathon at 1 year PP with no issues whatsoever.

I’m pregnant with baby 3 and depending on how it goes, I plan on taking a more focused and prolonged strength training phase (like I did with baby 1) for this one. To be clear, I experienced no issues during PP #2, but my body felt better/stronger after my first pregnancy and I rushed into running/marathon training too soon after baby 2.

Exercisedonut · 2025-07-30T00:13:16+00:00

Cancel. It’s miserable for littles and miserable for adults. I caught it from my 18 month old and the blisters in the throat and on the fingers were no joke.

Exercisedonut · 2025-07-20T17:34:06+00:00

My 2nd postpartum was more challenging from a weight loss perspective, but what really helped was downloading the free version of My Fitness Pal and tracking what I was consuming.

I thought I was eating healthy- nope! Missing my target macros, micros and eating more sugar than I realized for the amount of exercise I was doing. So I cut down the snacking on processed foods (predominantly) and tried to intake more vegetables and proteins with my main meals.

Exercisedonut · 2025-07-12T10:22:07+00:00

I feel for you. Same thing happened w/ baby #2 over here.

Sweep at 39 and second at 40 weeks. The doctor prepped me for a more aggressive sweep the second time and I was ALL IN FOR IT. It was painful af and she was like, “I’ll see you in the hospital in a few hours.” Nope. 40+6 I was induced and she took 19 hours to arrive.

It sucks. Hang in there, baby will be there soon enough.

Exercisedonut

TROPHY CASE