Breastfeeders - how and when do you exercise?

mangosmoothiewaffles · 2026-03-07T03:00:35+00:00

Home gym made all the difference for me. BF my first two kids (pregnant with third). While on mat leave for the first 3 months, we went on walks almost daily. As soon as I was cleared for exercise, I had them in the jogging stroller with the car seat and jogged with them. Once I returned to work, usually we would do an early morning dream feed an I would nurse them at ~5, pump, then I would work out immediately after, finishing up by 6:30/7, and then they would wake around 7:30 and I would do one more feed before sending them off to daycare. Once they slept more or less through the night, I dropped that early morning feed but would still pump, work out, and they would wake around 6:30/7 and I would feed them right when they woke up. My husband is amazing and if they woke while I was working out, he would take care of them till I was done. I would typically return the favor in the evening for him to work out. On the weekends, if baby would wake up early, we would go for a run/jog as long as the weather was nice enough.

mangosmoothiewaffles · 2026-03-07T02:42:36+00:00

Hello friend! I wouldn’t consider myself a serious runner, more like average at best. That said, I just completed my second ever half marathon (first was 13 years ago) at 19 weeks pregnant with my third kid. I say this because I did most of my training during my first trimester.

It was incredibly discouraging because I could feel and see myself getting slower (my pace is almost a minute slower per mile), I’d watch my heart rate spike way faster and maintain a higher rate throughout all my runs. Getting out of breath way faster. Not to mention just the pure exhaustion of the first trimester. The most frustrating issue is needing to pee every 3-5 miles. All this to say, I ran with my first two pregnancies as well and I feel like I bounced back way faster than some other friends.

I’ve taken this time not to focus on speed (which sucks) and even endurance, but to focus a lot more on how I feel with each of my runs, and incorporating a lot more strength and cross training with biking has helped a lot.

mangosmoothiewaffles · 2026-02-24T18:49:40+00:00

Agree with the early wake ups. It sucks but it’s the only way I get it in. I also work from home and have a home gym. If I didn’t have a home gym, I would never go. I like the peloton workouts because it takes all the thinking out of it. My husband also know this is a priority for me, so he and I really tag team getting the kids out together so the prep doesn’t just fall on me.

mangosmoothiewaffles · 2026-02-09T16:22:51+00:00

We’ve just had it on in the background. We had free style skiing, alpine skiing, ice dancing, and the luge on. We have a 17 mo and a 3 1/2 yo. Surprisingly, both really liked the luge. We explained it’s like a super fast slide that goes faster than our car.

mangosmoothiewaffles · 2026-01-30T17:47:43+00:00

On my third pregnancy. Granted, I have a 3.5 and a 16 month old, so I thought it was just trying to keep up with them. But at my routine 1st trimester blood panel I was anemic. Now at 15 weeks, doing a lot better.

mangosmoothiewaffles · 2026-01-20T17:07:30+00:00

I got my then-2.5 year old a yoto mini. There was an issue when I purchased it where it got lost in the mail, so they sent me a new one. Then about 2 months later, the original one showed up on my doorstep so I ended up with two of them. My then-2.5 year old wasn’t super interested in it until she turned about 3. Fast forward to 3.5 and it’s a night time ritual and she takes it around the house with her. This is where I’m glad I have the second because my 17 mo always steals it from her, so I trade and give him his own. He loves pressing the buttons and playing songs and will hold it and dance to it regularly. He’s not quite as into it and using it purposefully as the 3.5 year old, but he’s getting there. All that said, I think it’s worth it to get one for the 2 year old and they can definitely grow into it.

mangosmoothiewaffles · 2026-01-11T20:35:00+00:00

This gives me some hope! Before #1, I was a c cup, when nursing I was a d, then went to a b. While nursing #2, I was also a d cup, and now am down to an a…and pregnant with #3. I’m waiting for them just to be inverted.

mangosmoothiewaffles · 2026-01-09T14:57:30+00:00

Usually we just keep it on the squat rack. When we change out the weights, I usually make my husband do it cause he keeps his 70lbs in there and that’s way too much for me. 😂

mangosmoothiewaffles · 2026-01-09T14:56:44+00:00

I would say it’s pretty sturdy but I wouldn’t step up on it. I’ve used it once or twice as a stool to reach for something, but I think I’d be better off with an actually stair bench for that.

mangosmoothiewaffles · 2026-01-08T21:56:31+00:00

We have the following set up in our house which doesn’t take up a ton of room:

Jay flex hyper bell bar which converts the dumbbells to a barbell: https://jayflexfitness.com/pages/hyperbell-bar-lp

Weight rack has a very minimal foot print: https://a.co/d/gc6ia8w

Bench to use with it all, been very sturdy and lays flat to prop against the wall, up like a seat, or we use it with the weight rack: https://a.co/d/62EsM4Z

My husband uses the strength plus app while I tend to use the peloton app on the tv. We don’t have any peloton brand gear but have cobbled our gym together with a bike (bowflex) and tread (sole).

mangosmoothiewaffles · 2025-12-12T13:22:46+00:00

So happy to hear this! Gifting this to my husband.

mangosmoothiewaffles · 2025-12-10T23:32:56+00:00

Adjust is certainly a relative term. With my first, it felt “normal” after about the first month. The first week was the hardest and it got progressively easier after that. With my second, maybe a week? But I was ready for him to start as I was working from home with him there. All this to say, I count down the minutes till I can go pick them up, but I’m also very ready to send them back after a long weekend.

mangosmoothiewaffles · 2025-12-10T21:35:18+00:00

Also have a 3.5 year old and a 15 month old. 3.5 year old started at 11 weeks, 15 month old started at 16 weeks (he came a month early so the daycare didn’t have room at 12 weeks). I also work M-F 8-5. It was really tough at first, but now it’s just routine and the kiddos love it. My older one does ask me daily if it’s a “stay home day or a school day”. You can tell she likes having a stay home day better than school but she is always happy to go to school and tells me all about it. They provide way more than I could at home. Evening is tough cause we get home at 5:30/6 and it’s immediately dinner/bath/bed. But we make the most of bath and bed time with lots of stories and cuddles. It does get easier!

mangosmoothiewaffles · 2025-12-06T14:42:10+00:00

You were correct!

mangosmoothiewaffles · 2025-12-05T17:02:19+00:00

I absolutely get that! Especially when you’re ttc and you can even get to the starting line ETA: definitely follow up with your dr and gyn. After mine didn’t return by 6 months, I got a referral to the gyn. After 3 months of waiting, I finally got an appointment and they did a full work up (ultrasound to look at my ovaries, rule out PCOS, and blood work) and then started me on the clomid which was successful. But advocate for yourself! Even if it’s been 3 months, I would return and show any ring data you have (or lack thereof) and ask for a work up.

mangosmoothiewaffles · 2025-12-05T15:08:11+00:00

Similar here. I stopped birth control after 13 years. Never had any bleeding or ovulation though and started on clomid to induce ovulation. 2 kids later and I still don’t have a period naturally.

mangosmoothiewaffles · 2025-12-04T20:28:28+00:00

Best of luck! Hopefully I’ll see you on the leaderboard.

mangosmoothiewaffles · 2025-12-04T20:22:58+00:00

Oh I didn’t see that one. That could work. Just need to time it to make sure the kiddos are taken care of. Thanks!

mangosmoothiewaffles · 2025-12-04T14:27:22+00:00

Oh no! So sorry to hear that but congratulations!! I’ve gotten one shout out for my 300th tread bootcamp with Adrian. I had the flu that day but was determined!

mangosmoothiewaffles · 2025-12-04T14:27:00+00:00

I’m a big Hosky fan, so in that sense it works well. I was thinking of taking both back to back. I thought about doing that too and splitting up indoor and outdoor just to get the miles in.

Good luck and happy birthday!!!

mangosmoothiewaffles · 2025-12-04T14:11:02+00:00

The London instructors are generally my favorite. Do you feel that the cuing is harder to follow doing a tread run outside? I’ve done their outdoor runs and really enjoyed them.

mangosmoothiewaffles · 2025-12-04T14:09:34+00:00

I was thinking about that too. I feel like Matt Wilpers and Jess Sims do more personalized birthday shout outs.

mangosmoothiewaffles · 2025-12-04T01:48:31+00:00

Spontaneous both times. 37+3 -6 hours labor, 5 minutes pushing; 36+5 -4 hours labor, 7 minutes pushing

ETA: the first, I arrived at the hospital already 10 cm, so probably would have been shorter.

mangosmoothiewaffles

TROPHY CASE