I am a little late in writing this, and obviously, it is due to my busy schedule with my son around.
2022 was the year of motherhood. I became a mom, and my whole world turned upside down (for good)
My tiny human arrived, and I did not know babies were such high-need people. I read a lot during my pregnancy. I scored 10/10 on my pregnancy- Knew things in and out, took a mini gynec course to understand things, took all the tests well and aced it, prepped my hospital bag way in advance, exercised regularly, even worked till my due date.
What I did not do was read anything about postpartum. I was totally unprepared for it was an understatement. After my C-section, I was bedridden as my sciatic pain took over and I wasn’t having a muscle willing to help me in being active.
Add the sleeplessness and feeding the baby 10 times a day, I had one heck of a postpartum.
Weight gain and loss
I gained weight, and I wasn’t too worried about it until I weighed more than my husband and my baby combined (Funny enough) that was the moment I realized I needed to lose weight).
I started doing keto when Suraj turned 6 months. I ate a lot of protein and cut down on carbs. It helped a lot, and I gradually lost weight. I lost 13 Kg at the end of the year and I really wasn’t due to any magical method or food but just discipline and persistence of sticking to a plan.
The exhaustion
The first 6 months of 2022 were a blur. It was about constantly tending to a newborn and his needs. I loved seeing him grow-I loved putting new dresses on him and taking him for a walk (Within the house)
It isn’t advisable to take a newborn to many places (since they aren’t vaccinated) and I had to take good bed rest as I had surgery to avoid further complications The restrictions were something that drove me insane. I missed running, I missed going out on a whim. I needed an army of people to step out. Added to that, since I fed the baby, I needed to be around and couldn’t go away for long periods of time.
I and Suraj moved to Bangalore in May. It was a whole new setup to get adjusted to. It took a while to find stability. The first year is a time of constant change. We find a system that works, and the baby outgrows it.
When Suraj was 6 months old, I joined work. It was the end of my maternity leave and a bittersweet decision I had to make. On the one hand, it felt good to be human again, working with adults and doing something productive (Sitting at home during my maternity leave not doing anything productive wasn’t very conducive to my mental health). On the other, I was very sad to leave my baby at home. I worked shorter hours and I still do so I can be home with my baby.
Festival mania
Towards the second half of 2022, things were a bit more jolly and interesting. Suraj started crawling and being mobile. I celebrated all the festivals. Covid and lockdowns ended, and I could see everyone shared the festive mood of celebration.
We celebrated Golukashtami, Diwali, Navrathri, Karthikai deepam, Ganesh Chaturthi, Christmas etc
First time ever, I kept my Golu and celebrated the full week of Navratri. I even did a mini-fasting and only cooked satvik recipes for the week. We even went to the Dandiya dance.
A pause on running
For the first six months of the year, I took it slow and didn’t exert myself physically due to my C Section. After that, I tried running and exercising but miserably failed. I got knee inflammation since I ran after a long time. I just did not have the energy to run or exercise after the night wakings and childcare duties.
Funnily I thought I could do a half marathon in the second half of the year (Ha!). I laugh thinking of it. I couldn’t run 5kms at one go (My body was just not in a position)
End of the year, after my son turned 1, I had a breath of fresh air. I could relax a bit more. I got a bit of my energy back. I was back to my pre-pregnancy weight. I could do 5-6K steps a day.
The year ended well with new hopes and dreams going forward. My son is now a toddler and I love this active boy. I love being active for a change compared to the bedridden newborn days.
Looking forward to an active and bustling 2023!
Exploring Life.. 