Their experience (3)

——– Now, do you have something to share on your experience of your own health and beauty since you have started coming here?

(Mama S)

I definitely have more beautiful skin!

Before pregnancy, my life style was the sort that I will definitely get told off for here. . . like going to bed at one or two am, eating lots of junk food and sweets, so naturally my face always had some spots.

But since pregnancy, and following your advice on life style, diet, going to bed early etc, has made huge difference to my complexion! For the last few months, I have had totally clear skin! This is probably one of my happiest changes on myself that the birth has brought about.

(Mama H)

Me too, I no longer have troubled skin and my skin in general is so much better than before having my baby.

(Mama O)

I also feel a lot of improvement on my health since birth.

While pregnant, it was still very difficult to go to bed early but since having my baby I go to bed with the baby at 9 pm!

Also, it think it is because of the increased amount of vegetables I eat now, my bowl movement is so much better and I have much better circulation too. Really, everything about my health in general is much better.

—- We do hear about many people having better bowl movement after having a baby, and yes, it is really nice to have clear skin isn’t it!

(Mama KK)

I was really glad to not to have had any maternity blues.

I know I am lucky to have had an amazing support but I have also heard that postnatal depression can be brought about by lack of certain nutrients. So my thought is that maybe because I ate really well, following your recommendation of eating traditional Japanese meals since pregnancy, that I never had it.

Also, I was really greateful of the midwives “firm” support such as getting up and going to bed early, having Haramaki (belly warmer), going for a walk, they are the things I knew in my head that were good for me, but it really is easier said than done! So it was because of that support that those things became my good habits.

(Mama H)

I was also told to go for a walk and so I walked a lot.

I walked so much well up to the due date that everyone was worried, maybe I was walking too much, but here the midwives told me “you can walk more” so I carried on. I do love exercise in general so it was fun.

Maybe because of my walking, so far, I have not done any exercise but my body naturally got back to its original shape and size. I thought it was really hard to get back into shape after having a baby.

(Mama N)

Me too, I didn’t do anything to get back into shape, I’ve actually gone down in size!

(Mama A)

Listen to me! I have lost over 10 kg compared to before pregnancy and everyone tells me how great I look since after having my baby!

I am sure the walking really helped too. I started walking everyday for 30 min to one hour after attending the Open day and in the last month of pregnancy, I was walking two to four hours a day! That helped in weight control, also as my weight did not change until 38 weeks and I lost loads of weight through breastfeeding too.

—- That is all really amazing everyone! It is really great when things become a habit in everyday life isn’t it, Haramaki and keeping warm is not just for pregnancy, but important while you are breast feeding too.

(Mama KK)

I have also kept the habit of wearing layers of socks and putting haramaki on. I am sure that is why my breastfeeding is trouble free.

I always had a bad circulation so I was really careful not to have a cold belly and ankles since pregnancy, but then I was told that applies for breastfeeding too, so I am still wearing haramaki. It is really true, putting haramaki on really helps to clear lumps in the breast!

—- Oh that sounds familiar, I also cannot let go of haramaki since my first pregnancy even in summer! Without it, I get the chill and feel rather restless.

(Mama T)

I don’t really experience much change since pregnancy of this baby. . . well, this one is really easy. Even at night, going to sleep is really easy and it seems he already had his own rhythm since birth.

But I do think that is because of my life style difference compared to the first child. Comparing it with my first pregnancy, in my second pregnancy, I was able to go to bed early and get up early because of my first born. During the second pregnancy, I went to bed at 9 pm and got up at 5 am with my first child.

I think bedtime was much harder affair with the first child! Yes come to think of it, the difference between them is my sleeping habit during pregnancy so yes, I do think it makes a difference.

(Mama M)

That is so true!

I was also listening thinking maybe I did not experience such changes but as I listen to your story, that is true for my children too. My second born is really easy, at night he puts himself to bed!

And yes it is true, I went to bed with my first child and got up early with him while I was pregnant with this one.

(Mama E)

Oh really. . . that’s nice.

Bed time is a real struggle for me. . . maybe because of him being very little still, but he will not fall asleep easily and even if he did, he will wake up after not so long. I can hardly leave him alone to sleep.

—– You shouldn’t worry too much at this stage, your baby is only two moths old. They do tend to settle more as they get older. But it is true that more mums struggle with the first born. More mums say that the second is so much easier! That was true for me too!

(Mama N)

This is my first baby but I was able to get up at 5 am and go to bed early during pregnancy – maybe that is why my baby goes to bed at 7pm at night and sleeps till 5 am. Isn’t this amazing?

Of course the first month was hard at night. I know he had fed enough but even as I put him to sleep, he will wake up being grouchy, I change his nappy but he is still grouchy etc. I really felt there must be a reason and I didn’t know of “diaper free” but I suddenly thought maybe his bottom is uncomfortable so I took him to the toilet.

—– It is amazing that you thought of taking him to the toilet in that moment!

(Mama N)

Well I just wanted him to go to sleep! But since then, he sleeps well. Now, he does a poo on the toilet almost every morning.

—- Babies are happy when their desires are met!

Thank you so much for all your lovely stories today.