My 6 month postpartum update, including what I’ve been doing to heal my body and feel my best both mentally and physically! 

HOW is Sage 6 months old already?! I cannot believe how quickly time has flown, but I thought it would be a good idea to do a 6 month postpartum update just to share how we’ve been getting on. Obviously every body is different and every person’s post-birth recovery is different, but I know I wasn’t super clued up on what to expect postpartum. I hope this post helps you to at least have some idea of what you might experience after birthing a tiny human!

Breastfeeding at 6 months old

One thing I have noticed is as we reached the six month mark my supply did drop a little. It’s possibly because she’s been sleeping more at night and is officially on solids, therefore feeding less. Some things I’ve done to increase my supply are:

• Staying hydrated! 
• Pumping at night before I go to bed 
• Adding oats, oat milk and flaxseeds to my meals 

Apart from that, Sage is now at the age where she gets quite easily distracted while feeding. If someone is talking or if Cashew is playing near her she tends to want to see what’s going on. Sometimes I have to feed her in the bedroom or somewhere quiet so that she can feed in peace.

Solid food at 6 months old

You may have seen that Sage has officially started on solid foods, and I’m pleased to say it’s going really well. I took the Happy Healthy Eaters course which I would definitely recommend, and if you’d like to try it you can use the discount code SAGEEATS for 15% off!

I still feel like I’m breastfeeding her the same amount – she’s a hungry, growing girl! If you’re interested in learning more about how I’m introducing her to solid foods you can check out the baby food resources I’ve been loving right here and you can watch our first week of solids below:

Sleep at 6 months old

Sage now sleeps in her big girl bed, and we’re loving these sleepsacks. They are so cosy and save messing around with blankets.

My mental health at 6 months postpartum

This is a super important topic to talk about, especially with how the world is right now. We’ve just entered our third lockdown and let me tell ya… Having a baby during a pandemic is no picnic! When Sage was around 3-4 months I started to notice a bout of depression and I was crying every single day. Baby blues or postnatal depression is real and, despite what I thought, doesn’t just hit during that first month. 

Obviously everyone’s experience is different and will depend on your specific lifestyle, but for me I think I was just trying to do too much. Being a new mom and still working full time, I was stretched to absolute full capacity. At 6 months I feel much better, but I’m taking things day by day. Here are some of the things I’ve been doing to help:

• Talking to people I trust
• Meditating when I need to
• Taking relaxing baths
• Going for walks to clear my head
• Eating good food
• Ensuring I get enough good quality sleep

Diastasis Recti

When you’re pregnant your abs separate, and everything moves back in place after birth at different rates for different people. Often the top of the abs will go back together before the bottom does, but I actually still have the separation on the top and the bottom is pretty much back together.  

Digestion

If you watched my second trimester update video, you’ll know I started having some issues with digestion, and I’m still having issues. Because of the diastasis recti I mentioned above, after dinner I tend to get really bloated and puffy around the top of my stomach, where my abs are still separated. It’s really uncomfortable, so I’ve been doing some deep breathing exercises to try to help.

Pelvic Floor

This has massively improved over the past month. I can officially jump or skip without feeling uncomfortable or like I’m going to pee my pants! I think the pelvic floor exercises I’ve been doing have definitely helped with that. 

Periods

I’ve had 3 periods since I gave birth and they are SO irregular! The first one was super light and the other two have been so heavy to the point where I thought something was wrong. Cramping wise, it’s so much better than pre-pregnancy, so that’s a plus!

Hair Loss

Around 3 month postpartum my hair started falling out all over the place. If you’ve watched my postpartum hacks video you’ll know we have a device that goes into our bathtub drain to stop all the hair from clogging it up, and there was so much getting caught up in it! It’s totally normal – you grow more hair when you’re pregnant and then once you’ve given birth you start to lose all that extra hair, but it’s freaky nonetheless and didn’t slow down until about 5 months postpartum. 

To help with the regrowth I’ve been using this hair oil with this scalp massager. I’ll leave it overnight and then wash it in the morning, and I do this 2-3 times a week. 

Fitness

I’ve just been trying to get active every day, whether that’s a forest hike, a walk in our suburb or a mixture of some free weight exercises. Once a week I do a session with my trainer. The area I need to improve on is stretching more, but the main thing I’m focusing on is just moving every single day.

My body at 6 months postpartum

I think a lot of the time when you see people who have seemingly ‘snapped back into shape’ after birth it can sometimes be because of the clothes they’re wearing. I hope you can see from the photos above the reality, at least for me. I’m technically back to my “pre-pregnancy weight”, but I am definitely not the same. Numbers don’t tell the whole story! My shape is different, my insides feel different, I’m not as toned in areas, my muscles aren’t where they were and a lot of my pre-pregnancy clothes still don’t fit, so don’t hyper focus on the scales and try to love your body for whatever stage it’s at.

I still get pains in my pelvic area, so if I’m walking a lot or doing too much with weights I tend to get achy in my hips. The other thing to bear in mind is if you’re still breastfeeding like me, there’ll still be relaxin flowing through your body which makes everything much more loose and prone to aches. 

I’ve also been getting sore wrists from holding Sage, so I’ve been trying to hold her more with my forearm rather than putting all her weight through my wrists. A few yoga wrist exercises have also been helpful.

What has your postpartum experience been like? Leave a comment below, because everyone is different and I’d love to hear!

If you’re interested in seeing more about life as a mom, check out my 3-6 Month Baby Must Haves & Essentials and Top 11 Tips and Hacks for Postpartum.