Not that I’m any kind of prominent fixture around here, but if anyone noticed, I’ve been off the boards for nearly two weeks now due to my wife giving birth to our daughter.
For what it’s worth, here’s a few pics of Lil’ Chainsaw along with my fat mug and a pic of her mom (she is actually blinking, not high on painkillers).
Also, anyone have any solid advice for working out/diet in these first months of having a newborn? I’ve put a 1 month freeze on my gym membership which can be extended if need be. I’ve got some good equipment at home, but it is currently buried under all of the crap (read: wife’s crap) we had to move out of the house to lay down laminate flooring, in other words, unusable. The thought of exercise seems very unappealing while running a sleep deficit, and keeping diet on track is even harder, being coccooned in the house most of the time.
It’s only been 3 weeks away from the gym, and I’m already starting to feel lethargic and bloated. I’m sure this is just a temporary condition, as there are a lot of fit dads and moms on this board, I guess I just need a kick in the ass to get through the initial few months of unscripted newborn spontaneity. That said, I still wouldn’t trade fatherhood for anything, though. She flashes those gums and I’m butter.
When my wife had our son, I cut my workouts to about 2-3 times a week for about the first three months. I focused on helping MJ out and caring for our son. I got a bit out of shape, but I didn’t care. That baby made it all worth it. I got back on a regular routine when MJ went back to work. Honestly you won’t think about working out as much when you’re snuggled on the couch with your baby resting on your chest sleeping. You’ve started a whole new chapter in life. Enjoy it.
keep a consistent schedule and try to maintain as much as possible until you can lift hard again…
my experience:
my son is now 10 months old and still not sleeping through the night most of the time…the sleep deficit is killing my workouts (not to mention just about driving me bat-shit crazy)…
don’t be a dumbass like me and train balls-out for a meet two months after your kid is born…I royally fucked up my shoulder (from trying to lift heavy on three hours sleep) and am still rehabing it…in retrospect, I would have been much better off putting myself on a maintenance type schedule (because rehaping injuries sucks ass)…
Congrats. You life will change. You will mark important events in your life differently now. They will revolve around your child.
You will definetly have your hands full. Cut the workouts back for a few months and help mom out.
As to sleepless nights. They suck but they are all part of being a dad. I found a song that put my son to sleep when I rocked him. Worked every time. It was “swingin with the alphabet” by the Three Stooges. I got used to him falling asleep on me in the rocking chair. He’s 11 now and I kind of miss it sometimes.
Congrats!
I’d take it easier on working out, but I wouldn’t put it off all together.
Even some light, full-body, quick workouts with dumbbells would be better than nothing, and getting your heart rate up every so often will probably make you feel a lot better.
You can design a little circuit with weights and jumping-jacks, or burpees and feel great afterwards.
Lunges are a great way to train legs if you don’t have the equipment to do other exersizes (or even if you do have other equipment, lunges are still great).
I like Eric Cressy’s article “Cardio Confusion” for setting up a circuit with weights.
I like your choice of name bro. My daughter (who is now 16 months old) is named Arianna, obviously with one more “n” than what you used. We pronounce my daughter’s name as Are ee on uh. Is that how you pronounce your daughter’s name? Congratulations on the new baby. She’ll be a lot of fun.
[quote]Super Chad wrote:
I like your choice of name bro. My daughter (who is now 16 months old) is named Arianna, obviously with one more “n” than what you used. We pronounce my daughter’s name as Are ee on uh. Is that how you pronounce your daughter’s name? Congratulations on the new baby. She’ll be a lot of fun.
Chad[/quote]
That is the exact pronunciation. My wife and I arrived at that name after many months of deliberation. I liked the more teutonic-sounding names like Tanya or Katya (sounds like a strong woman who will kick your ass to me), but that wife just was not having it. Everything she suggested made me want to hurl, so in her 8 1/2 month of pregnancy, this is what we locked in on. Glad to see there are like-minded individuals out there!
I’ve taken to calling her “Ari” (are-ee) for short (when I’m not calling her “little shit” or “little fart” for being so damn cute).
keep a consistent schedule and try to maintain as much as possible until you can lift hard again…
my experience:
my son is now 10 months old and still not sleeping through the night most of the time…the sleep deficit is killing my workouts (not to mention just about driving me bat-shit crazy)…
don’t be a dumbass like me and train balls-out for a meet two months after your kid is born…I royally fucked up my shoulder (from trying to lift heavy on three hours sleep) and am still rehabing it…in retrospect, I would have been much better off putting myself on a maintenance type schedule (because rehaping injuries sucks ass)…
anyhoo, good luck![/quote]
Ouch! That’s exactly what I’ve been fearing; trying to get it all in and make up for lost time when I can and injuring something due to lack of use/lack of sleep, etc. Thanks for the added warning; I will definitely be more cautious.
Sorry to hear about your injury, but a 10-month late congatulations on your son! You’ve always come across as a no-nonsense, tell-it-like-it-is kind of guy on the boards, so I’m sure he’ll have the gift of a good character example to follow.
[quote]maryjane wrote:
My son used to fall asleep to Pink Floyd! MOst relaxing stuff out their.
Definatly spend some time helping mom out–she’ll need it and appreciate you more for it.
COngratulations! Enjoy those quiet moments and savor ALL the ‘firsts’! You only get them once![/quote]
True! I can’t believe how much I like waiting on my wife (especially while she’s breast feeding; I feel like ground crew for the pilot). Keeping the house clean, cooking, dishes, all feels like it is for a greater good than just household maintenance. The ego stroke from the Mrs. doesn’t hurt, either. She’s been telling all of the well-wishers that call how wonderful I am, all the stuff I do for her, etc.
Along those lines, a strange thing came over me when I went out for groceries by myself (about 2 days after we brought baby home). I was walking through Sam’s Club, pushing my cart, when I suddenly had this weird feeling that I was something like a hunter-gatherer out foraging for my brood back at the cave. Instead of a spear, I had a shopping cart, and instead of a mastadon, I was stalking the elusive 40-count box of frozen ground beef patties. Weird how these buried instincts surface in the face of having children, huh? Has anyone else had this happen to them or am I just a screwball?
[quote]Digital Chainsaw wrote:
maryjane wrote:
My son used to fall asleep to Pink Floyd! MOst relaxing stuff out their.
Definatly spend some time helping mom out–she’ll need it and appreciate you more for it.
COngratulations! Enjoy those quiet moments and savor ALL the ‘firsts’! You only get them once!
True! I can’t believe how much I like waiting on my wife (especially while she’s breast feeding; I feel like ground crew for the pilot). Keeping the house clean, cooking, dishes, all feels like it is for a greater good than just household maintenance. The ego stroke from the Mrs. doesn’t hurt, either. She’s been telling all of the well-wishers that call how wonderful I am, all the stuff I do for her, etc.
Along those lines, a strange thing came over me when I went out for groceries by myself (about 2 days after we brought baby home). I was walking through Sam’s Club, pushing my cart, when I suddenly had this weird feeling that I was something like a hunter-gatherer out foraging for my brood back at the cave. Instead of a spear, I had a shopping cart, and instead of a mastadon, I was stalking the elusive 40-count box of frozen ground beef patties. Weird how these buried instincts surface in the face of having children, huh? Has anyone else had this happen to them or am I just a screwball?[/quote]
Nope. I definitely feel like a provider now that I am a Dad. Fatherhood is really great. Just wait until she can speak simple words and starts to get her own little personality. The fun really begins then. My son is 2.5 years old and he is a little pistol. Way smarter now than I thought he would be at his age. And he loves his Daddy. He mimics me all the time, and I have to be in on whatever it is he’s playing with. I could go on, but you get the idea.
Congrats on your wife breastfeeding! That’s fantastic!!! I found the first month a little sketchy at times, some issues, but I kept on going and before I knew it we were fine. My son nursed for a year and my daughter for over 2.5 years. You guys won’t regret it.
Sleep when the baby sleeps (tell your wife that!) and fit your workouts when she’s napping, if you can.
Aww, what a sweetheart. I’m so happy for you! That is a beautiful name too. Your wife sure looks great for having just had a baby. Feel free to put up more pictures. I’m sure you will be taking a million in the next couple of months!
DPH,
Malakai is 10 months old too, when is your son’s birthday? Ever since he was 7 weeks he has slept through the night for 12 hours straight. Has yours ever slept through? If not I feel very bad for you! My neighbour’s baby didn’t sleep through until he was over two years old, and even then it was for only 6 hours. They never had another baby because of that.
My son nursed for a year and my daughter for over 2.5 years. You guys won’t regret it.