Now that a year of mummyhood has passed, I’m starting to feel more like myself. Pregnancy was not a natural state for me and the year that followed was difficult for a number of reasons. Topping the list, of course, has been my weight. I desperately would have loved to lose it as fast as I gained it but past experience tells me that that just isn’t the way things go. I’ve lost about 70% of my baby weight at this point. To put it in perspective, when I began dieting six years ago, in the first year I only managed to take off about 45% of the 110 lbs I eventually lost so I’ve been losing faster than usual. I’ve tried not to beat up on myself too much about it. I’ve stuck to my diet plan and kept up my fitness routine including running, cycling and skiing.

My hard work is paying off though. I once again fit into some of my beloved Helly ski wear as well as some of my pre-pregnancy clothes too. The weight loss seems to have sped up, I think maybe because I’m into some kind of routine again.

Another of the post-partum challenges was that of not being at work. Staying at home just didn’t jive for me. I’m glad to be back at my desk and I’ve missed things like OT and a steady paycheque. I don’t like having to rely on the government or my husband for funds and I found that being off was stressful. In the unlikely event that I had another baby, I think that the max I would take off would be six months.

Some things are different, to be sure. I dress a lot better for work. Those hours spent watching What Not to Wear while on mat leave left an impression. Dressing nicer does have the pleasant consequence of an increased self-confidence, something I often lack. I plan my time around Simon and if all I do on my days off is play with the munchkin, I don’t fret. The working-mum gig takes some planning and I do my best to remember that an untidy house is not the end of the world (a hard concept for my Type-A brain).

My new-found enjoyment of cooking has stuck around and I like to utilize my slow cookers to their maximum capacity. It’s a great way to prevent us from eating out too much and it ensures a nice family dinner without too much work. I have less time for fancy meals but I can always save that for AV.

Honestly, I like being a working-mum. It gives me a lot of focus. As you can probably tell, my blog has taken a bit of a hit but between baby, husband, work, school and training for a half-marathon, blogging has to sometimes take a back seat!

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