Post pregnancy case studies
Louise
Louise came to see us a few months after the birth of her second child as she was struggling to lose the weight she had put on during pregnancy. She had always been a slim build and had managed to lose her baby weight fairly easily after her first child. However with two children under the age of four, she was exhausted and finding it hard to eat healthily and to find the time for exercise.
To get her through the day, Louise was snacking on whatever was in the fridge or cupboard. She tended not to have a proper meal until the evening and instead snacked on toast, fruit and biscuits throughout the day as this was quick and easy.
We explained to Louise why her diet was causing blood sugar fluctuations and why she was subsequently finding it hard to lose weight. We talked through the principles of blood sugar balance and coached Louise over a number of sessions to get her back on track. We were realistic with the advice we gave her - we didn’t ask her to start cooking every meal from scratch. Instead we looked at healthy meals and snacks aimed at balancing her blood sugar which were quick to prepare. Louise also agreed to sign up to an exercise programme - a class in her local park where mums speed walk with their babies in prams. This was perfect for Louise as she could do the class while her toddler was at pre-school and take her baby with her as she exercised, plus she met lots of other mums too.
A few months on and Louise is fitting back into her pre-pregnancy clothes. She has much more energy and no longer struggles to get through the day. Her children are also benefiting from a happier more energetic mum.
Sarah
Sarah had been struggling with low energy and weight gain since the birth of her little boy. She had tried dieting but nothing seemed to work and each day felt like a marathon as she was so tired. She also felt very down and tearful. Initially Sarah thought the tiredness and low mood was down to lack of sleep but even when her baby began to sleep through the night, she felt no different.
When Sarah came to see us her diet looked pretty healthy and although a few tweaks needed to be made, it seemed unlikely that her diet was causing the extreme tiredness and low mood - there was something else going on. After talking through her symptoms, we felt that Sarah might have an underactive thyroid and recommended some testing. The results came back to say that her thyroid was under functioning which helped to explain the exhaustion, low mood and difficulty losing weight. We made some changes to her diet and put Sarah on a programme of supplements to support her thyroid and brain health. We also recommended some gentle exercise to Sarah and some ‘me time’. Sarah asked a family member to look after her baby one morning a week - this enabled Sarah to fit in a yoga class and meet friends for a coffee.
Sarah’s energy gradually began to return and the weight started to shift. She is now back to her original size and no longer wakes in the morning wondering how she is going to get through the day. Her mood is much better and she rarely feels tearful.
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