It is normal to gain weight during pregnancy. You not only add your baby’s weight to your body, but you also have extra weight due to body development. During the course of a healthy pregnancy, you will experience weight gain such as amniotic fluid, placenta, increased fluids, blood, fat and breast tissue.
How much weight should I lose naturally after delivery?
There isn’t a rule for this matter. Each person is unique, but it’s common to lose about 13 pounds after delivery and continue to lose (between 5 to 15 pounds) in the first 6 weeks. Even so, it’s normal to take up to a year to lose the extra weight depending on your nutrition and exercise habits.
If you are breastfeeding, your body will burn more calories which will help you lose more weight.
How can I get back to my weight before pregnancy?
It’s crucial to prioritize your health! Keep in mind that your body needs time to recover from pregnancy and delivery. Shedding weight too fast could hinder your recovery.
You will naturally lose weight by giving birth and breastfeeding., Don’t set lofty expectations for yourself. Your body went through an incredible journey and it needs rest! Remember that each body is unique and always talk to your healthcare provider to know what’s best for your case.
Here are some healthy methods you can use to lose weight after childbirth (after 6 week postpartum check:
- If exclusively breastfeeding, get your extra calories (500 more than pre pregnancy per day) from healthy food choices and not from processed food or sugar.
- Try not to lose more than a pound and a half per week, since more could lower your milk supply.
- Limit or avoid foods that have added sugar or artificial sweeteners, such as soda and candies.
- Choose baked over fried.
- Stay hydrated.
- Avoid skipping meals.
- Avoid a sedentary life, walk to the store, take the stairs, choose outdoor activities vs watching tv.)
Working out while Pregnant
It is normal to think that you have to be extra cautious while pregnant. In some ways you do, but it’s not right to think that you have to avoid exercising during this period. Exercising is still very beneficial for you. It can even help ease some of the pain that you may experience during childbirth. It can also help you to maintain a healthy weight.
30 minutes per day of any workout while pregnant can be beneficial. Try exercises that do not have a high risk of accidents/ pain such as swimming, jogging, prenatal yoga or walking.
Maintaining the habit of exercising (and a healthy diet) while pregnant can make weight loss easier in the postpartum period..
*Always talk to your doctor regarding diet and exercising during pregnancy as each body and situation is unique.
Roadmap to get back to my Weight
It’s important to take your time and give your body a rest. Avoid carrying anything heavier than 10 pounds, (especially if you had a C-Section).
Once you pass the first six weeks and feel well, you can start exercising by taking walks.30 minutes a day could be a good start.
An important thing to include after birth is retraining of your core with pelvic floor muscles exercises. These help to strengthen the muscles around your bladder, vagina, and bottom. They will also help you get in shape. The great thing about these is that they can be done any time (by lying down, sitting or standing, etc.) These exercises are:
- Kegels: begin this exercise by starting and stopping your urine stream while you are in the bathroom. While doing so, you can be thinking about drawing your pelvic floor up and hold this for three to five seconds, then relax. Here is a video of other forms of levels exercises in case you want to try them out.
- Belly breathing: breath in deeply while letting your belly expand and relax your pelvic floor. Then exhale while drawing your bellybutton in and your pelvic floor up. (video)
- Transverse Abdominis Isometric: This is done by laying on your back with your knees bent and feet on the floor. Breathe normally and rest your hands over your lower abdomen and ,drawing in the muscles under your fingers, hold for five seconds. Repeat this10 times. (video)
Once your pelvic floor muscles begin to return to normal, you feel well and your doctor approves, you can start your workout routine with the exercises that you used to enjoy or wish to try out. Keep in mind that if you are breastfeeding you have to maintain extra calories in order to provide a healthy milk supply.
In Breastfeeding 101 we hope this information helped you learn about weight loss after delivery in a healthy form, including what is normal and what isn’t. We are happy to invite you to follow our content to learn more about this topics; and in the following we share with you some of the sources that made this article possible:
- Exercise in Pregnancy I National Library of Medicine
- Getting in shape after having a baby I Mayo Clinic
- How Can I Get Back to My Pre-Pregnancy Weight? I Utah Department of Health & Human Services
- How To Lose Weight After Pregnancy I Cleveland Clinic
- How to Start Exercising After Giving Birth I The New York Times
- Kegel Exercises I Cleveland Clinic
- Keeping fit and healthy with a baby I NHS
- Pelvic floor and abdominal muscle cocontraction in women with and without pelvic floor dysfunction: a systematic review and meta-analysis I National Library of Medicine
- Pelvic floor muscle training exercises I Medline Plus
- Losing weight after pregnancy I Medline Plus
- What are pelvic floor exercises? I NHS
Your post-pregnancy body I NHS
Avery Reckers
