post pregnancy weight

[K8eee]

So apparently I've put about 2 stone on since I found out I'm pregnant. will be 39 weeks Sunday, so not long to go! I don't look as though I've piled it on, and a lot of my clothes still fit. I am really worried ill turn into a blubby mummy and pile a shed load of weight on but I intend not to! anyway, I'm after some help and advice from other mums who have managed to shed their baby weight and when is sensible to start doing so?

[JollyMarie79]

Are you planning on breast feeding? I lost 3stone just from BF despite eating loads.
In the summer I went for walks with the LO in a sling and that burnt calories too.
If you're wanting a more structured route then a slimming club may be an option but remember to go easy on yourself. Pregnancy and birth takes it's toll on the body so no starvation diets!

[K8eee]

I'm hoping to give it a go. tbh I haven't had much support from family to try it apart from dh (but that's only because it's free!) I'm just worried how I'll get on with it as my nipples are sensitive enough as it is, let alone with a baby latched on

[Gen35]

Bf made the weight fall off for me also a hell of a lot was fluid, I lost half the 35 lb gained during delivery. Try not to worry about it, the 5/2 fast thread says you can cut back to 2 1000 cal fast days even if bf, there are a few mums doing it. Don't do anything for at least 6 wks though otherwise you may get run down, you have to eat well to recover from birth. I sympathise - hate being pregnant, gain weight all over etc, but it's worth it!

[JollyMarie79]

I'll be honest. Bf is hard work..... Initially. But if you persevere you will find that it gets a lot easier and is no hassle. After a couple of weeks my nipples were tough cookies and it didn't hurt. I used nipple cream in the early days and coconut oil which really helped and made sure I dried them properly after each feed.

Give it a go, if you don't like it you can always change to ff.

As for the weight loss..... Lack of sleep made me hungry so I always made sure I had lots of nutritious things to snack on. Made. Lots of soups and had loads of healthy dips and oat cakes etc.

Good luck

[K8eee]

I'm thinking of buying a juicer and trying to have that during the day rather than foody snacks but a proper breakfast & dinner. I'm hoping I can get down to my local gym too in the mornings before dh goes to work. I must sound bloody ambitious, but I hate feeling as fat as I do :(

[ChicaMomma]

2 stone.. well done you. That is pretty good going! I'm up 20 lbs already and am 26 weeks, although i put a stone on in the first trimester due to complete piggery. REALLY hoping i can manage to keep it to 30 lbs max.

You'll lose 1 stone by the end of the first week anyway, between the baby and placenta- you'll lose the other stone in about 6 weeks if youre BF.

Best of luck, hope it all goes well, and hope the BF goes well too! i'm really hoping i can manage it also. Not only for the baby/or weight, but because of the links it has to warding off breast cancer and osteoporosis, both of which run in my mums side of the family.

[Sweetpea86]

I've gained 1stone 10 lbs I'm 35 weeks I m already a chubby bugger lol so I do feel pretty huge.

I know once I give birth some of that weight will go down. Then after my six weeks check up. I plan to walk every were with baby plus I'm giving bf a go.

And follow a healthy eating plan. I've beat my self up a few weeks ago but now at the point were I will deal with it once had baby.

[dietcoketime69]

I know this is probably a really stupid question but do breasts feeding and expressing have the same effect in terms of weight loss? :)

[Ifyoubuildit]

I gained 4 stone with both of mine. I lost 3.5 stone of it within a year just by doing whatever mums do (I did breastfeed though) and the other bit I lost when I started to exercise again (without any effort on the diet front). Unfortunately I'm now finding that middle aged spread has set in and that's far worse and harder to shift than any weight gain from pregnancy!

Most people I know have naturally lost most of their pregnancy weight without trying. Your enemy is all the snacks you eat when you're at home with baby and eating leftovers when they start weaning

[Ifyoubuildit]

By the way, give yourself a year before worrying about weight gain.

[weebairn]

I didn't put on that much (about 2 st), and I stayed fit and active right till the end, and I was exercising really quite early after birth (probably too early) and I exclusively breastfed - the weight still took quite a while to come off. In the realms of 7-8 months to be comfortably in my normal clothes.

It did though and by just over a year I was the same shape and size as if I'd never had a baby.

I think ChicaMomma's comment is a bit unrealistic for most women (some people do just drop the weight instantly, of course).

I wish I'd been less impatient with myself. This time around (i am 12 weeks now) I'm going to try and do the same stuff (eat right, exercise) but just trust my body to get back to itself when it's ready.

[GreatSoprendo]

When I was preg with DS I was enormous. Within a week of him being born, I had lost a stone. By the time he was 8 months old, I was wearing size 10 clothes for the first time in about 5 years - I was a big 12 before I was pregnant.
I definitely attribute the weight loss to BFing - it burns a huge amount of calories. Obviously pram pushing and sling carrying contributes a lot too. I would say though don't limit your calorie intake if you are BFing - you need to eat and drink tons to keep it up!
Generally I think I'm much more active now I have a baby too - there is always washing to put out, hoovering to do, toys to tidy, meals to make, so between an 11 month old and a FT job I do very little sitting and relaxing and am always in a rush, which keeps the weight off.
Am now 11 weeks pregnant with DC2 and still in my size 10 jeans (was obviously preg by 11 weeks last time) so am thinking I might not put as much weight on this time, just because I'm having to keep going and be really active.

[weebairn]

Great Soprendo Lots of people say that! I think I am lot less active with a baby than before though. But I have a physical job (which I now do part time rather than full time) and I used to walk to work and back (I don't have the time any more) and I used to do loads and loads of exercise, every weekend me and boyfriend were out in the Peaks doing monster hikes. Now I run after the toddler yeah, but… well I don't think I'm as fit.

Something is right though, as I was down to the small end of my normal size and also still in my 8-10 jeans at 12 weeks pregnant! Maybe it is breastfeeding, but in my case it took a while to kick in.

ps. congrats! we must be due about the same time!

[ChicaMomma]

Umm, i don't think it's THAT unrealistic to say you'll be down a stone after a week weebairn...

Take a seven-to-eight-pound baby, plus about two pounds of blood and amniotic fluid, and you're pretty much assured a 10-pound weight loss in the hospital after you deliver. In the first week you will probably lose another three to five pounds of water weight. So, that is a stone without even doing anything.

I didnt mean a stone of fat in a week- just in case you thought i did!! but if the OP is only up 2 stone, she'll likely only be carrying 1 stone after about a week. This is a pretty good result IMO. I know people who have gained 4 stone during pregnancy.. which is clearly not ideal for anyone!

[MabelBee]

A word of caution... not everyone loses weight breastfeeding! I thought I could eat loads and lose weight just like others have said on this thread but I put on an extra stone while breastfeeding my twins. This time I am still exclusively breastfeeding my subsequent baby at 6 months, but the weight is very, very slowly coming off by doing weightwatchers. A pound a week maybe, with a couple of weeks staying the same weight and then another pound. It's painfully slow going.

[weebairn]

No no chica I agree with that bit - I think I lost a stone in the first week or two! But the second stone took about 7 months - and I was doing a lot of exercising, I ate pretty well, and I breastfed - it just takes time for most people I think (not all).

I remember being so excited at how much weight I lost initially and being convinced I'd be back in my jeans in a month or two. It was not to be! But looking back, I looked great after a year, so I wish I had been a bit easier on myself.

[weebairn]

I didn't really eat more breastfeeding, even though people insisted you should/could. I got more thirsty than hungry.

[ChicaMomma]

ah Ok, i was wondering!! God i hope it doesnt take me 7 mths- but if it does, then it does. All we can do is remain active during pregnancy and try and keep our noses out of the troughs within reason. My sister put on 4 stone on her first and not only did she look absolutely horrific, but it took her 18 mths to get back in shape- there's just no need for that kind of weight gain. Next time i wont gorge as much in the first trimester either, i took the 'eating for 2' a bit fair initially -especially as i migrated from wine to chocolate!!! Whoever reckons giving up booze = instant weight loss is deluded...

[weebairn]

I've never been able to lose weight quickly. But when I shift it, it stays off. So I shouldn't complain (though sometimes I still do )

[ClutchingMyPearls]

Try not to worry too much about the body aftermath of birth. Two stone is reasonable at full term.

Like others said, take away the baby, the placenta, the blood, the extra fluid and you are down a lot of that anyway.

Just give your body time to go back to 'normal'. I pee'd out several pounds of fluid in the days after DD1 I never realised I was carrying so much!

I must say though that there have been subtle but permanent changes to my body since having my first. I weigh less now than when I had DD. but my hips are an inch wider and my chest measurement under my boobs went from 31 inch to 29. Figure that out! Wonder if anyone else has experienced similar?

[weebairn]

I think a lot of it's out of our hands, anyway. I just make small babies. I never bloated in first trimester, either time. That's nothing to do with how much I did or didn't eat. I wouldn't judge people too quickly who put on a lot of weight, people's bodies react very differently to pregnancy (and breastfeeding for that matter - for every friend I have who is skinnier than before and says its the breastfeeding I have one who cannot lose the last stone/half stone until they stop feeding, and then it just drops off).

I think all you can do is try to eat reasonably, try to do some activity in the day, and be kind to yourself. Growing a human is pretty impressive.

[K8eee]

What has really depressed me is I found a photo dh took of me when we were first together. I didn't realise how slim and toned I was wish I took it for granted. I am only 24 so hoping I can shed the weight pretty steadily.

I haven't gorged as much as I couldve, it's only been the last 6-8 weeks that I've been really hungry but im trying to fill up on fluid and carbs, fruit and yoghurt. not sure if I'm doing myself any favours though.

[weebairn]

But you're 39 weeks!!! Of course old pictures of you look impossibly slim. Rub that bump. You'll have your little baby soon. Think about the rest of it later.

[K8eee]

I should be embracing my bump I know and enjoying all the smiles and attention I've been getting but I guess the novelty is wearing off and I just want my baby here to snuggle impatient I know.

am I being too unrealistic wanting to head to the gym as soon as I can or will that just not happen and I should keep dreaming?

[weebairn]

39 weeks is pretty grim. You can spend the day weeping into cups of tea if you'd rather, that would also be fair enough. :)

People's recoveries are very different. I was doing gentle exercises (post natal yoga type stuff) at 2 weeks. I was running at 5 weeks - very slow start, I did the couch to 5k over a few months. I think this was all totally nuts, looking back, but I had been so so fed up of being so slow and tired. Also baby slept well in the early days so I could get up in the morning and go out for a walk/jog while baby and boyfriend slept. So it's not impossible. I don't think I knew anyone else who did stuff like this, but I missed my fitness so much.

However I had an entirely straightforward delivery.

Getting out for a walk with the baby every day is a really good thing if you can manage it. Babies like going for walks, they like the motion. You get some fresh air and exercise. Depending on your delivery, it might be a little while before you can do that, though.

Try not to pressure yourself! This is my main goal for pregnancy/baby no. 2, to just do things at a natural pace. If you're a person who likes being fit, you'll get fit again. But like the weight, the timescale can be a bit variable.