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This is not a diet thread.... but, tell me about your post birth weight loss

7 replies

HeadFairy · 28/09/2009 21:06

When I had ds, I put four stone on, but I lost 2.5 stone in ten days after he was born. Although the mw didn't think I was suffering oedema, I must have retained a heck of a lot of fluid to lose that much weight so fast. I did pee almost continuously for those ten days.

Now I'm pg again I've got that puffy leg feeling again, my socks leave whacking great marks on my legs at the end of the day, so I'm assuming the water retention is starting again. All normal ante natal checks are ok, no protein in urine, bp fine.

Is it normal to puff up quite so much? Does everyone pile on tons of weight, only to shed lots very fast?

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whomovedmychocolate · 28/09/2009 22:50

Depends. I gained four stone with DD (pre-eclampsia, looked like a butterball turkey at nine months gone), lost five stone within nine months.

With DS gained three stone PET again, lost it within two months.

So I guess the answer is: so long as you are not actually bulbous, being fat is fine. It does go anyway if you breastfeed/exercise/don't live on biscuits once the baby arrives.

Of course gaining more than 10 in a week is a cause for concern!

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whomovedmychocolate · 28/09/2009 22:50

10 pounds

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HeadFairy · 29/09/2009 10:39

thanks wmmc... I was more alarmed at how quickly I lost it, I assumed because it went so quickly, it can't have been body fat, it was more likely to be water. None of the midwives I saw were concerned, so I guess I shouldn't either... but I was wondering.... Does it mean I'll shed tons very fast again?

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IdrisTheDragon · 29/09/2009 10:42

I put on 4.5 stone with both DS and DD. With DS I did have pre-eclampsia and a few days after he was born sweated off loads of water. Woke up thinking I had flu or something. All the extra weight (and more) just went before I got pregnant with DD (when DS was 13 months)

With DD I just put on lots of weight . Most of it just went although I then put on more weight once she was about one

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HeadFairy · 29/09/2009 10:43

So does the fact that I lost so much weight so quickly imply I had perhaps mild PE? My bp was ok. Certainly no one ever mentioned it was too high (can't remember what it actually was though)

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JumpingJellyfish · 29/09/2009 12:17

I had PE in both my previous pregnancies but didn't gain a lot of weight, so it doesn't always follow (1.5-2 stone I think with the pregnancy that went to 36wks)... I also have a friend who put on over 4 stone with each of her 3 pregnancies, but had perfectly healthy pregnancies and babies. And she managed to lose all the weight within a year of each birth, and looks great now! I think it does just naturally vary, but that in most cases where weight gain is over, say, 2 stone, a lot of that is water retention and is lost very quickly. Blood volume also accounts for quite a bit of the weight, and that reduces pretty quickly after birth. I've always struggled to lose the last stone of fat though in spite of b'feeding etc. !!