How long did it take for you to lose weight after having a baby and did your body look the same?

[NewbieToThis]

Posting on here for traffic lol

just curious how long did it take you to lose the baby weight? Was it quickly or slowly or didn’t you manage it?

how different did your body look compared to pre pregnancy? Was it completely different? A bit different or did it just look the same?

did you feel self conscious about how you looked? Were you happy or unhappy with how your body looked?

were you able to wear the clothes from pre pregnancy or did you have to get rid of a lot of beloved dresses even when you got back to pre pregnancy weight because they didn’t fit right?

the reason I’m asking is because I’m planning on trying to get back into a semi decent shape by June (due in March) to be fair I haven’t put that much weight on and my bump is very neat as it’s mainly all baby. I do plan to take measures once my child is born like try to go on decent daily walks, eat right, wear belly wraps to bring stomach in quicker and help with muscles coming back together, combo feed etc. I’ve heard some women look better after they’ve had a baby and I’m hoping I’ll be one of them.

After my first I pretty much pinged straight back, I lost the weight in a couple of months. My body was the same, and my pelvic floor was tighter cos I was so committed to the exercises! But I was 20.

had my second at 24, lost the weight quickly and again no lasting significant changes.

had my third at 28….still have half a stone to lose and a saggy bum. He’s 19 😂

belly wraps? Combo feed? I didn't do those things.

. I was back in my prePG clothes in about 2 weeks for 2/3 pregnancies.

how different did your body look compared to pre pregnancy?
. I dunno. I wasn't that invested in how I looked, before or after.

did you feel self conscious about how you looked? Were you happy or unhappy with how your body looked?

. I was satisfied with what my body could do. I wasn't that invested in how it looked.

As PP, I lost all the weight and then some as I did loads of walking with baby in the pram whilst on ML. (Put it on when I went back to the office).

I'm obviously doing something very wrong going by these stories - I lost a lot of weight straight after birth but put 4kg back on, mainly on my stomach, despite breastfeeding. 8 months on I can't seem to shift it and I'm nowhere near doing up my pre-pregnancy jeans.

I didn't really have any extra postpartum weight with any of my 3 DC, so I was back in pre-pregnancy clothes pretty much straight away.

Looking at the women in my family, I'd say it's pretty much down to genetics and we're all quite slim anyway.

For some people breastfeeding seems to help accelerate weight loss immediately and for others it takes a while. One healthcare professional said to me it’s easier after 6m pp as the body holds on to less fat as little one moves on to solids. I’m hoping that’s true as I’m 6m pp with my second!
With my first, I put on around 3 stone and lost it all within a year and body back to normal. Second pregnancy I gained 4st and have so far lost half of that - walking and breastfeeding and chasing a toddler.

Pre-kids my weight rested at a very steady 8-8 1/2 stone (even though I ate crap). I was between those two numbers from the age of 15 to 28.

I’ve never been that small since having kids and I seem to have huge weight fluctuations. At various points I’ve been anything from 9 stone 4 to over thirteen stone 🫤. With a caesarean overhang!

In addition, my feet are a size and a half larger than pre children and my rib cage two bra back sizes larger. My teeth crumbled like sand (never had a filling before pregnancy. Now every molar and pre molar is either filled, missing or root canal-ed). Oh, I also have saggy boobs now. And a few more stretch marks (I actually got off pretty lightly on those). I also now have piles and suspect that I have a small prolapse.

pregnancy changes so many things about your body - it’s really shocking! I honestly had no idea when I went into it. I just thought your stom
ach and breasts got larger for a few months and then, with a bit of effort, you went back to normal. In my case, that is definitely not true.

Fortunately, what also changes permanently pregnancy, in my experience, is your priorities and what you actually value your body for.

oh, I just remembered another unexpected pregnancy body change. My audiologist also mentioned that pregnancy can cause the bones in the ear to fuse and make you more deaf, so there is that little nugget!

I bf and it was pretty much straight away. Except huge boobs. I was back to 8.5 to 9st.
Straight back in my jeans
However i did later put weight on

Had twins when I was 38.5. Had an enormous twin bump, but it was babies and amniotic fluid?!
Was back to pre-pregnancy weight within a few weeks without effort (after an emergency C-section, but my body has never been the same!
However, getting into shape again really wasn't high on my priority list. 🤷🏼‍♀️

I had my son at 30 and gained 2 stone. Within a week I had lost it all except 5lb. This went over the following couple of weeks but I then still kept losing weight. It was nothing I did, I ended up really skinny and had to massively increase my calories to stop myself from losing more. I've no idea why this happened and I remember my family accusing me of having an eating disorder which I definitely did not. I guess no one knows just what your body will do once you've given birth but who cares when you have the best gift in the world afterwards.

Age definitely plays a part. With my first I was 31 and the belly hung about for a while. I went to a Mums and Baby fitness class which got me down to my pre-baby size within maybe two months (could only start at 12w pp, so DD was five months), but my rib cage never went back to its original size. Then we had Covid and I slowly put weight on with wfh etc, and then had no. 2 at 34. I felt flabbier and it took a lot longer to get to a stage where I felt good about myself, even with the same fitness regime. I definitely haven’t snapped back so much with this one. But I’m in a good place and happy, which I wasn’t at the same point when I had DD despite being in better shape.

I really wouldn’t be putting pressure on yourself to be “back to normal” three months pp. The first six weeks you’re recovering from birth and shouldn’t be doing anything strenuous- increase that to twelve weeks if you have to have a section like I did. And ignoring that, having your first is a massive adjustment to your life. Even with excellent sleepers like mine, most of us are a bit shell shocked and in survival mode trying to figure a lot of shit out for a good few weeks. Unless you are blessed with excellent genes, young with a base level of fitness or someone who genuinely loves exercise and does it to relax/unwind, it may be best to accept that it may take a little longer than three months to get back to something resembling ‘normal’. By which stage, your ‘normal’ has changed anyway.

Looks the same mainly I think but breasts a bit smaller. Weight wise I felt it took me about 10 months even with BF, exercise and healthy eating and I think it was more to do with hormones and amount of sleep. Eventually after about a year I weighed slightly less than before and was way stronger (did loads of core and pelvic floor rehab). Impossible to predict and not possible to fully control so I would say avoid any definite goals

After 3 pregnancies I am about a size bigger in clothing and my heaviest weight.

However, my figure/proportions aren't worse, just different. I'm more curvaceous now with bigger boobs, a broader ribcage, and larger hips. Relative to these proportions my waist looks smaller. Though actually, it's larger and I have more of a belly / paunch. So I have had to change my wardrobe a bit to suit a different shape. I've gone from slim/willowy to hourglass. So more V necks, shirts, boob flaunting, tummy covering / high waisted looks for me for sure. I don't think I look worse, it's just a different look. But my style has probably (and would have) changed anyway!

I didn't get many noticeable stretch marks. My feet and hand size didn't change at all. My legs are the same. My skin is better (but I think that's getting older and growing out of acne prone skin, not necessarily pregnancy related). My hair was trashed but that's temporary.

I have some pelvic floor weakness / prolapse. It doesn't cause me any troublesome symptoms now but I think it may cause me a deal of bother when I am older. On the plus side, I have had better orgasms since having my first baby!

I feel very happy with my body and my appearance. Perhaps happier than I have ever been. In particular, my boobs have never been more glorious.

I have some possible goals for my body but not strongly out of a desire to look different / lose weight etc, it's more I would like to be fit / strong / healthy.

Admittedly I would ideally like to lose a little weight, in particular I'd like to be rid of the tummy flab - though I'm not ashamed of it either. Eg I would wear a bikini if I want to. Currently I'm taking it easy because my youngest is still a baby. I have the rest of my life to focus on my body / fitness if I feel that's a priority, and I'm not in a rush.

My advice would be:

• Your body is likely to change, perhaps in quite substantial ways
• Those changes may not be negative! They might just be different, or even a net improvement(!)
• Those changes which you don't like so much, may not feel as important when they happen, as they do now. Priorities change after you have a baby, and just as you get older anyway.
• If there is something you don't like about your post-baby body, just remember there is no rush to change it. It's not like there's a window you have to lose the weight in. I personally wouldn't stress about it at the same time as dealing with small kids, sleep deprivation etc.
• You will be the centre of your baby's world, and the object of their true unconditional love. Cherish that. They really couldn't care less how fat you are!

I've never lost it - or rather, everything is just different now. 11 years and counting. My body is an entirely different shape post pregnancy. I got diastasis recti during pregnancy, where the abdominal muscles get torn apart, so my tummy is very different than it used to be. I've accepted it, i just wear loose clothes now.

I was back in my clothes within the week.

Unfortunately had to go on Anti D's which made me gain a lot of weight which I've only just managed to lose 20 years on,better late than never!

I lost the weight quickly due to being busy and not eating properly after DC was born - I don't recommend this! I was also BF.
I also had a C section so did not exercise until after 3 months for safety.

Stomach still a bit large and squishy but I feel confident and happy about it - it was worth having a body like an overgrown potato for DC.

Honestly you'll be fine. I worried too and I gained 25kg on my first pregnancy. I'm still about 2kg heavier but that's age I think rather than kids. I look pretty much the same in a bikini and kids are 4 and 7

I didn't put any weight on during pregnancy. Not sure if this is partly due to Gestational Diabetes (got this with genetics.. not lifestyle!) so I was having to be strict on what I did and didn't eat. I think I've put a bit on post-baby though now he's 2 years old!

Editing to add.
I did breastfeed, which felt like it helped me for the first year post-baby. My body has felt much the same. I think the only part that might be different is my boobs. I didn't get any stretch marks anywhere.

I lost the weight pretty quickly with both DC - I did breastfeed and also exercised. Never had big breasts but after BF they were even smaller. I ended up weighing less in my 30s after 2 DC than in my 20s pre-DC. I was like my Mum, who also weighed less after having her children than before. We're both pear shaped. I'm now in my 60s and weigh even less post-menopause. So, maybe ask your Mum?

I put on weight before I got pregnant, so ended up losing weight over my pregnancy. Then I put on loads of weight when I was breastfeeding. Lost a bit when I stopped, but still battling it now 2yrs on!!

Breastfeeding meant I was skinnier than before.. I was that annoying mum who walked out of the hospital in my size 8 jeans

Tits ruined forever though, and two c-section scars and the stretch marks means I'll never wear a bikini again despite weighing 7st 9lbs

I don't mind. My boobs annoy me because they were fab pre-children, but here we are

I had two back to back pregnancies and took 2 years to loose the weight. Currently 18 months after last pregnancy and no lost it I expect I need another year.

A big of a saggy stomach after the first two. Third has ruined me. I have saggy stomach and empty saggy tiny boobs. Weirdly I'm less bothered this time as I was before. Our bodies did an amazing things we shouldn't be upset by the evidence of that. That said I think having a c section has definitely had a worse impact even when I loose the weight I'm sure my stomach will sag over the scar whereas before it had strech marks and was a bit looser but was an ok shape when the excess weight was gone.

I was back in most of my clothes within a week after both of mine but it takes 4-6 weeks for your uterus to fully contract back down so it’s totally normal that your tightest things may not fit even if you’re not carrying any extra pounds. I had c-sections but there’s no overhang thank goodness and the scar is between me, DH, the gynae and my waxer 🤣 no one else would ever see it! I formula fed, didn’t use a belly wrap whatever that is (and if you’re having a section I’d recommend letting the scar breathe) and wasn’t massively active after DC2 bar the nursery run because it was freezing and covid so there was literally nothing to do or anywhere to go! I did really lose my appetite afterwards, having your insides rearranged will do that, so that’s probably what I’d credit as well as being slim before and not gaining a lot of weight above the baby and fluids whilst pregnant.

I put three and a half stone on with my ds and it took about three years to lose it. I like my body more now than before as it has done this amazing thing of making a baby

I lost nearly 2 stone when pregnant with my son due to sickness. I regained it after he was born because there’s no hunger like breastfeeding hunger. He’s now 2 1/2 and I’ve lost almost all the breastfeeding weight because I have hyperemesis with my current pregnancy.

Bodies change during and after pregnancy, it’s normal, you can’t realistically expect to look like you did before and you’re setting yourself up to fail if you have that expectation.