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 DC1, within 6 months I think it was all gone, which I thought was pretty good. I think three months might be pushing it. I was barely getting out of a sleepless haze by then and certainly hadn't started doing much exercise.

DC2 I breastfed much longer and couldn't shift the last stone until after I stopped. Then it just came off. For 4 or 5 years after I had noticeably wider hips and bigger boobs than pre-pregnancy, even though I was the same weight as pre-pregnancy. My DC are 12 and 14 now and I don't notice the wide hips any more but my boobs have shrunk back down.

I don't put on any 'weight' other than fluid , baby etc was back to normal in a few weeks both times. I also pumped or breastfed for 4 months and was super thin for a while!

It's now with a 3 and 5 y/o I have put on a whole clothes size due to lack of time to exercise, comfort eating and lack of moving due to moving to the burbs and depending on the car.

You just don't know!

I didn't go on a diet or anything like that but I did breastfeed. It took me 9 months to lose the weight both times and after the first I looked pretty much the same and close but not the same after my second. Both times I carried on losing weight for about another 3 months so I weighed less and looked a bit ill but after a while I went back to normal.

Well its been 37 years so far!

No, nothing so exciting: I mean I’m out in France with friends skiing, and my baby is here. She happily breast feeds or takes expressed so my husband and I are tag teaming - I skied first couple of days, then he’ll do the next. She’s far too fragile to take out strapped to us. We normally spend 7 weeks a season in the mountains but this year it will only be 3. We’re very outdoorsy people, and our baby is extremely sociable - she cries when we take her away from friends, or when friends leave to go home. It’s the only time she does cry - apart from her first vaccinations, when she screamed - otherwise, she’s super calm and easy going, just enjoying nosing about - loves seeing what’s going on around her.

It depends on the person. After my first at 21 I bounced back within around 6 months/a year. My breasts however did not bounce back, I'm aware that some mothers are fortunate but I really wouldn't put any expectations on them 😅 I'm also very active and enjoy exercise.

I'm now pregnant with DS2 and have decided to put zero expectation on myself as having a newborn is hard enough, let alone pressuring myself with my body image, too. Please, PLEASE be realistic with yourself as your mental health doesn't need any extra strain during the first few months. So what if you're a bit dumpy, saggy and iffy for the first few months/years - you grew an entire life! You'll also age and looks don't last forever, bodies change regardless. Much more to life than how we look.

Sending you wishes of health and happiness 💓

9 months up, 9 months down IME.

This is the best advice.

From the outside I’ve snapped back to pre pregnancy weight and jeans in about 2 weeks. the reality is my baby was in NICU I was going into hospital everyday from when I was discharged on day 3, and this carried on until he was released from hospital weeks later. So yes I’ve lost weight, I’m back to pre pregnancy but I wouldn’t wish my situation on anyone. Please enjoy your baby and forget about weight loss.

I don’t think I fully did between them but when DC3 was born it was within 6 or so months, maybe a year.
it was very deliberate though. I cut out sugar and then carbs to get rid of the baby belly.

My shape definitely became more mumsy after my first - wider hips softer belly. I would say my shape bounced back far quicker after having my twins though - maybe because I don't have time to sit down 😂 I'm in the best shape in 20 years now even if things aren't as taught

I lost all my weight and more in the first 9 months due to breastfeeding and no time for bigger meals. However, did find old clothes I once loved weren't flattering as my hips are now a lot bigger and my ribcage never properly went back.

Weight has since gone back on and more (even though still breastfeeding) but work is to blame for that I WFM and don't move as I feel so busy so do a lot of no proper meals and snacks instead 🙃

Thanks for sharing all your stories on post baby weight loss. It’s crazy how different we all are. To be honest I’m not going to put too much pressure on myself to be completely back to how I was pre pregnancy by June but as long as I focus on being healthy and getting out for plenty of walks I should be close enough. I haven’t put too much weight on during this pregnancy and I’m carrying neat so I should be fine but I do expect some changes because growing a baby changes a body in some way lol. I would love to look nice for the summer lol

I lost the weight both times (took maybe a year each time to lose it all, gained 20kg each time). Wear my old clothes/size and am fairly ok with my weight (would like to lose 3/4kg to be happier). My belly is all stretched and saggy and hangs down now though (2 x vaginal births) and I hate how it looks, a tummy tuck would fix it but i'm not keen on cosmetic surgery.

I lost the weight really quickly but that's because I was really ill and was back and forth to hospital, ultimately resulting in surgery when dd was 2 weeks old.

I wouldn't recommend it as a way to get your pre baby body back though 😉

I think my flat stomach went forever though, even with weight loss and exercise it never looked the same as before I had dd (who is nearly 18 now!)

Tbh though I cared a lot less about my body when I had dd, vanity went out of the window as i focused on keeping a baby alive and healthy.

Lost all the weight plus more within a few months because of breastfeeding. For all 3 kids. Best body of my life, bigger boobs, smaller body. Put a bit back of when stopping bf though.
My body now is pretty much the same as before kids. The skin on my belly is not quite as tight and my boobs aren't quite as firm but pretty similar.

With dc1 I was back at my pre pregnancy weight 11 weeks after birth. After dc2 I was back at my pre pregnancy weight by about 5 weeks afterwards(but only gained about 15 pounds by the end as I was so sick). After dc3 I was back to pre pregnancy weight within 7 weeks. My stomach muscles however did not recover as well with my last child because I had a c section. I still have a slight pouch and he is 4.5 years old. The key for me was always following slimming world principles of healthy eating and lots of walks with babies in the pram.

After the initial drop in weight post birth, I hung on to remaining weight until I stopped breastfeeding. Once I stopped breastfeeding (when DC was 6 months) I returned to my pre baby weight (55 kg at 5 foot 5) within a few months.

While I am the same weight, there are some very subtle changes to my shape (probably more noticeable to me than a anyone else). My ribs have got ever so slightly wider and my bum is slightly flatter.

However, I have no stretch marks, varicose veins or loose skin on my stomach, so in the grand scheme of things, I think I got off very lightly.

I think you are being unrealistic expecting to lose weight so quickly. You will also find that you are so tired in the newborn stage that getting back to your pre baby weight is way down the list of priorities. Sleep deprivation makes you irritable and so does reducing calories. You don't want to double up on things will give you low mood postpartum.

With hyperemesis I only gained a stone and was back at my pre pregnancy weight by 10 days pp.
I had to go on a silly diet as my daughter was allergic to a lot of the foods I ate and I lost another 1.5 stone and ended up very underweight by 10 months post partum when i stopped breastfeeding
I went on a medication associated with weight gain and now at 3 years post partum I'm close to my pregnancy weight.
I was a 6-8 before pregnancy and now am a size 8. I fit into some of my old clothes but the ones that were bigger anyway. I still wear my pregnancy dresses as they fitted under the bust and you can't tell they are pregnancy clothes. Broadly I haven't changed shape but my belly has more wobble to it now. I'm trying to lose a little weight which is slow going and am doing a pilates class which makes me feel better about my tum even if it doesn't physically look that different especially when sat down.

If there is one thing I wish I could go back and do again is gain more weight in pregnancy. My physical health suffered so much in the months after my daughter was born as it didn't have the reserves it needed to get through those early times when physically and mentally eating was a challenge

It just depends. I was 4lbs lighter given birth due to hyperemesis. Walked out the hospital in my size 4 clothes. Would have much rather to have been 3 stone heavier and not had a horrendous pregnancy.

I had my baby in November. Joined SW ag the end of Jan and all the weight and more was off by April. I found that even tho I was the lightest I'd been in a good few years I looked thinner before/ I guess my hips just didn't go back. But yeah I was happy with that!

Not the hips, the weight loss. In pregnant again and even tho I don't like putting the weight on I know I can loose it

It's taken me just over two years to get back down to a happy size again I gained over 3st after having my second DC and I suffered with split stomach muscles and umbilical hernia.
The hernia I had operated on over a year ago which helped.
I couldn't fully exercise again until my youngest was in nursery.
I'd go out for walks etc but I was so exhausted looking after two young children that I literally put myself on a back burner ensuring they were taken care of.

My body hasn't gone back to how it was pre babies I had a c section with my second so have an apron I also have horrendous stretch marks over my belly topped with saggy belly skin.

I was in the best shape of my life pre pregnancy, had a great pregnancy, srayed v active, small bump and delivered a few weeks early. I'd lost 2/3 of pregnancy weight within a week.

However, I had a high needs baby, contact napped, rough nights and lots of sugar to cope. No time to exercise and no chance of regaining my pre pregnancy fitness even with a high step count!

Now pregnant with my second, started this pregnancy still 10lb heavier than I started my first. But now little one is 2, I do have more time to exercise than I did for the first year of motherhood.

You can have all the best intentions but no guarantee what type of baby you have!

I found I gained a bit after because guests showed up with chocolate when meeting the baby (much appreciated!) and I was absolutely ravenous when breastfeeding. Everyone is different of course.

I also didn’t really care about it in the same way because my focus was on my baby and that took up most of my energy/thoughts! And it sounds cliched but I was more in the mindset of ‘my body birthed a child, of course it looks different’. I did lose it but that took longer than 3 months.

I lost weight while pregnant due to sickness so was skinnier than ever once baby was born. Completely different shape though. Also had C section and tummy was never the same