What was your pre-pregnancy and 3 month post baby dress size?

[Pinkflipflop]

So I have read the official line about weight loss and gain during and after pregnancy; now I want to get an idea what real people have experienced!!

What dress size were you before getting pregnant?

What dress size were you 3 months after givng birth?

When people say their shape has changed, what does that actually mean/
Sorry I have never been pregnant, but would like to be at some stage soon and this is just something that I think about.

Pre-pregnancy - size 8
3 months post-pregnancy - size 12
8 months post-pregnancy - size 10, which is where I stayed until getting pregnant again a year later.

I don't think I'll fare so well this time, as I've put on more weight in this pregnancy and have an absolutely massive bump.

pre pregnancy size 10, 1 week post birth size 10 but with a less toned stomach 3 months later size 10. But my ds was prem so I never got that big in fact I'd been in size 12 clothers for about a month and maternity clothes for about a month then ds decided to make an appearance.

My back is smaller having gone from being a 36 a to a 34 c breastfeeding - not worked that one out

Bloody hell, there's a lot of non average ladies on here, ie 14-16, isn't that the national average?.
Anyway (unsurprisingly) 10-12 to start last time, ended up a 14. 14 to start this time, bought 14 maternity clothes but have a feeling I'll end up a 16 post birth (edd 18 sept). Aiming to get back to a 12 but not sure if 3 months is realistic coz I like the low carbs version of weight loss, it seems to work for me but I haven't yet figured out if it'll be any good for bf-ing (which I didn't do with dd) because there's lots of confusing advice.

thefirstmrs "fashion limbo" is such a good term, that's exactly how it is for me! BFing means that you have a different set of criteria in the mornings too! It's one positive of going back to work - I can wear tops that I don't have to pull up!!

i was a size 4-6 pre-pregnancy, put on 4 stone but was in my normal size again well more of a 6, 5 days after giving birth.
currently 7 weeks pregnant and weigh 8 stone and still size 6

I don't think women should necessarily expect to snap back to their pre-pregnancy size at 3 months! 3 months is nothing. You are probably still very sleep-deprived, eating things you wouldn't normally eat (quick foods like pizza snatched because you can eat them one-handed and they make no washing up, and I know I ate too many biscuits at baby groups and friends' houses!), and anyway, it took your body 40 weeks to get into that state, why expect it to take 3 months to return to something close to normal?

Well ok, I was a generous size 14 before conception. At 3 months, I reckon I was a 16/18. And breastfeeding round the clock - it doesn't always work miracles! I was still pretty heavy at a year (still bf). After a year and a half with some steady but minor weight loss, I realised that I'd started putting weight back on through my lax habits and started WW. Which shed a stone pretty fast.

And then I got pregnant again!

I agree with you Reshape. 3 months is ridiculous to go back to your previous shape!

1. Size 10 before 3months after probably size 14
2. Size 10 before 3 months after a big 12.

I had a very flat tummy before pregnancy, so obviously all my fitted clothes never fitted back.
I have now a more normal hip to waist ratio.

3 months after giving birth shoulder are broader, hips are broader, feet too.... but it came back to normal slowly.

At 3 months you still have the effect of the relaxine and your cartilage are still quite soft. So it usually makes you wider than you were and that you will be.
If still BF you have massive boobs which can had a size or 2.
My breast are still small but nowhere as small as they were before pregnancy. Still expect to go back to a size 10 slowly like 1st time around.

I grew a few cms to with 1st pregnancy, nobody checked with second, so I might be a bit taller too again.

A size 14-16 before DC2 and 3 weeks after giving birth, I am back in my pre-preg clothes BUT I am saggy and baggy and feel very un-toned.

Breast-feeding is great for losing weight, but it doesn't tone you up!

I would to get down to a 12 which is what I was pre-babies when not letting myself go.

I agree, I would expect to get back to shape after three months (specially not at my age).

Having had children spread out over almost 20 years I have really noticed the increase in pressure on women though.

I dont remember any of it when I had DD. I dont remember seeing any postpartum bikini shots in the magazines either

I feel sorry for the young women having their first these days. Bombarded with stupid ideals of what a new mum should look like.

Its almost like you are expected to look better after your child than before.

I was a small size 10 pre pregnancy and a size 10, 3mths post pregnancy.

My body has changed in the following ways though:

My ribs are wider and my breasts are smaller. Before DC1 I was a 32DD/E, post DC3 I was a 34DD/36D. They are also much less firm although still fairly good shape.

I have a permanent pot belly and the skin is no longer taut.

Oh and my feet went up half a size - which is really irritating!

BF didn't help me lose weight - in fact with DC 1& 2 I weighed less the week after delivery than I did pre pregnancy. I then gained half a stone in the 6 months that I BF. I was ravenous. All. The. Time!

Dc1 size 6 before. Size 6 after (5 weeks)

Dc2 size 8 before. Size 10 after

Dc3 size 8 before. Size 8 after

Dc4 size 8 before. Size 8 after

Why is it ridiculous to get back to your pre-pregnancy size in 3 months?

It's true that women shouldn't feel pressured to lose weight straight after delivery, it's unrealistic and unnecessary but for some of us it just happens naturally (despite eating like a horse and doing no formal exercise!)

PG 1 - Size 10 before, size 8 3mo after but I was BF twins! I actually went down to about a size 6 veey quickly which was a little skinny for me.

PG 2 - Size 8-10 before, and am currently 30 weeks so will have to see!

Size 14-16 before
Size 16 after
Still a size 16 at 9 months post-birth but have done sod all about it apart from eat cake. Game on now before ttc no. 2#

It's nor rediculous to go back to your pre pregnancy size in 3 months!

As much as i dislike the preassure put on women to lose weight some people need to recognise that some people just lose it naturally.

If you are fit and active (not talking excersize, just a normal amount of walking ect) before and during your pregnancy then it can be easy for the weight to drop off, especially if you are breastfeeding.

I resent feeling that people are looking at me thinking i have been in a gym all the hours god sent to lose weight.

No its not ridiculous to be your post pg size 3 mths after giving birth.

Its ridiculous to expect to be or to be expected to be.

If it happens because you are lucky to have that sort of body/are very fit anyway great.

I dont think that is what people mean though do you? I havent seen anyone say 'women should not be allowed to be their prepregnancy weight'.

Its not like its something that is vital healthwise. No one is saying 'women should be allowed to let go totally and become very unhealthy after having a baby'.

How do you know that is what people are thinking when they look at you turtled?

Have they said it too you?

I have just had DC5 at 43 and people have only ever said 'you look really good' or 'well done'. No one has mentioned exercise to me. I cant be arsed to imagine them thinking it tbh.

I have had 2 people mention it to me, then express suprise when i tell them i have done bugger all. Also one of dp's friends asked him about it.

I feel like there is a problem in the media where people are either seen as thin or fat. Thin and they don't eat enough/excersise too much. Fat and they are lazy and eat too much. People never seem to be just seen as normal.

But that isn't what this thread is about. I'll let op get back to her survey.

pre preg: size 14-16

post preg: size 12 until about 5 weeks post birth (i had ALOT of sickness up to 16 weeks and my body didnt catch up

i BFed DD and was ravenous and gained 3 stone following DDs birth and after 6 months i was a 16-18 and cannot for the life in me lose the weight BF doesnt always equal weight loss in my case

I hang on to the last bit of weight until i stop bf. doesnt bother me.

size 8 before, size 14/16 after. shape stayed the same but on a larger scale.

stayed the same size/weight before and after with my second pg but my tummy still looks pg this time(11 weeks on) need to do some serious sit-ups i think!

Size 12/14 before pg 1, size 12/14 3m's after (actually by about 5 days after I was same size again).

Size 12/14 before pg 2, size 16 3m's after! (still size 16, 17m's after ).

BTW shape has definitely changed. Even accounting for the weight gain, I am a lot broader, have half a size larger feet, and a saggy stomach [sigh].

However, despite bf both DCs, boobs seem to holding their own .... for now !!!

mrsdevere, me too! I did find WW was a help getting me back out of bad eating habits, but by then I was on one feed a day and I think that helped too. I am just one of those people who hoards body fat while breastfeeding. (The NCT-engendered biscuit weight is something else, however...)

I am really glad for anyone who regains their pre-pregnancy weight within a few months (particularly if they didn't do anything, or nothing much, to get it back!), but I don't think it's all that common and I don't think it should be actively sought out if it makes women upset or frustrated that they're not living up to the Yummy Mummy stereotype that's everywhere.

Could someone link to these new guidelines/official line about weight after pregnancy, please? I know there's been a lot of kerfuffle recently about weight gain during pregnancy, I just don't remember reading about any timescale afterwards. TIA

12 pre DS1 and pre DS2

3 months after each I think I was a size 14

back to a 12 by the time each were around 18 months

12 before

12 - 3 months after - 10/12 by 5 months.

Am 5 ft 10.

Shape not changed much, although boobs slightly smaller.

Exercised throughout pregnancy, and then from 3 weeks post-partum. That and bf seemed to make the weight fall off me whilst still scoffing the NCT cake...

Needed to be much more careful at the 8 month plus point when I went back to work and sat next to the biscuit tin, with less time to exercise!!

Still pretty much the same shape now, 4 years on, but do a lot of exercise.