Post pregnancy bodies

[mammagmac]

So, I’ve still got 8 weeks to go but I’m wondering if your post pregnancy body ever goes back to normal?
I’m not gonna be in a rush - I want to focus well on my new little boy - but I would like to feel healthy and less jiggly eventually.
Does the loose skin ever go away? How’s best to healthily get fit again? (Rather than overdo it!) or do I just accept the new mum bod and move on?

Thoughts please 😄 xxx

I got back to my pre pregnancy weight after both of mine within 6 months, and I put on 4/5 stone both times! I had to watch what I ate, but breast feeding meant I could still have a treat each day and lose. I did get back into running after my 6 week check each time. I never had an amazing toned body anyway, I've always had a little tum, and it mainly got back to how it was, with a few more stretch marks, which fade. Best to see how you feel after he arrives, you may be raring to go with better diet and exercise or you may just need to survive for a bit depending on labour, birth, baby etc.

i found the weight just dropped off me breastfeeding and going for walks with DS in a sling. I was in my wedding dress that I'd had fitted pre-pregnancy at 6 months post partum for our postponed wedding.

i had no problems with loose skin. I honestly just took it really gently. walking and some yoga. see how much energy you have. I also didnt really care as much as I thought i would.

I’m only 17 days PP but my body has changed so much already and I was shocked how much it changed just in the first week

Of course it isn’t exactly the same as before, but I was shocked at how quick my belly disappeared! I’m formula feeding so thought it may take longer to lose my bump but it still went down quickly.

I’ve still got a stone and a half on me since pre pregnancy so not sure how my skin will look after I’ve lost that, however the skin doesn’t seem loose at all (just a bit jiggly but that’s definitely the extra fat 😂) and my bump was quite big.

I’ve struggled with my body image for years so I was worried throughout the whole of pregnancy about my body after and I wish I hadn’t been. Even the bits that are a bit more wobbly now that I thought I would hate, I’m not really bothered!

I do still have my stretch marks which were all over my thighs hips and boobs but they are slowly fading so I’m hoping they’ll go white soon. They’re a light pinkish colour at the moment.

After my first, i took a nice, slow approach. Your body needs time to recover and adjust. Your body really does take a long time to recover - they say if it took 9 months to grow and change, it'll take just as long to adjust back again.

I had stretch marks but they faded.

I put on 3 stone. Started focusing on my diet at 3 months. Lost 1-2lbs a week. Started exercise at 6 months. Reached my happy health and weight at about 12 months.

Just had baby no.2 and this is my plan:

Now: Focus on building PFM and transverse abdominal muscles (deep abdominals)

2 months: Focus on more intense PFM and knee exercises (pregnancy fucks with my knees )

3 months: Walking, yoga and possibly barre

6 months: Weights and HIIT orientated home workouts

I have no idea what weight I am. I'm not worried like I was last time. There are some things that are different about your body that you get used to. My boobs will never look as full as they used to without a bra on. Sometimes you can see the stretch marks in a certain light but I'm quite proud of them. But on the whole your body goes back to how it was before. Just take it easy and don't pressure yourself. You've just grown a person.

I'm only 8 days post partum and I'm amazed by how much my body has changed already! By day 5 my bump had shrunk back to about the size it was at 4-5 months pregnant it's now probably more like 3 months only much softer and jelly like. I had a small bump though, it tracked the 10th percentile throughout. My body isn't the same wait was before but I'm optimistic it will return to something vaguely resembling my pre-pregnancy body!

I snapped back within about 6 weeks with both children and they were only 18 months apart. I was pretty amazed to be honest. I didn't do anything at all, I was breastfeeding but I wasn't doing any exercise regime or eating less. I really did think my body would be ruined but looking at me you'd never guess I'd had a baby. I'm pregnant with my 3rd now, pretty sure I've probably used my luck up with the first 2, hopefully not though!

Breastfeeding just made it all rapidly drop off. Within a year I was back in all my pre pregnancy clothes.

Sleep deprivation and the episiotomy scar meant I wasn't ready to start running again for about 6 months pp.

I don't think any mother should worry too much about getting back to pre pregnancy weight in the early days of a newborn though.

I snap back, with my third baby in july i walked into the hospital size 22 13.9 stone walked out the same evening size 10 and weighing 10 stone x

Thanks everyone! I’m not going to put pressure on myself at all but it’s good to know it won’t be impossible whenever I feel the time is right to focus on getting into shape again x

I made no effort with weight loss or exercise at all and I would say it took about a year for my body to go back to my previous-pregnancy weight. My shape was slightly different though - more fat held on stomach that I'd ever had previously.