Lose baby weight before trying again or worry later?

[bohemianbint]

Hmmmm....title says it all I guess; I had my first baby 9 months ago and put on a fairly spectacular 4 stones. I've lost 3 but to be honest I was trying to lose one before I got knocked up so basically I'm 2 stones off my ideal weight.

The thing I'm struggling with at the mo is, do I try to get shot of the 2 stones first before trying for another baby? Or is it easier to get to ideal and then try? Don't want to end up not losing the weight and waking up after a couple of kids to find have ballooned to gigantic proportions and have to spend the rest of my adult life stressing and dieting.

I find it pretty slow going, this losing weight malarkey. I am determined I won't put on so much next time (had no kitchen until a month before the birth, it didn't help!) but even so, should the weight be more important than getting a decent age gap between DS1 and any subsequent nippers? (whatever a decent age gap would be! I give up, it's all too much to think about!)

Any thoughts?

[mustrunmore]

Well, i put on 2 stone with ds1, which i didnt lose, then another stone with ds2. And I really really wish I'd got back into shape between babies, as I might not now be 3 stone overweight. I also found the second pregnancy alot harder because I was so unfit and overweight.

[admylin]

It depends, you might put more weight on after having the second. My 2 dc are 16 month apart and I'd got back into my old jeans in between - after the 2nd though , even after breastfeeding for 2 years I was totally burnt out and just exhausted so I put weight on.

[bohemianbint]

Oh bugger. Sounds like I just have to bite the bullet and get on with shifting the weight then. I've been breastfeeding for 9 months and it's not been the fat melter I was hoping it might be!

[Chattyhan]

I didn't lose any weight until nearly 12 months after having my ds but then it dropped off over the next year - i actually managed to get down to 5 pounds lighter than my pre pregnancy weight. Am now 21wks pregnany and my ds is 2.5. Definately a bonus that i fit into my maternity clothes again!!!

[bohemianbint]

Ah see, I like stories like that. Especially stories along the lines of "after I stopped breastfeeding entirely about a stone fell off in a week." Any takers?

[Chattyhan]

i stopped breastfeeding at 5 months and the weight didn't start to budge for another 5 at least!