Getting your body back after pregnancy

You have just spent nine months creating a new life. It is during that time period your body deposited fat behind your shoulder blades, on your hips and in your butt in preparation for nursing. Your abdomen expanded to at least three times its normal size and your ligaments all stretched out of shape from hormonal activity in preparation for delivery.

Now you turn on the television and are faced with svelte and shapely celebrity models who delivered their children on the same day that you did. It just makes you not want to look in the mirror again!

But, before you lose heart, remember that it is the job of these celebrity mothers to look great at all times. They have personal chefs, personal trainers and workout facilities available to them at all times. They have nannies who watched their babies while they are working out and housekeepers to keep up their homes. They nap when they need to and workout when they should. And, if all you had to do was hold your baby, workout and take a nap you would look as good as they did to.

So, considering you live in the real world, let\’s look at some of the things that you can do in order to get your body back after pregnancy. Obstetricians and workout experts warn moms that getting their pre-pregnancy weight back after a difficult pregnancy, cesarean section or if they are breast-feeding can actually be damaging to their bodies and their child.

The worst thing that any woman can do is to do too much, too soon. This only engenders exhaustion and discouragement which makes it less likely that the woman will continue with any exercise program or nutritional regimen. When breast-feeding, a woman should be eating at least 1800 calories a day because if they eat less they will not only shortchange themselves but they will also shortchange their infant with the quality of milk that their body can supply.

How long it will take each woman to lose the weight they have gained during their pregnancy is really individualized to each different woman. Some are able to lose the weight within the first three months while others are faced with the same 10 pounds two years later. Unfortunately, even though all the weight may come off there is a good chance that the body has now rearranged where all the weight is being carried. Some moms report that their hips are now wider, their rib cage is wider, their rear ends have gotten larger or their feet have gotten bigger.

No matter what the changes, it is almost unanimous – most women will notice a change in the way that their bodies are proportioned once their baby has been delivered and they have lost their pregnancy weight.

Another area of the body which seems to travel a bit south are the breasts. Most women notice that their breasts become fuller and larger during the pregnancy and grow even more if they are breast-feeding. Women who wear a good supportive bra throughout pregnancy as well is during breast-feeding find that the travel south is a bit less than those women who enjoy the feeling of freedom.

Unfortunately, it does not matter how much weight you lose or how much exercise in you do your breasts will never go north again. This is because the tissue is held by one tendon that, when stretched, does not rebound. That is why it is so important for women to continue to wear a supportive bra during their pregnancy and afterwards.

Women who want to lose weight after delivery of their child should wait until at least the second or third week to think about watching their calorie intake. Up until that time the body is recovering from a significant event as well as adjusting to lack of sleep and nursing. And even when calorie counting is started it should never go below 1800 calories per day.

The trick is to eat calories which are high in nutritional value and not junk food or processed foods. Breast-feeding can burn up to 500 calories per day which means that many women can eat more than they did before they were pregnant and still lose weight. Be aware that once you to stop nursing the number of calories you burn will also plummet so it is important to consider calorie counting once you stop nursing.

Empty calories, such as soda and potato chips, will eliminate your intake of needed vitamins and minerals that will affect the quality of milk you produce for your baby as well as your overall health. Talk with your obstetrician about when you can consider exercise. The best exercise to start with is going for long walks with your little one. Unless the weather is very cold or raining both of you will benefit greatly from getting outside and getting some fresh air.

Do not do anything more strenuous than walking for at least six weeks after delivering your child, whether you deliver vaginally or by cesarean section. Talk with your obstetrician about the types of exercises that you can begin once he gives you the go-ahead to start working out.