weight loss post birth

[mummaofchaz]

Hi ladies,
Just wondering how long did it take for you to return back to your pre baby shape and was it a diet and exercise regime that helped or was it just because it fell off by itself you didn't intend for it to happen? Some women I know are lucky to have it just fall off but others work to lose it and sometimes succeed.

[Indadhanu]

For me it took about 7-8 months to take 15kg off, and then 10-12 more months to shift the last 9kgs. I gained 4kgs during TTC and 20kgs during pregnancy, and I'm now down to pre-TTC weight

I did exercise like walking and also some Wii Fit. I didn't go to a gym or anything like that. I am still breastfeeding too, which is supposed to help although I couldn't say if it does or not. It was a fairly half-assed attempt, but I really embraced the "9 months to gain it, 9 months to lose it", plus I gained a kg a month while TTC, so an extra 5-6 months hehe and never really pushed myself LOL

I guess it could have happened faster but I really did just take it easy. No point putting my body through more stress just to lose some weight. But I also have a history of eating disorders, so another reason for me to take it slow and eat properly and let my body bring itself back to its normal.


Oh, and my body is very different. My whole shape has changed. Even being back at pre-TTC my body is so different, my belly is squishier and my hips are wider (even though I ended up with a c/s, she was pretty close to being out). So please be gentle with yourself, getting back to pre-pregnancy weight doesn't mean having your pre-pregnancy body. But its a body that has be blessed to grow a baby, and deserves that respect

[Visitor7]

My body too is very different to pre-pregnancy. Like Leasha, my hips are wider
I gained 10kg both times during pregnancy, and lost that within 24 hours of having the girls, but my body didn't look anything like it did pre-pregnancy.

[Ca Plane Pour Moi]

Took me about a week to get back to a satisfactory shape. Three years on I'm not quite as flat-stomached as I was, but it's nothing to worry about.

I did a lot of exercise and healthy eating in pregnancy. I also had next to no food in hospital - seriously, those portions wouldn't satisfy an anorexic fairy, let alone a breastfeeding mother.

The biggest difference I've noticed are a couple of stretchmarks on the tops of my thighs and some scars on my stomach have moved around a bit. I'm pretty much the same shape... I had huge hips to begin with.

[Laranna]

I lost the baby weight from DD in the first week. I still want to lose another 3kg to get back to my weight before DS.

Like the other posters, my body shape is different now. My hips are definitely wider and my tummy is softer although I think I can improve that one once I start back at pilates.

[Miss E]

My DS is 8 months old and I am finally back to my pre-pregnancy weight! It was only about a month ago that I was finally able to wear my pre-preg jeans. I really didn't do anything to loose the weight, I decided that I would give it 12 months and then if it wasn't gone take some serious action. Like people say, it took 9 months for your body to get to that point so it is unrealistic to expect it to take any less time to go back, but I guess some people are just really lucky and it happens quicker.

[Heaven]

I think it took about 4 months for me. I gained 16kg during pregnancy which was huge for me bc I'm only small. My belly took ages to go down. I did absolutely no exercise, lol, and my diet wasn't that crash hot either. I think it was just breastfeeding a hungry baby. Now I am down to 47kg which is 6kg less than before I was pregnant. I don't ever remember being this light, even in high school and the only thing I'm doing different is breastfeeding so I think that just really works for me. But my tummy isn't flat at all, it never was but it's more podgy now, lol.

[Heaven]

I think it took about 4 months for me. I gained 16kg during pregnancy which was huge for me bc I'm only small. My belly took ages to go down. I did absolutely no exercise, lol, and my diet wasn't that crash hot either. I think it was just breastfeeding a hungry baby. Now I am down to 47kg which is 6kg less than before I was pregnant. I don't ever remember being this light, even in high school and the only thing I'm doing different is breastfeeding so I think that just really works for me. But my tummy isn't flat at all, it never was but it's more podgy now, lol.

[sloane]

i was lucky in that my PG weight dropped off pretty quickly & i'd say i was at my pre-PG weight within 1-2 months. however....DS is now almost 8.5 months & i still don't fit into my pre-PG jeans because i have extra weight on my belly. i'm a couple of kgs under my pre-PG weight now & i'm not sure where i've lost that from but i def have extra around my belly. so yeah, like others i guess i'm a diff shape now.

i think i lost the weight quickly because i had a lot of fluid (for a few days i was losing 1-2kg a day) & i also didn't eat enough in the first couple of months. days just seemed to fly by & i wasn't eating between breakfast & dinner (not that i'd recommend this, i was soooo hungry all the time as well esp with BFing!).

[helle]

I lost all my weight about 5 weeks after, I carried a lot of fluid when I was pregnant as well. I think breastfeeding has helped shift a lot it, in actual fact I'm crapping myself about weaning because I eat like a horse atm and I think it will catch up with me once I do! Wouldn't mind losing a few more, maybe another 7 cos I'm a little podgey in some areas! But slowly does it, it took me nine months to stack it on so I'm taking my time getting it back off. My hips are definitely wider now too, my jeans fit me everywhere but around my hips The things we do for love XD

[Glamourcide]

It's taken me a long time and a lot of heartache. I put on 30kg while pg with DD1, and lost about 15 kgs within weeks of her birth (mostly fluid and baby-related weight like placenta etc), then conceived DD2 and put the weight back on (about 20kgs).
After having DD2, I lost about 10-15kgs within the first couple of weeks, and hit the brick wall - despite BFing, I couldn't shift it. I only lost weight after I stopped BFing, it all just kind of fell off me - I was being much more careful about portion sizes but still ate pretty much whatever I felt like, and I exercised a fair bit (in the lounge room, just small weights and an exercise bike for about 45 mins a day), and I'm now only 5kg heavier than pre-pregnancy (as in, DD1, not DD2).
That being said though, the entire shape of my body has completely changed since having kids - before having them, I had a pretty decent set of boobs for my size (full C), now they're flat, saggy and struggle to fit into a B cup. My hips haven't expanded a great deal (I'm in size 9/10 jeans now, before having DD1 I was an 8/9), but I have a HUGE pot-belly complete with overhang thanks to poor skin elasticity and weak core strength. And my upper arms carry a lot more extra weight than they ever did, I suppose it's genetics as my aunt and nanna (on dad's side of the family) have 'bingo wings' as well, but it's very frustrating.

All in all, it's very hard for me to accept these changes - they frustrate me because I feel that I've worked very hard to get back into shape and it doesn't appear to be working, kwim? I see people who are blessed with great genes and walk out of hospital post-bub in their skinny jeans, and yes, I get jealous But I suppose my body shows the signs of having nurtured and delivered two babies, I need to learn to see the positives in that

[OceanPrincess]

The previous posters have made some great points about being gentle with your body and respecting thr journey you have undertaken.

I can't believe some women lost the weight within a week of giving birth, that's amazing! For me, it took a lot longer - I don't even know how much I put on with DD, but I stopped weighing myself when I'd put on more than 20kgs... basically I felt healthy, my Obs was not at all concerned with my weight (didn't even weigh me once) and I didn't see any point in depressing myself! After all, I was growing a beautiful baby!

Once she was born, I tried to be reasonably active, by walking lots with the pram - that didn't seem to really help, it took me a good 9mths to get back into my pre-preg clothes. Like the PPs, my body shape has changed somewhat as well!

Then I conceived the bubs I am now carrying and at 24wks, I have only put on about 6kgs. I have no idea why it is so different - still BF, running around after a toddler, all that combined I guess! So I'm not sure how long it'll take me to drop the weight after this little guy is born but for me it won't really be an issue.

Try to be kind to yourself!

[ss_storm]

I don't think I've lost any of it...I haven't been game enough to jump on a set of scales

I walk a fair bit, at least once a day for around 45 mins with the dog, and then if I go to the shops I'll walk there as well because it's really close to home. I haven't been watching what I'm eating though so that may have something to do with it...I'm only walking off the chocolate I've been eating

[helle]

I suppose my body shows the signs of having nurtured and delivered two babies, I need to learn to see the positives in that

Here here! Its amazing what our bodies can do and then what it has to put up with afterwards. I have this feeling about my stretch marks I got, honestly, they're freaking everywhere and I have one right on the front of my hoo-haa that's about 2cm wide and 5cm long, it's a monster. But, they are a result of my little guy and nothing to be ashamed of, I couldn't prevent them from happening and they're not my fault, so I wear them with pride now.

[STARRYSKY]

I put on about 30kg while pregnant, I was a little overweight to begin with.
Most of that I am sure was fluid, as I blew up like a whale and seemed to lose most of it within a week or 2 of having DS.

I also didnt have my license then, so walked everywhere, plus breastfeeding, I got down to 5kg less then pre preg weight by about 3 months.

My body has changed enormously, my tummy is unrecognisable as mine, it looks like elephant skin, all saggy and baggy, plus the c section scar with the resulting little overhang, my waist has all but disa ppeared, my boobs are a good 2 sizes bigger (went from a C/D to DD and now an E!!) but my arms and legs and face are thinner.
And the stretchmarks!! lets just say I have them all the way to my ankles( thanks to all that swelling!)

like someone else said though, these marks and changes are our "battlescars" wear them with pride, its not easy being pregnat and bringing a little person into the world, but we did it, and I would do it all again.

[Glamourcide]

^ If only all the fashion mags would promote mother's bodies, complete with stretch marks and sags and thicker bits, as the ideal to aspire towards, eh? I know it's very unhealthy to aspire toward the emaciated, pre-pubescent vision that is portrayed as 'womanly' in our society, I've been struggling with it since my teen years

[MummyTummy]

Mine was a slow journey of weightloss too. I got quite depressed looking at everyone else and seeing how they were losing the weight and hearing "Oh all I'm doing is BF, the weight just drops off..." Wasn't the case for me. I BF for 12 months, around 8 months my weight finally started to drop, it coincided with DS dropping feeds. So it seems that I was hoarding the weight while feeding. Then around 9 months I went back to my office job, I was no longer walking regularly or as long as I was when I was off work. So I plateaued again. Then at 12 months, I got pregnant again, DS stopped BF and I refuse to weigh myself in pregnancy. So I have no idea how much I have or have not put on either pregnancy, but it is very frustrating when it doesn't just 'fall off' as is commonly misrepresented.

But the previous posters are right - be kind to yourself, it may take some time. And the body changes are quite a difficult thing to get past. I started as a size 10. Before this pregnancy I was a size 12. Just just after my DS was born I was a size 14-16..... very depressing for someone who is short and always been an 8-10. I know that I exercised well, I ate reasonably (no one's perfect though! ) and there is only so much you can do and still remain healthy enough to look after your precious baby.

[GoingtobebiginAsia]

Yeah, be kind to yourself. I am trying to be kind to myself about the weight but it's hard.
I lost about 10 kgs the week after the birth, which made me think I'd be back to my normal self in no time. But then I hit a few complications and won a year's supply of Tim Tams. I really tried hard not to eat the Tim Tams but ... geez they are addictive.
Then came rumball season (Christmas). I started gaining instead of losing.
Four and a half months after the birth I can fit into some of my pre-pregnancy clothes but I don't look the same. Amazingly, I don't have the sagginess that others complain of - Maybe that will come when I lose a bit more - but things are definitely different.
Anyway -- good luck. Healthy eating and gentle exercise are what I've been planning to do since day one... but my good intentions have remained only that.