Ok, new mommys, listen up!
I went from weighing in at about 162 lbs at nine months pregnant, down to weighing in at 122 lbs as of yesterday. That's right - I lost 40 lbs of baby weight in 3.5 months (Noella will be four months old in two weeks).
I have compiled a list of the 6 Best Foods to Eat After Baby. Whether your goal is to lose weight, produce more breast milk, or just plain get healthy; this list is for you!
Stretch marks are very common during pregnancy - often the result of rapid weight loss or gain and pregnancy hormones like progesterone. There's no telling if you'll get them; some woman do and others don't.
I felt compelled to write about this, because I see a lot of mixed-up, incomplete, or inaccurate information out there on losing weight. Some sites will list food groups that are healthy but don't say how much or how often to eat them. Others spout off common sense things like how exercise is good for you and eating junk food isn't always best. I struggle with having a love for food that surpasses the normal person's enjoyment, but I've learned how to manage this and be of a normal body size.
It took me awhile to learn, and after having gained a tremendous amount of weight during pregnancy and taking it off, I have learned some "shortcuts" that may be helpful for you, too. I'm not an MD, nor do I have a nutritional background, so what is written is from personal experience. And don't forget, talking to one's doctor regularly about how to manage health is a very important aspect when making health changes.
Geez! If only Tammy had known the unspeakable would happen to her body she would have done it all differently...read her story below:
Newborn babies demand significant amounts of attention. After bringing the baby home, the house needs to be kept clean, you might return to work and people want to stop by and meet the new addition. Who in the world has time for sex with all of this going on? Losing your sex drive after giving birth is not unusual, and knowing it is a temporary situation will help you relax.
While many women may struggle to lose weight and regain their pre-pregnancy shape, other new mothers may shed pounds quickly. The rate at which you lose your pregnancy weight can affect your health and the health of your breastfeeding baby. Very rapid weight loss may signal the presence of postpartum depression, or baby blues. Notify your doctor if you experience any unusual postpartum symptoms such as excessive weight loss, loss of appetite or frequent crying spells.
Pregnancy results in a whole lot of changes in a woman's body. You may expect normal pregnancy changes like an expanding uterus and enlarged breasts, but you might not consider other common factors like your heart rate speeding up from around 70 beats per minute to around 90 beats per minute, or the need to urinate much more frequently. One positive side effect of pregnancy is the tendency of your hair to grow lush and full. Unfortunately, like the rest of your body, this returns to normal after the baby is born, too.
If you've just had your first baby, you may be surprised and disappointed to see that you still look pregnant. Hoping to slip into your favorite skinny jeans, you are disheartened to reach for the same maternity clothes you've been wearing day after day for the past several months. Don't worry: You're perfectly normal. While some women seem to slip effortlessly into their pre-pregnancy clothes in a matter of weeks, this is not the norm. It takes four weeks for your uterus alone to get back to its normal size, and that's just the beginning of the recovery process. Most women take six months or more to recover fully from giving birth.
Just because you had dreams of getting into your favorite jeans right after you delivered doesn't mean it's going to happen. Sure, you may know a neighbor or read about some celebrity who is walking around in her pre-pregnancy bod in just a mere two or four weeks, but that is not the norm. Gradual weight loss is. In fact, it might not be good for your baby if you lose weight too fast.
Though you may love your little bundle of joy, you're certainly not too happy about the little bundle she left around your middle. The skin must stretch during pregnancy to accommodate a growing baby, but your skin isn't always quick to rebound. Getting rid of the saggy skin of your post-baby belly can prove to be difficult.
