Blame this recent New York Times article for what you’re about to read. Let’s talk baby weight. Gaining it, losing it, and how celebrities on covers of magazines make the rest of us feel bad. Correction: How they make *some people* feel bad.

Many women are concerned with getting rid of the baby weight. The most important thing to remember is that it took a nine month period to gain that much weight and it is not going to miraculously fall off after the birth of your child. If you are like most, you want to know how to lose that post pregnancy weight gain quickly, but keep in mind it is important to be healthy.

Did you lose your mojo in a big way after becoming a new mom? While doctors say it’s okay to start having sex again around six weeks after having a child, many women report experiencinga decreased sex drive after pregnancy. In fact, some moms don’t feel ready for up to a year. Sound disconcerting? Relax. It’s quite common, and there is a whole host of reasons why this happens.

Women who have gone through a pregnancy often have the same or similar experiences. After giving birth they are not only heavier but their bodies are not of the same shape and size as they were before they were pregnant. Pregnancy and childbirth can be traumatic. A woman’s abdominal muscles will be both stretched and weakened after giving birth, and her body will not automatically restore itself to its original condition. However, a woman can tighten these muscles and slim down the abdominal area with proper exercise.*

Even though most of your baby weight seemed to melt off easily after your baby was born, it’s not uncommon to have 10 stubborn pounds still hanging around, despite the fact that you exercise and eat well. If you lost the initial baby weight by cutting your calories and adding exercise, your weight loss may have slowed to a halt because your metabolism has slowed to make up for the loss of calories, according to Dr. Barry Levin in “Fitness Magazine.”