The Pressure to Lose Baby Weight

by Kimmama | More from this Blogger

22 Jun 2009 09:30 AM

The average woman gains 25-35 pounds during pregnancy. Much of this weight is lost after the baby is born, and the rest is slowly lost during the first 3-6 months. This is completely normal. It seems that along with the Hollywood trend of having babies (and publicizing it) has come the trend of losing the baby weight in just a few weeks. I remember looking at a picture of Jessica Alba a few weeks after she had her daughter and I was shocked to see she looked the same, if not better, than she did before she ever got pregnant. I'm currently 11 weeks postpartum and I can say that has not been the case for me. I may be the same weight I was before getting pregnant, but I am definitely not in the same shape! I am not too worried about it considering how stretched out I was those last few weeks. I'm just thrilled to finally have enough muscle tone to do a sit up again!

Some will say that exercise during pregnancy will help you return to your previous shape faster, but I think that is still missing the point. If we are fixated on our image, we will lose focus on what's really important: the health and vitality of our new baby!

This morning Hindu.com posted a health news article talking about the negative impact rapid weight loss attempts have on breastfeeding. The article states, "the German Institute for Quality and Efficiency in Health Care has warned that overdoing early weight loss attempts could have a negative impact on breastfeeding." The added weight is necessary for nourishing the baby, and cutting too many calories could reduce or dry up your milk supply. Simply breastfeeding and the amount of work it takes to care for a newborn, along with a healthy balanced diet, should be enough to slowly and safely lose the weight in the months following childbirth. Never go on a diet if you are pregnant or breastfeeding.

Learn more about Kimmama

Kim is a freelance writer and stay at home mom to her newborn, Micah. She has been married to her husband, Eric, since 2006.

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