A lot of nursing mothers struggle to regain their pre-pregnancy BMI after adding some weight during pregnancy. While some of these mothers may commence a weight loss program 1 – 2 weeks after delivery – albeit without getting into laborious exercises or programs – others do little or nothing to ensure a return to the weight they had before pregnancy.
Nonetheless, every mother sheds some weight after giving birth – whether she consciously embarks or not. For one, apart from the weight of the baby that was once in the womb, new moms also get to shed the weight added from amniotic fluid and the placenta immediately after giving birth. Thereafter, the fluids retained within her body will be given off within the first week - postpartum. However, the fat that had been stored through pregnancy will be retained. This is what new moms have to contend with as they hope to regain their pregnancy weight - the stored fat will not just melt away. You, as a new mom, will have to invest some effort and time into seeing that it is done away with – and this comes through a weight loss routine. But you may not be ready to embark on any substantial weight loss program immediately after your baby bump drops. By the way; a postpartum weight loss program is not something that should be rushed into. It has been widely heralded that 3 months postpartum is the ideal time for nursing moms to commence a weight loss routine – and this should be done gradually. Now, without further ado, let’s talk about some basic ways through which your 3 months postpartum weight loss can be aided.
Exclusive breastfeeding can do a whole lot of good
However, within the first 3 months postpartum, you can resort to breastfeeding as it can help in ensuring that you shed off some weight. Research has shown that new moms not only do away with some extra weight as they exclusively breastfeed their babies within the first 3 months postpartum, these moms also have a higher tendency to return to their pre-pregnancy weight – this is unlike those who did not breast their babies. The energy given off in the process of lactation [and breastfeeding by extension] notably decreases the probability of retaining postpartum weight. It is worth noting that breastfeeding mothers lose around 300 – 500 calories per day.
This is a good place to add that you should shelf any idea of embracing a diet that is significantly low on calories while breastfeeding. Besides the fact that the production of breast milk will reduce with a low-calorie diet, your baby will also be denied some essential nutrients if you decide to toe that line. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) posited that breastfeeding mothers need a daily caloric consumption of between 2000 – 2800 calories. Additionally, those pills and/or supplements specifically made to address weight loss are not for nursing moms, especially the ones that are breastfeeding.
Healthy foods are ALWAYS needful
Rather than markedly cutting down on foods, you should learn to have a healthy dietary plan. As it were, crash or fad diets are not what a nursing mom ought to subscribe to. That said, you will have to cut down (on) or completely avoid taking junk foods – those sugary foods/drinks, caffeine, and the likes – and keep to foods that add good nutrients to your body system. Generally, empty-calorie foods [such as pastries, fried foods, processed foods, soda, etc.] should be avoided by nursing moms. And, if you’re ever going to snack, do it healthily by taking munchable items like fresh/dried fruit, nuts, whole-grain crackers, cut-up vegetables, and Greek yogurt.
Enough sleep helps too
We’re still on the basics, and getting enough sleep is one of such. But then, “sufficient sleep” may sound like a myth to new moms considering the intermittent tasks – and of course, disturbances – that come with caring for a newborn. You can, however, find a way around this. It could come in form of working some sort of shift with your partner or family members. By this, you should be able to some hours of good sleep – and manage stress as much as possible.
Stepping it up a little further
Getting back to you to your pre-pregnancy figure will require more than just sticking to the basic activities discussed above; you will need to incorporate some exercises. In most cases, new moms would wait for a couple of months postpartum before delving deep into weight loss routines, but some exercises can be done for improved outcomes – before 3 months postpartum suggested as the best time for nursing moms to kickstart their weight loss program. New moms whose babies were delivered through C-section may however have to wait for a longer period before starting any exercise routine.
You should get slowly into it, starting with light exercises. A 15-minute walk every day can be quite helpful in this regard, and you can get to increase the duration as time passes by. You can also do other exercises like Kegels, sit-up, light stretching, bridging exercises, and so on. You can find out more about the exercises that would be most suitable for you from your doctor. By the way; it pays to talk to a health expert about your postpartum weight loss plan.
Conclusion
The weight gain during pregnancy is natural so, you should not be hard on yourself and take it easy while attempting to lose the extra weight after you have delivered your baby. You should take gradual steps towards getting back to your pre-pregnancy weight – even right from the first week after delivery. You can focus on the basics a week after delivering your baby and then increase the tempo from 3 months (postpartum) upwards.
Remember that eating healthy and nutritious foods, getting good and enough sleep, avoiding junk foods and crash/fad diets – and breastfeeding – will greatly help your weight loss cause.
References
Jarlenski MP, Bennett WL, Bleich SN, Barry CL, Stuart EA. (2014). Effects of breastfeeding on postpartum weight loss among U.S. women. Prev. Med. 2014, 69: 146–150.
Baker JL, Gamborg M, Heitmann BL, Lissner L, Sorensen TI, Rasmussen KM. (2008). Breastfeeding reduces postpartum weight retention. The American journal of clinical nutrition 88:1543–51.
Mennella JA, Daniels LM, Reiter AR. (2017). Learning to like vegetables during breastfeeding: A randomized clinical trial of lactating mothers and infants. Am J Clin Nutr. 106(1): 67 – 76.
