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So what is considered ‘normal’ when it comes to dieting after pregnancy? We’ve got the skinny on after pregnancy weight loss and how to lose that unwanted baby weight without losing control of your new life with your newborn.

Factoring in Your Post-Pregnancy Body

You’ve done it: you’ve given birth to the most perfect little baby in the world and now here he is, in your arms. As you stare down at the newest addition to your family you are feeling indescribable joy. However, as you glance past the newborn and down to your tummy, you discover, to your horror, that you still look six months pregnant!

How is this possible?

No, you didn’t dream the delivery. Unfortunately, most women leave the delivery room looking much the same as when they came in. The average woman loses only 10-12 pounds when she delivers her baby. This fast weight loss after pregnancy is a combination of baby (7-8 pounds), placenta (1-2 pounds) and amniotic fluid (2 pounds).

But what about the other 15 to 25 pounds or more?

The reason you still look six months pregnant after delivery is because your uterus is still in expansion mode. It takes up to six weeks for your uterus to contract back to pre-pregnancy size. The other reasons for your bloated belly and excess weight can be attributed to the leftover fluids in your body and your abdominal muscles being bent out of shape.

And after the uterus contracts back to pre-pregnancy size, and you’ve eliminated the fluids – which takes about 6 weeks – that’s where the harder weight loss work begins. Your body was also storing extra fat when you were pregnant, and the additional pounds are there to prove it.

Your Post Pregnant Diet Plan – What to Eat Everyday

Pregnant women know the importance of maintaining a balanced diet during pregnancy, and, apart from those chocolate and pickle cravings, you were probably quite stringent when it came to what you ate. The post pregnancy diet is not much different than your pregnancy diet, especially if you are breastfeeding. Here is a breakdown of what you should be consuming on a daily basis:

• Three servings of protein (meat, poultry, tofu)
• Five servings of calcium (milk, cheese, yoghurt, broccoli)
• One serving of iron-rich foods (beans, soy)
• Two servings of vitamin C (oranges and other fruits)
• Five servings of veggies (broccoli, cauliflower, peppers, squash, beans)
• Two servings of fruit (apples, berries, oranges, peaches, melons)
• Three servings of whole-grains (whole wheat bread, brown rice)

Weight Loss While Breastfeeding

There are numerous reasons mothers choose to breastfeed. The Department of Health and Human Services reports that not only is it beneficial to your baby, but it can also help with fast weight loss after pregnancy. In fact, breastfeeding can burn up to 500 calories a day. In the past, doctors used to recommend elevated caloric intakes for new mothers while breastfeeding. However, today doctors  are saying that what you eat is much more important than how many calories you intake. So make sure you’re not eating those empty calories from junk food, sugar, soda, fried foods, etc. And ask your doctor about the appropriate caloric intake for you while  you’re breastfeeding – it may not be as high as you might think.

Three critical nutrients needed for breastfeeding mothers include zinc, calcium and iron so up your daily intake of food such as meat, legumes, eggs and fish (for zinc), milk, cheese, yogurt and leafy greens (for calcium) and spinach, bean and peas (for iron). Ensure you drink plenty of water and juices throughout the day and continue with your pregnancy and breastfeeding vitamins. Great advice for drinking water is to drink a full glass during each time you breastfeed. It will help keep you hydrated, help keep your milk flowing, and help you feel full so can remain on a health diet. Breastfeeding mothers should avoid cigarettes, alcohol (especially before nursing) and more than two caffeinated beverages per day.

Exercise and Weight Loss After Pregnancy

Another factor essential to after pregnancy weight loss is exercise. During the first six weeks, you can expect to spend much of your time feeding, changing and cuddling your baby. During any down times, you will probably be so busy making meals, doing laundry and catching up on those missing zzz’s that exercise is out of the question. And that’s O.K. For the first six weeks, it’s best to allow your body to rest as much as possible.

As you and your baby start to establish a routine, it’s time to venture into the realm of exercise to help with baby weight loss even though it may be difficult to find the time and motivation.

Make sure you keep the following tips in mind when it comes to exercise and weight loss after pregnancy.

• Get the Green Light

Before you hit the gym with a vengeance, make sure you check with your doctor. Walking is recommended in the first few weeks after giving birth, and may even help speed up the healing process. But some doctors recommend that women wait at least 4 weeks to do high impact exercise if they had a vaginal birth and at least 6 weeks if they had a c-section

• Exercise with your Baby

Strapping baby in the stroller and going for a light 30-minute walk every morning is a great way to lose the extra weight. Running and hiking can also be a great way for you to tone those muscles while introducing baby to the outside world.

• You’ve Gotta Work!

If you’re talking and walking at the same time, you’re not working out hard enough. When you’re finally physically ready to exercise, and you’ve actually motivated yourself to get to the gym or a workout class – really go for it and get into it; monitor your exercise intensity by watching your heart rate, and try to maintain it within 50 – 85 percent of your maximum heart rate for the majority of your workout. Putting in the extra effort while you’re working out means that you’ll shed extra calories, and very soon those extra calories begin to translate into shedding extra pounds.

• Look for Support

Check your local newspaper for exercise groups for new mothers. Often your local YMCA or recreation centre will feature baby weight loss classes in some of the hottest workouts including swimming, yoga, pilates, aerobics and aquatic exercises. Many recreation centres will also have a babysitting service included in the fee.

The Sleep Factor

It is also important to note the value of slipping between the sheets. A recent study on weight loss after pregnancy performed at Kaiser Permanente found that those who slept five or fewer hours a day in the six months after giving birth were three times more likely to hold onto those extra pregnancy pounds. Sleep deprivation, as well as additional stress, can lead to a change in hormone levels in appetite regulation. Once the initial craziness has worn off and baby has developed a routine, aim for at least six, but better yet seven or eight hours of sleep to ward off those unwanted pounds.

Your Baby Weight Loss Calculator

The reality is this: it took you nine months to put the baby weight on and, for most women it will take around that same time to lose it again. Allow yourself up time, flexibility and leniency to lose the baby weight, especially if you gained more than 35 pounds during pregnancy.

There is no such thing as ‘normal’ when it comes to weight loss after pregnancy. Addressing concerns with your doctor, eating a balanced diet and maintaining an active lifestyle are three of the most important ways to ensure both you and Baby are healthy and happy. And, as for those skinny jeans lingering in the back of your closest? They will make their grand re-entrance in due time. And, trust us, with a newborn baby in your arms, no one is going to be too interested in the size of your butt.

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Drinking any kind of alcohol during pregnancy can damage a fetus and cause fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS). Children with FAS can have physical, mental, and behavior problems. Whenever alcohol is consumed it gets into the blood system. If a pregnant women drinks alcohol, it passes from her blood system to her unborn baby through the umbilical cord. Drinking alcohol during the first stages of pregnancy can cause facial and other physical defects in the fetus. Drinking at anytime during the pregnancy carries a very high risk that the fetus will suffer stunted growth and harm to the brain. No type of alcoholic beverage is safe for a pregnant woman: beer, wine, hard liquor, any type at all.

Babies with FAS are usually born underweight. Throughout their lives they can have trouble with problem solving, learning, memory, and attention. It is possible they will have hearing difficulties, speech disorders, and be impulsive. FAS affects coordination, also.

No cure for FAS has yet been found. Children will not outgrow it. Adults with FAS more often than not have great difficulty keeping a job, staying in relationships. They often end up with legal difficulties, or in jail.

Sometimes children of mothers who drank alcohol during pregnancy do not display all the effects of FAS. They may have one or more symptoms, but not all, referred to as fetal alcohol effects (FAE). Those who display either physical, mental, behavioral, and/or learning disabilities are said to have fetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD). No cure is available for people with FASD.

Other names for alcohol related defects are: Alcohol related birth defects (ARBD). Children may have defects affecting the heart, face, brain, eyes, or limbs.
Alcohol related neurodevelopmental disorder (ARND). These children may have brain damage causing milder symptoms of FAS or FASD.

Common Problems for FAS Victims:

• Abnormal facial features such as flat cheeks, short noses, very thin upper lips, or short eye openings.
• Learning and behavior problems
• Brain damage, possible mental retardation
• Undersized and unusually short

There is no cure for any of the above syndromes. But many of the symptoms can be treated. Eye glasses help with vision. Hearing aids help with hearing. Special services, some through the educational system, some not, are available to help children learn to live on their own as adults. Not all can be helped to a point where they can live an independent life.

Not all children of mothers who drank alcohol during pregnancy will suffer with FAS or any of the others, but why risk it? FAS and the other syndromes mentioned are not curable. They are a lifelong sentence.

Do not drink any alcohol when you are pregnant. If you plan on getting pregnant, or if there is a chance that you may become pregnant, don’t drink.

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(Also known as ‘crib death’)

SIDS is the sudden, unexplained death of an infant less than one year old. Most SIDS occur between the ages of 2 to 4 months, and is the leading cause of death in children from 1 month to the age of one year. Most SIDS occur at less than 6 months old. There are about 2,500 SIDS deaths a year in the United States.

Reducing the Risk of SIDS

There has yet to be a confirmed cause for SIDS. However, there are a few things you can do to reduce the risk:

• Always put your baby on his/her back to sleep. This is the number one risk reducer.
• Always put you baby on his/her back to sleep, during the night and for naps. This warrants repeating. Baby’s who are put on their stomachs to nap on at VERY high risk for SIDS.
• Use only firm surfaces for your baby to sleep on. Do not use a pillow, sheepskin, quilt, or soft surface. Use a safety approved crib mattress and a fitted sheet.
• Keep all items away from your baby’s face. This includes blankets, pillows, stuffed toys, fluffy bumper pads. Dress your baby in clothing to keep him/her comfortable without using a blanket. If you must use a blanket, make sure it is tucked into the bottom of the crib and pulled up no higher than baby’s chest.
• Avoid letting your baby overheat during sleep. Keep the room at a temperature that you, as an adult, are comfortable with. You do not need to overheat a room for a baby.
• NO smoking around your baby. If there is a smoker, have them go outside to smoke.
• If you use a pacifier, make it a clean, dry one and do not force your baby to take it. If you are breast feeding, wait at least 1 month before offering a pacifier.
• Make sure you inform anyone caring for your baby about these precautions.

Babies At Risk for SIDS

• African-American babies are more than 2 times more likely to die of SIDS than white babies.
• American Indian/Alaska Native babies are 3 times more likely to die of SIDS than white babies.
• Babies who are placed on their stomachs or sides are more likely to die of SIDS.

Flat Spots on Baby’s Head

Once your baby learns to sit up, any flat spots created by back sleeping will go away. Here are some ways to reduce the chance of flat spots:

• Tummy Time – When someone is watching, put your baby on his/her tummy to play. This will also strengthen baby’s neck, head, and shoulder muscles. Make sure there is someone watching.
• Switch the direction that your baby faces in the crib from week to week, so he/she is not always laying on the same part of the head.
• Avoid too much time in car seats, bounce chairs, and carriers. Hold your baby upright often during the day.

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Premature labor (another name for preterm labor) is labor that begins before the 37th week of pregnancy. A doctor will often take steps to try to stop the labor as the risk to the baby’s survival is high at this point. Premature birth occurs about 12% of the time and is the number one cause of infant deaths in the United States.

Who is at risk of going into preterm labor and having a preterm birth?

There is no way to predict which women will experience preterm labor or premature birth, but here are some factors that may be involved in having preterm labor and birth:

• Trichomoniasis (an infection)
• Bacterial vaginosis (an infection)
• Shortened cervix
• Previous premature labor or birth

Risks of Preterm Birth to the Baby

• Low birth weight
• Underdeveloped organs
• Under developed lungs, breathing problems
• Greater risk for cerebral palsy (CP)
• Greater risk for learning disabilities
• Greater risk for developmental disabilities
• Greater risk for serious infections

Preventing Preterm Delivery

Unfortunately, these preventions are not effective most of the time, but because they are helpful some of the time, these are some methods for prevention:

• Treating high risk women with progesterone
• Bed rest
• Medications

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Unlike a miscarriage, a stillbirth is the loss of a pregnancy by natural causes occurring after the 20th week of pregnancy. Stillbirth can happen before or during delivery. Statistically, one in every 200 pregnancies end with a stillbirth.

What are the signs of a stillbirth?

In some cases, the mother will notice lack of movement with the fetus. If the doctor cannot locate a heartbeat, he/she can perform an ultrasound to determine the health of the baby. It is not always possible to determine why the baby has died, but an autopsy of baby and placenta can sometimes render a cause.

What are the causes of a stillbirth?

It is not always possible to determine the cause of a stillbirth. In fact, in nearly half the stillbirths, no reason can be found. Some known reasons are:

• Chromosomal abnormalities with the fetus as a result of egg or sperm imperfections
• Fetuses that do not continue to grow
• Problems with the placenta
• Bacterial infections
• Some physical problem with the fetus that does not allow it to flourish

What are procedures following a stillbirth?

• A woman will normally go into labor within two weeks following the death of the fetus. If not, labor is induced or a c-section will be performed.
• Depending on individual circumstances, the fetus may necessarily be delivered immediately after discovering its death.
• In some cases, the woman may be able to decide when to deliver

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Here are some common reasons to make the call to your baby’s doctor.

• If your baby has not urinated in the first 24 hours
• If there is fewer than 6 wet diapers within a 24 hour period
• If your baby has not had a bowel movement in the first 48 hours
• Diarrhea (This is hard to detect especially with breastfed newborns). Diarrhea usually has a foul odor and can be streaked with mucus and/or blood. If baby’s bowels are watery or looser than normal, or are far more frequent than normal.
• Temperature above 100.4 degrees F or below 97.8F, taken rectally
• If there is trouble breathing or very rapid breathing (more than 60 breaths per minute)
• If there is pulling in of the ribs while breathing
• Wheezing, whistling, or grunting sounds when breathing
• If baby’s lips or fingernails appear blue
• Persistent cough
• Refusing several feedings, or is eating poorly
• Vomiting (not necessarily spit-up)
• Nosebleeds
• Sunken soft spot the your baby’s head
• Unusually sleepy, or is very hard to waken (this can be a hard call since most newborns and infants normally require a lot of sleep)
• Lethargic, unusual limpness or floppy
• If baby seems anxious, jittery
• Lengthy crying and very difficult to console
• Greenish or yellowish discharge from the eyes
• Red skin or pus around the umbilical cord
• Yellow color in whites of the eyes
• Yellowish skin (jaundice)
• Circumcision problems. Bleeding from circumcision area, more than expected. Blood stains on baby’s diaper that are larger than nickel.

If your concern is not on the list, do not let that stop you from contacting your baby’s doctor if you notice something irregular happening.

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• Feeling restless or irritable
• Feeling sad, hopeless, and overwhelmed
• Crying a lot
• Having no energy or motivation
• Eating too little or too much
• Sleeping too little or too much
• Trouble focusing, remembering, or making decisions
• Feeling worthless and guilty
• Loss of interest or pleasure in activities
• Withdrawal from friends and family
• Having headaches, chest pains, heart palpitations (the heart beating fast and feeling like it is skipping beats), or hyperventilation (fast and shallow breathing)

After pregnancy, signs of depression may also include being afraid of hurting the baby or oneself and not having any interest in the baby.

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Depression can be described as feeling sad, blue, unhappy, miserable, or down in the dumps. Most of us feel this way at one time or another for short periods. But true clinical depression is a mood disorder in which feelings of sadness, loss, anger, or frustration interfere with everyday life for an extended time. Depression can be mild, moderate, or severe. The degree of depression, which your doctor can determine, influences how you are treated.

How common is depression during and after pregnancy?

Depression that occurs during pregnancy or within a year after delivery is called perinatal depression. The exact number of women with depression during this time is unknown. But researchers believe that depression is one of the most common complications during and after pregnancy. Often, the depression is not recognized or treated, because some normal pregnancy changes cause similar symptoms and are happening at the same time. Tiredness, problems sleeping, stronger emotional reactions, and changes in body weight may occur during pregnancy and after pregnancy. But these symptoms may also be signs of depression.

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During pregnancy, fat deposits can increase by more than 33 percent. Most women who gain the recommended amount of weight lose the extra weight in the birth process and in the weeks and months after birth.

Breastfeeding also can help you lose extra weight by burning extra calories. Breastfeeding burns at least 500 calories each day. Find out more about what you should eat and avoid while breastfeeding.

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