Parenting: Pregnancy

Start Early
Dr. Charles Mabray, a board certified OB/GYN, believes it all begins with the pregnancy itself. "I have delivered thousands of babies," he says. "Over two decades ago it became obvious that the absolute best approach [to returning to your pre-pregnancy weight] is to eat right during pregnancy. This almost guarantees no excessive weight gain during the pregnancy and makes it easy to get back the form desired."

The average weight gain during pregnancy is between 25 to 35 pounds. During the actual delivery, a woman will lose approximately 12.5 to 14 pounds. This leaves a new mom with an extra 12.5 to 21 pounds to shed. But various medical conditions during pregnancy – such as gestational diabetes and hypertension – can add an additional 10 to 15 pounds to a pregnancy weight leaving more postpartum weight for Mom to lose.

Many women mourn their inability to lose the weight, but the reasons behind these unsuccessful attempts are sometimes no fault of the women. "An often overlooked problem that women should ask the doctor to address is that of thyroid function," Dr. Mabray says. "Postpartum thyroid dysfunction is not rare and may play a big part in the ability to lose weight following a pregnancy."

Goal-Setting
The most important factor when focusing on losing postpartum weight? Set realistic goals. Believing that after giving birth the pre-pregnancy shape and weight will return immediately is a sure way to become frustrated.

"Women may set these goals that are not attainable regardless of whether they have become a new mother or not," says Ingrid Kromer, personal trainer and exercise specialist for women at Bally's Total Fitness. "A good realistic goal for weight loss is losing about a pound a week. If a woman has 10 extra pounds, then taking two months to lose that weight is absolutely normal. Setting little goals such as doing 10-minute exercise sessions each day and then moving up to 10 minutes twice a day will make the goals more attainable but still offer the results that are wanted."

After setting a goal, it's crucial to have a functional plan to accomplish it.

For a new mother, decreasing the amount of food consumption is not necessarily the best route to take. "One thing that women immediately think is that they have to go on a diet which is probably the biggest mistake a woman can make with trying to lose weight after pregnancy," Kromer says. "Some of it will naturally happen, but dieting will cause you to become weaker and not able to function properly after having a baby."

Dawn Nowakoski, a full-time mother of eight in Indianapolis, Ind., says, "I gained more weight with each child. I've never really dieted, though if I was serious about losing weight I'd eat less junk food than normal. I've always been pretty active, not with a particular sport of any kind, but staying active as in playing with the kids or running after them or going up and down the basement steps to do laundry."

The Keys to Weight Loss
According to Kromer, there are three aspects to losing weight:

• Cardiovascular exercise
• Strength training
• Flexibility

"Different types of exercise will offer different effects on the body," Kromer says. "Cardiovascular exercises such as aerobics or walking are great for burning those extra calories while you're actually doing them. Another goal is to build more muscle mass. A lot of times when women are pregnant they may lose muscle mass which causes the body to burn [fewer] calories throughout the day. Building the muscle mass will help the body lose the extra weight."

No need to buy every infomercial-advertised fitness machine for strength training; do push-ups using the kitchen counter, stretches, leg extensions (either in the chair or lying on your back), squats, lunges, or even hold soup cans or sugar bags in your hands as weights. And remember that doing the exercises slowly but properly is much better than doing them quickly and incorrectly.

"When doing abdominal crunches, pretend you are holding an orange or a tennis ball under your chin, don't lock your fingers behind your head, and pull with your abdominal muscles – not your head," says Kromer. "Doing crunches correctly will offer results that can be seen much [more] quickly than if they are done by the hundreds but done wrong."

The Breastfeeding Factor
Breastfeeding adds a new dimension to weight loss efforts. It can help a new mother regain her prepregnancy figure and weight, according to reports from the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists. The process of breastfeeding releases various hormones into the woman's body which help the uterus to return to its pre-pregnancy shape and size.

Shelley Franco, a freelance writer and mother of two from Madison, Wis., says, "With my first pregnancy I gained 50 pounds. With my second, I gained 30. I breastfed both my children. My first nursed until he was 2 years old. I am currently nursing my 1-year-old. I firmly believe that breastfeeding jump-starts the woman's system and primes it for postpartum weight loss. In fact, I have no other explanation for how I was able to lose so much weight after my first pregnancy."

"Breastfeeding is sometimes the one time of life that some women find it easy to lose and maintain weight," Dr. Mabray says. "So I encourage new moms to breastfeed. It not only helps make the baby smarter, healthier and have better eyesight, it also helps Mom lose weight."

Though it might take a while, proper diet, nutrition and exercise can help a mother to get back to her pre-pregnancy size and weight.

"Setting goals, incorporating all three aspects of exercise and finding what works best for her all will allow a woman to get the result she wants and help her get back that pre-pregnancy form and weight after having a baby," Kromer says. "It can and will happen but it takes a little time and effort."