Lose weight after childbirth

Dr. rer. nat. Daniela Oesterle is a molecular biologist, human geneticist and trained medical editor. As a freelance journalist, she writes texts on health topics for experts and laypeople and edits specialist scientific articles by doctors in German and English. She is responsible for the publication of certified advanced training courses for medical professionals for a renowned publishing house.

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The baby is born, but the stomach and rolls of bacon are holding up well: Most women therefore want to lose weight after the baby is born. Breastfeeding, a balanced diet and exercise will help you lose those extra pounds. Experts warn against one-sided diets and excessive exercise. Read more about losing weight after childbirth here.

Pregnant women need to gain weight

It is quite natural for women to gain 10 to 15 kilograms during pregnancy - on the one hand due to the increasing weight of the child, on the other hand due to physical changes in the mother such as larger uterus and breasts or higher blood volume. As a result, the child is optimally supplied - with energy, oxygen, nutrients and hormones.

Why too much weight harms children and mothers

When the child is born and the maternal body regresses, women slowly lose weight again. For some women, losing weight after childbirth is not fast enough. The excess kilos can be particularly stubborn if women ate more than necessary during pregnancy and thus gained excessive weight or were already overweight before pregnancy.

A little too much weight is relatively harmless, but being very overweight should be avoided during - at best before - pregnancy. Because the child can become too big for the birth canal, a caesarean section is then necessary. If the expectant mother is overweight, she also runs the risk of developing gestational diabetes, which can develop into chronic diabetes after birth.

Losing weight after childbirth is therefore not only good for your own well-being, but also makes medical sense if you are overweight. But power diets or tight fitness programs are not suitable for losing weight after childbirth. So how do you get rid of your belly after giving birth?

Lose weight after childbirth: breastfeeding

When mothers breastfeed their child, not only does it build a trusting relationship between the two of them - it also offers a health benefit to mother and child. The ingredients in breast milk protect the child from infections and chronic diseases such as obesity. Breastfeeding mothers themselves have a lower risk of type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, and breast and ovarian cancer.

Breastfeeding also helps you lose weight after giving birth: Breastfeeding means that women need around 330 kilocalories more per day in the first six months after giving birth. In the next six months, there are about 400 additional kilocalories. The body gets this energy from its fat reserves. Therefore, during breastfeeding women lose weight moderately and their adipose tissue regresses.

To support this weight loss, women should not be tempted to eat less. Because if you lose too much weight, milk production suffers.

Lose weight after childbirth: diet

It is important for young mothers to eat consciously. With the right diet - lots of fruit and vegetables, regular fish, whole grain products, few low-fat dairy and meat products - you can lose weight after giving birth. Fast food, too much white flour products such as rolls or baguettes, foods rich in sugar such as sweets or lemonades and high-fat foods are less suitable. These fattening foods are not only unhealthy (cardiovascular diseases!), They also prevent you from losing weight after giving birth. In addition, the less healthy ingredients in such foods reach the child through breast milk.

Lose weight after childbirth: exercise

For weight loss after childbirth, experts recommend a combination of proper diet and adequate exercise. This will drop the pounds and also improve the health of your cardiovascular system.

But don't overdo it with your sporting activities! After giving birth, the body can still recover and should not be exposed to excessive strain. So start exercising slowly. Long walks with the stroller or light stretching exercises for the back and stomach for ten minutes every two days are sufficient. You can then increase your workload from week to week. After about two months, moderate exercise such as swimming or cycling will help you lose weight after giving birth.

After a caesarean section, it is advisable to wait four to six weeks before exercising. Discuss with your doctor or midwife when is the right time to start, for example, with light stretching exercises.

Lose weight after childbirth: conclusion

You can manage excess pounds after childbirth with breastfeeding, proper nutrition, and regular moderate exercise. Make an effort to lose weight within a year of giving birth. Women who return to their original weight within six months of giving birth will gain less weight over the course of life.

For health reasons, we explicitly warn against overzealousness in the form of one-sided diets and excessive sport. Without these radical methods, losing weight after the birth will take a little longer, but it will not harm your own health or that of your child.

Tags:  desire to have children first aid home remedies