When you bring your precious newborn home, you soon discover that exhaustion, emotional overload and no time for yourself make having a shower an almost impossible feat – let alone exercising and cooking healthy meals.
The key factor, however, towards taking that daunting first step towards getting your body back is to remember that taking care of a baby is even harder when you’re stressed, in poor shape and feeling down about yourself. You’d do anything for your child, and giving them a fit, happy mum is the greatest gift of all. Healthy mums raise healthy children, who grow into healthy adults!
The good news is that our weight loss programs include a ‘baby bonus’ designed for breastfeeding mothers. Go to the My Profile section and select the breastfeeding option. You can continue to take advantage of your online diary and menu and exercise plans while you regain your pre-pregnancy body.
The first 2 months
Proprietor of BabyFit UK, Debbie Howells, advises taking things easy in the sleep-deprived early days because it can take about 6 weeks for the womb to heal. Overdoing it may increase bleeding. A walk in the park with your new arrival is sufficient to get some exercise and fresh air.
Debbie says, “However, new mothers should recommence their pelvic floor exercises straight away after birth. Aim to do them every day, including some fast and slow contractions.”
Until such time as you feel ready to be physically active again, good nutrition is key:
- Eat a nutritious breakfast, lunch and dinner, with one or two snacks in between
- Choose healthy, low GI carbohydrates, lean proteins and monounsaturated fats (avocadoes, nuts, fish and olive oil)
- Aim for fresh produce and plenty of vibrant, colourful vegies for fibre and valuable micronutrients
- Check labels for energy density, fats and sugar content
2 to 4 months
Debbie says, “Women can start back into a regular exercise routine from 6 weeks if they had a normal birth, or 10 weeks for a caesarean section, or when they feel ready after this time.” It’s about taking baby steps to begin with, and listening to your body and the advice of your midwife/health visitor.
Once you feel ready, it’s time for you to:
- Increase your cardio and strength training – slowly
- Start yoga and Pilates, which are great for core stability, flexibility and stress relief
- Consider joining a fitness group for mums for extra support and motivation
- Don’t go more than 3 hours without eating, and drink 2L of water a day
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Rest whenever you can
4 to 6 months
By this stage it’s safe to step it up a little and to set some health and fitness goals. But Debbie warns that competitive or high impact exercise should still be avoided.
She explains, “The hormone relaxin, which softens all the connective tissue, including ligaments, in pregnancy, can stay in the body for up to 6 months post childbirth. This can make joints unstable and injury can occur from doing too much."
- Incorporate core moves with strength training. This recruits more muscles and requires dynamic stabilisation, which is fantastic for rebuilding your abs and pelvic floor.
- Set realistic, simple goals such as fitting into your favourite pre-baby jeans, for example.
- Increase your cardio. Group fitness classes are a great way to do this, and also get you out of the house for a while. Many gyms provide childcare facilities.
- Keep up your Pilates and yoga for core strength and mental focus.
- Consider using a personal trainer either 1-on-1, or in groups – sharing the cost makes this more affordable.
Nutrition
Breastfeeding mothers require an extra 500 calories a day, so it’s important not to restrict your daily intake. But this doesn’t mean you can’t begin to lose weight. Those extra calories should be coming from healthy food sources, such as fruit, vegetables and lean meats, which won’t pile on the pounds or restrict you from a losing 1 or 2.
By following a healthy diet and doing moderate intensity exercise you can safely lose 1-2lb a week without it affecting your milk production. This might not sound like much, but Debbie says, “It takes 9 months for the body to grow and adapt for pregnancy, so allow about 9 months for your body to go back and recover.”
New mums often feel tired and run down, so it’s important to keep yourself as healthy as possible with a well-rounded diet. Making small changes to your eating habits and substituting poor choices for healthy ones will make a difference. But the main key to success in your new chaotic life is planning.
- Decide who will buy the fresh food and when. Keeping lots of fresh fruit and vegies around is the easiest way to ensure this is what you're eating most of the time.
- Work out some quick, healthy dinners, cook double and freeze it for the not-so-good days.
- Find healthier local takeaway options for now and then.
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Don't keep a stash of junk food in the house. It’s too tempting when you're tired and hungry.
Pitfalls to avoid
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Failing to plan. Good nutrition won’t just happen without planning and, sadly, the easy way is not the healthy way.
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Eating for 2. Breastfeeding takes a huge amount of energy, and makes many women ravenous. You require an extra 500 calories per day, which is built into your menu plan if you select the breastfeeding option.
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Letting yourself get too hungry. Choose quality proteins and wholegrains at each meal to stay comfortable and full.
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Having unrealistic expectations. You will not lose the weight in the 3 weeks it appears to take celebrity mums who have a raft of chefs, personal trainers and nannies at their disposal. As Debbie says, it’s likely to take about 9 months to find your figure again, but allow extra time for complicated or surgical births or illness for mum or baby.
Getting your midsection back!
Having a flat stomach is about more than sex appeal. It helps protect your back and prevents possible pain and injury, especially prevalent when lifting your growing child.
New mums can begin to do some basic lower abdominal, core and back strengthening exercises, but don’t be tempted to start too early. Debbie says, “Doing abdominal sit ups, crunches and exercises that involve a lot of forward trunk flexion will only work the abdominal muscle that runs down the centre of the stomach. Working on this area too soon could cause the sheath to further separate after pregnancy, which could have long-term consequences from a cosmetic point of view, but also with back support and strength.”
Instead, focus your attentions on burning off the fat. It doesn’t matter how many ab exercises you do, you won’t be able to see them unless you burn off the excess tummy fat with healthy eating and cardio.
Visit our exercise library for suggestions for a range of core exercises, cardio, strength and yoga – everything you need to get back in shape.