It’s called “baby weight” and for a good reason.  It’s the weight many new moms may retain after the baby has arrived that she gained during pregnancy.  Most women will lose most of the weight that was packed on during the pregnancy, but there often is those last few stubborn pounds that have a tendency to stick around.

Why women may retain weight after giving birth

No one expects a new mom to drop her pregnancy within just a couple of weeks.  In fact, a new study from the University of Michigan found that “baby weight” gained during the pregnancy may take just as long to lose as it did to put on while pregnant – almost a year.  What the study was able to gather was that women who had given birth found that their pregnancy weight hung on longer compared to women who had not given birth.  The average woman who had not given birth gained 1.94 pounds in a year compared to an annual 2.89 pound weight gain in women who had had a baby. 

The reasoning the researchers surmised from this study was that new moms tend to gain weight faster with a harder time taking it off due to the demands of a new baby.  Motherhood makes women put the needs of their children first which can lead to not making time to exercise or eating a healthy diet.

Retaining pregnancy weight after giving birth can set a woman up for many years ahead of trying to get the weight off again.  Baby weight a woman doesn’t take off can begin to add up with each pregnancy. This scenario sets a woman up for excessive weight gain over the years which could lead to potential chronic health issues of developing type 2 diabetes, gallbladder disease, hypertension, or arthritis as examples.

To prevent this sequence of events, here are some tips all new moms can put to use to regain their pre-pregnancy weight:

· Start by being patient with yourself

We’ve all read stories about celebrities who go from the delivery room to being seen in a skimpy bikini within a month.  This is not realistic and for the rest of us mere mortals, a gradual weight loss is the way to go.  Remember, it took nine months to grow a baby and it is not unusual to take that long to lose all the baby weight.  Be patient but persistent when it comes to losing weight.

· Avoid fad diets

The last thing you want to do in the weeks following delivery is to try to be overly restrictive with what you can or cannot eat.  Depriving yourself after delivery will only add to the stress you are already under of taking care of a newborn.  Why punish yourself with a fad diet that eliminates food groups or slashes calories too harshly?  Your baby needs you to feed it well and you also need to feed yourself well too.  Keep healthy foods around and avoid skipping meals.  Take time to feed yourself three meals a day with a couple of snacks throughout.  When feeling hungry, reach for apple slices, carrot sticks, or whole wheat crackers dipped into hummus for a nourishing pick-me-up.

· Breastfeed your baby

Studies have found that breastfeeding can help women reach their pre-pregnancy weight faster than if you bottle-feed.  As to whether a new mom will lose weight faster if she breastfeeds her baby depends on her food choices and if she is gradually getting back into exercising.  Nursing does require a woman to consume an extra 300 calories each day in order to produce sufficient milk.  Breastfeeding creates a higher energy demand which can result in a little faster weight loss leading to a quicker return to pre-pregnancy weight. 

The main thing for women to remember is that breastfeeding is good for the baby as it can boost immunity and provides numerous health benefits.  But women who breastfeed should not be mistaken into believing that they can eat whatever they want as it is possible to either gain some weight or have difficulty losing the baby weight if consuming too many calories. 

· Get back to moving

After delivery, most women will need a few days of adequate rest and time for healing. But as soon as possible, get back to moving to help burn calories and to keep muscles and bones strong.  Taking the baby out for a stroller ride or having dad watch the baby so mom can get in a 15-minute walk can make a world of difference in triggering weight loss.  Each week that goes by, a woman should gradually aim for at least 150 minutes a week of vigorous exercise to get her heart pumping and muscles working.  Fitting in some strength training is also a smart move to maintain muscle mass which can increase calorie burn throughout the day.

· Be sure to get adequate sleep

Once baby arrives, the days of sleeping eight hours a night may be over for a while but being sleep deprived can make it harder to shed baby weight.  New moms who sleep five hours a night or less are more likely to retain the extra pregnancy weight than women who sleep at least seven hours a night.  The body releases the hormone cortisol when we are tired along with other stress hormones that promote weight gain.  Being exhausted can also lead to not taking care of oneself making it more likely to make poor food choices and being too tired to exercise.

Try to take advantage of when the baby naps – get a nap in yourself. Don’t hesitate to ask for help.  All new moms need a break from taking care of the baby fulltime.  If a woman is struggling with post-pregnancy weight loss, seek the advice of a registered dietitian who can help design an eating plan to lose weight safely and to keep it off long-term.