Pregnant women need to gain weight
It is quite natural for women to gain ten to 15 kilograms during pregnancy – partly due to the increasing weight of the child and partly due to physical changes in the mother, such as a larger uterus and breasts or a higher blood volume. This ensures that the child is optimally supplied with energy, oxygen, nutrients and hormones.
Why too much weight harms the child and mother
Once the baby is born and the mother’s body begins to decline, women slowly lose weight again. For some women, however, losing weight after giving birth is not fast enough. Excess weight can be particularly stubborn if women have eaten more than necessary during pregnancy and thus gained too much weight or were already overweight before pregnancy.
A little too much weight is relatively harmless, but severe obesity should be avoided during – or at best before – pregnancy. This is because the baby can become too large for the birth canal, in which case a caesarean section is necessary. If the expectant mother is overweight, she also runs the risk of developing gestational diabetes, which can develop into chronic diabetes after the birth.
Losing weight after giving birth: breastfeeding
When mothers breastfeed their child, not only does a trusting relationship develop between the two of them – it also offers mother and child health benefits. The ingredients in breast milk protect the child from infections and chronic illnesses 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 to 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 following six months, they need around 400 additional kilocalories. The body draws this energy from fat reserves. During the breastfeeding period, women therefore lose weight moderately and their fatty tissue regresses.
However, to support this weight loss, women should not be tempted to eat less. Because if they lose too much weight, milk production suffers.
Losing weight after giving birth: nutrition
Losing weight after giving birth: sport
Experts recommend a combination of the right diet and sufficient exercise to lose weight after giving birth. This will help you shed the pounds and improve the health of your cardiovascular system.
But don’t overdo it with your sporting activities! After giving birth, the body is still allowed to recover and should not be subjected to excessive strain. Therefore, start exercising slowly. Longer walks with the baby carriage or light stretching exercises for your back and stomach for ten minutes every two days are enough. You can then increase the amount of exercise from week to week. After about two months, moderate sports such as swimming or cycling will help you lose weight after the birth.
After a caesarean section, it is advisable to wait four to six weeks before exercising. Discuss with your doctor or midwife when the right time is to start light stretching exercises, for example.
Losing weight after giving birth: Conclusion
You can get to grips with excess pounds after giving birth by breastfeeding, eating properly and doing 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 gain less weight over the course of their lives.
