After nine months of having a constantly changing and growing body, you're thrilled to meet your baby and embrace the 'Mom Life' finally. But at the same time, there's nothing more envying than to see those celebrity moms' postpartum bodies and how quickly they've "bounced back." When a famous supermodel walks the runway just weeks after giving birth, it can seem like there's some sort of a secret magic trick to losing the baby weight instantly. But here are some realistic things you can expect when it comes to weight loss after birth.
Breastfeeding helps lose weight.
It's true, breastfeeding is a legit calorie burner, but it's not a diet. You shouldn't use it to achieve your post-baby body goal faster. As your baby's primary source of nutrition - or even sole - you need an extra 400 to 500 calories to help maintain your milk production flowing.
Almost two-thirds of those additional calories should emanate from appetizers and meals you consume. The remaining one-third of those calories are burnt from the weight you got during your pregnancy. For that reason, if you eat a healthy and well-balanced diet, you'll surely lose weight naturally.
Your mommy tummy has got nothing to do with your uterus.
You may have been told that there's nothing you can do on a post-baby pooch and on how it's there because your uterus outstretched when you were pregnant.
Experts say that the uterus is composed of smooth muscle cells that do not - in itself - contain any fat. Yes, it did stretch and grew to carry your baby. Yet by six weeks after birth, it will have shrunk back down to its usual size - which is nearly the size and form of a pear.
So if you still have a mommy tummy after a week, a month, or perhaps even a year after your little one arrived, it's a stocked fat you gained during your pregnancy that your body's clinging onto.
Your pre-pregnancy shape can affect how quickly you regain your old body.
You might know someone who was able to gain her body back a few weeks after giving birth. Or you follow those celeb moms who were taking bikini photos days after their delivery. But perhaps you also know someone who's foiled by how long it's taking them to lose the baby weight after birth. The truth is, there's no timetable set for losing post-baby weight - the more weight you gain while you were pregnant, the longer it will need to lose.
But don't worry, the usual misunderstanding on weight loss after pregnancy is that the weight should go off faster than it does in real-time. After all, it took nine months to go through all the pregnancy process, so be patient and allow yourself another nine months postpartum to regain your body back.
Celeb moms don't have magic diet tricks.
Do these fashion model moms who hit the runway wearing bikinis only days after giving birth know a trick that we don't?
We all know that these supermodels make a buck by being slim, so they really work hard to maintain their body shape and cut their baby weight in the shortest possible time, even if that meant doing it in an unhealthy way. It's best if we don't perceive their ultra-fast results as something we would imitate. Whether you're a celebrity model or an actual ordinary mom, your priority should be fitting for your newborn most healthily and being kind to your body and patient in losing your post-baby weight.
You could probably use some help.
You might be drained, sore, bonding with your newborn baby and still trying to grasp the surreal truth that you're now a mother. So perhaps you're not taking excellent care of yourself or eating as healthy as you should. Instead of blaming yourself - or carelessly believing that how you look and feel is not essential anymore - ask for help from a doctor, a dietitian, or perhaps to another new mom who would go to the gym with you.
