How I lost the baby weight?

During my pregnancy I had put on about 20 kilograms and I looked like a beached whale. Experts say that most women on an average put on anything ranging from 12 kgs to 16 kgs. The weight gain consists of the mainly the baby, placenta, amniotic fluid, breast tissue, more blood uterus enlargement and fat stores. 

I had definitely put on more than the average mom despite being on feet, working till my 9 th month and going religiously for walks. I had also hoped for a normal delivery. This decision was based on the advice given by all mothers who had normal deliveries as to how quick recovery was and how easy it was to get back in shape. But I don’t think moms have much say in this department unless it is a voluntary c-section. I didn’t have a choice either.

 My son was 4.1 kgs at full term and he had inverted but his head hadn’t fixed itself into the pelvis which seemed that he was in no hurry to come out , “ I can imagine him saying I am no rush mom”. So the doctor suggest with my petite frame and since he hadn’t fixed his head in place that I should have a planned Cesarian. I did ofcourse like most of us do; take a second opinion to make sure that the gynaecologist wasn’t doing a C-section for monetary gain. 

So the date was fixed as 12^th March but on the 8^th night I couldn’t feel any movements and panicked. I would religiously without fail count the movements of to ensure everything was okay and google also gives you the worst case scenario which just compounds the panic. We rushed to the hospital and the doctor told me that your baby has no place to move and it would make sense to have a C section the very next day. The next day my baby was delivered through c-section and I want to tell all those women who might have to get their babies delivered through c- section. It was an extremely comfortable journey whether it was the surgery or recovery post the surgery. I had to be a little cautious for a week with my stitches but I was able to care for my baby all by myself on day 3. 

These scar that I have left after the stitches is like badge of achievement and a constant reminder of the 9 months journey my baby has had inside me. After my baby was delivered I weight myself 6 days post delivery and I was about 60 kgs that is about 8 kgs more than my pre-pregnancy weight. My tummy still looked like I was three months pregnant. To tell you the truth I was very uncomfortable with the way I looked. I missed my pre-pregnant body. But I was determined to get back in shape. It was a slow and tedious process but I got there. It is very easy to give up when we are overwhelmed by our situations and we don’t get immediate results. Getting stressed is counter-productive and to achieve our goal we need to relax. Some of us are able to lose the weight really quickly and for some of us it does take longer.

During the first couple of months I was so overwhelmed with the birth of my child and new routine that losing weight wasn’t a priority initially. But I did decide to take care of myself and body. During this time mom’s are very sleep deprived, so I tried to rest as much as possible when I got the opportunity to do so. You need to sleep if you want your body to heal. 

During the first three months sleep and eating a balanced diet is what I could realistically focus on because your baby takes most of your time.I will give credit to my husband’s mother who made me drink ajwain and saunf ka pani which basically flushes out any toxins from the body. That’s the only water I had for the first one month. Then I used to keep myself hydrated because I had to breastfeed so every time I had to breastfeed I would drink a glass of water before so that the milk supply doesn’t take a hit. I breastfed my son as long as my son wanted to (in my case 6 months of exclusive breastfeeding followed by another 4.years). It seems like a really long time but breastfeeding really helped me lose all that baby weight. Since I am a very hands -on mother, I took no help from any nanny so this kept me on my feet all the time which further helped me.

 I would listen to my body in terms of food, I never ate for two but because I was breastfeeding and knew I had to take care of my baby and eat a well balanced nutritious diet. But while I was breastfeeding I was ravenous and I ate more than I did during my pregnancy. When my son began to self wean, my body automatically wanted less food and I listened to it. To be honest till the time your child is of school going age you have no time for a workout. But it’s a great idea to find time to do some yoga or go for walk so as to keep your metabolism up and tone your muscles back in shape. My problem area was my belly and legs. Doing crunches and squats whenever I got the time really helped. Within 6 months I was lost all the weight and was back to my pre-pregnancy size. 

My son is 6 years old now and I fit into all of my pre-pregnancy clothes. Yet my body is still not the same , my tummy still isn’t has flat as it used to be , it’s a bit jiggly , my thighs are not as toned like they used to be. I still promise myself that I will join a gym to get back my muscle tone and I am still waiting for that day to arrive. But for now I have accepted my body and I love it because for all that it has endured. My breast aren’t the same either, they are covered with stretch marks from all the breastfeeding I have done for 5 years. I wouldn’t change any of it for even a moment. My body has metamorphosed and so have my priorities. I have traded my body for this little being I love more than my life. So all of us need to take pride in our body because it will remain changed forever.

Here are some tips that I followed to get the weight off:

·        Breast feed: breastfeeding exclusively helps you add an extra 300 calories to your diet everyday but don’t make that an excuse to overindulge.

·        Don’t diet: dieting makes you feel deprived of food especially don’t do it when you have switched over to the role of a new mom. Try loading up on super foods and eat a diet with a lot of fish, the protein is good for you and the omega-3 is great for your child’s brain development. Don’t eat for two, eat less junk and more nutritious food and listen to your body. Avoid sugary processed carbs, eat foods high in fiber and avoid alcohol.

·        Hydrate : keep yourself hydrate , drinking water boosts up your metabolism and assists in weight loss.

·        Work out : try going for a walk or do some yoga. This helps your circulation, reduce stress and get you into a good mood and also help you burn some calories.

·        Get enough sleep: lack of sleep can release stress hormones and make you gain weight. Studies have shown that women who got less than 6 hours of sleep found it difficult to lose the baby weight versus those who got 7 or more hours of sleep.

·        Go to a dietician: if you are really struggling to lose weight go to a dietician who can recommend a balance diet for you to lose weight while breastfeeding.

·        Don’t skip breakfast: eating breakfast ensures that you jumpstart your metabolism first thing in the morning and it gives you’re the energy to start the day.

·        Watch your portion size:  chew slowly and take at least 20 minutes to finish your meal as that is how much time it takes for your body to satiety signal to kick in.

·        Go for a high fiber , protein diet : include starchy food as you need to energy and go easy on the fat and sugar.

After doing a little research and talking to some fitness experts I have discussed below different exercise regimens for mom’s who have had cesareans and mom’s who have had normal deliveries.

·        C- section moms:

1.     Wait at least for 5-6 weeks before starting any exercise regimen – since you have had a surgery post carrying your baby for 9 months, you need to rest to ensure complete healing and recovery.

2.     Start with gentle walking and less strenuous exercises and work up to more strenuous exercises.

3.     Try wearing a compression garment with consultation with your doctor so that the body goes back to shape.

4.     Try planks to strengthen your abdomen muscles.

5.     Try stretches, yoga and pilates – to strengthen arms and legs.

6.     Swimming and cycling are good exercises as well.

·        Normal delivery moms:

1.     Wait for the bleeding to stop before starting any exercise regime.

2.     Try doing kegel exercises to re-strengthen your pelvis.

3.     Walking is a great exercise to start with.

4.     Do deep belly breathing by holding your abdomen muscle tight – contract and hold your abs tight while inhaling and relax while exhaling.

5.     Do squats and lunges as frequently as you can.

  During your weight loss regimen your biggest enemy is being stressed. Stress because of your new role as a mother, stress because of relationships, stress because of work or stress because of multitasking - I have never heard anything good come out of stress. There are two approaches to everything in life either to stress about your problems or stay calm and solve your problems.  I think it is always wise you follow the latter, just take a deep breath and relax.

I am so glad that I have an adorable baby to use for my profile picture until I lose the weight -anon