When my daughter was born many years ago, it took me nine weeks before I was back in my skinny jeans. The second time around, it took about six weeks (admittedly with a somewhat squidgy belly). The third time around? With two toddlers running around, I genuinely don’t remember! Most pregnancy books talk about losing baby weight in nine months but, as I’ve seen at my clinic, it’s not that easy.
I’ve seen countless women who carry an extra five kilos after their firstborn, another five after their second one and then maybe a further ten once they’ve had their third.
I give the example of Judy. She was 54kg before her first child, 75kg soon after and struggling to maintain 100kg after number three. Since I too started off at 54kg, I was very aware of the weight that I didn’t want to be. Aesthetics aside, your body just won’t function as it should if you’re hauling around those extra pounds. Just imagine what would happen to your knees if you had to carry around a 20kg backpack every day.
The very first thing I need to stress is that I was not on a “diet”, and neither was I on one during my pregnancies. It’s crucial that you know this because it’s not something I advocate for. Eating well during pregnancy and subsequent breastfeeding is paramount – your baby simply won’t grow as s/he should, otherwise.
How much food do you need? Well, in line with nutritional guidelines, in the last trimester, I ate an additional 300 calories a day and while I was breastfeeding, I ate 500 extra calories a day. What do 300 calories look like? A pot of yoghurt and an apple, or a piece of wholemeal toast with two tablespoons of peanut butter – not very much at all. Put another way, I did not eat for two. I say this very seriously: if you eat for two during your pregnancy, you will be the size of a house even after you deliver.
So the two things I did were to eat normally (little and often, and healthy), and to breastfeed. Not only does breastfeeding burn calories (and thus the fat that you’re carrying), it shrinks your uterus right down, helping to pull your gut in with it.
My goal was never to lose the weight so quickly, but the human body is incredible in the way it functions; the way it bounces back from making, giving birth to and feeding a whole other person.
So be sensible about what you eat during your pregnancy and make sure you breastfeed. It really is that easy.
