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Postpartum weight loss- body image issues. Help!
Hi guys. 3 weeks, 3 days PP mom here. I’m a second time mom as well. I had my baby boy and went into the hospital weighing 174. I’m very active and remained active my entire pregnancy but managed to gain about 44 lbs which I know is over the recommended weight. The doctor was never concerned and I’m unsure why I gained so much weight if I ate healthily and stayed in the gym.
Anyway- I’m concerned . I spent the whole pregnancy checking my weight and worrying and now I’m doing the same.
I have only lost 20 lbs and it has really stopped for about 2 weeks.
I am also breastfeeding and mostly pumping if baby isn’t at the breast.how soon did you lose your baby weight and was it stuck this long? I just want to see progress.
Could breastfeeding be why I’m not losing? I’ve saw it could have the opposite effect as it does on other moms who lose more while Breastfeeding.
I definitely would be the unlucky one and would consider stopping if it meant weight gain or no loss. Hoping this is just a hiccup and it’ll start back dropping soon.
with my first I gained about 22lbs and already lost 20lbs by 3 weeks PP, never lost the other 2 for whatever reason.
I was exclusively breastfeeding!
This time I gained about 25lbs, i’m EBF again but now at 4 weeks PP i’ve “only” lost about 15lbs.
No idea exactly why i’m not loosing more but breastfeeding can’t be the reason for me (at least I think so). I’m also moving a lot more this postpartum period with a toddler around so really there’s no reason to not loose the weight ����♀️
I would hope there wasn’t a reason but definitely heard you can gain it while breastfeeding or not lose it because of it. Knowing my luck, that would be me. I know I’m way too concerned about my body image. But I’m very active and so not losing it or even gaining what I did makes no sense !
3 weeks postpartum is so early! I lost 15 pounds the first week and then nothing. I have 10 more to lose and am a very active person but this is my 3rd baby and this is normal for me. The rest comes off in a few months but I don’t start losing again until after 6 weeks post partum when I can start exercising again. Don’t stress about it this early and definitely don’t deny your baby valuable breast milk if 40 lb won’t melt off in 20 days. It will take time but I’ve ebf and lost it all within 4-6 months.
I’m with you with 40+ pounds gained. Hoping you have less struggle with body image as time passes. ��
Everyone is different with weight when it comes to breastfeeding. My SIL had a baby 7 months ago and she isn’t back to her pre pregnancy weight.
Then I’m almost 5 weeks postpartum and I’m already lower than my pre pregnancy weight and I also only breastfed
I’m hoping I’m one that can be like you! I gained much more than I expected for me to be so active so I want it all gone just as fast as possible. I was wondering if breastfeeding weight falls off faster than formula feeding
I gained like 50 lbs both times and I’m normally 5’7 135 lbs. I haven’t lost much at all yet at one month pp. it took me around a year to lose it last time - I think I noticed weight drops at like 6 months and 9 months pp. I worked out and ate relatively healthy and was breastfeeding also. It just takes time I think.
thank you!
3 weeks PP is no time whatsoever. Keep in mind your body gained 44 pounds over 9 months, to lose all the weight in 2 weeks may be unrealistic.
Your body is amazing, you should give yourself some grace.
It might be worthwhile to reflect to see why a specific number on a scale is worth denying your baby previous breast milk.
Health is measured in so many variables outside of the number on the scale.
I completely agree. To deny him that when I was unable to give my first it without a choice is unfair to me and him. We both are benefitting from it! Thank you!
I am also someone who struggles with body image issues and fear of weight gain. But, I fear you have some unrealistic expectations for your weight loss. I am 3 weeks pp tomorrow and I have lost 15ish lbs of the 25 I gained and my weight loss has stopped there. I expect I have about 10lbs of body fat stores that I will slowly lose once I am able to start working out again. You aren’t even supposed to workout until 6 weeks. You aren’t going to lose weight overnight, and it’s not healthy to compare your weight loss to others who say they lost the weight in a month just breastfeeding.
Also, the reason women struggle to lose weight while breastfeeding is because it causes increased hunger/snacking. If you are careful to regulate your calorie intake by calorie tracking you can ensure you don’t gain weight and also don’t drop your milk supply.
it’s very unrealistic ! I am the hardest on myself. Worse than anyone else. I know it’s very soon as well so I’m just trying to ease my nerves and calm them down. Also taking some rest days from the gym. I don’t think I was mentally all the way ready. Especially since I’ve worked out consistently for so long. My body could use a break. The last time I had an extensive break was my baby girls birth over 3 years ago. After I was cleared, I’ve worked out nonstop since then even through this past pregnancy.
I say this with no judgement and all the love, it might be beneficial to talk to a professional therapist about how you’re feeling. I’ve struggled with body image in my teens/early 20s and I don’t know how I would’ve got through body changes during pregnancy without a therapists help. Not saying you have a problem by any means but support is never a bad idea imo.
I gained similar weight as you during pregnancy, am 6 weeks pp and still am not close to pre pregnancy weight. Also exclusively breastfeeding. It’s not an easy journey and I feel with you!������
thank you! The one thing I wish I had done was continued to take my anxiety and depression meds during pregnancy but decided to stop because of not being sure how it would affect the baby. I am looking into a therapist as well and plan on finding one that fits me before I return to work. I appreciate you being honest and transparent with me!
If you have been active and eating well, don’t second guess the weight you gained. You gained it because that’s what your body needed from this babe. I just had my third and have lost 20 of my ~37 lbs and have been sitting here for awhile at 6 weeks pp. I EBF and will start working out lightly soon. I know the last ~17 lbs will come off but it will be a slow process. By 9 months pp I’m back to my normal weight and by 12 months) end of my nursing journey, I typically look too little IMO. I always kept the extra weight when nursing and it always ended up falling off by the end. I never stressed about it, I just knew my body would do what it needed to do as long as I was taking care of it :) it’s hard but gotta be patient!
thank you! I’ve been breastfeeding my baby boy since he came home around 2 days old and with my baby girl I was unable to breastfeed her at all. So I was curious if there was a difference and if it was true breastfeeding caused it to fall off faster even if it still takes a bit of time. I do feel all that I gained was to benefit my baby but it definitely had me worried about how fast I could get it all off.
I'm in a similar boat. STM. First pregnancy 5'3 started at 124, ended at 158, lost all but the last 4-5lb by 1 month postpartum. Second pregnancy, started out at 125, ended around 161, down 22lb and the last 15lb or so is just sitting there. I'm breastfeeding, eating pretty well and staying active. It's tough, but I figure the weight is serving a purpose and will come off in time.
The one thing I would never do is stop breastfeeding. I've been lucky enough to have an excellent supply for both babies and will do everything I can to protect that.
thank you. I was dead set on breastfeeding my second one because I couldn’t do it for my first. I just didn’t realize how demanding it would be. He’s to the point where he is starting to refuse everything but my breast (we often bottle feed) so now I’m struggling to get the weight off and feed on demand. I have really bad body issues and prior to getting pregnant with him I was the smallest I’ve been since I was at least a sophomore in high school. I loved it. Knew I would gain being pregnant but not sure why it was so much. I remained active for that very reason but it made no difference it seems like !
Following. Just wanted to say I’m the exact same. Weighed 128 pre pregnancy and gave birth at 170. Right now I’m 6 weeks pp and ebf and weigh 145 pounds. I haven’t lost any weight since about 2 weeks pp! ����
it sucks. Im confused as to why it stopped ? I gained close to 50 lbs and gave birth at 174. I started at 129-130. Smallest I’ve been since I was a teenager. My oldest is 3 so it took damn near all that time to get to that ! Can’t even tell you what I did to get there because I have no clue !
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