RECLAIMING YOUR BODY & CONFIDENCE- POSTPARTUM
If you’re a new mom, you might be counting down the days when you can trade in your maternity pants for your favorite pair of skinny jeans.
Childbirth is one of the most beautiful experiences a woman can have but the after effects can be stressful for new moms.
Although you can’t go back in time, it’s important to recognize that it could take you longer.
After giving birth, many women experience an unpleasant surprise when their round, firm, pregnancy bellies give way to loose skin and belly flab.
Almost 50% of women with newborns experience varying degrees of depression, commonly known as “baby blues,” after delivery.
Although some women can shed the pregnancy pounds quickly through diet and exercise, others find it hard to get rid of the extra fat stores.
It took you nine months to put on the weight, losing it can take several months or more.
If the weight isn’t coming off as fast as you want it to or your weight loss has stalled, there are several factors that could be hindering your efforts:
- You’re not getting enough sleep
Sleep is hard to come by with a new baby, but when you are sleep-deprived, the hormones that affect appetite are unbalanced. Sleep deprivation causes your body to up its production of ghrelin, which increases hunger, and slow down its production of leptin, which regulates appetite.
2. You’re not being patient enough.
Trying to stack up to those celebrities who are back in their bikinis two weeks after giving birth isn’t healthy.
3. You’re skipping meals
Between feedings, diaper changes and an unpredictable schedule, making time to sit down to a meal can feel like an afterthought.
4. You’re hitting the gym too hard
You might think it will take hours at the gym to lose the baby weight, but that’s not the case.
In fact, doing too much too fast can put you at risk for injury, pelvic organ prolapse — a condition that causes the pelvic organs such as the bladder or uterus to bulge out of the vagina, and even halt your weight loss efforts.
5. You have a thyroid issue
Up to 30 percent of postpartum women likely have thyroid dysfunction due to an iodine deficiency. During pregnancy, your baby takes iodine from you, which in turn can cause hypothyroidism
6. You’re eating the wrong foods:
We all love treats, we all love indulgent foods. But those occasional foods really need to be once or twice a week — they don’t need to be a habit
7. You’re snacking at night:
You might get a hankering for a snack after your baby’s middle of the night feeding, but those extra calories can add up.
8. You have a leaky gut:
Breastfeeding causes low levels of estrogen, which surprisingly can affect the GI tract and lead to intestinal hyper permeability, or leaky gut syndrome.
Leaky gut syndrome occurs when tight junctions that line the inside of the intestines open and allow undigested food particles and pathogens through. Research suggests that “When the GI tract goes out and doesn’t digest food as well, that’s a major cause for weight gain.
9. You’re eating your feelings:
When you’re sleep deprived and feel overwhelmed and stressed out, it’s common to rummage through the pantry for something to make yourself feel better.
Tips to change your attitude about your postpartum body:
1. Catch up on good sleep:
Sleep when the baby sleeps” is still great advice. Women who get at least seven hours of sleep are less likely to hold onto extra pregnancy weight than those getting less pillow time.
If your partner can take a feeding at night or you can catch a nap during the day, it can help you get the rest you need.
2. Have Patience:
The time it takes to lose the baby weight is different for each woman, but it will take at least six months, if not more. Don’t beat yourself up, but do make sure your diet and exercise habits are consistent and realistic for your life.
3. Prioritize your meals and its timings:
You have to make regular meals a priority, for you to not feel irritable and more likely to feel less hungry for the next meal. In fact, fasting is linked to abdominal weight gain and may increase your risk for type-2 diabetes, a study out of The Ohio State University suggests.
4. Go slow and steady with your Exercises:
Cardio isn’t off limits, but make sure it’s low impact — especially when you start to exercise again. Then as you feel stronger, you can move onto intervals on the elliptical or bike.
As you push the heart rate up and down, you get more benefit long-term both for your cardiovascular fitness and calorie burn.
5. Check your Thyroid profile:
If you suspect that you have a problem with your thyroid, ask your doctor to run a comprehensive thyroid panel, which includes TSH, free T3, free T4, and reverse T3 and the thyroid antibodies.
6. Wrap up your tummy:
Women have been wrapping the abdomen or belly following pregnancy for thousands of years. Traditional wrapping practices originated in Asia and Europe and usually involve long cotton cloth wrapped around the midsection following birth.
As the new mother shrinks, the cloth is shortened and tightened also acts as a hip shaper, provides back support, reduces air space so there’s less room for fat to deposit, and can help shrink your uterus and waistline.
7. Snack Healthy:
To lose weight, you need to eat meals that regulate your blood sugar and keep you feeling satiated. Make Instead of turning to food to feel better, have a list of healthy activities you can do when you’re trying to cope with your feelings.
8. Drink it up:
It prevents you from getting dehydrated, which is definitely a concern when breastfeeding, and fills you up so you don’t crave as many unhealthy food options. Ten-twelve glasses a day is still a good goal for water intake.
9. Stay positive and get moving:
Even if you don’t have the time or energy to start a full-blown workout schedule, you can begin with short 10- to 20-minute walks. Even pushing your baby in a stroller gets you out and moving– which can positively affect your overall mood as well.
Yes, it’s much easier said than done when you have a newborn at home. But don’t be afraid to ask for help from your partner, family or friends.
“Don’t go on fad diets. As a new mother you have enough stress in your life — you need not add that stress and mood swings of a yo-yo diet to your life.”
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