Losing Weight After Having a Baby by C-Section
Losing weight after having a baby can sometimes feel like an expectation. However, for many women, regaining that confidence can help feel like more than simply a mother, as can often be the case. So, if you are looking for support in losing weight after having a baby by c-section, continue reading for some top tips.
Diet
Firstly, if you are breastfeeding or combination feeding your infant, it is essential that you look closely at your diet. Getting enough vitamins and minerals, calcium in particular, will be imperative.
While breastfeeding means that you should have more food than usual, you could use an app, such as Nutracheck or My Fitness Pal, to ensure that you are eating the right amount as well as hitting the right figures in terms of fat, calcium, protein and carbohydrates.
For those of you who are bottle-feeding, your diet is a little more straightforward. Eating healthily, using recipes such as the ones on here, will support you in your mission to lose weight. Again, an app or tracking religiously on paper can help. Try to eat nutrient-dense foods to keep you going for longer and prevent you from eating too many snacks.
Whichever way you choose to feed your baby, getting enough water in your body will be helpful in your mission to lose weight. Breastfeeders should pour themselves a pint of water (or preferably, get someone else to bring one!) each time they feed to ensure they are sufficiently hydrated.
Fitness
While diet makes the largest difference to a person’s weight loss journey, incorporating exercise is vital, too. A c-section is an enormous undertaking for a woman’s body, so it is crucial that you allow yourself time to recover physically before beginning any form of exercise.
Most women are expected to take 6 to 8 weeks before they can get back into the normal routine of driving, housework and doing the school run, for example. Even once you feel as though you have recovered, there may be underlying reasons why you should not immediately begin to exercise.
Seek medical advice from your midwife or a personal trainer who has postpartum experience, particularly with c-sections.
Once you have the green light to go ahead and exercise, try to be patient. You should begin gently and not expect to pick up where you left off prior to having a baby, even if you were super active right until the very end of your pregnancy.
Putting baby in the pram and going on walks is a great form of exercise and can help baby to sleep, too – win-win! If you are craving something a little more active, consider going swimming as a family.
While your partner looks after the baby, do a few lengths then swap. Even walking up and down a pool is good for your fitness levels because of the resistance caused by the water.
Sleep
The ‘mean well’ brigade will often advise you to sleep whenever your baby does. That is easier said than done when you look around your home and see the plates piling up, the dust accumulating or the bin overflowing.
Try to look for small wins when it comes to your housework and then allow yourself time to nap, whenever possible. However, for the first few weeks, you need to avoid exerting yourself – so, perhaps this could continue even after your body has recovered sufficiently.
Ensuring you get enough sleep, and of a decent quality, will prevent you from turning to sugary snacks and boost your metabolism, making weight loss a little easier.
Patience
As mentioned before, patience is the number one trait you need to seek when attempting to lose weight following a c-section. It is unrealistic and unreasonable to expect your body to ping back into shape.
In fact, for many women, acceptance that they have carried a baby, and this comes with some permanent changes is a consideration.
Good luck with your mission to lose weight! I’m certain that you will find loads of suitable recipes here that will support you on your journey.