Feeling kinda low about preggo weight gain (6 weeks postpartum)

[Anonymous]

I was 5'3'' and 110 lbs pre-pregnancy and gained 35 lbs during pregnancy. I lost 15 lbs the first week and have not lost a pound since. I am now 6 weeks postpartum. I am breastfeeding and not overeating (but not restricting calories too much since I am nursing) and I guess I naively expected the weight to just melt off. I have always had a fast metabolism so this is a bit of a surprise. Feeling kinda bummed out

[Anonymous]

aw, i'm sorry you're having a hard time with it. i'm sure you know that it's completely normal - some women drop weight like crazy right after birth, some take months to get it all off. as long as you are doing what is healthy, you'll be fine.

also, on the up side, is it possible that a lot of what's left is in your boobs? because that wouldn't TOTALLY suck

[Anonymous]

I'm 4 weeks postpartum and am going through the exact same thing...no weight loss since that first 10 days...

I think once I can start exercising things might accelerate. keep your head up
we'll get there!

[Anonymous]

awww, sorry about that. Maybe when the weather turns a little nicer you can take some long walks with the baby and that will help.

[Anonymous]

if it makes you feel any better, I'm in the same boat (though not with your starting weight) - I gained 30 lbs. and have lost 18 of the 30 and am 8 weeks PP, BFing, etc.

Hang in there (this weather doesn't make it easier!)

[Anonymous]

Stop reading about all the women who had lost every pound and then some within 6 weeks. Please. I honestly believe that half the reason so many pregnancy weight gain posts on here are full of those people is that if you DO lose weight quickly, of course you want to let everyone know. If you don't, well, you're probably not going to feel like bragging about it. Many, many women do not lose all of the pregnancy weight right away. Lots of women hold onto an extra few pounds the entire time they're nursing - I am one of them. And if that's what my body needs to do so I can feed by baby, that is fine by me.

Also keep in mind that it took you NINE months to put that weight on. It's not supposed to melt away overnight.

[Anonymous]

OP here. Thank you so much for the encouragement. I realize that weight should be the last thing on my mind, but it's a little hard...

[Anonymous]

I also gained 36 lbs with my first pregnancy, and I had *definitely* not lost all the baby weight by 6 weeks postpartum - a lot of it, and enough to at least be out of maternity clothes, but certainly not into my pre-pregnancy clothes. And this doesn't mean you won't lose it all eventually. I don't know how long it took - life was too crazy so I wasn't keeping track - but by 6 months PP I was actually 5 lbs under my pre-pregnancy weight.

So just give yourself time, and definitely a break for the weather. Even those of us who also had winter babies probably had them in more 'normal' DC winters, where you can actually go out for long walks in January and February!

[Anonymous]

Keep in mind that in addition to the bfing hormones, it takes at least six weeks for the pregnancy hormones to clear your system. So you may or may not start to see a gradual weight lose soon without changing your routine.

I know it is hard when everything else in your life is turned upside down to also not feel like yourself physically but you will get there!

[Anonymous]

I was feeling the same way to 6 weeks pp. Even bought some new bigger clothes. I was/am about your size. It seems like as soon as I bought new clothes, I started losing weight. By 3 months when I went to work I was (Sort of) fitting into my suits. By 6 months, they were falling off cause I am now below my prepregnancy weight. I did nothing but breastfeed and lots of walking. I know its dispiriting, but you'll get your body back...with a few exceptions.

[Anonymous]

New poster chiming in here to say OP, you sound exactly like me. I had always been small and thin and I was shocked when I held onto so much weight after my first. I too thought I would be one of those people who wouldn't have a problem losing it right away with zero effort. Ha! Totally wrong. Just to keep it real, for me, I actually held onto an extra 10 - 15 lbs. or so for a couple of years. It wasn't until I finally went (back) on Weight Watchers that I got the rest of it off. (Though never got below my pre-pregnancy weight as some are saying.) I wish I had done it a lot sooner...but I didn't. Now I'm 10 wks post partum with #2 and facing the same thing. I actually gained a lot less weight this time but same pattern - I lost weight initially and the extra is just staying on. I'm trying to do walking on the treadmill but know that it will probably take me getting motivated and in "the zone" (as I call it) for another round of WW to get it off again. It bums me out because I would have never expected I'd have this problem, but I do! Sigh.

[Anonymous]

OP, I was the same height/weight as you. It took about five or six months to get back to the pre-pregnancy weight/size, but it did happen, and in all honesty it didn't take that much effort on my part. BFing burns a lot of calories - I found I could eat like a truck driver and still lose weight.

Take heart - six weeks post-partum is not enough time to get back to your normal self. Be patient, don't overfocus on it. It will happen, but it will take some time.

[Anonymous]

i know we all know that we should be patient with ourselves and not focus on weight, but it's hard to do. i think for me there is also something about that newborn period where life is so unpredictable and uncontrollable that makes me want to control something, and with a history of eating issues, that thing has in the past become my weight.

what i found most helpful this time was going out and buying clothes that fit me NOW. they were several sizes bigger than the clothes i hope to eventually fit back into, but the nice part is that they fit, and so i don't have to feel like i am trying to squeeze into clothes that are too small, or wear maternity clothes that are not flattering and make me feel big. they look good on my current body. they also sort of serve as a reminder that this is a different body than my pre pregnancy one, or my pregnancy one, and that this body deserves some clothes of its own until it gets back to its old self

i have also found it very helpful not to weigh myself. i didn't weigh myself during this pregnancy either. my first pregnancy i weighed myself during and after the pregnancy and i think it contributed to my stress and frustration. this time not knowing how much i weigh or how much i gained, i am finding it much easier to focus on trying to feel good in the body i have, and not worrying about the number.

the other nice part about buying clothes that fit you now is that as you do lose the weight over time, you get to feel your pants getting baggier and baggier

good luck.