How long does/did it take to start getting your ffigure back?

[utopian99]

I'm on dc1 and have put on 2 sstone at 36 + 1. I used to be a size 8-10 and an wearing size 10 pregnancy clothes, but 2 stone seems like a LOT when only 7-8lbs of that is baby...

Friends say i look like i've onky gained bump not elsewhere, but presumably there's still a while before your stomach recovers, so how long dshould i expect this to rtake? I'm planning on breastfeeding and hope to get back to what i was before, before trying ffor dc2 , so interested in anyone else's experience!

[Queenmarigold]

Don't worry, two stone is normal- don't forget you've extra blood, fluid, breast tissue and muscle in your uterus, which adds up to about two stone!

For dc one it took me about eight weeks before I was back in my jeans, but done were sooner and some were later- it's an individual thing.

[lljkk]

I am not truly skinny, BMI around 21.
I put on 13kg, didn't have monster babies, & was generally back in pre-pg clothes 10-21 days after birth.
So I think 13kg is the normal healthy minimum amount to gain assuming you started pg at a healthy weight.

[wanderingalbatross]

It can take about 6 weeks for your stomach to shrink back down again, and you can still look pg for the first couple of weeks after birth. Also, it's quite hard to diet if you're bfing because you'll be hungry all the time!

I think among the mums I know, most lost the belly within 4 weeks but were probably bigger than their pre-pg size for another 2-4 months. Some got back quicker though, and some took longer. Most have found that their shape has changed.

[DownTheRabidHole]

11 days for DS2.

[Flojo1979]

I put on 4 stones with each of my 2 DCs, I used pregnancy as an excuse to eat way too much!
But I was back in my size 10 jeans after only a few wks. A lot of that is because I didn't sleep in those early weeks so always burning the fat, and didn't have the time or inclination to eat much either. I used to eat out of necessity to BF not to indulge oh how things have changed now

[NAR4]

After my first three I left the hospital wearing my normal size 8 jeans, after giving birth. Fourth time around I was not back down to pre-pregnancy size when I got pregnant this time. Hoping for a miracle after this baby is born but suspect it will take real work to get back to my pre-baby number four size.

Everyone is different and evidently it is also different after each pregnancy.

Depends a lot on your age and genetics I think.

[philbee]

It took me a year to get back to feeling more normal. I got fatter bfing and didn't lose it until I stopped bfing at about 10 months. My tummy has stayed bigger than before. I was a size 10 before and I never got back in my tight jeans, am about a 12 now, although I prefer looser trousers anyway because of all the crouching / kneeling / crawling I do with a small child! I think you need to allow at least 9 months, otherwise you'll start feeling rubbish and have unrealistic expectations.

[bangersmashandbeans]

I put on 5 stone and had a 5lb baby
Wasn't content with just getting back in my old clothes so got a personal trainer from about 10 weeks for a few months then moved onto military fitness. 6 months after DD was born I was less my pre-preg weight and pretty fit. Abs came back and not a single sign that I'd had a baby recently other than my much smaller and sad looking boobs which didn't recover until I got pregnant again!

[yellowsubmarine53]

There are general rules of thumb about gaining 1/2/3 stone depending if you're overweight, healthy weight or underweight, so if you're pretty average then 2 stone sounds about right.

Also, 9 months on, 9 months off has some truth in it for a lot of women. Age and genetics play a significant part, and in experience you can be back in your normal clothes but feel very different.

[MaxiMummi]

Agree with the 9 months on/9 months off. I was size 8, put on 20kgs and took a year to go back to my previous size. Sorry - probably not what you want to hear but I just couldn't shift the mummy tummy until I stopped breast feeding and then miraculously it all fell away.

[ErmahgerdBlahdyCold]

I do 9 months on 2 years off, I put on a fair bit more than 2 stone though.

[utopian99]

Sorry to resurrect but noticed today my feet,.fingers, chin and arms seem to have all enlarged. Dh swears he only noticed tonight too, but is this normal or is it fat? I've thought I was keeping active/eating sensibly but now feel like I've failed. Maybe stupid or AIBU but feeling a bit low about it all right now..

[ConfusedKiwi]

Hi utopian, if you are getting significant swelling of your feet and fingers it might be worth calling your midwife/antenatal ward just to check all is okay. However, most women I know did get a bit bigger all over when pregnant.

In terms of weight loss, in my first pregnancy I was a size 12 beforehand, put on about 13kg and was back to pre-pregnancy weight within a week. However it took another two weeks before I could wear pre-pregnancy clothes as my shape changed a bit. I then eventually ended up lighter and skinnier than before until I stopped breastfeeding and was back at work when I went back up to my pre-pregnancy weight again before getting pregnant again. Unfortunately I think I've put on more weight this time so not sure how the weight loss will go this time...

[Tallgiraffe]

I lost 12kg in a week and was back in pre-pregnancy jeans 3 weeks post CS, so it can be quick! Breast feeding a super greedy boy helps!!

[Bagofspiders]

About a year to be honest. I don't think that's unusual. 18 months on I weigh less than I did before I got pregnant. I actually found that I only lost weight when I stopped breastfeeding (although please don't let that put you off, from what I gather it's more normal to loose weight because of breastfeeding)

[lottiegarbanzo]

Def talk to your midwife about swollen feet etc just to be on safe side. Swollen ankles are very normal though.

I put on 2st3lb, 1st of that was baby, placenta and fluid. 3lb disappeared quickly afterwards and the other stone is only just starting to go now, eight months later, since I stopped BFing.

I've been restricted to a small selection of clothes one size bigger than normal, as I'm not going to buy lots new for a temporary size.

I had thought weight would drop off with BFing and it might have if I'd eaten less but I prioritised making plenty of milk and feeling comfortable and relaxed. Something about the hormones gave a sense of contented docility, though I did do exercise, which helped with feeling and appearance. Since periods came back at 5 mo and stopped BFing at 7, I've felt quite different, with the docility gone, a normal level of stressy feeling, discomfort with excess weight and my prodigious appetite for cake and carbs has gone. Losing weight feels natural and much easier at this point. My appearance changed before any weight loss, with face looking normal again, just flab round middle.

I was surprised it took so long but found it much less of a priority than enjoying time with dd. The mummy tummy is actually quite useful, in the same way the hips are, providing a shelf to rest dd upon while carrying her.

Amongst people I know, the slighter, younger ones seemed back to normal quickest, the larger or older ones are taking longer.

[LauraSmurf]

5 days, I was back in pre pregnancy clothes with pre pregnancy weight but stomach a bit wobbler than it was.

I was 27 and 9st 5lbs. If that helps.