Getting Your Body Back After Pregnancy â?? A Timeline

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If you are trying to get your body back after pregnancy, you have a number of options available to you. The traditional methods of losing weight after pregnancy - exercise, dieting, and breastfeeding - work best in younger women who were in good shape prior to pregnancy, though all women can benefit from these activities. To correct other issues that are caused by pregnancy - such as stretch marks, loose skin, and sagging breasts - women may need to undergo non invasive aesthetic or plastic surgery procedures. Here Dallas plastic surgeon Paul Pin reviews the ways in which mothers can get their figures back after pregnancy.

Exercise

Many women want to know how soon they can start working out after having a baby. The answer depends on whether any complications were encountered during birth. If the baby was born naturally, without problems, the mother can start a light workout routine as soon as she is feeling up to it.

Two days to one week after birth: Many women will start taking daily walks within a week of giving birth.

Two weeks after birth: After a couple of weeks, you may progress to the types of exercises you did in your third trimester, then build up to a more rigorous exercise routine from there. You should avoid taking on a strenuous workout regimen for six to eight weeks after surgery.

Six to eight weeks after surgery: Consult your doctor to find out when the timing is right for you, but generally women can expect to resume their pre-pregnancy workout routine at this time. Try to exercise for at least 30 minutes at a time, at least three days per week. In addition, you should add strength training exercises and sit-ups to your program to tighten up loose muscles.

Diet

Women that have had a baby should not consider dieting until after their first six-week visit to their doctors. That being said, you should incorporate healthy foods into your diet before, during, and after pregnancy.

Immediately: A well-balanced diet of whole grains, fruits, vegetables, nuts, legumes, lean proteins, and fish will help you stay healthy and lose the extra weight that you put on while you were pregnant.

Six weeks to three months after surgery: Once you do start dieting and cutting calories, be sensible about it. It is healthy to lose about one pound per week. Don’t put your health at risk in an attempt to get your body back after pregnancy.

Breastfeeding

Many women breastfeed for the first few months of pregnancy. You should be eating at least 1,800-2,000 calories a day while breastfeeding, especially during the first six to eight weeks of pregnancy. Do not skimp on the food that you eat during this time; it could affect the health of your baby.

While breastfeeding may prevent you from dieting right after giving birth, it does help women burn calories. Producing the milk and breastfeeding burns about 500 calories per day.

Non-surgical Body Contouring

One to three months after birth: Non-surgical body contouring treatments such as skin tightening, VelaShape, and stretch mark removal can be performed as soon as one month after giving birth. Typically, these treatments are performed in a series, so it may take several weeks or months to achieve desired results.

Plastic Surgery

Three to six months after birth: Plastic surgery procedures such as tummy tuck, breast augmentation, breast lift, and liposuction should not be performed until a few months after giving birth. This allows the body time to heal after pregnancy, and gives you time to get your body back into shape. Tummy tuck and liposuction surgery, for example, should not be performed until you have gotten into the best shape that you can.

Tags: Skin, Weight Loss, Women's Health, Exercise and Fitness, Pregnancy, FAQ, Breastfeeding, Stretch Mark