After months of patiently waiting for your little one’s arrival, your baby is finally here! You’re getting plenty of baby snuggles and cuddles, and your baby is getting the hang of feeding and discovering new things every day. And hopefully you’re getting in naps whenever you can.

You’re starting to find your rhythm. And if you’re like many new parents at this stage, you may be thinking about getting back into shape postpartum and how to lose extra baby weight. The first thing you need to know is that there is no “normal” when it comes to losing weight after having a baby. Everyone is different, and there are several factors that contribute to postpartum weight loss, like how you delivered and how quickly your body is healing.

But there are some general weight loss guidelines, as well as nutrition and exercise tips that can be helpful to keep your mind and body strong as you and your baby settle into this next chapter of life.

Rapid weight loss after pregnancy isn’t typical

Standard, non-baby-related weight loss is gradual and can take time. And after giving birth, your body needs extra time to recover, so be patient with yourself. It may take up to a year to return to your pre-pregnancy weight, if that’s your goal. But you can expect some weight loss upfront from the following causes:

  • Weight loss right after you give birth – Once your baby has been delivered (along with the placenta and amniotic fluid), most women lose an average of 10-13 pounds.
  • First week after delivery – You’ll probably continue losing weight as your body gets rid of retained fluids.
  • Six weeks after giving birth – Depending on whether you had a cesarean (C-section) or vaginal birth, weight loss will vary based on your activity level and diet. However, it’s recommended that you don’t lose more than a pound or two per week. More than that may be unsustainable and can lead to health issues.

Weight loss while breastfeeding

While breastfeeding, women burn an average of 500 additional calories a day. This may sound like a secret formula for weight loss, but it’s important to get those calories back. Maintaining a calorie deficit (burning more calories than you take in) can leave your body without enough energy to support recovery, milk production and other important functions. But with a healthy diet and exercise plan, it’s still possible to shed some baby weight while breastfeeding.

When you can safely start working out after having a baby

In general, you should wait until after your postpartum checkup, which typically occurs about six weeks after giving birth. Taking walks during this time and doing gentle stretches or yoga can help you slowly ease into an exercise routine. But speak with your doctor or clinician to determine when you’re ready before starting more intense exercises and activities.

Timing depends on a few factors, including which type of delivery you had. Some women who have uncomplicated vaginal births are able to return to exercise within a few days. But if you’ve had a C-section, you’ll experience more limitations.

Working out after a C-section

Because a C-section is a major surgery, it generally means a longer postpartum recovery period before you can start physical activity. Depending on your doctor’s recommendations and whether you’re experiencing pain, you may be able to start light activity around six weeks after childbirth. But you may be instructed to avoid doing anything that puts strain on your stomach, like crunches.

It’s absolutely fine if weight loss is your main goal postpartum. Just remember that working out has a lot of other physical and mental benefits too, so it’s important to work regular exercise into your weekly routine. Everybody is going to approach postpartum exercise at their own pace. Whether you were already consistently active before and during pregnancy or you’re getting active for the first time, here are some general guidelines for creating a postpartum workout plan:

1. Get started by taking it slowly

Your path of recovery is yours alone, and your body will tell you what works. If you had an uncomplicated delivery and your doctor is okay with it, you may feel ready to take a short walk as soon as a few days after delivery. It’s also fine if the most you can handle is going up the stairs one or two extra times per day, or even if you wait to start moving until after your six-week checkup.

Just make sure to take things slowly and avoid pushing yourself too hard, too soon. It can be helpful to follow a guideline like the 10% rule for distance-based activities – increasing the distance or duration of your activity by 10% each week. It may also help to establish a workout routine. Set a goal of working out a certain number of days, for a certain amount of time per week. But don’t be hard on yourself if life gets in the way.

2. Add your postpartum workout plan into your new parenting routine

If your life is a little too hectic right now to dedicate specific time to exercise, there are other ways to add a workout into your daily routine:

  • Exercise in small chunks – Three 10-minute periods of activity spread throughout the day are just as good as one 30-minute period. Find the times that work best for you and your family.
  • Exercise with your baby – You’ve probably figured out that even the weight of a baby can tire out your muscles after a while. Use this to your advantage by holding your baby for an extra lap through the house or while doing safe exercises on your back.
  • Exercise when your child is asleep – It’s recommended that you try to sleep whenever your baby does. But if you’ve had some quality shut-eye, baby’s naptime might be a great time to do exercises that require more focus or that simply require having both hands free.
  • Add exercises to routine activities – For example, do lunges while brushing your teeth or squats while the bottle warms up. And if you forget something upstairs, don’t get annoyed but embrace the extra movement and calorie burn.
  • Make it fun – Do activities you love or make them social by inviting other friends or parents to go for walks. You could also check out classes at a local gym if that works for you, and some even have day care included with membership. And try to slowly build up to an activity you may have enjoyed before you were pregnant, like running, so you can get back to doing what you love.

3. Know the most effective postpartum workouts and exercises

Part of going at your own pace is choosing exercises that match it. Certain exercises and activities will complement different phases of recovery and help you get stronger more efficiently.

When you’re starting out, low-impact activities like yoga, tai chi and walking will usually be the way to go. Swimming and water aerobics are also great low-impact activities that you can do once you’re done bleeding, which is usually around 4-6 weeks after you give birth.

Work your way up to 5-6 days of activity per week, and limit your heart rate to 60% of your maximum heart rate (in beats per minute). You can estimate this by subtracting your age from 220, then multiplying that number by 0.60 to estimate 60% of your max heart rate. During exercise, you can track your heart rate with a smart watch or other activity tracker, or by counting how many pulses you feel in your wrist over one minute.

Doing a combination of cardiovascular activity, strength exercises and stretching will give your body the best all-around conditioning. A good initial goal is 10-15 minutes of each throughout the day and aiming to add no more than 5-10 minutes every week or two.

Unless you are experienced with high-intensity training and kept up with it during pregnancy, it’s best to avoid it now. And even if you are, talk to your doctor before you start. Stop your workout immediately if you feel pain or excessive fatigue.

4. Try these exercises to strengthen your core and pelvic floor

Two of the places that you’ll have lost the most strength during pregnancy are your core and your pelvic floor. Because of this, it’s especially important to focus on these areas. But you’ll also need to be careful and get your doctor’s approval before starting any core or pelvic floor exercises. Like with any workout, it’s best to start slowly and work your way up to more intense activities:

  • Practice deep breathing – Lie in a comfortable spot, flat on your back, with one hand on your chest and the other on your stomach. Inhale deeply through your nose, and then exhale slowly through your mouth, for 5-10 minutes, 2-3 times per day.
  • Do simple exercises – Bird dogs, leg extensions, pelvic floor tilts, bridges and knee lifts while planking are all helpful ways to engage and strengthen your core and pelvic floor muscles.
  • Don’t forget your Kegels – Also known as pelvic floor exercises, Kegels can help with a number of things you may experience after you have a baby, like incontinence, and vaginal or uterine prolapse. They can be done anywhere. To do Kegel exercises, tighten only your pelvic floor muscles and hold for three seconds, then relax for a count of three. Try doing three sets of 10-15 per day.

Core exercises and diastasis recti

If you’re like many women, you may experience diastasis recti, which is a separation of the abdominal muscles, resulting in a belly bulge. It’s common in women who’ve just given birth. Deep breathing, simple exercises and Kegels are all easy ways to engage your core and help improve diastasis recti.

If you don’t think the diastasis recti has improved within a year of having your baby, talk to your doctor about your options for physical therapy or surgery to help correct your abdominal muscles.

5. Hold off on these types of workouts and activities immediately after delivery

While certain workouts can target the areas you’d like to improve after you’ve had a baby, they might be too intense to do until several months after you’ve given birth – especially if you are experiencing diastasis recti. Speak with your doctor about what’s best for you, but general exercises and activities to avoid for at least six weeks if you had a normal delivery, and 12 weeks if you’ve had a C-section, include:

  • Bicycle crunches
  • Certain yoga and Pilates poses, like backbends and pushups
  • Crunches
  • Heavy weightlifting
  • High-intensity cardio
  • Housework or yard work that requires heavy lifting
  • Running
  • Sit-ups
  • Vacuuming

6. Remember that rest is as important as everything else

You’ve just had a baby, which is a really big deal. It’s more than okay to rest and sleep – in fact, it’s necessary. Your body repairs itself while you sleep. This makes getting solid, deep sleep (when you can get it) very important for recovering from exercise and sustaining your weight loss efforts.

Postpartum diet: How to eat to lose weight after pregnancy and stay energized

While you may want to return to your pre-baby body, remember that maintaining a healthy diet won’t just help you lose weight. Focus on foods that will also keep you energized and provide you with key nutrients postpartum. This includes:

  • Healthy protein – Adequate protein intake can help you stay full while breastfeeding and support your post-exercise recovery. Fish, chicken, nuts and beans are all excellent options.
  • High-fiber foods – Whole grains, fruits and vegetables are all sources of fiber, which helps with postpartum constipation. Plus, they’re great sources of quick-burning carbohydrate energy.
  • Nutritionally dense fruits and vegetables – The vitamins and minerals in fruits and veggies will help support your recovery, and those with higher water content can help you feel fuller and avoid cravings.

Foods that are important to avoid include:

  • Sugar and refined carbs – As tempting as they may be, it’s best to avoid or limit sweets and refined carbs. If you like breads and pasta, opt for whole grain over white. Try to satisfy that sweet tooth with a dessert that includes fruit, nuts, whole grains or dark chocolate. A small treat once in a while isn’t going to hurt, but too much sugar and refined carbs can easily start to work against your weight loss goals.
  • Highly processed foods – Fast food and other processed snacks are generally high in calories and low in nutrients, making them relatively useless for supporting recovery, exercise and breastfeeding.

Nutrition tips while breastfeeding

Although breastfeeding burns calories, you want to make sure you don’t deplete yourself of essential nutrients so you can stay energized and feeling good to care for your baby. Here are a few things you can do to create more harmony between breastfeeding and your nutrition habits:

  • You’re going to need to drink more liquids while breastfeeding. Drink an extra five cups (1183 mL) to eight cups (1893 mL) of noncaffeinated liquids each day. A good rule to follow is to have a glass of water, milk or juice each time you nurse.
  • An occasional glass of wine or a cocktail is okay and may help you relax. Remember, the alcohol can collect in your breast milk and pass to your baby, so don't overdo it. Waiting at least two hours after having a drink before breastfeeding can help minimize the amount of alcohol in your breast milk.
  • As you reduce or eliminate breastfeeding or pumping, you won’t need as many calories. Consider nixing your afternoon snack or decrease the size of your meals.

How to stick to your postpartum nutrition goals

Adjusting to life with a baby can be chaotic, and it can be easy to let things fall by the wayside. But there are some things you can do to make eating healthy easier:

  • Don’t skip meals – There are plenty of reasons why you might find yourself skipping (or just forgetting about) a meal or two right now. But your core meals account for a lot of necessary fuel, so going without them could result in cravings and unhealthy choices later on.
  • Stick to a routine – If you feel too tired to prepare meals and find yourself snacking throughout the day, the calories can add up quickly. Stick to routine mealtimes and portions, and set aside designated healthy snacks that you know fit your nutrient and calorie needs.
  • Take shortcuts – Consider purchasing a meal kit subscription service to take the stress off meal planning and grocery shopping. Many grocery stores also offer precut vegetables and precooked meats that make it easy to whip up a quick recipe.
  • Ask for help – Having a baby is a huge life change, so don’t be afraid to reach out to friends and family for help. They can help you prepare meals ahead of time or go grocery shopping for you.

Your body is already normal, but if you have concerns, talk to your doctor

Your body looks exactly how it’s supposed to right now. You just gave birth! Your doctor will want to see you for a checkup around six weeks after delivery unless otherwise recommended. This will be a good time to ask about what exercise options, foods and drinks are right for your personal goals.

If you’re looking for more resources, check out our pregnancy and parenting resources guide. It can connect you with helpful information no matter where you are in your experience.

Parenthood comes with a lot of new experiences and changes. No matter how prepared you feel, it’s perfectly normal for things to surprise you. We’ll be here for you any time you have questions or need help. Our nurse lines are staffed with experienced nurses who are available 24/7.

HealthPartners patients can call 800-551-0859. Park Nicollet patients can call their clinic directly during business hours and 952-993-4665 after hours. And if you have questions or need advice about taking care of your new baby, our BabyLine is also available 24/7 at 612-333-2229.