" />Exercising after the baby
During pregnancy, it’s good to gain around 25 pounds of healthy weight. This is used to support your growing child and to provide the extra calories when you start breastfeeding. New mothers naturally lose weight after the birth; however, if you don’t lose the weight because of gaining too much weight, or other reasons, it can be hard to take the rest off.  This can get dejecting and make some women take drastic measures. But post-baby is not the time for anything drastic. Take your time losing the weight in a healthy way that will keep you and the baby happy.
Here are some tips to help you get on track with your exercise plan:
* Involve your baby. Don’t wait till your child is asleep to try to get a decent workout. Get a baby sling so you can go for a walk with your baby.  Do crunches with your baby on your knees or belly. They add a big dimension to your exercise.
* Don’t start too soon. Whether you’re had a vaginal delivery or a C-section, your body has gone through quite a bit. If you start a workout routine too soon, it can be damaging to your health. It’s usually recommended to wait 6 weeks before you start trying to workout; however, if you had a vaginal delivery, you can use those first 6 weeks to strengthen your vaginal muscles (doing kegals) and start stretching exercises. Just be sure to check with your doctor before you start any exercise program.
* Don’t work too hard. It’s pretty likely that you haven’t been able to do a normal workout for at least a few months, maybe more. Just like starting any exercise program, you should not start full force right away. Trying to do too much is likely to do more harm than help. Before you start working out, ask your doctor for recommended exercises and how often you should do them. Remember, if you hurt yourself, you’re not going to be able to take as good care of your baby. You also won’t be able to get the extra sleep needed to recover quickly like you did pre-baby.
* Fit exercise into your schedule. While having a regular routine is helpful, it’s almost impossible to get a baby to conform to your schedule. This means you have to change your schedule to fit your baby’s. You’ll probably have to squeeze in workouts where you can. Choose exercises that you can do in different places at different times. Get an exercise tape or something else you can do at home. You should also remember that two 15 minute workouts or three 10 minute workouts can be just as helpful as a half hour work out. If you can set a rigid work out schedule, more power to you. If you can’t, set a looser schedule (I will work out for thirty minutes before I go to bed) and be sure to stick with it.
Getting back in shape after a baby can be difficult, but with time, patience, and planning, you too can get back to your healthy self. Cause a healthy Momma is a healthy family!
shae on Thu, 7th Jun 2007 4:04 pm
This is fantastic advice, mama! I gained about 70lbs when I was pregnant… not ideal, but besides the occasional hormonal outburst I decided my stance on it was that I was eating healthy… working out…. and that as long as I felt ok, the baby could wreak whatever havoc she wanted. I did have a bit of the blues about it post pregnancy, but decided once more to just take it one breath at a time, and accept the fact that my body had changed and that my priority was to stay healthy – for me, and my new little one. The weight stuck for a long time, but then all of the sudden it just started melting off like magic. I didn’t see it at first because my body shape had changed, but eventually I came to love and appreciate this new body and the changes that were occurring with it.
I think the most important thing to keep in mind is that your body will never be what it was before pregnancy… but if you stay healthy and active, it can take on a whole new shape which is even better than before- a body with curves and circles, that can give birth to an entirely new life, is a beautiful and sexy thing.