During your pregnancy you more than likely gained weight. The average amount most women are told to gain is between 25-35 pounds. If a woman is underweight it may be suggested that she gain more than 35 pounds. Likewise, if a woman is overweight it may be suggested that she gain less than 25 pounds. However much you gain, how do you take it off?

The weight that the average woman gains is broken down somewhat like this:

Now this is just an average as some women will have 5 pound babies and others will have 10 pound babies. Getting rid of this weight after the baby comes is where the hard part comes in. If the chart is accurate for you, then you can probably expect to leave the hospital just 15 pounds lighter than when you came in. This accounts for the baby weight, the amniotic fluid, the placenta and some of the blood volume. That leaves you 16-20 pounds to still lose. Some of these pounds will come off naturally during the immediate weeks following pregnancy. Others will take longer.

If you started the pregnancy overweight and only gained a few pounds then chances are you will leave the hospital weighing less than you did before you delivered your baby. This is a GREAT feeling. If you desire, and begin eating healthy then you can continue the downward loss after your baby is born.

Some women will gain more than the recommended amount of weight during there pregnancy. From bad nutritional choices and a possible sedentary lifestyle during pregnancy, some women will gain, 50-60 pounds. Occasionally a woman will gain 80 pounds during pregnancy. The excess weight is all fat and is much harder to lose.

If you want to try to take advantage of the “best diet” a woman will ever go on, and continue to lose weight there are things that you can do. After your baby is born remember to eat healthy. Try to stay away from the sweets and fats, and eat more of the good healthy foods like fruits, vegetables and lean meats. If you are breastfeeding you will need the calories to help produce breast milk so you do not want to go on a strict diet. Healthy eating will go along way. After your 6-8 week postpartum doctor’s appointment, when your doctor gives you the all clear, start a light work out program, reawakening, and reshaping your muscles. Exercise, along with a healthy diet have been proven to help with weight loss.

Also, remember to drink a lot of water. Water consumption helps clear your body of the toxins and helps flush out the fats. The old “rule” is eight glasses of water a day, however many experts now suggest that you should drink half of your body weight, in ounces of water each day. Therefore, if you weigh 140 pounds, you should drink a minimum of 70 ounces of water each day. This computes to approximately nine glasses of water each day. If you are 200 pounds you should drink 100 ounces of water a day, or 12 1/2 glasses of water. If you have a hard time drinking water there are now flavored powders that you add to your water and that can give it a great taste.

Before you start any weight loss program, you should be sure to check with your doctor to make sure it is safe for you.

What is the one thing that women look forward to the most after their baby is born? Getting out of the limited selection of maternity clothes that they have available to them, and back into some of their favorite pre-pregnancy clothing. For some this can take a very long time.

It is very small percent of women that can walk out of the hospital wearing and outfit that they wore before they got pregnant. This is due to many factors that occur during the pregnancy. The woman’s starting pregnancy weight, the amount of weight that she gains, where she gains her weight, her physical fitness, and how she carries her baby can all contribute to how soon a new mother will fit back into her pre-pregnancy clothes.

The recommended average amount of weight gain during a pregnancy is 25-35 pounds. This is adjusted to reflect a woman’s weight when pregnancy begins. If a woman is underweight for her height her doctor might recommend that she gains a few extra pounds. If she is overweight her doctor might suggest that she not gain quite as much weight as what is recommended. If a woman starts out at a thin or average weight, it is likely that because of the weight she will gain and the places she will gain it (probably belly, butt, thighs), that she will not be able to slip right back into her pre-pregnancy clothing. Not only will getting back into pre-pregnancy clothes be a long time coming, but some women might even continue to look pregnancy for a month or two after giving birth.

Women generally gain weight in their butt and thighs, and this is no different during pregnancy. Not only do their hips spread making room for the uterus and baby, but many women pile up excess pounds on the lower half of their body. Because of this, even if a woman is lucky enough to lose her pregnancy belly immediately, it isn’t likely that she will fit back into her designer pre-pregnancy jeans anytime soon. Women who start off a pregnancy greatly overweight are likely not to gain much weight at all, and may never need maternity clothing. For those that do they will probably be able to fit back into their pre-pregnancy clothes very quickly.

Besides the extra padding a woman acquires on the bottom half of her body during pregnancy, she will also get bigger on top. In preparation of breastfeeding a woman’s breasts begin to grow immediately upon getting pregnant. Even if a woman chooses not to breastfeed, her breasts will still be larger throughout pregnancy and afterwards until her milk dries up. Because of this, many time shirts will not fit, or button up shirts will pucker when buttoned.

All hope is not gone. A woman can help increase the rate of how quickly she bounces back to her pre-pregnancy figure by taking care of her body during pregnancy. A woman who exercises and eats a healthy diet throughout pregnancy will have a healthier, stronger body after pregnancy. In many cases these women are back in their pre-pregnancy clothes immediately, or within a matter of a couple of weeks.

How you carried your baby also relates directly to how fast you are back in your pre-pregnancy clothes. Some women will carry their babies all out front. These are the women other pregnant women are jealous of because they have a cute, perky belly, and from the back do not look pregnant. While these women will still gain weight in the normal areas, carrying their baby out front often makes it look like they haven’t gained weight at all. When the baby is born and the woman’s uterus contracts her belly often looks like it went away overnight. While this woman may not be able to fit into her sexy, tight jeans, she can probably wear a looser pair of jeans, or other loose fitting pre-pregnancy clothing from before she got pregnant.

Some women carry their babies around their sides versus all out front. When this happens there is often time extra padding left over after the baby is born. This side padding will make it hard for a woman to fit into many pairs of jeans, shorts and skirts for several weeks after her pregnancy. Until the uterus shrinks and the skin tightens up, a woman may find herself grabbing the maternity clothes more often.

It isn’t hopeless by any means. Most of the time a new mom will eventually get back into those favorite pre-pregnancy jeans, and the nice dress to go out to dinner with her partner. For the rare few it will happened immediately, or within a couple of weeks of giving birth. For others it may take several months. If she is determined though, any woman can do it.