PAYSON — Changing diapers, nighttime feedings and soothing cries; all on the list of things that take up a new mom’s energy and time with a newborn in the house. Yet one of the first things on many a woman’s mind while snuggling her new baby is "how can I shed the pounds and get my body back?" Here are a few tips and ideas to help you lose that extra postpartum weight safely.

Think about what you eat

When Dadra Call had her first baby, she remembers her sister telling her all she had to do was nurse her baby and the weight would fall off.

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“When my baby was four months old I stepped on the scale and saw I was the same weight I was when I delivered her,” said Call. “I realized something’s not working here, I need to do something different.”

For Call, now a mother of three and a personal trainer, she realized what made the difference for her was focusing on nutrition and eating right.

“I’m really conscious about what I’m putting in my mouth,” she said.

Fad diets and counting calories might come to mind when thinking about watching what you eat, but the best advice for a new mother is consistency and developing healthy eating habits.

#higginson_quote

“It’s important to have regular, consistent meals — a minimum of three meals a day,” says Rachel Higginson, a registered dietitian and mother of two. “Once you get on a regular eating schedule, listen to hunger and fullness feelings in your body. Your body will regulate your calorie needs if you listen to it.”

Healthy eating habits include getting five fruits and vegetables a day, not eating too many fats, and keeping portion sizes small. Getting plenty of fiber and protein in your diet also helps shed the pounds and keeps you feeling full longer. And watch out for emotional eating.

“Sometimes as a new mom we’re not getting good sleep; we’re more irritable, or taking care of other kids. We turn to food for comfort or use food as an escape or something that we can control in our chaotic life after having a baby,” says Call. “Track what you’re eating. Little things can add up.”

Get moving

“The first thing I ask (the mothers I work with) is, ‘How is exercise going?’” says Lori Ameh, registered dietitian and clinic director of the Women, Infant and Children Office in Provo. “Exercise is a huge component of weight loss and maintaining healthy weight.”

Fitting exercise into your day with a new baby will often take some perseverance and a lot of creativity.

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“We need to make exercise part of what we do every day, instead of saying, 'Let me see if I have time,'” says Ameh. “Be creative. I’m a working mom, it gets challenging. Take several times a week to wrestle with your kids or dance around, or just be crazy. It doesn’t have to be the traditional go to the gym.”

And whether it’s running, aerobics, swimming or weight lifting that you choose to do each day, exercise will be more successful if you make it something to look forward to.

“As a personal trainer the number one thing people always ask me is, ‘What’s the best thing for me to lose weight?’ My answer is always, ‘Do something you enjoy,’” says Call. “Because doing something you enjoy means you will be more likely to do it in the long term.”

Breastfeed your baby

Choosing to nurse your newborn not only has benefits for the baby, but for you as well.

“I encourage women to breastfeed after they deliver,” says Ameh. “The vast majority of women will lose weight when they breastfeed. It's 500 calories a day, that’s a workout right there and you don’t really have to do anything.”

Maintain a healthy lifestyle during pregnancy

While healthy weight gain and activity levels during pregnancy should be discussed with your doctor, maintaining a healthy lifestyle while pregnant makes it all the more easier to lose the pounds postpartum.

“Exercise during pregnancy, even if it’s just walking, water aerobics, or yoga or something easy, helps a lot,” says Jana Norman, a mother of three. “Don’t eat for two while you’re pregnant, but eat healthy and satisfy your cravings for sweets and unhealthy foods in moderation.”

Give it time

Every woman’s situation and body are different. What works for you might not work for your sister or best friend. Be kind to yourself and your body after having a baby.

“There is a time and a season for everything,” says Higginson. “After you have a baby may not be the time in your life when you will be the fittest or the leanest. It’s OK to take time for you and your baby.”

You are your infant’s first source of nutrition, care and love. It’s OK to go slowly, take time to get to know your newborn and figure out a new routine.

“That baby throws you through a loop,” says Call. “Sometimes it takes you a while to find your groove and find what works for you.”

It took nine months for your body to change and grow; it might take many more months of changing and adjusting before you feel like your old self again.

“Your body will come back,” says Call. “It will require some effort along the way, but it will be able to come back.”

Melissa Draper lives in Payson, Utah, with her husband and their three children. Her passions include being a wife and mother, writing, running and music.

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