Aoife Hearne: Focus on recovery not weight loss after childbirth
It’s normal to want your body to return to its pre-pregnancy shape. But dietitian says recovery, not weight loss, should be the priority
It's hard to believe, but baby Zoë is now almost 14 months old and hardly a baby anymore. The past year or so has gone by in the blink of an eye and I feel this is the first time I have had time to catch my breath in ages. For the first time in almost five years, I feel like I am finally getting back to myself. So I think a slow crawl is more realistic than a bounce back.
There is a lot of focus on the myth of the bounce back post-baby. We are bombarded with images of celebrities shrinking back into their pre-baby body in record time. It is normal to feel frustrated if your body doesn’t seem to be changing in the same way! As part of my quest to bust myths, this is likely the most important one to bust.
Physically and emotionally you are different after having a baby — there is no way to get around it. It’s a completely unrealistic and unhealthy to expect your body to return to its pre-pregnancy weight in a short period. During the previous nine months, a woman’s body adapts to grow and carry a baby to term. Your weight, breast shape, width of hips and even your shoe size have likely increased. Therefore, it is probably more realistic to expect it takes around the same time to lose the baby weight and even at that your body shape may never be what it was before you were pregnant.
I’ve talked before about why breastmilk is so beneficial for baby and mother. But a less-talked-about value of breastfeeding is that it’s the body’s way to help you recover after childbirth. When your nipple is stimulated during breastfeeding this triggers the hormone oxytocin to be released into your bloodstream. Among other things, oxytocin helps your uterus contract into pre-pregnancy shape and size and is a reason many women report labour/contraction like pains during breastfeeding in the early weeks.
From a physical perspective, a woman’s body is in recovery from childbirth for at least six weeks if not longer. This is why it is so important to focus on recovery rather than weight loss during this time.
In saying that, we can’t get away from the fact many women are eager to lose ‘the baby’ weight. For me, this is where I found breastfeeding to be hugely beneficial. And the science of breastfeeding backs up my experience.
In addition to other research in the area, The Million Women Study in Britain demonstrated that women who had breastfed had a lower BMI post-menopause than women who did not.
The early weeks as a new mother can be difficult waters to navigate at times. There is a lot of focus on the baby, and I feel often the woman is lost a little in the mix. Mothering the mother is a really important concept that seems to bypass a lot of us. But ensuring the mother is well nourished emotionally and physically will empower her to be confident in her new role.
The other side of becoming a mother is that emotionally you are different after having a baby. Research published in in 2016 found that during pregnancy a woman’s brain undergoes significant remodelling that can last for at least two years after birth.
There is a reduction in grey matter, but this is not necessarily considered a negative impact. In fact, it is thought to play a role in helping women transition to their new role and assist in responding to the needs of their babies.
Rather than looking at this as a loss of brain function, it is thought to represent a ‘fine-tuning’ of the brain. The brain is adapting to the new cognitive problems and tasks you will have as a parent. It’s interesting that our brain adapts to the new challenges, while women are continually pigeonholed into bouncing back to their former selves.
Next week, I will look at those all-important nutrients in the recovery phase. But don’t forget if you are breastfeeding you will need an extra 300-500 calories in the early weeks of feeding to ensure you have enough energy for adequate milk supply. The action of making milk is a workout and possibly the only way I know of burning calories by just sitting on your couch.
