Alison Boden is a registered dietitian and functional nutritionist specializing in women’s reproductive health from fertility through postpartum. She has a “food first” nourishing approach to wellness and healing and loves working with women on the transition from pregnancy to motherhood. Today Alison is here to share tips on supporting healing and good nutrition in the fourth trimester.
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The baby weight. You were probably warned that you’d still need to be in maternity clothes when leaving the hospital, but after that you may have expected weight to effortlessly melt off by your 6 week OB visit. With all the attention paid to celebrities who “bounce back” and “reclaim their bodies” it can seem like that’s the norm. But here’s the thing, you just grew a human. 6 days ago, 6 weeks ago, 6 months ago or 6 years ago - your body and life are forever changed. Let’s take a look at what goes into “baby weight” and what kind of expectations are healthy surrounding your changing body.
Weight gain during pregnancy:
The recommended average weight gain for most women is 25-35 total pounds. A little less if you were heavier to start, a little more if you were underweight. You probably noticed that you didn’t have a 25-35 pound baby, so what makes up the rest of it?
Baby: 6-8 pounds
Placenta: 1-2 pounds
Amniotic fluid: 2 pounds
Uterine enlargement: 2 pounds
Extra maternal breast tissue: 1-2 pounds
Extra maternal blood volume: 3-4 pounds
Extra fluid in maternal tissue: 3-4 pounds
Maternal fat: makes up the rest of your weight gain; 7-11 pounds on average
Total: 25-35 pounds
What to expect:
After delivery, you’ll be down the actual weight of the baby plus the placenta, and likely some blood and fluid volume. The average loss when leaving the hospital is about 10 pounds. Some women will experience water retention and puffiness after delivery, causing this number to be lower. Generally over the next few weeks the extra fluids will come off (remember the night sweats? This is part of that process.) and your uterus will go back to almost the original size. Breast tissue will stay enlarged for quite some time if you are nursing.
What about that “maternal fat”?
The extra padding that you gain is not just because you indulged in too much ice cream, but serves two purposes - one for mom and one for baby to keep both healthy during pregnancy and the breastfeeding relationship. For mom, this extra serves as a safety net for a time of food scarcity. If mom doesn’t get enough calories and nutrients from food baby will take it from her storage- ransacking her muscles, storage organs, fat cells and bones for the missing nutrients. Having those extra bits of fat is one way to protect mom from getting completely depleted of nutrients if suddenly food isn’t available (or like if you are an overwhelmed mom of 1, 2 or 10 and are having trouble feeding yourself).
The second reason concerns where the extra is stored. While you gain weight all over, special attention is paid to beefing up your hips and thighs. During lactation, your body goes first to those fat stores because they create more of a special fat called DHA (an omega-3 fat) which is really important for infant brain and eye development.
With that said, there are some things to consider for encouraging your body to find it’s weight balance at its own pace.
Time. Don’t even consider your weight until at least 6 months postpartum. This is the point when your hormones have settled down from their postpartum rollercoaster, and likely you have more of a routine down compared to the early days.
Sleep and stress. If you are still waking up several times per night and/or generally getting less than 7 hours of sleep per night, your body will hold onto extra weight. Same story with chronic stress. Working on both of these elements will help with your overall wellness, weight included.
Breastfeeding. This isn’t always a magic bullet for weight loss. About half of the women I work with will hold onto an extra 10 or so pounds until after they wean. Nursing requires a ton of calories and often this means ravenous hunger. Cutting nutrients (like calories, carbs, fat) will have a negative effect on your overall supply.
Meal timing. Skipping meals is a good way to throw your hormones off and leave you ravenous at the next meal. Eating at regular intervals will keep your hunger and hormones in check.
Don’t compare yourself to others. Yes, some women lose weight faster than others. Genetics plus all of the above points play a role in the individual differences in postpartum bodies. You do you and no one else.
What to eat:
There is usually always room to improve your diet which may help you find equilibrium in your weight in a gentle way. Focus on including filling and nourishing foods such as:
Healthy fats like avocado, coconut, nuts and seeds
Filling protein like meat, fish, eggs, full fat yogurt and beans
Nourishing fruits and veggies - any and all!
Slow digesting starches like sweet potato, root vegetables, winter squashes and whole grains
Filling your plate with these items leaves less room for sugar and processed foods, which will not only help nourish, replete and heal your body and mind but gently nudge your body to find it’s happy weight.
Adding in some gentle exercise when you feel ready is great for body and mind as well. Long walks with your Solly, yoga, and other low impact soothing exercises are wonderful in the 4th trimester.
How amazing is your body?! It’s so important to consider all of the wonderful accomplishments your body has just gone through in order to make a new life before wishing your body back to the way it was before. Starting with pregnancy, your body is now playing a pivotal role in nourishing your child, and is different because of that. So please be gentle on your new shape and on your mind, and allow yourself some grace and time to find the new balance that is coming to terms with your new self.
Follow Alison for more nourishing information on food and the fourth trimester on Facebook, Instagram and on her site, Nourishing Radiance. Alison's also sharing some quick and easy lunches to get you started - you can sign up to get the recipes here. And remember, you can’t pour from an empty cup, mama.
Photography: Jamie Arrigo
