New mums: your body

Hair loss

• Many women notice that a lot of their hair falls out either during or after pregnancy (because of changing hormone levels). 
• Hair lost because of pregnancy will grow back.
• This hair loss is not caused by breastfeeding, and weaning will not help.

Weight worries

• Putting on weight during pregnancy is normal. Weight during pregnancy is attributed to baby, placenta, fluid, uterus and also your body preparing a good store of energy for making milk.
• Although some women do lose the extra weight over the months of breastfeeding, many women find it hard to get back to their previous weight.
• It is possible to deliberately lose weight while breastfeeding without affecting the milk supply, but it needs to be gradual. Aim for about ½ kg a week.
• Avoid very restrictive or crash diets, which might affect your milk and will certainly lower your energy levels. You still need a healthy diet. The best way is to avoid fatty, fried and sugary foods, have low-fat dairy products, lean meat, plenty of fruit and vegetables, and bread and cereals.
• Eating less food doesn’t work very well unless you also get some exercise. The combination of healthy eating and activity is important for weight control and general health.
• If you’re not breastfeeding, the same guidelines for healthy, low-fat eating (combined with exercise) will work. But it doesn’t matter if you lose weight a little faster. 
• Some women have the opposite problem. They tend to lose weight while breastfeeding and can get very thin, although the baby usually grows well. If this happens, make sure you have three good meals and healthy snacks each day. Foods like cheese, nuts and full-cream yoghurt can help. 
• Although not common, thyroid problems can affect weight after you’ve had a baby. Too much thyroid hormone tends to make people lose weight despite eating a lot, and too little can be associated with low energy levels and weight gain. If you’re concerned there might be a problem, talk to your doctor.

Exercise

• Exercise is a great way to get back into shape after your baby is born and also helps you feel good. Walking the baby in the pram does all this and puts the baby to sleep (usually), so is an ideal way to start being active after giving birth. 
• Build up exercise gradually, but avoid vigorous exercise until after your postnatal check (at about six weeks) to be sure everything is OK.
• As well as general exercise, you need to do some specific exercises to help your tummy muscles and pelvic floor get back their shape and strength. You’ll probably be shown some exercises in hospital, or there might be a class you can attend. 
• Moderate exercise doesn’t usually interfere with breastfeeding. Have a balance of exercise and rest, and be sure you drink plenty of fluids, especially if you’ve been sweating. Some babies don’t like the taste of milk just after vigorous exercise. This isn’t common, but if your baby refuses the breast at that stage, just make sure you feed just before your work-out and not again until you’ve cooled down. 
• Some mothers find vigorous or long exercise does affect their milk supply. It might take some trial and error to find out how much is right for you.

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