| Your spouse will have put on weight gain during | | | | Your spouse can effectively lose weight by: |
| the pregnancy. While this is normal, many women | | | | - Staying away from any 'fad' diets likely to harm |
| worry about this increase in their weight following | | | | herself and, if she is breastfeeding, the baby |
| delivery. | | | | - Combining a healthy diet plan with a sensible |
| These are important things your spouse needs to | | | | exercise routine |
| know if she is trying to lose weight: | | | | - Aiming for a reasonable loss that she can |
| - Weight gain may be normal: It is important for | | | | maintain, rather than a drastic loss that is |
| your spouse to determine whether the weight | | | | short-lived |
| she has gained is within normal limits. Pregnancy | | | | - Consulting a dietician if her own efforts do not |
| weight gain of anywhere between 15 to 30 | | | | show results |
| pounds is absolutely normal and she need not | | | | Returning to normal |
| worry about it. However, if she weighs over 30 | | | | During pregnancy, your spouse's body went |
| pounds more than before she became pregnant, | | | | through tremendous changes. Now that she has |
| she may need to consider losing some of it. | | | | given birth, she will experience more changes as |
| - Weight loss needs to be gradual: There is no | | | | her body returns to its normal state. |
| truth in the popular belief that successful weight | | | | These are some of the changes that the new |
| loss program has to be speedy. Actually | | | | mom is likely to experience: |
| post-pregnancy weight gain may take up to years | | | | - Increase in temperature up to 100.4 F for about |
| to reverse and is dependent on many factors. | | | | 24 hours after delivery |
| - 'Quick fix' methods do not work: Doctors do not | | | | - Weight loss of about10 to 12 lbs. immediately |
| generally recommend any quick techniques or | | | | after the birth, followed by another five pounds |
| drastic diets to lose weight following pregnancy. | | | | soon after. |