Mothers who want to regain their pre-pregnancy figure should avoid putting on too much weight during pregnancy, says Dr Ong Wee Sian, head consultant sports physician at the Sports Medicine Service clinic at KK Women’s and Children’s Hospital.
The normal amount of pregnancy weight gain ranges from 6 to 18kg, depending on the mother’s body mass index. Anything more than 18kg is considered excessive.
Overweight women who are planning to have a baby should lose weight first before trying to conceive to avoid piling on even more weight during pregnancy.
Too much weight gain can cause lethargy and fatigue. Women who are overweight also face an increased risk of having a pre-term baby. They may also have health problems such as diabetes, high blood pressure and varicose veins.
They are also at higher risk of complications including gestational diabetes, a type of diabetes that begins during pregnancy, and preeclampsia, or hypertension induced by pregnancy.
These conditions can cause their babies to have problems at birth.
Post-natal exercises mums can do include brisk walking, swimming, stationary cycling and yoga if they do not have any medical complications.
They can start these exercises two weeks after delivery and should be able to do them every day for about an hour each time.
General practitioner David de Souza adds that a realistic time frame for new mums to shed post-natal weight would be six months to two years, provided that they watch their diet and engage in regular physical activities.
Watch what you eat
Christine Ong, chief dietitian at KKH’s department of nutrition and dietetics, emphasises that mums should maintain a healthy, balanced diet after delivery and avoid going on a strict weight-loss regimen.
This is because the body needs to replenish the nutrients lost during pregnancy and to maintain a supply of good quality breast milk if the mother is breastfeeding.
Some of the post-natal foods that mums should consume include chicken, squid, fish, pork, soya bean milk as well as wheat noodles.
These foods will improve milk production and boost the strength of the mother, which aids her recovery from the rigours of childbirth.
Ong adds: “The key is to limit empty calories from food such as sugary drinks and sweet and high-fat foods like fried snacks and confectionery.” Breastfeeding also burns calories and can help mothers lose anything from 1/2 to 3kg.
Hit the mat
Gary Seah, a senior trainer at Body Perfect gym in Holland Drive, recommends yoga and pilates as the best ways for mums to get fit and lose weight as they are not as intensive or physically demanding as, say, weightlifting or cycling on gym bikes.
“Mums would not strain their body or aggravate any C-section wounds. Yoga and pilates will allow them to regain body flexibility and tone their muscles while they sweat it out and burn fat,” he says.
He advises new mothers to do yoga and pilates twice a week for no more than two hours each time.
Other gym work, such as running on the treadmill and lifting weights, are not recommended for new mums as the strenuous activities focus most of the energy on the abdominal area, which is prone to injury shortly after childbirth.
This article was first published in Urban, The Straits Times.
