How much weight is normal during confinement?

After pregnancy, a girl's weight increases rapidly. After giving birth, the weight will decrease a little due to the delivery of the fetus, but the weight of the mother will still be heavier than before pregnancy. Therefore, girls should pay attention to their diet during the confinement period, avoid eating too much greasy food, and avoid getting fat. Girls can also exercise moderately during the confinement period, but avoid strenuous exercise. So, how many pounds can you generally lose during the confinement period?

24 hours after delivery

Most women lose about ten pounds instantly after giving birth. These ten pounds include the weight of the newborn, amniotic fluid, placenta, body fluids and blood lost during delivery, etc. During these 24 hours, your weight will drop dramatically, which is the fastest weight loss after childbirth. Of course, if you gain too much weight during pregnancy, this is just the tip of the iceberg.

Two weeks postpartum

During those two weeks after giving birth, you’ll often feel like you’ve been fished out of water. The increased blood volume and interstitial fluid of the mother during pregnancy to nourish the fetus become excess water after delivery, which is metabolized through breathing, defecation, urination and sweating during the postpartum period. Especially perspiration, any activity including breastfeeding, eating, and even sleeping will make your chest and back soaked with sweat. This is a normal physiological phenomenon after childbirth, and it is also another peak of weight loss 24 hours after childbirth.

Additionally, if you continue to breastfeed, your postpartum weight loss tends to be more significant. Because breastfeeding consumes more calories, studies have shown that breastfeeding can help you burn about 500 extra calories per day.

More than two weeks after delivery

At this time, the weight of most mothers enters a plateau period. During this period, I do not recommend new mothers to pay too much attention to the numbers on the scale, because you are still in the high incidence period of postpartum depression. The unchanging numbers or still fat belly may make your mood drop to the bottom in an instant and even make you cry easily. You can monitor your waist circumference every week instead of staring at the weight number every day, and you will find that changes will happen slowly.

One month after delivery

I’m finally out of confinement! According to research from the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG), most postpartum mothers lose an average of 20 pounds (about 9 kilograms) during this month. If your weight gain during pregnancy is normal, about 25-30 pounds, you are now not far from your pre-pregnancy figure.

Six weeks after delivery

Your uterus has shrunk to its pre-pregnancy size, your pelvic organs have returned to their original positions, and you'll find that even though your abdomen is a little loose and sagging, it's significantly smaller.

A few months after giving birth

According to the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG), if you eat a healthy diet during pregnancy, you will be close to or return to your pre-pregnancy weight within six months after giving birth.

It is worth noting that extreme dieting is not advisable after childbirth. Although it can make you lose weight quickly, it is not sustainable and can easily lead to slow postpartum recovery and nutritional imbalance. This method can easily lead to insufficient nutritional intake for babies of breastfeeding mothers.