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From our friends at Parents Ask

Losing the weight gained during pregnancy is almost the number one top priority of new moms. But losing and maintaining weight during such a transitional time isn’t always easy. Today, we asked Parents Ask expert Dr. Jason Rothbart to answer some questions about this post partum period as it pertains to weight loss:

Q: Does breastfeeding help? Are supplements okay during breastfeeding? Is cardio and major exercise okay? Will it increase/decrease milk supply? How soon after baby is born can you jump into action and start a diet? Does weight loss affect hormones?

One of the first questions that is asked in the first trimester of a pregnancy is, “How long until I can exercise and how long until I get the baby weight off after my baby is born???” Needless to say, new moms are under a lot of pressure, mostly self imposed, to get back to their pre-baby selves, with weight being the number one issue. Breastfeeding is actually one of the best ways to get this ball rolling. Breastfeeding burns an average of 500 calories in 24 hours with the typical range to be from 200 to 600 calories burned a day. It’s estimated that the production of one ounce of breast milk burns 20 calories.

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