After the birth. Getting your body back gently, with your mood and pelvic floor in mind
After a baby, the first job is recovery, then gentle walking and pelvic floor exercises, with regular meals and plenty of patience, rather than any diet. Your body has done something huge, and it needs months, not weeks.
A coach from the club reviews your circumstances alongside you and suggests the right next steps.
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Time to heal
Some weight goes quickly after the birth as fluid clears. The rest usually fades over many months. If you are breastfeeding, cutting food sharply is not advised, as you need energy and nutrients to feed your baby. This article is general information and does not replace advice from your midwife, health visitor or GP.
Pram walks count
According to the NHS page on keeping fit and healthy with a baby, after a straightforward birth you can begin gentle exercise such as walking and stretching as soon as you feel up to it. The same page advises waiting for your 6-week postnatal check before high impact exercise such as running. After a caesarean, recovery takes longer. A slow loop around Garth Park with the pram, or along the paths in Kingsmere or Elmsbrook, is a good start. Fresh air helps both of you.
Pelvic floor before planks
Pregnancy and birth stretch the pelvic floor and the tummy muscles. Pelvic floor exercises can be started early and done while feeding or waiting for the kettle. Hold off on sit-ups and planks until a health professional has checked that your tummy muscles have come back together.
Food you can eat with 1 hand
New parents often end up skipping meals, then grabbing biscuits at 3pm. Keep easy options ready.
- Wholemeal sandwiches cut into quarters
- Cheese, oatcakes and cherry tomatoes
- A boiled egg and a banana
- Yoghurt with oats and berries
- A flask of soup made in a big batch
Our article on snack ideas has more options, and water and hydration is worth reading if you are breastfeeding.
Your mood matters as much as your weight
Feeling tearful in the first days is common. If low mood, worry or a lack of interest last more than 2 weeks, it could be postnatal depression. The NHS page on postnatal depression describes the signs. Speak to your health visitor or GP. It is common and treatable, and asking for help is a strong step.
Let others help
When family or friends ask what they can do, say cook a meal or hold the baby while you shower and eat. Accepting help gives you the energy to look after yourself. Sleep when the baby sleeps, at least once a day if you can. Tiredness makes sugary snacks far more tempting, and a short rest often does more for your eating than any plan.
When you feel ready
Once feeding and sleep have settled, you may want more structure. Bicester Nutrition offers a free assessment at the club, First Floor, 106 Churchill Road, and members who join meet for breakfast in the morning with coaches trained in nutrition.
Your weight loss curve
Add your profile and the curve is redrawn at once.
Losing 8 kg at the median pace would take roughly 11 weeks, or around 4 months at the gentlest one.
Most guidance puts lasting weight loss at 500 g to 1 kg per week, which is the ideal zone on the chart. Lose more than 1 kg per week consistently and the body eats into muscle and not just fat, shown by the hatched zone.
This projection is a rough guide only. Each person’s journey is their own, and results are not the same for everyone. The sums are done on your device, with nothing stored or sent anywhere. Over 65, speak to your doctor before anything else.
How this curve is calculated
At the top, the zone’s edge marks 500 g per week, the gentlest rate. At the bottom, its edge marks 1 kg per week, the point where risk starts.
Weight comes off faster in the first weeks, much of it water, before the pace eases. Beyond 40, the median curve gradually flattens as metabolism slows down. With the same effort, men generally lose a little faster than women.
Like real life, the journey curve includes plateaus a few days long and minor regains. It is no prediction of the path you will follow.
The tips here are general and are no substitute for medical advice.
Further reading
Daily support is set out in the club programme for better balanced eating.