“When is it too late for the baby weight?”

By Sally

There was an article on Boston.com recently that caught my eye talking about how long new moms “technically” have to lose the baby weight. Let me preface this blog entry with the fact that I’m nine months pregnant and feeling like an absolute water balloon these days but despite that, I’m interested in learning about how long is too long to keep the baby weight on. Although the article is really talking how long it took celebrity moms to take off the weight (I’d be in good shape too if I had a baby nurse, trainer and professional chef come to my house to cook for me), is it fair to compare you and I to these people? In the end, there’s no doubt it’s all about the baby—is he/she healthy, is everything ok developmentally, etc. but as you move beyond that, it’s time to fit back into your jeans and be yourself again, well, at some point…

With obesity such an issue in the U.S., the good news is that a recent British study revealed that extra weight during pregnancy doesn’t necessarily mean you’ll have an obese child. The study concluded “that obese mothers are unlikely to be driving a growing obesity epidemic by having babies who are metabolically programmed to get fat as they get older.” Additional research recently presented at the 121st annual meeting of the American Physiological Society revealed that exercising during pregnancy has cardiovascular benefits for both Mom and baby. To me, this isn’t too surprising but if it proves to help the baby’s heart, I’m all for it—I just need to get on that treadmill!

Add comment June 12th, 2008