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Giving birth to a child is one of the most wonderful moments in a woman’s life. One look at the newborn and the mother knows that the pain and hardships of the pregnancy were not in vain. It also means that life must return to normal with new responsibilities of bringing up the child.

Soon after the child birth, the mother starts thinking about how to lose weight gained during pregnancy. Many young mothers resort to quick fix diets, diet pills or cardio programs to lose weight.

However the weight loss will be gradual. After all you didn’t gain the weight in a day! So don’t expect to lose the excess weight in few days.

Plus it is now a medically accepted fact that the body and metabolism of a woman who gives birth undergoes a number of changes that can sometimes make losing those extra pounds more difficult. And some mothers do not lose the last few pounds till the breastfeeding continues.

In order to lose weight after pregnancy both safely, and effectively, you should undertake a program of slow and steady dieting along with exercise that will produce long-term benefits.

You should concentrate on the health of your child and your own health and diet. After all now you have to think about how to regain your lost strength as well as provide good nutrition to your baby.

An ideal diet for a new mom would consist of:

* 2000 calories per day
* Small amount of fiber
* About 50 percent intake of Carbohydrates
* 30 percent intake of proteins
* 10 percent intake of fats

And you can start taking your favorite foods again that you may have stopped during pregnancy. But remember, do not indulge too much as you are looking to knock off the extra pounds gained during pregnancy. And before trying any quick fix diets or diet pills, make sure the diets and pills are absolutely safe because what you eat also becomes the food for the baby.

Combined with a healthy diet, exercise is one of the most effective methods for weight loss after pregnancy.No doubt you will be busy as a new mom, but exercise is still important especially at the early stage as it will help build up your stamina and return the muscle tone you lost during the pregnancy.

Exercise is also a good way to improve moods providing it is not overdone and will help to ensure you do not begin to see it as a chore. The idea is to reduce the overall body fat while improving muscle tone at the same time although this should be a gradual process.

It must be re-iterated that the loss should not be looked upon as something that must be done as quickly as possible as it should really come off about the same sort of pace it was put on.

With a good nutritional program and with moderate exercise, you can expect to lose the weight you gained during pregnancy within a reasonable time rame.

Pelvic floor fitness is an essential to lifelong physical, sexual and emotional health. Yet this area of the body is often neglected by fitness experts.

Why are the pelvic floor muscles so important, and why should all women do regular exercises to maximise their fitness?

1. Pelvic floor fitness is the best way of beating stress incontinence.

One in three women who have ever had a baby experience stress incontinence at some point in their lives, when ordinary activities such as laughing, sneezing or jumping cause them to lose small amounts of urine. Sometimes the symptoms appear immediately after delivery, but for many women, years pass before they notice they have a problem.

Fortunately, it isn’t necessary to wear pads for ever. Over two-thirds of women who try pelvic floor exercises – and do them properly – are cured of their stress incontinence, without the need for drugs or surgery.

2. Pelvic floor fitness improves sexual response.

Pelvic muscles are directly responsible for the amount of sensation a woman feels during intercourse, and for the amount of grip felt by her partner.

Exercise improves muscle tone which means that the muscle is tighter, so is stretched more during intercourse. Strong, firm muscles have more nerve endings, and more nerve endings mean more sensations.

Rhythmic contractions of the these muscles contribute to arousal the ability to achieve orgasm. Many women report they are able to reach orgasm more easily, and that their orgasms are more powerful, after a pelvic exercise program.

3. Pelvic floor fitness contributes to an easier labour and better recovery after childbirth.

Over half of pregnant woman experience stress incontinence, with symptoms commonly persisting for a year after the birth. Even twelve months later, one woman in five still has symptoms that will worsen over the years.

Pelvic strengthening exercises, either before or during early pregnancy, can significantly reduce the risk of stress incontinence later. Research shows that the strength of these muscles at twenty weeks of pregnancy is an excellent indicator of the likelihood of stress incontinence later.

And the best news of all for pregnant women is that an exercise program during pregnancy has been shown to have a positive effect on labour.

4. Pelvic floor fitness is an excellent defence against urge incontinence, common amongst women in their later years.

Urge incontinence is the most common form of incontinence in women over 70, leading to major unwanted changes in lifestyle for many women, and even to nursing home admission.

Urge incontinence is a complex problem, with many contributing factors, but a strong muscles increase the chances of successful treatment if it does occur. So commitment to a program of effective pelvic floor exercises in earlier decades can be a woman’s best defence against incontinence in old age.

5. Pelvic floor fitness is a vital factor in total fitness.

The pelvic floor muscles are hidden from view and can be a significant weakness in an otherwise healthy toned body. Many women who pride themselves on high levels of aerobic fitness are shocked to find that this important area of their bodies can let them down in their middle years. Ironically female athletes need to pay particular attention to these muscles as their sporting activities place even more stress on the pelvic floor than day-to-day activities. Yet many fitness trainers neglect this area altogether.

Fortunately women can take control of this area of their body for themselves. Pelvic floor fitness needs personal commitment, and access to quality information. But, given these factors, most women can achieve it through a program of exercise, supported when necessary by the use of well-chosen exercise and strengthening products.

Taking proper care after pregnancy can never be overemphasized. In the postpartum period, which begins immediately after delivery and ends with your body getting back to your pre-pregnancy state, mothers go through a plethora of emotions, adjustments, responsibilities, etc. In the hectic pace of new life, they even forget to take proper care of themselves.

The first most priority of every new mother after the pregnancy period is over should be to take good post pregnancy care of her self. Therefore, for the first six to eight weeks, you should focus on taking complete rest, eating a balanced diet, and getting others to help you out with the newborn baby.

Rest

A child usually wakes up after every three hours and needs to be fed, changed, and comforted. This means that it would be a while till you get your uninterrupted eight hours’ sleep. Meanwhile, you will have to catch sleep whenever you can. It is best to sleep when your child is sleeping. Have your child near you during night so that you do not have any problem feeding him/her.

Nutrition

During pregnancy, your body will go through lots of changes. Therefore, your first priority should be to allow your body to heal. Taking a proper balanced and nutritious diet will help a lot in taking care after pregnancy. Your diet should consist of whole grain foods, fresh vegetables, fresh fruits, milk and milk products, lean meat, lentils, beans, and of course plenty of water. Avoid taking caffeine, alcohol, fatty foods, and sugars. Read a good book on nutrition after pregnancy to get an idea about what and how much to eat. You can even talk to your doctor about proper post pregnancy diet for you.

Helping Hands

A new baby is a lot of work and one can never be too prepared for the task ahead. So if it is possible have someone to help you around with household chores so that you and your partner can focus on the baby. You can depend on friends, family members, or paid caretaker providers for the task. With lesser pressure on you, your chances of fast recovery increase.

Taking care after pregnancy also means making all efforts to look good after pregnancy. So first of all you will have to lose all or almost all of your weight gain during pregnancy. This means your going on an exercising program. Do light exercises initially. As your body recovers you can take up strenuous exercises. Talk to your doctor or a fitness trainer about the best exercise regime for your body.

One can never actually completely prepare for motherhood, but reading books, checking out websites related to pregnancy, etc. will give an idea as to what to expect. This knowledge will help you in taking proper care after pregnancy of your body and also of your child- the most precious person for you.

A weekly pregnancy calendar is a manual that records the journey of the fetus from conception to birth. It expounds in detail, the pregnancy week by week development that the fetus should achieve in the mother womb. The pregnancy calendar also gives the details about the changes that occur in the mother body and tells how to cope with these changes. This information can help the would-be-mother to ascertain that the fetus is growing in a healthy manner and her pregnancy is safe. Hence, every mother-to-be must possess a pregnancy week by week calendar to keep track of the milestones that the growing fetus achieves every week. Nowadays, there are numerous websites from where you can download these pregnancy calendars for free.

A Look At The Pregnancy Calendar

A weekly pregnancy calendar generally follows a forty week schedule. The calculation of the calendar is very simple. The LMP i.e. the last menstrual period date is the first day of the pregnancy calendar. Forty weeks from the date is the due date. Here, it has to be noted that only in very few cases, the baby is delivered on the due date. Generally any day after the 37th week is safe, because the baby would have attained full development by the 37th week.

A pregnancy calendar generally makes the following information available.

1. The growth and development that the fetus must achieve in each week of pregnancy,

2. The physical and the emotional changes that the mother-to-be undergoes and coping with these changes,

3. Nutritional requirements and exercises for a health pregnancy,

4. The do and do not during the nine months.

In a nutshell, a weekly pregnancy calendar is an excellent reference guide for every anxious would-be mother. It helps her to understand every change and emotion that she would be undergoing through the forty weeks of the pregnancy wheel. It helps her to keep track of what is going on in her womb every minute. The calendar helps in alleviating her anxiety and comforts her.

Maintaining Your Own Weekly Pregnancy Calendar

You can also make your own pregnancy calendar. It is very simple. Once you know your LMP and due date, you can yourself start maintaining the physical and emotional changes that you undergo on a weekly basis. You can compare this with any standard pregnancy calendar to assure yourself that everything is well.

Advantages Of Maintaining Your Own Pregnancy Calendar

In addition to the above mentioned benefits, maintaining your own weekly pregnancy calendar has some apparent advantages.

1. You can use the calendar as a jotting notepad to record your queries, doubts and apprehensions. This will be useful in future appointments with your doctor.

2. The pregnancy calendar is particularly useful in the third trimester of pregnancy (week 26 to week 40). In this final trimester, there are many changes happening in the mother body. The would-be mother will then find the pregnancy calendar handy. With the help of a good calendar, she can identify if her contraction are true or false and if there is a need to consult the doctor.

3. A religiously written pregnancy calendar will be very useful for the doctor in case any emergency arises in the course of delivery.

4. You can use your weekly pregnancy calendar to understand your future pregnancies better.