Five Myths About Losing Baby Weight

As we are coming up on Baby B’s first birthday, there are many milestones to be celebrated. Every ounce of me is not ready to admit that he is almost one, this last year has flown by. From rolling over to crawling, getting teeth and baby babble it is safe to say it has been an incredible year. That doesn’t even begin to scratch the surface of how much I’ve loved watching Little Man become a big brother. Sleepless nights, unknowns of a growing boy and other problems aside, one area I struggled more than I expected to was losing baby weight.

About a year after Little Man was born I started my fitness journey. I rediscovered running and I learned a lot about myself. When I got pregnant with Baby B I was convinced I would continue working out. Unfortunately that did not happen. Eating wise I didn’t eat nearly as bad as I did with Little Man, but when it came down to it I gained 42lbs when I should’ve gained no more than 25-30. I couldn’t wait to start running again. I was going to be back in shape in no time.

Let’s all laugh.

10 months after Baby B was born I saw that magical number on the scale. I was finally starting to feel like myself again. 10 months later. The more I thought about it, I realized how many myths I had come across over the last year. From old wives tales to advice from other women who had been there. Losing baby weight was supposed to be “easy” and I was doing everything “right”.

Newsflash…it won’t fall right off. These 5 myths are quite possibly the most frustrating things I’ve been told when it comes to losing baby weight.

1. Breastfeeding will make the baby weight fall right off.

I’ll be honest. This “myth” is my number one pet peeve when it comes to losing baby weight. Numerous people told me this back when Little Man was a baby and and again this time around. Breastfeeding will make the baby weight fall right off. Guess what, I nursed exclusively for four months with Baby B and the weight did not fall off. In fact I was the same weight 2 weeks after I left the hospital as I was when month three rolled around.

Yes, I was burning more calories. I was also eating more to try and keep my supply up.

It is WONDERFUL for the ladies who lost weight simply by breastfeeding. For me it was not the case. If you find yourself wondering why it’s not working know this…you are not alone. It was not a game changer for me when it came to losing baby weight.

2. You’ll be at least ten pounds lighter when you leave the hospital.

There were a few people who had not previously experienced the joys of childbirth who told me how tiny I would be again as soon as he was born. With Baby B I was sticking straight out, it looked like I was all baby. I was 190lbs the day I went into labor and I was 190lbs the day we came home from the hospital. Yet somehow there was 8lbs of baby missing.

This myth fails to account for the joys of fluids you’re being pumped with, milk supplies coming in, swelling, etc.

Do not be frustrated when you leave the hospital to see the same number (or higher) on the scale.

3. Once your baby starts moving it will fall off as you chase them around.

Chasing a baby and a four year old around is WONDERFUL exercise. Now that we are nearing the one year mark, the two of them together are a hoot to watch. Up until a month or two ago we really didn’t have a mobile baby. Trips to the park are great, walking with the stroller to the park is even better.

Relying JUST on chasing kids around to help with losing baby weight, isn’t going to make it all go away. Finding ways to be active consistently with your kids will definitely be a great start though!

4. If you eat healthier in your pregnancy, you won’t gain as much weight.

This myth makes me laugh because I 100% believed it. When I was pregnant with Little Man I ate Eggo waffles, Dairy Queen, Auntie Annes pretzels, Portillo’s french fries… and that was all in one day. Just kidding…sort of. My eating habits were far from healthy. If it was salty or could be eaten for breakfast I couldn’t get enough of it. I gained exactly 30lbs.

With Baby B I could eat a watermelon a day and I did on more than one occasion. Fruit was my best friend and no one got in between me and a salad. Summer rolled around and I crossed the 30lb mark with 6 weeks to go. By the time I delivered I was lucky to have stalled out around 42lbs gained at 38 weeks. My doctors weren’t concerned about it so I continued to eat my watermelon.

Yes, you absolutely should try and eat healthy during your pregnancy, but that doesn’t mean the weight gain will be less. Listen to your doctor.

5. What worked for your BFF will work exactly the same for you.

Every single pregnancy is different. Losing baby weight is different for me than it will be for you. What took me 10 months might take you 6 months. Both of my pregnancies had completely different weight gain experiences and weight loss experiences. Just because your bestie lost all of her weight in 3 months DOES NOT mean you are a failure if you don’t.

The ONLY thing to know about losing baby weight is that as long as you keep working at it, it will come off eventually. Do what is best for you.

What was the biggest myth you were told about losing baby weight?