Every expectant mother experiences pregnancy weight gain.  Pregnancy weight gain is part of growing a healthy baby.  As your child matures in the womb and prepares for the stresses of birth, you as a mother must put on some extra pounds as a reserve of fat to strengthen the baby and provide it with the nutrients it needs to develop.  However, once your child is born, you retain the weight.  This can lead to confusion for some new mothers, who feel a lack of control over their physique, an unwanted stress which compounds the hectic difficulties of the early days of raising a baby.

Pregnancy weight gain is socially acceptable.  When you are pregnant, you will probably receive a lot of compliments about how beautiful you look, even as you balloon up because of your pregnancy weight gain.  Sometimes, even as your waist size shoots up by the day, strangers will stop you on the street to tell you how radiant you are.  It can be psychologically difficult to weather the transition to life after the birth, when you will be heavier than your usual weight but will not have the same level of hormones coursing through your body to keep you glowing and feeling good about yourself.

Losing pregnancy weight is on the mind of almost every new mother.  However, it can be difficult to know how to start to lose pregnancy weight, especially with everything else happening in the household at the beginning of your child's life.  An attempt to lose pregnancy weight can be as much about a new mother trying to carve out time for herself during a hectic period as it is about losing the pregnancy weight itself.  When you have a new baby around, it is easy to become exhausted by the myriad tasks which suddenly present themselves and require your round-the clock attention.  Making a decision to lose pregnancy weight means making a decision to take time for you, away from the baby and the baby's needs.

It is important to take this time for yourself to avoid feeling consumed by the needs of others during this transitional time.  However, you might want to try forgetting about your pregnancy weight gain for at least the first month of your new lifestyle as a mother.  Probably, he last thing you need after a day of pumping breast milk and changing diapers is to tug on your spandex and jog to the gym for a high-intensity cardio blast on a sweaty, monotonous treadmill.

Instead of focusing immediately on getting rid of your pregnancy weight gain, try spending some time on a gentler, more fulfilling activity.  Visit a museum, or do some light, relaxing yoga.  Spend a half an hour a day reading a novel, or listening to your favorite radio program while taking a bath.  It can be easy to forget to reward yourself for all your hard work, especially if you are focused on how to lose pregnancy weight, but try taking care of yourself for a few weeks while you settle in a rhythm with your new baby. 

The weight can wait until you know enough about your new lifestyle to make an exercise and diet plan that you will be able to stick with, so don't worry too much about your pregnancy weight gain.