Having a baby is a wonderful experience for any woman. After enduring nine months of pregnancy symptoms, including 5-6 months of extra weight, it's quite natural to want to normalize your weight and regain your pre-pregnancy shape as soon as possible. However, it is probably safest for both the mother and child for the mother to wait at least three months before starting out on a weight loss program.

Weight loss after pregnancy is possible, but it requires some realism, patience, and a lot of work. It is reasonable to assume that it may take a new mom about 8 months to a year to get back into your previous shape.

One sure-fire way to begin losing weight is to drink plenty of water. Drink at least 10-12 glasses of water every day. Water will help your body flush itself of the extra fat and impurities. Replace your high sugar beverages such as sodas and juices with some water and a squeeze of fresh lemon. Drinking plenty of water throughout the day prevents you from getting dehydrated. It also fills you up so that you don't eat as much, and some research has found that it may speed up your metabolism.

A healthy diet is the best way to lose your pregnancy pounds. Keep healthy snacks handy such as raisins, popcorn, wheat crackers, and nuts. Refuse to buy store-bought baked goods or junk food. Eat whole grains (breads, cereals, pastas) instead of the "white" versions. Talk to your doctor about what foods are important for the continuing health of you and your baby. Focus on nutrition, not on weight-loss diets! If you're breastfeeding, your baby's nutritional needs outweigh your need for a slim body.

As soon as you feel ready, start light exercise. Combined with a healthy diet, exercise is key if you want to lose weight after pregnancy. 3-5 days of cardio (30-40 minutes) and 2 days of strength training is ideal. You may also opt for a 10 minute walk with the baby every day and slowly increase your time to 20 minutes per day. Babies can be worn in a sling or you can use a baby jogger or stroller when they get too heavy. During pregnancy, your womb grows to accommodate the baby and the skin also stretches and leaves the stretch marks. Exercises will slowly bring your stomach back into shape and shrink the skin. Do not overdo any exercise for immediate results. If the delivery was normal, you can start exercising within a few weeks.

Consider joining a gym and trade babysitting hours with a friend so when you each go to do your workout, the other can watch the babies. Some gyms may offer babysitting services as well.

Breastfeeding can help you lose weight as it burns about 500 calories per day. So the longer you breastfeed, the more calories you burn. However, breastfeeding alone won't bring down your weight.  You need to combine it with a sensible diet and a moderate exercise program.  Now isn't the time to go on a diet; restricting your calories too much can reduce your milk supply, and losing too much weight (more than two pounds a week) can actually release toxins that wind up in your milk. Keep in mind that you need to have at least 1800 calories a day while breastfeeding in order to keep yourself and your baby healthy.  The good news is, you can still exercise if you're breastfeeding. Studies show that moderate exercise won't affect milk production as long as you're giving your body enough calories.

Pelvic Floor Strengtheners
Another important area to target is the vagina: it needs to tighten up after that baby has passed through. A good way to do this is with Kegel Crunches, as you can practice these virtually anywhere.

Benefits: Pelvic Floor Strengthener exercise is basically meant to improve your pelvic region circulation. It also helps in maintaining your vaginal canal in shape.

Process: Lie down on the floor on your back. Now bend your knees, keeping your feet on the floor. Try tightening your vaginal muscles as if you are hindering a urinary flow. Hold on for few seconds. Repeat it two or three times.

Avoid artificial sweeteners when you are working to lose pure body fat. That means no candies, no cakes, no soft drinks and no sugar in your coffee or tea. Do not even take diet soda since it contains sugar as well, though in smaller quantity. Check food labels carefully during this period to make sure that the foods you eat do not have any sugar content. It is important to completely absence from refine sugar diets if you want to lose weight after pregnancy as quickly as possible.

Get some sleep. It may seem impossible to get a full eight hours of sleep when you have a baby summoning you like clockwork throughout the night, but being sleep deprived could make it harder for you to shed the baby weight. Studies show that getting at least 7.5 hours of sleep per night can help you lose weight. When you're tired, your body releases cortisol and other stress hormones that can promote weight gain. Catch as many naps as you can during the day and go to bed early - at least until your baby starts sleeping through the night.

Forget About Celebrity Moms Who Lose Weight Instantly. Emulating celebrities is not advisable as they often lose their baby fat too quickly through harsh diets and punishing exercise regimes. So for these new moms, losing weight after pregnancy is often accomplished must faster than for more average women. They are not a good example upon which to base your own postpartum weight loss goals.

Just remember it took 9 months to gain the weight; give yourself at least that long to take it off. So if you are a new mom, and you can't wait to get back into shape, take my advice and "Go Easy!" Trying to lose weight too fast can, at times, rebound on you.