Having a baby is a wonderful, life-changing event. But it's an event that changes your body as well. Pregnancy brings food cravings, swollen ankles and extra pounds, but most of these pregnancy traits dwindle away after Baby finally arrives. There are times when the pregnancy weight stays with you long after Baby has made an entrance into the world. So, what can a new mom do to return to the shape and weight that were hers before pregnancy?

Dr. Charles Mabray, a board certified OB/GYN, believes it all begins with the pregnancy itself. "I have delivered thousands of babies," he says. "Over two decades ago it became obvious that the absolute best approach [to returning to your pre-pregnancy weight] is to eat right during pregnancy. This almost guarantees no excessive weight gain during the pregnancy and makes it easy to get back the form desired."

The average weight gain during pregnancy is between 25 to 35 pounds. During the actual delivery, a woman will lose approximately 12.5 to 14 pounds. This leaves a new mom with an extra 12.5 to 21 pounds to shed. But various medical conditions during pregnancy – such as gestational diabetes and hypertension – can add an additional 10 to 15 pounds to a pregnancy weight leaving more postpartum weight for Mom to lose.

Many women mourn their inability to lose the weight, but the reasons behind these unsuccessful attempts are sometimes no fault of the women. "An often overlooked problem that women should ask the doctor to address is that of thyroid function," Dr. Mabray says. "Postpartum thyroid dysfunction is not rare and may play a big part in the ability to lose weight following a pregnancy."

Content on this site is not a substitute for professional medical or healthcare advice, diagnosis or treatment, and may not be used for such purposes. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical question or condition. Reliance on information presented on this site is at your own risk. This site contains the opinions and views of other users. Given the interactive nature of this site, we cannot endorse, guarantee, or be responsible for the accuracy, efficacy, or veracity of any content generated by our users.