Abstract
This study was designed to examine women’s experiences of weight loss during the postpartum period. Understanding women’s positive and negative experiences can assist health care providers to successfully intervene in helping women lose weight following pregnancy and avoid long-term weight gain and obesity development. Design: Phenomenology, according to Husserl’s perspective. Setting: Private location of the women’s choosing. Participants: Twenty-six women, who ranged in age from 25 to 35 years, and had given birth within the last 5 years, were interviewed regarding their experiences with postpartum weight loss. The majority of the sample was Caucasian. Interviews were transcribed and themes were identified from each of the interviews. Comparisons were made between interviews to identify common experiences between women. Data were analyzed according to the Giorgi method. The women in the study had a wide range of experiences. Themes that emerged from the interviews related to women’s challenges with return to prepregnancy weight. These included: time and motivation issues, the need for support, and weight and other struggles. This study provides a look inside the lives of women faced with the reality of losing weight after childbirth. Losing weight after delivery is multi-faceted and influenced by many factors. Interventions to assist women with weight loss should target the challenges described in this paper. When effective strategies are developed, education can be done during pregnancy to prepare for the postpartum period. Ultimately, future research efforts can help us to eliminate pregnancy as a risk factor for obesity in women.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
National Center for Health Statistics. (2004). Available: http://www.cdc.gov/nchs.
Abraham, S., Taylor, A., & Conti, J. (2001). Postnatal depression, eating, exercise, and vomiting before and during pregnancy. International Journal of Eating Disorders, 29, 482–487.
Rooney, B. L., & Schauberger, C. W. (2002). Excess pregnancy weight gain and long-term obesity: One decade later. Obstetrics and Gynecology, 100, 245–252.
Gore, S. A., Brown, D. M., & West, D. S. (2003). The role of postpartum weight retention in obesity among women: A review of the evidence. Annals of Behavioral Medicine, 26, 149–159.
Olson, C. M., Strawderman, M. S., Hinton, P. S., & Pearson, T. A. (2003). Gestatational weight gain and postpartum behaviors associated with weight change from early pregnancy to early postpartum. International Journal of Obesity and Related Metabolic Disorders, 27, 117–127.
Lederman, S., Alfasi, G., & Deckelbaum, R. (2002). Pregnancy-associated obesity in Black women in New York City. Maternal and Child Health Journal, 6, 37–42.
Larson-Meyer, D. E. (2002). Effect of postpartum exercise on mothers and their offspring: A review of literature. Obesity Research, 10, 841–853.
Walker, L. O., & Wilging, S. (2000). Rediscovering the “m” in “mch”: Maternal health promotion after childbirth. Journal of Obstetric, Gynecologic, and Neonatal Nursing, 29, 229–236.
Pomerleau, C. S., Brouwer, R. J., & Jones, L. T. (2000). Weight concerns in women smokers during pregnancy and postpartum. Addictive Behaviors, 25, 759–767.
Finn, R. (2003). Women tend to neglect their health after baby: Focus shifts to infant. Family Practice News, 33, 39.
Groth, S. W., & David, T. (2008). New mothers’ views of weight and exercise. MCN. American Journal of Maternal Child Nursing, 33, 364–370.
Troy, N. W. (2003). Is the significance of postpartum fatigue being overlooked in the lives of women? Maternal Child Nursing, 28, 252–256.
O’Toole, M. L., Sawicki, M. A., & Artal, R. (2003). Structured diet and physical activity prevent postpartum weight retention. Journal of Women’s Health, 12, 991–998.
Walker, L. O. (1999). Factors related to new mothers’ readiness to manage weight. American Journal of Health Behavior, 23, 268–279.
Zahavi, D. (2003). Husserl’s phenomenology. Stanford, CA: Stanford University Press.
Giorgi, A. (1985). Phenomenology and psychological research. Pittsburgh: Duquesne University Press.
Keppel, K. G., & Taffel, S. M. (1993). Pregnancy-related weight gain and retention: Implications of the 1990 Institute of Medicine guidelines. American Journal of Public Health, 83, 1100–1103.
Skouteris, H., McCabe, M., Swinburn, B., Newgreen, V., Sacher, P., & Chadwick, P. (2010). Parental influence and obesity prevention in pre-schoolers: A systemic review of interventions. Obesity Review. May 11 epub ahead of print.
Setse, R., Grogan, R., Cooper, L. A., Strobino, D., Powe, N. R., & Nicholson, W. (2008). Weight loss programs for urban-based, postpartum African-American women: Perceived barriers and preferred components. Maternal Child Health Journal, 12, 119–127.
Nuss, H., Freeland-Graves, J., Clarke, K., Klohe-Lehman, D., & Milani, T. J. (2007). Greater nutrition knowledge is associated with lower 1-year postpartum weight retention in low-income women. Journal of the American Dietetic Association, 107, 1801–1806.
Amorim, A. R., Linne, Y. M., & Lourenco, P. M. (2007). Diet or exercise, or both, for weight reduction in women after childbirth. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, 18, CD005627.
Gunderson, E. P., Rifas-Shiman, S. L., Oken, E., Rich-Edwards, J. W., Kleinman, K. P., Taveras, E. M., et al. (2008). Association of fewer hours of sleep at 6 months postpartum with substantial weight retention at 1 year postpartum. American Journal of Epidemiology, 167, 178–187.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Montgomery, K.S., Bushee, T.D., Phillips, J.D. et al. Women’s Challenges with Postpartum Weight Loss. Matern Child Health J 15, 1176–1184 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10995-010-0681-9
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10995-010-0681-9