Weight gain and concerns about figure are common during pregnancy. Find answers to common queries on weight gain and figure during pregnancy. It is only my 2nd month. Why am I showing? Firstly, check your diet. Are you taking in too many empty calories? If not, it could even be the result of bowel distension, which is a common complaint in early pregnancy. The belly of a pregnant woman is actually a miracle. It stretches to accommodate the growing uterus and baby. After delivery it automatically shrinks back to its original shape without much effort on part of the woman. Most pregnant women think a lot about when their belly will show and their pregnancy will become apparent to the whole world. Every woman and her pregnancy are different. Hence, it is difficult to pin point exactly when your stomach will get harder during pregnancy and start showing. In some women the belly becomes firm towards the end of the first trimester. However, this can happen at any point of time between 12 and 28 weeks of pregnancy. At around 12 weeks the uterus would have grown up and out of the pelvic cavity. Your overall physical shape and depending upon whether this is your first pregnancy or not your pregnancy will become obvious. Will my figure return to normal after delivery? The weight you gain during pregnancy is to nourish the developing foetus and to store up reserves for breastfeeding once the baby is born. So if you keep physically fit and do not gain an unnecessary amount of weight during pregnancy, and you use up the fat stores while breastfeeding, these is no reason for you to lose your figure. It is possible to gain control over your body weight and shape post pregnancy. Pregnancy can be a trying time for most women. The body undergoes major physical and emotional changes during this period. However, after the delivery of the baby, with your doctor’s concurrence you can start following an exercise regimen to regain your physical shape, size and body weight. Do not expect instant results immediately after starting your exercise routine. It may take some time for you to attain your pre-pregnancy weight levels. Immediately after delivery majority of women lose a significant amount of body weight. All the extra water retained by the cells during pregnancy gets flushed out from the body. Extra blood in the system will also be expelled from the body post delivery. Fluid loss normally happens by way of excessive urination during the period immediately following the birth of your baby. You may also perspire a lot for a week or two after delivery. Whether you will be able to regain your original figure or not depends a lot on YOU. The more weight you gain during pregnancy the more difficult it would be to get back in shape. You will need to put in a lot of physical efforts for at least 6-8 months to regain your original figure. If you are serious about getting back in shape after delivery you must exercise while you are pregnant also. This will ensure that you put on only the required amount of weight appropriate for the relevant stage of pregnancy. When can you start exercising after delivery? Women who have normal deliveries can return to exercising after 4-6 weeks of birth of their baby. Mothers who have undergone caesarean section delivery are normally advised to resume exercising only after 6-8 weeks of delivery. The additional time of 2 weeks is required for the body to completely heal after the delivery. Breastfeeding also helps to get rid of excess body fat. It helps to burn approximately an additional 500 calories per day. Breastfeeding is also known to promote the shrinking of the uterus which in turn will help in restoring your body figure. In case of women who are not breastfeeding, it is important to monitor the food intake carefully. You will need to eat less since the baby is no longer inside you. You will have to cut down the quantity of snacks and such other unhealthy food items that you may have consumed during pregnancy which only add to your body weight.