Tips for losing those pregnancy pounds

The birth of a child is a joyous time in a couple's life. But in the aftermath, most women are excited to shed the baby weight gained during those nine months. Many moms look to breastfeeding, which can burn 500 calories a day, and exercising to lose weight, according to . However, it can be tough to lose extra pounds, especially when moms become used to giving in to fattening food cravings during pregnancy.

Barbara Schmidt, a nutrition and lifestyle specialist at Norwalk Hospital, told the source that new mommies don't just need to exercise their bodies, they also have to exercise patience. Schmidt says it's very unlikely that moms will drop the 25 to 30 pounds that they gained over the course of nine months.

Schmidt also mentioned that if they stick to lean meat, veggies and fluids like water and skim milk, moms can safely shed 1.5 pounds per week.

"You want to make sure to eat a well-balanced diet and, over time, you'll start to see the difference," Schmidt said, according to the news source.

Another benefit to eating nutrient rich foods that are low in fat is that mommies will produce healthier breast milk.

But to help speed up the weight loss process, it's also necessary to exercise. However, it's not realistic for new moms to expect to be able to jump on a treadmill and go for a three-mile run. Even celebrities like Beyonce say they had to ease into their workouts and keep at it.

It may be tough for moms with newborns at home to hit the gym for hours on end, but when Beyonce was dropping her baby weight, she did her best to sneak in 10 or 20-minute workouts when Blue Ivy was sleeping.

With patience, a healthy diet and a consistent exercise routine that they enjoy, moms will usually find that shedding pregnancy weight is easier than they expected.