How much weight will I lose right after giving birth?

You probably won't return to your pre-pregnancy weight for some time, but you will lose a significant amount of weight immediately after delivery. Subtracting one 7- to 8-pound baby, another pound or two of placenta, and another 2 pounds or so of blood and amniotic fluid leaves most new moms about 12 pounds lighter.

The weight keeps coming off, too. All the extra water that your cells retained during pregnancy, along with fluid from the extra blood you had in your pregnant body, will be looking for a way out.

So you'll produce more urine than usual in the days after birth — an astounding 3 quarts a day. And you may perspire a lot, too. By the end of the first week, you'll lose about 4 pounds of water weight. (The amount varies depending on how much water you retained during pregnancy.)

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