Q: “I’ve just had a baby and I’m worried about losing my baby weight. How long should it take for me to return to my normal size?”

A: Dr Pat Spungin, founder of raisingkids.co.uk and mother-of-three says: “A lot of people find that their body changes after having a baby and that’s just a fact of life.

“Even if they don’t gain weight, the weight redistributes itself sometimes and you might not feel as happy as you were before you were pregnant.

“But the body has been carrying a baby and it has its own way of making sure mother and baby are both well-nurtured. When the baby is born, it takes time to readjust.

“Like so many things that have to do with diet, it’s not just a matter of what you take in. There are some people who seem to have a body type that easily puts on weight and other people that easily spring back to what they were before.

“You even hear some mums saying ‘I’ve been so busy since the baby was born that the weight’s just dropped off’.

“If you reach the six-month mark and you still have substantial amounts of baby weight, you probably have to ask yourself if you’re motivated to lose it.

“The important thing is to keep up your energy levels and if you’re breast feeding, it’s not a time for strict diets, it’s a time for sensible eating and exercise. It’s a time for putting your baby in a pram and going out for a long walk and over the period your weight should return.

“But your body might not return to exactly what it was before and perhaps it’s important to have a realistic expectation.”

For more expert advice about pregnancy and your baby’s first years, go to raisingkids.co.uk