Losing the weight gained during pregnancy is almost the number one top priority of new moms. But losing and maintaining weight during such a transitional time isn't always easy. Today, we asked Parents Ask expert Dr. Jason Rothbart to answer some questions about this post partum period as it pertains to weight loss:

Q: Does breastfeeding help? Are supplements okay during breastfeeding? Is cardio and major exercise okay? Will it increase/decrease milk supply? How soon after baby is born can you jump into action and start a diet? Does weight loss affect hormones?

One of the first questions that is asked in the first trimester of a pregnancy is, "How long until I can exercise and how long until I get the baby weight off after my baby is born???" Needless to say, new moms are under a lot of pressure, mostly self imposed, to get back to their pre-baby selves, with weight being the number one issue. Breastfeeding is actually one of the best ways to get this ball rolling. Breastfeeding burns an average of 500 calories in 24 hours with the typical range to be from 200 to 600 calories burned a day. It's estimated that the production of one ounce of breast milk burns 20 calories.

Breastfeeding alone, however, will not always be enough to shed those post partum pounds. To round this out, time honored healthy eating and exercise will get the rest off. A good cardio work out with some moderate/light weight training will do wonders for post partum weight loss, and this exercise will not decrease the milk supply for the baby, nor will vitamin supplements. Rather, a healthy mom makes for an excellent milk supply and healthy baby.

Depending on the delivery, most new moms will be able to resume exercise around 4-6 weeks post partum. The healthy eating part of it can start immediately. Again, this is not time to "diet," but simply to make healthy choices. And most importantly, maintaining a healthy post partum diet and exercise routine will help the hormone levels stabilize and simply make a new mom feel invigorated.