PERSONAL HEALTH : When Labor Ends, Real Work Begins

You’ve just given birth and now comes the hard part: Getting rid of the weight gained during pregnancy when pre-Baby insisted on those pickles, rum raisin ice cream, fried chicken, potato chips and peanut-butter-and-boiled-egg sandwiches. . . .

According to the experts, you will be able to fit into your pants again. But taking off the pounds and firming up requires patience. (Expect it to take up to a year, they say.)

And yes, it can be done even if you don’t think you’ll have the time. (One of our moms puts her infant daughter in a stroller and takes off.) See Fitness. E3