Am I crazy for worrying about weight loss so soon after baby?!

I just gave birth to my third baby in September 2008.  I returned to work about a month ago and decided to quit breastfeeding (mainly because I am not able to pump while at my job).  Since I am no longer breastfeeding and do not have to worry about making sure my baby is getting proper nutrition from me, I have decided to focus on getting off these extra baby pounds. 

I am not confident in my skin right now and really want to lose some weight, but I can't help but think I'm being selfish for wanting to focus on me.  If I go to the gym and start working out, I feel like my kids will come second, and I'm so used to always putting them first.  Should I just wait till they baby is closer to a year like I did with the other 2 to focus on weight loss?

this is just my opinion, but i wouldn't make weight loss your main focus right now. i'm not saying don't try, but dont stress about it! unless you are unhealthy or so out of shape that it's negatively affecting your day to day life, i wouldn't stress. take a walk w/ your kids when it's warm enough...knock out 40 or 50 crunches after the kids go to bed and do some jumping jacks...or get a workout dvd that has a "quick" workout on it...they're usually like 30-45 minutes long. do that just so you can get some cardio...trust me, if you're doing SOMETHING it's gonna make a difference for now. that will buy you a couple more months of quality time w/ your kids before you start spending time at the gym.

Thank you Mrskash, that is excellent advice and very helpful.  You made some great points and I will definitely start with the baby steps first... thanks again!

I let the excersise slid for the first months after the pregnancy, and I regretted it, I gained 20kg in the first year after the baby was born, and I am finding it extremely difficult to transition back. 1 hour away from your child a few days a week is not putting them second. Consider your health, and don't be afraid to do something for yourself once in a while.

i don't know if you breastfed or not, but breastfeeding burns on average 500 calories a day. that's more than a whole hour of cardio. SO, several sets of 20 crunches with sets of 10 pushups inbetween will probably suffice for the first few months...i did NOTHING for the first YEAR of my daughter's life (well, i did a full body workout dvd (1 hour) every day for about 2 weeks and for 1 week i walked about 2 miles each day, but that's 3 weeks out of a YEAR...and i lost every single pound i had gained while pregnant...i'm not in great shape, no, but after 3 weeks of doing crunches and 2 days of including cardio, i feel better and stronger.

i'm not saying mothers shouldn't do things for themselves occasionally, but it's not NECESSARY to go to a gym to get a workout. do 30-45 minutes of cardio while baby is sleeping...do crunches and pushups and jumping jacks and squats while the baby is playing. that's how i'm doing it now, and it's working so far for me.

not everybody is the same, so not everyone will lose all of their baby weight just from breastfeeding...but not everyone will gain 20kg from letting exercise slide, either.