Research question: The physiological processes of pregnancy and lactation require profound changes in maternal metabolism and energy balance. The timescale of metabolic reversion after pregnancy, in particular postpartum weight loss, is highly variable between individuals. Currently, mechanisms influencing postpartum metabolic recovery are not well understood. We hypothesize that, in common with other metabolic and obesity-related outcomes, capacity for postpartum weight-loss is influenced by developmental programming. Design: Adult female Wistar rats exposed to a maternal low-protein diet in utero then weaned onto a control diet postnatally (recuperated) were compared to controls. Adult females from both groups underwent pregnancy at 3 months of age. Weight changes and metabolic parameters during pregnancy and lactation were compared between control and recuperated groups, and also to non-pregnant littermates. Results: Pregnancy weight gain was not different between the control and recuperated groups, but postpartum recuperated animals remained significantly heavier than both postpartum control animals (p<0.05) and their non-pregnant recuperated littermates (p<0.05) at the end of lactation. Postpartum recuperated animals had increased intra-abdominal fat mass (p<0.05) and increased serum triglycerides (p<0.01) compared to controls. Postpartum recuperated animals also had increased expression of IL6, NRF2, and ALOX12 (key regulators of inflammation and lipoxygenase activity) in the intra-abdominal adipose tissue compared to control groups. Conclusions: Mothers who themselves have been exposed to adverse early-life environments are likely to have slower metabolic recovery from pregnancy than controls. Failure to return to pre-pregnancy weight after delivery predisposes to persisting sequential inter-pregnancy weight gain, which can represent a significant metabolic burden across a life-course involving several pregnancies.