In this article I will share my advise on how to lose the belly fat after having your baby and how to get back into shape safely. All the information I provide will be based on evidence and on my experience as a nurse and midwife of many years.
The process of conception and child bearing are miraculous and still amazes me, a midwife of over twenty years and registered nurse of over twenty three years. Having a baby is a dream come true for many women. From the excitement of the positive pregnancy test to the first midwife appointment, the scan and hearing the heart beat of the little one for the first time. Wow!
Its quite a journey for the woman and her partner. But after the birth the family has many new things to learn and many new challenges to contend with. And one of the main challenges women face after giving birth is a change in their body image, including a bigger belly, bigger breasts and the urge to get back into shape as quickly as possible…all while adjusting to the demands of the new little addition(s) to the family.
The Gentle Transition
But I always advise women to just focus on the transition to motherhood and looking after themselves and the little one(s) for the first six months post partum. As the body is still recovering from the pregnancy and labour, it’s best to be gentle with yourself. This is because the hormones of pregnancy such as relaxin and prostaglandin are still circulating in the body for up to about 6 months after birth causing the joints, ligaments and other connective tissues to be softer and relaxed.
This can pose a risk for injury if exercises are too vigorous or intensive. However there are a few thing you can do right away and there are others that should wait a few weeks to months. So lets start out with the first few days to weeks post pregnancy.
Tip Number One Helps to Burn up to 500 Extra Calories Per Day
So here is advice number one; The best thing you can do to get back into shape immediately after birth is to breast feed your baby. And this is no gimmick! Here is why. Exclusive breast feeding burns approximately 500 extra calories everyday. It also stimulates the release of oxytocin that causes the uterus to contract back down into the pelvis helping to get you back into shape. But what if baby refuses to feed from your breast? What then?
Well starting from 37-38 week of pregnancy and earlier you may start hand expressing your colostrum for baby (referred to as harvesting). So even after birth you may still initiate expressing milk with your hands as it is never too late to get started. Only small drops of the rich creamy substance will appear at first, but after about day 4 or 5 you will see a marked increase in supply and may want to buy a breast pump and storage bottles to keep up with the supply. As well as you may continue hand expressing.
And as long as you keep breastfeeding or pumping/expressing, your body will keep making milk. So a lot of stored energy is being used up to feed the little one whether they decide to suckle or not. And that could work out to be a whopping one pound of weight loss per week, without factoring in activities of daily living (with a new baby in tow).
Tip Number Two Targets the Abdominal Muscles and the Pelvic Muscles
Tip number two; After carrying your baby(or babies) for 9 months your abdominal and pelvic muscles have been stretched and needs targetted exercise to regain tone and strength to get you back into shape. And the great thing is that this does not require a gym membership or specialist equipment. Pelvic floor exercises will improve healing from trauma as long as your nutritional state is optimal. Vitamin C rich citrus fruits, B vitamins and minerals from dark green vegetables plus good quality protein are a must to promote wound healing and recovery after pregnancy.
If you had a traumatic birth/delivery it is important for you to have a good daily intake of vitamin C rich fruits and vegetables and good quality protein to speed up the healing process. But keeping active and gentle exercises support blood flow to the (surgical abdominal, uterine and vaginal) wound (s) to promote healing. Extensive vaginal trauma may require specialist support from a continence nurse of midwife. Also ensuring your serum iron levels (hemoglobulin) are optimal is vital to ward off tiredness and the risk of infection related to anaemia.
Here is how to do your pelvic floor exercises; At the start you may lay down on your back with your knees bent and your legs hip width apart. Then gently squeeze your vaginal muscles, hold for about 2-3 second and release. Repeat 8-10 times if you are able. Do this three time daily. As you get stronger, do this in the sitting position. Try to increase to 15 reps each time and do 3-4 times daily.
For your abdominal muscles the exercises may also be done while lying down on your back. Again with your knees bent and legs hip width apart, engage your core muscles and pull them in, as if trying to pull your navel in to touch your spine. Hold for 3-5 seconds and repeat 5-10 times if you are able. Aim to increase the hold for 5 seconds and 15 reps, three times daily.
Tip Number Three Shows the Surprising Benefits of Walking Post Pregnancy
Tip number three: Gentle walking to start with will be more beneficial that you expect. After the first one to two weeks after birth you may start going out for short walks at a normal pace (not too brisk). Depending on your fitness level and how your pregnancy and labour went, you may need to start out on just 15 -20 minutes each time, preferably with a companion. And if you are tolerating this well you can increase the duration gradually as you are able.
The benefits of walking for new mothers can not be over stated. This gentle aerobic exercise improves circulation, balance, bone density, muscle tone, lung function, cardiac function, metabolism and blood glucose regulation. And the great thing is that as you start out with regular walking you are your best guide on how well you are tolerating it and how much you can increase the distance and pace as you build up stamina and strength.
Prior to your six weeks post delivery check up you should avoid pushing yourself (beyond what was previously discussed) and just go out and enjoy the outdoors and the sunshine and fresh air while gently strolling so that you maintain some level of fitness without too much pressure to lose weight and regain your flat tummy.
Tip Number Three Requires You to Get Into a Routine
After your six week check up you can start walking briskly, and incorporating stretching exercises such as yoga and Pilates. Start getting into a routine of about 4 -6 days per week of at least 30 minutes walking along side your warm up and stretching exercises.
At this point, and depending on your fitness level and type of delivery you may now focus on a good exercise routine to include warm up, stretches, aerobics, strength training and abdominal crunches and core strengthening exercises. Including this range of exercises will reduce the risk of injury and increase the calories you burn each week.
After 6 month from your delivery you may hit the gym or work out in the privacy of your home and be rigorous and vigorous in turning your body in to a lean mean fat burning machine. Most safety issues related to your recent pregnancy and delivery would have resolved by this time. But remember that pelvic floor exercises is for life, especially if you had a normal vaginal delivery.
Here is a Bonus Tip:
Ensure that you wear supportive clothing and keep you skin well moisturised during your pregnancy and the postnatal period. Supportive clothing is especially important for women in the second and subsequent pregnancies as the muscles of the abdomen and the ligaments that support the breasts tend to be less toned for most women after the first and second pregnancies.
The Take Away
So in summary be holistic in your approach to regaining your figure after having your baby, by;
- Breast feeding or expressing your breast milk for your baby to burn up to an extra 500 calories per day.
- Starting your pelvic floor exercises and gently toning your abdominal muscles in the first few days.
- Incorporating dark green vegetables, a good protein source and citrus fruits in your diet everyday to support healing and recovery.
- Walking post delivery is excellent exercise that may be commenced gently at first and then increased in distance and pace as you get stronger.
- Avoiding vigorous exercise before 6 weeks post pregnancy to prevent injury due to remaining pregnancy hormones that relax your joints and ligaments to facilitate labour.
- Between 6 weeks and 6 months post delivery, getting into a routine to include warm up, stretches, aerobics, crunches and strength training to convert fat to muscles.
- Only hit the gym after 6 months. Even if you decide to work out at home save the more vigorous routine until after 6 months after your delivery.
Thank you for reading this article and I hope it was useful. I would love to hear from you, so please write to me and ask any questions, for clarification, to leave a comment or feedback. Or to request more information on a related topic.