Easy Ways to Flatten Your Stomach After Giving Birth
Pregnancy pushes internal organs and abdominal muscles out of place. Once the baby is born, the stomach is left feeling jiggly and strange. Most women want to get their tummies back to normal as quickly as possible. Time, exercise and diet are the best remedies for the postpartum stomach, but there are ways to help the process along.
Breastfeeding
Nurse your baby for at least six months to help flatten your tummy. Breastfeeding is best for baby, but it also holds a lot of advantages. Producing milk requires a lot of energy, which means your body burns up to 500 extra calories per day. As long as you make healthy food choices, this will burn off much of the extra fat the body stored during pregnancy. Since that fat usually is stored around the abdomen, your tummy should flatten from breastfeeding.
Breastfeeding also helps the uterus to shrink back to its normal size. The uterus is only about 3 inches across when you are not pregnant. During pregnancy, it stretches large enough to hold a baby. After birth, the uterus continues to contract as it returns to its original size. Breastfeeding causes the uterus to contract more intensely, which will help it shrink much more rapidly.
Belly Binding
Belly binding has been popular in different cultures around the world for hundreds of years. After pregnancy, you may feel a strange sensation of your internal organs feeling loose. Your abdominal muscles probably will feel very strange as well. Belly binding does the job of holding everything in place while your skin slowly returns to normal.
Bind your belly any way you choose. You can purchase a product specifically designed for postpartum belly wrapping or make your own. Wear a tight-fitting tank top and then wrap a bandage over it, binding your stomach. Whatever way you choose, begin immediately after birth and continue wrapping your tummy each day for at least six weeks. Some midwives recommend taking the binding off only to shower.
Watch out for signs of constipation. Some women who bind their bellies suffer from constipation due to the pressure on the digestive system. If this happens, increase your fiber intake or give yourself a break from the binding for three to four hours.
Exercising
Exercising can help you lose all of the pregnancy weight. Breastfeeding and belly binding will help, but you will have to get active in order to completely flatten your tummy. Your doctor will tell you how long you must wait before beginning to workout. For most women, it will be somewhere between six and 12 weeks postpartum.
Start slowly. As soon as your doctor or midwife says it's safe, take walks with baby around the neighborhood. Begin with short walks, about 10 to 15 minutes, and gradually increase your time. Look for exercise videos designed for postpartum tummies. Yoga is especially effective for getting the abdominal muscles back in place.
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