While some women look as if they were never pregnant, others have trouble getting their old bodies back. Pregnancy and giving birth have different effects on different women, but they still represent a great physical trauma for the body.
Although it may take you time to get back to your old workout routine or achieve the desired look, it certainly isn’t impossible. What is important is to give yourself a break and start slowly because your body needs to recover. Afterwards, you can gradually introduce certain changes that will help achieve the body shape you want.
The recovery period
After giving birth, your body will need some time to recover, so it’s important not to rush back into your workout routine. If you’ve had some problems during pregnancy, a difficult labour or a C-section, you may need more time to regain your strength.
On the other hand, if you were physically active during your pregnancy and had a normal delivery, you may be able to start exercising sooner. Nonetheless, you should still give your body some time to recover even if you feel ready to exercise. In addition, you should also consult with your doctor before going back to your workout routine.
Getting back in the game
After you’ve consulted with your doctor and they’ve confirmed that you can start exercising, you can slowly take up some gentle activities. The key lies in moderation and gradual transition in order not to exert yourself. You need to ease your way back to your fitness routine, so make sure to start with low-impact activities, such as walking, postpartum stretching or yoga.
Should you feel any pain or notice bleeding, it’s essential that you contact your doctor immediately. Avoid putting too much physical stress on your abdominal muscles and back, especially if you’ve developed a gap between your muscles which is known as diastasis recti. Taking things slow at first will give your body time to adjust and regain strength at its own pace, so make sure not to overdo it.
Alternative measures
Pregnancy and delivery may affect some women more than others. Your skin may become stretched out and saggy and you may have difficulties shedding off the extra pounds from your stomach. However, this doesn’t mean that you cannot have your old body back. Some women decide to go with alternative solutions, such as postpartum breast reduction or abdominoplasty, especially in the countries, such as the USA or Australia. Some women from the USA even decide to undergo breast augmentation because their breasts looked better during pregnancy.
On the other hand, you don’t even have to go under the knife because there are other non-surgical solutions. For example, sculpsure is one of the popular types of cosmetic surgery in Perth that entails a non-surgical laser treatment for fat reduction in the abdomen and other parts of the body. Thus, you should take some time to look into different solutions if you’re having problems achieving your desired body shape. However, you will still need to exercise and eat healthy, so make sure you do that as well.
Breastfeeding for weight loss
You’ll be surprised to hear that breastfeeding can burn up to 500 calories per day, which means that you won’t have to spend hours at the gym in order to shed some pounds. In addition, breastfeeding triggers the release of hormones that can actually shrink your uterus and your belly.
However, once you stop breastfeeding, your body will burn fewer calories and may be at risk of putting some weight back on. You may need to reduce your calorie intake, so make sure to consult with a nutritionist who can suggest how you can gradually adjust your diet.
Healthy postpartum diet
Your postpartum diet is also important for losing weight and improving your health. After giving birth, your body is more susceptible to diseases and infections, so you need to eat nutritious food that will benefit both you and your baby. Under no circumstances should you start dieting after delivery because you’ll produce less milk, which means that your baby will remain hungry. Furthermore, sudden loss of weight may release toxins into your breastmilk, endangering your baby’s health.
Therefore, it’s essential that, you stick to an appropriate postpartum diet that will provide both you and your baby with nutrients you need to strengthen your immune systems. Typically, a woman needs on average 2,000 calories per day, but if you decide to breastfeed, you may need to consume extra 500 calories. Later on, you can gradually reduce your calorie intake or burn them through exercise.
For some women, losing weight after childbirth is more challenging than for others. Nonetheless, with proper self-care, regular exercise and alternative solutions, you’ll be able to get your old body back.
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I am not a mum but these tips seem useful for mums. Starting an exercise program whether you've just had a baby or not should be done gradually to prevent injury. You wouldn't run a marathon without training so easing yourself into it slowly is very important.
Great tips! I will share it with my wife 🙂
Ironically enough, I actually lost weight when I got pregnant. It was healthy enough pregnancy, but despite my growing belly, my weight remained the same and I got thinner as my pregnancy moved along. This resulted in my actually weighing less than my normal when I gave birth. And stayed that way for a few months. But then when I started gaining weight some more months after.. Ugh. It's hard to lose weight under any circumstance, that's all I can really say. Lol.
It's true that breastfeeding can help shed the excess weight after getting pregnant. I breastfed all my 3 children for over 2 years. In fact, I'm still breastfeeding my 3rd. But I have noticed that I've gained weight again in the past year because my youngest breastfeeds less frequently now. He's over 3 years old already and I'm trying to wean him.
I lost weight via doing some zumba and dancing for around an hour or 30 mins in intervals of 5x a week, 3 months after i gave birth. I guess that, coupled with the point that my kid is breastfed is why I lost the gained weight easy in just 2 months time. I think the ones who underwent c-section have it really hard because even if the skin outside is already healed the cut below in the muscle probably still is not done healing so it can be hard to do exercises for sure.
I certainly know how hard it is to lose the baby weight. It wasn't until 7 years after my 3rd child's birth that I decided to get back into shape. It's a bit difficult but thankfully there's progress. My most difficult area is the abdomen. Maybe I should think of alternative methods for it.
If truth be told, I developed such a huge appetite after giving birth. I think it is due to the lack of sleep caring for the little one. It did not help that I was not able to breastfeed my baby since I have a very little milk supply. But I was way fitter then compared to now that my baby is almost 9 years old! It is a struggle to get rid of the flab and and extra pounds. I guess the secret is to love yourself whatever shape you're in and to not stop working on improving to get rid of those unwanted body fat.