Carrying a baby is one of the most life-transforming experiences a woman can undergo. Being a parent changes your life. It changes us completely, especially our bodies. Our daily routine, the hours of sleep, and our diet expect these things to arrive during the pregnancy stage. However, many are concerned about getting a post partum belly. You might be worried about it as well.
You might be thinking about how long it takes for a postpartum belly to be around. Most new mums having their first baby will experience the joy of a baby growing inside you, and that’s one of the most beautiful moments and realisation of being a woman and a mother. It’s something that every new mum should celebrate. While it might not be pleasing for some to have a post partum belly, nothing can match the euphoric revelation and reward of a human growing inside you.
Postpartum Belly – It’s A Normal Physical Transformation For Every New Mum
It takes a while for our body to adjust after giving birth, especially in your stomach/belly area. However, some would look for treatment or incorporate diastasis recti exercises into their routine to hasten the recovery. Regardless if you’re planning to seek treatment or perform a workout/exercise routine, it’s a normal part of motherhood to experience such physical transformation shortly after giving birth.
Your tummy acts as a ‘balloon’, inflating to give room for the baby as it undergoes development and growth. The process of labouring and giving birth doesn’t immediately flatten the inflated tummy size as one would expect when they ‘pop’ a balloon. It’s a slow process of leak—decreasing its swelling size in a slower phase with the help of hormonal changes. Thus creating the post partum belly look that we are all familiar with.
The duration would often take you about a couple of weeks or months (usually between 2-3 months) as the body slowly recovers from pregnancy and returns to its normal state. The extra fluid that has been built up during pregnancy will diminish, which helps eliminate the bloating look to your stomach in a slow and steady manner.
The Changes In Your Body
You’ll also notice a dark line in your tummy area called ‘linea nigra’ and the visible signs of stretch marks. The linea nigra is a skin pigmentation which marks where the abdominal muscle is stretched and separated during pregnancy to give room to your baby. In some cases, these muscle separations create an abnormal gap and a parallel band in the middle of the ad section—this condition is what we know as ‘diastasis recti’ or ‘divarication of recti‘.
The pigmentation also lasts a couple of weeks or months before it disappears. However, stretch marks are often not easy to get rid of. Stretch marks occur as the skin in the area is stretched as the body changes with your tummy swelling during pregnancy. They often last longer. But they will gradually fade over time (usually a year or two). Again, these are ‘normal’ signs we see in our bodies after labour.
The changes in your body take time to heal and recover, and it requires patience. As a mum, having a healthy lifestyle will hasten your body’s recovery, allowing it to return to its normal state in less than a year. In some cases, you can visit a physician for exercise/workout recommendations or seek diastasis recti treatment in Singapore.
Regaining Back Your Pre-Pregnancy Body
We’ve heard stories about other mothers on their successful journey of regaining their bodies in a month or two after giving birth to a child. We’ve heard about certain wonder pills, diets and treatments that will help us get back into shape in a few weeks. However, the truth remains that it doesn’t often happen for all, even if it’s far from being impossible.
It can be a challenge to get into your previous weight and shape, so it takes a while, and patience is your answer. Living healthy and staying active will get you there but do not expect overnight or a single week transformation. Whether you have diastasis recti or pelvic organ prolapse, invest yourself in exercising and following recommendations by the doctor to help strengthen your body and shed more weight.
These factors will determine the speed of tightening up your body:
- Your physical activity per day
- The amount of weight you have gained during and after the pregnancy stage
- Your diet
- Your frequency of breastfeeding
- Your genes
Eating the ‘right’ nutrients and following fibre-rich foods can help you maintain a healthy weight. Along with proper exercise and workouts, you maximise the effect of treating your post partum belly. While there’s no exact measure of how many calories you should consume per day, it’s worth considering the amount of mealtime you have per day and what type of food you eat. At such an early age of post-pregnancy, refrain from practising a low-calorie diet as you’ll need more food intake for recovery and breastfeeding.
At some point, consider making an appointment with a doctor too for a postnatal check and ask for any detailed guidelines for losing weight.
Final Thoughts
Going through various stages of pregnancy and giving birth can alter your body significantly. Despite the changes and transformation that you are feeling within, these are normal parts of experiencing a new transition in your life. Having post partum belly is just one part of this massive transformation you’ll undergo in the life of being a mother. Many mums embrace and accept it, and there’s nothing to be ashamed of having it!
If you are looking for diastasis recti or urinary incontinence treatment, visit Orchard Clinic for more info.