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Pregnancy takes its toll on the body. The changes in hormone levels that accompany breastfeeding, childbirth and the general demands of raising children have a major impact.
When it comes to getting back to your pre-pregnancy body, it’s always important to be realistic. While some celebrity moms bounce back quickly, they often have large support teams behind them, innovative training schedules, and as much work time as they need.
However, slimming down at lightning speed is not possible according to many experts. In fact, attempting this can result in problems. Diets that don’t have enough calories or nutrients can leave mothers feeling tired.
The worst thing you can do, experts say, is try too hard, too soon. After pregnancy, the body needs some time to recover and get back to normal – a challenge when you have trouble sleeping.
Fortunately, there are ways to get your body back after pregnancy. Check them out below.
Accept Help
Taking care of a child for the first time is always a challenge. Nothing can really prepare you for this. You just have to go ahead and do it, figuring it out along the way.
In those first months, don’t be afraid to accept help. Let other people offer support. Make sure you have at least a little time to yourself during the week that you can put into things that support your well-being, like exercise and preparing healthy meals.
If you have trouble sleeping, ask parents or relatives to help babysit for a few days a week. In the initial stages, people around you are willing to share the load with you. This way, you can take time to recharge and focus on things that support your well-being.
Slow Weight Loss
While celebrities like Serena Williams, Kim K, and Beyoncé lose weight quickly after the birth of their children, that’s not the story for most women. They are mainly successful because of their personal trainers, chefs and nutrition coaches. However, you are not necessarily in the same position.
The trick here is to lose weight slowly. Don’t force it. Instead, aim to eat whole plant foods at every meal. Doing this will help you lose any excess weight naturally. Don’t bother counting calories. Instead, rely on your body’s feedback mechanisms to tell you whether or not you’re full.
Typically, you can lose a few pounds before your first postpartum doctor visit, six to eight weeks after giving birth. Over the next year, you can shed an additional ten to fifteen pounds of baby weight you gained.
Breastfeed to Burn Calories
Your body devotes a lot of energy to making milk. For that reason, breastfeeding is a great way to burn calories.
Breast milk is nature’s perfect food for your baby. It contains all the nutrients they need while reducing their risk of developing health conditions in the future. It also cuts your chances of developing breast cancer, a condition that is becoming more common among women.
If you’re a nursing mom, make sure you eat plenty of healthy foods throughout the day. They will support milk production while keeping your calorie intake reasonable. Producing breast milk usually requires more calories than you consume, so over the course of a few months, you should find yourself losing weight.
Do Post-Pregnancy Workouts
Pregnancy can last in some muscles in the region of the abdomen and pelvic floor. The pressure of a growing baby can damage tissues and lead to dysfunction. In fact, it is absolutely impossible to train the abdominal muscles during pregnancy because they are stretched.
To combat this, focus on building muscles in your body. Do basic strength training, either by getting instructions online or hiring a personal trainer. If you do enough of these exercises, you should be able to get your muscles back.
You will need to do modified sit-ups for the first few weeks. Don’t do sit-ups if you’ve had a C-section until your doctor says it’s safe.
Restore Lost Volume
After breastfeeding, you may notice that your breasts have lost their strength compared to before. If you think this is annoying and you don’t plan to have more children in the future, now you can get one breast implant methods that restore their original appearance.
Some women also combine implants with other cosmetic procedures, such as tummy tucks and scar removal. In this way, they can repair damage from pregnancy that lifestyle changes alone cannot heal.
Rub Retinol Creams on Your Belly
Stretch marks are par for the course when it comes to pregnancy. But applying retinol creams can help. They minimize the appearance of stretch marks and may prevent permanent scarring.
Retinoids work by changing how the skin rejuvenates itself. While you will likely still have pink or purple lines in the abdominal region, retinoids can prevent long-term stretch marks from remaining.
Just be aware that you need to start putting retinoids on your stomach quickly. If you wait until the stretch marks are pale or white, it may be too late.
Maintain Your Sex Life
While the vagina stretches a bit during childbirth, it will eventually snap back into place. This means that you are free to resume intercourse, of course, following your doctor’s approval.
If you are currently breastfeeding, you may notice that your lubrication is less than usual. That’s because your body creates less estrogen during this time. However, you can substitute any natural lubricant with over-the-counter products if you feel uncomfortable.
Embrace Your New Life
Through concerted efforts, you should be able to get closer to your pre-pregnancy body. However, it is important to accept that life never stays the same, and things are always changing.
Many women go through emotional ups and downs after pregnancy. Changing hormones and their bodies can make things challenging. The pressure of keeping a little person alive is probably the main thing. It can be overwhelming.
Practice the art of letting go. Just because your body has changed slightly, it doesn’t mean that life has to be any more enjoyable. Unless you sustained a serious injury during birth, you are free to continue living as before.
Use Exercises to Strengthen Your Pelvic Floor
After you give birth, it’s common to have persistent bladder leakage. This results in having a long time in labor, or due to forceps or vacuum-assisted birth.
The key to reversing this is using pelvic floor exercises. They strengthen your muscles so you can quickly regain bladder control. If the leakage is bothering you a lot, you can hire a pelvic health therapist who can guide you through some of the techniques you can use to get the area back to normal function.
When to Go to the Doctor
While some body changes are expected after pregnancy, you still need to be careful. Putting strain on major joints by jumping or running is not a good idea for the first six weeks. If you return to exercise, you risk serious injury.
Pay attention to warning signs that may indicate a more serious health issue. Watch for excessive bleeding, as this may indicate rupture of an artery in the womb. Watch for pelvic or abdominal pain, and see a doctor if you notice shortness of breath (including after mild exercise).
Remember, pregnancy is not without risk. Modern medicine can deal with most issues women face, so always stay in regular contact with your physician.
Mother of children and cats. Find more of my work at CattitudeDaily.com.
