How To Fix Your Abs After Baby - Postpartum Workout Okay so you just had your baby. The baby is adding more joy to your life and you feel like you are getting the hang of 'motherhood'. And then you look at yourself in the mirror and notice that mom belly! With breastfeeding and burning more calories, you are sure it will go away soon. But weeks after, you realize that it's still there. Hanging out around your belly area saying 'hi! I'm still here!'.
This is exactly what happened to me. I haven't had this 'mom pooch' with my first baby but with the second one, it seems to be hanging out there longer. Yes, it has somewhat disappeared from the day I got out of the hospital. But I can't still seem to fit back into my old jeans after almost 3 months and whenever I look at the mirror, I see that mom belly!
And I used to have pretty flat belly for a mom. I used to pride myself for having a flat belly and a small waist line. But nope, this time around, it's not that easy to get rid of it! Aaaah!
So my search began to how to fix my abs after baby.
And what I learned was actually pretty surprising! I didn't know anything about it until now that such thing existed.
That's the official term for it and it is apparently common in women who just had their babies.
It is basically a separation of ab muscles during pregnancy. And as long as it is 'separated' your mom pooch will stay and you will still look like you are still in your second trimester of pregnancy.
So here's the result of my hours of research on postpartum workouts. I was really keen on doing the right things to fix my abs. I wanted to know if I have Diastasis Reci. And then, I wanted to know how I can strengthen core and pelvic muscles so that I can regain my figure prior to having a baby.
I must say I have been doing everything below for the past two weeks and now I'm starting to see the results. I feel the belly getting smaller and more firm.
RELEVANT READ:
- 21 THINGS I WISH I’D ADDED TO MY BABY REGISTRY
- NURSING TOPS AND DRESSES THAT DON’T SCREAM BREASTFEEDING ON AMAZON – POSTPARTUM WARDROBE
- GIFT IDEAS FOR A NEW MOM AFTER GIVING BIRTH
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How To Fix Your Abs After Baby - Postpartum Workout
1. How To Self-assess Whether You Have Diastasis Recti
So, how do you know whether you have Diastasis Recti? You will have to test on your own to see if you do have one. Here's a video clip that actually explains it pretty well.
Did you try this at home? The first time I tried this, I was so shocked to feel the gap! It was shocking at first but then it made sense why I have such a mom belly. And it was also good to know that there's a variety of workouts that I can do to fix my ab.
2. The Postpartum Exercises To Do To Correct Your Core Muscles
Here are 4 postpartum workout videos to help you to correct your core muscles. I do one of these every day after the kids are down for bed.
They are all exercises you can do while lying down. And when you do them, it doesn't seem like you are straining too much to do these. It's pretty gentle yet slowly healing our inner ab muscles and putting them together.
Our body is really amazing that after two weeks of doing all these exercises, I don't feel the gap anymore when I try to test for diastasis recti. What a relief!
3. The Exercises To Avoid
There are few exercises you need to avoid when you know you have Diastasis Reci. I tried doing planks before I knew I had a Diastasis Recti and I was shocked to know that I was only aggravating the mom belly.
It's really tempting to do all the core exercises that you used to do prior to having the baby. But be aware of some of them since they can do more harm than good.
Postpartum is very vulnerable time for moms physically. So you would want to make sure any exercise will not harm your body, but help you heal. Stick to postpartum workouts and within few weeks you will already see the difference!
Ab Exercises to Avoid:
- Crunches
- Sit Ups
- Planks
4. Get Belly Support
Wearing postpartum belly bands will help the process of healing. I have just started using this belly band and what I noticed is definitely the posture I was able to maintain wearing these. It helps you to be in a posture that supports the healing of the core muscles.
