Mom bodies are incredibly adaptable. Just think of all the changes that occur over a span of 40 weeks. A growing belly is the most obvious and endearing change of all!
Now that you’re entering the new-mom phase of life, you’d like to have your body back. But expecting your post-pregnancy belly to snap back to its pre-pregnancy state in one fell swoop isn’t very realistic. It takes time to recover, and that’s okay. It’s what Mother Nature intended.
Keep reading to learn more about your postpartum belly and how to safely strengthen your core after pregnancy.
What will your stomach look like after giving birth?
Chances are your friends and relatives haven’t even noticed your belly. They’re crushing on your new little cutie. That said, you’ve just weathered the physical demands of childbirth. If you’re a wee bit curious about your post-pregnancy belly and when it might return to normal, we get it.
Abdominal muscles and skin are pretty resilient — to a point. Nine months of pregnancy, give or take a few weeks, followed by a breathtaking push session, typically lasting 30 minutes to an hour (though it can be as long as three hours), stretches and strains your skin, abs and uterus If you’re like many women, your belly may striped with stretch marks. And, depending on your diet during pregnancy, you might be carrying some extra fat.
As many as 1 in every 2 women develop a pregnancy-related condition called abdominal separation (or, in scientific terms, diastasis recti), which is a thinning and widening of your abdominal muscles that may develop as your stomach expands. If this happens to you, it can leave a gap, indentation or bulge down the center of your belly.
Your postpartum belly, week-by-week
Delivering your little one (or multiples) doesn’t get you from baby bump to washboard status overnight. Of course, every woman’s experience is unique. Some moms seem to recover pretty quickly and, for others, it can be a long slog.
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Use this guide as a general frame of reference:
When you leave the hospital or birthing center. Most pregnant women can lose up to 12 pounds after giving birth. The exact amount of weight loss depends on the baby’s size as well as the weight of the amniotic fluid and placenta. Even after delivering your baby, you can still look 6 months pregnant, and that’s to be expected.
The first six weeks post-delivery. Your belly will gradually slim down as your uterus shrinks back to its usual size and excess fluids are flushed out of your body. Your stretched-out abdominal muscles and lax skin will most likely begin to firm up. If you had a cesarean section, it can take a good two weeks for your scar to heal (and six weeks or longer to fully recover from your surgery).
Six to eight weeks postpartum. By now, your uterus has probably returned to its normal position in your pelvis after shifting during pregnancy. You’ve shed some weight, but you may not reach your pre-pregnancy weight for weeks or months. Your stretched-out abdominal muscles may require some toning up.
Is it normal to have loose skin on your stomach after giving birth?
Sagging skin around your midsection after childbirth is a common complaint of new moms.
During pregnancy, a woman’s skin gradually stretches to accommodate her growing fetus. After giving birth, it can take several weeks or even months for the skin around the abdomen to spring back to its pre-pregnancy shape. Some women may find that their skin has lost some of its elasticity.
Give your skin some time to recover and do some abdominal toning exercises before you consider any invasive procedure, like a tummy tuck, to get rid of loose skin. If you've had a C-section, your practitioner might recommend that you wear an abdominal binder to support your loose skin and minimize pulling and pain around the incision.
What is a typical postpartum weight loss timeline?
You and your doctor may have discussed how much weight to gain for a healthy pregnancy and the health of your baby. Guidelines for pregnancy weight gain are based on a woman’s body mass index (determined by her height and pre-pregnancy weight).
How long it may take to lose the baby weight is another matter entirely. There’s no specific timeline for postpartum weight loss. Remember, your body will be in recovery mode for at least the first six weeks postpartum.
Breastfeeding can add another wrinkle to the weight-loss equation. While some women say breastfeeding aids postpartum weight loss, others may find it difficult to lose weight until after weaning the baby, typically because they feel hungrier when they're nursing.
It often takes six to nine months to get back to your pre-pregnancy weight. But it can take a lot longer, even 10 months to two years, especially if a woman gained 35 pounds or more during her pregnancy.
Tips to strengthen your abdomen after pregnancy
Developing your core strength can help tone up lax abdominal muscles. Plus, there’s an added benefit: Strong abs can help support your back, which may be strained from all the bending and lifting you’re doing as a new mom.
Just be careful not to rush your abdominal workout because it could interfere with your recovery, especially if you developed abdominal separation. Although this often resolves on its own in a month or two, starting a vigorous ab-exercise program right away could put you at risk of injury, like a hernia. So save the crunches for after your body has had time to heal.
Once you get the all-clear from your doctor, try these tummy-toning exercises:
Pelvic tilts with ab contractions. Lie on the floor with knees bent and feet flat on the ground. Press your lower back into the ground, pulling your belly button down toward your spine. Keeping your lower back pressed into the ground, slowly tighten your abs and gently lift your pelvis up an inch, then release back down, engaging your pelvic floor. (You’ll be doing double duty by getting in some Kegel exercises while you're at it.)
Modified crunches. From the same, bent-knee position on the floor, exhale slowly and extend one leg parallel to the floor. Return that leg to the starting position as you inhale. Do the same with the opposite leg.
Baby lifts. Once your little one is at least 4 months old, have her join the fun. Recline on your back, knees bent and feet flat to the floor. Seat your baby (facing forward) on your pelvis and support her under her arms. Inhale as you pull your belly button toward your spine, then exhale as you slowly lift your bottom and back, one vertebra at a time, off the floor until you’ve pulled your body into a straight line from chest to knees (keeping a careful grip on your baby, of course). Or try this: From the same starting position, inhale and lift your baby above you as you contract your abs; exhale while lowering the baby back to your belly.
Pilates and barre classes are also good for strengthening your core when your doctor gives you the green light.
Remember, weight gain during pregnancy is normal. And now that you’ve delivered, your postpartum belly is adjusting to not toting a little bundle around. There’s no need to rush your body’s recovery. You’ll get to where you want to be; just give it time.
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