After childbirth mothers might be surprised that their tummy is almost the same. The belly stays stretched for a period after birth.
Why Does the Tummy Look the Same?
The body needs some time to recover and get back to normal after pregnancy. It takes a long time for the belly to increase in size so it will need some time to bounce back.
The tummy looks big due to some factors like the uterus size that takes a while to shrink back, swollen cells until they get rid of all the extra fluid, extra fats that the pregnant woman needs for fetal nutrition and energy. It takes few weeks to lose the extra fats.
The Time Needed For the Belly to Bounce Back
Some get back to their normal size right after birth. This is not common. Most women need several months to lose their extra weight totally. Some mothers don’t lose it entirely.
Patience is the key to a tight and flat stomach. It took 9 months to increase in size so it will need at least few months to get back.
The speed at which the body restores its shape largely depends on the nature of the body, the amount of weight gain, breastfeeding or using formula, genes and activity level.
What Can Be Done to Help Flatten Your Stomach
Although most mothers continue to lose weight in first few weeks after childbirth, there are some steps that help restore the body shape faster.
Breastfeeding
Breastfeeding consumes some calories to generate milk, especially in the first few months, which helps lose more weight than those who don’t breastfeed do.
Breastfeeding also triggers the contractions that help shrink the uterus. Some mothers find difficulty losing the last few kilograms.
Exercise Training
Workouts help lose extra weight and tone your belly. Working out on a daily basis and focusing on the moves that target your stomach works like magic.
Dieting
If you gain too much weight during pregnancy, losing some kilograms can help reduce your waistline. A simple healthy diet can help lose weight but it’s advice to let the body lose weight on its own plus some exercises before starting to cut back on fats. Avoid severe diets.
Going on sever diets affects the formation of breast milk and puts you in a starvation mood. Mothers need 1600-2400 calories to maintain their healthy weight
Source
BabyCenter