Got a Post Baby Body? Here Is a Tip.
After the excitement of childbirth, first-time moms are often shocked to discover that their bodies don’t automatically snap back into shape. The first thing I remember after I got home with my new baby was looking sideways in a mirror and gasping… OMG, I still looked pregnant! Was I ever going to see a flat tummy again!?! Wow, this is so unfair! How come I see celebrities looking like hot babes shortly after they give birth?It will take time for your belly to shrink, no matter who you are. Believe it or not, it takes about 2 weeks to lose the excess fluid in your body and then around another month for your uterus and muscles to shrink back down to normal. So don’t put yourself under the pressure to be “Facebook Ready” two days after you deliver your baby! However, I think I found something that will help put you on the fast track to a flat tummy.
Studies have shown that compression helps to heal wounds faster, even Post BabyBod® Tummies, but it has to be the correct amount of compression. To facilitate healing there should be enough elastic in the garment to compress the belly without pressing so hard that the garment takes over the work of the abdominal muscles. Also, the compression should be graduated, which means that it is a little bit tighter on the legs then it is around the waist to help lose that excess fluid you retained during pregnancy and to add uplifting support to "stretched out mommy tummy" muscles.BEWARE; don’t jump on the internet to order one of those fiercely tight, shapewear products! Finish reading this article first. “Shapewear” undergarments, the ones we see advertised all over the internet and magazines are too tight for postpartum moms and can weaken the abdominal muscles.Many of you may have seen articles written about celebrities who claim wearing very tight abdominal binders for a few months helped them to develop a flat tummy after childbirth. Nothing could be further from the truth!As a physical therapist who specializes in treating postpartum women, I would like to give a warning that tight abdominal binders will not help to flatten your tummy; and using an abdominal binder actually weakens stomach muscles. Another problem with abdominal binders is that they create compressive downward forces which push internal organs down towards the worn out muscles at the bottom of the pelvis (pelvic floor muscles). This can lead to problems such as chronic urinary leakage and pelvic organ prolapse. Yikes!So, do you want to know the best way to get rid of that post baby bump?
The answer is to wear a graduated compression undergarment to help speed healing, encourage your abdominal muscles to contract and to hold your organs “up and in”.After spending over a year researching and trying out over 20 different garments for new moms, I eventually found an excellent product. It is a pair of high-waisted undershorts that were originally designed to help increase blood flow after abdominal surgery. So far over two dozen of my patients have tried them out and have found them very comfortable. I recommend that they try to use them for about 10 hours per day anywhere from 6 weeks to 3 months after childbirth. Some moms continued to wear them while exercising during the entire time they were nursing. Experienced moms who had a second or third baby have told me that they wish they knew about these shorts when they had their other children.