One of the fears of every new mum or expectant mother is whether or not they would get their pre-baby body back after giving birth. If you have never paid attention to your body before conceiving, it is important that you start doing that now.
As a pregnant woman, you get to gain more weight as time goes by because of the growing baby in your womb. Your waist and hips most especially get larger and you grow some inches more in those areas.
When thinking of getting back your pre-baby body, you should note that it takes time. You can’t just snap back within one or two weeks; you need to work at it.
It is also important to set realistic expectations for yourself and not measure your postpartum weight loss success by the standard of social media. To get your body back in shape, you need a lot of dedication and patience.
According to Babycentre.co.uk, “It takes about four weeks for your womb (uterus) to contract to its pre-pregnancy size.” Remember it took 9 months for your body to stretch and accommodate your baby, it can’t take seconds to get your body in shape back. You need patience.
Here are some of the things you can do:
1. Exercise: Once your doctor has cleared you for exercise, you can start exercising to get back your shape. Gentle regular exercises can go a long way in helping you get your body back in shape. There are also a lot of YouTube postnatal exercises you can watch.
2. Eat healthy: Eat more fruits and fibre-rich foods. Don’t skip breakfast and watch your food portions as well.
3. Breastfeeding: Research has shown that breastfeeding helps to burn fat. According to Babycentre.co.uk, “If you breastfeed, you'll burn extra calories to make milk – about 500 calories a day.” And so, make sure you breastfeed your baby if you can. Breastfeeding is good for you and your baby.
4. Ask for help: You can ask your husband or a relative to help you watch your baby or babysit for a few hours while you work out or cook a healthy meal.
5. Stay hydrated: It is important that you stay hydrated. This helps your body and speed up your metabolism.
6. Sleep: You have probably heard this before but it is important to repeat it. You need to sleep. Find ways to sleep and you can even sleep when your baby sleeps.
