Pre baby body
We've all seen at least a handful of celebrity mothers who are photographed on the red carpet 5 weeks after giving birth looking all svelte and lean and as if a magic stork had delivered their baby. You on the other hand may feel like you would prefer to stay in your pyjamas and have no time at all to think about getting your pre baby body back.
A pregnancy places great pressures on your body as it changes shape and has to cater for a new life growing inside of you and giving birth does not instantly mean your rounded stomach will disappear, unfortunately! Having been stretched so much, there is often a lot of work that can go in to regaining your pre baby body and while it shouldn't be anything to worry about, many new mums are often eager to know when and what exercising they can do after giving birth.
Every pregnancy, and therefore every mother is different and there should never be any rush to get your pre baby body back and instead, let your body naturally shed those excess kilos gained until you have the strength and will to get back into shape. Some mothers may have speedier metabolisms and weight will drop off them but for others the period of recovery may take some months. On average it can take between 6 months to a year to regain your pre-pregnancy weight and shape if you stick to a sensible plan of healthy eating and exercise.
Breastfeeding
Breastfeeding can actually help you lose weight after giving birth. Your body uses up more calories when breastfeeding and so the natural process of feeding your baby can help shed some post baby kilos too. Hooray!
Your Diet
Whether you are breastfeeding or not, you should still be maintaining a healthy diet after giving birth to ensure you have all the right nutrients to keep you fit and healthy enough to be looking after your newborn.
Exercising
If the idea of going out to the gym to get back into shape seems like a horrid thought, you may find solace in exercise DVDs that you can do at home. Postnatal DVDs are increasingly popular and many celeb mums and other mums you would recognise from the TV have brought out pre and postnatal exercise DVDs covering simple stretching and aerobic exercises to yoga or even pilates to build inner core strength.
You should be doing your pelvic floor muscles every day and in the early stages it's best to stick to light walking and gentle exercises before attempting anything more strenuous. Bear in mind that you may have a certain period of recovery if you have had a caesarian section or multiple births.
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