Pregnancy means your body goes through a lot of changes. Once you deliver your baby, your life is permanently changed.
However, since your baby leaves your body, they aren’t a permanent change to it. Some changes might feel like they are, whether it be muscles stretched farther than you ever thought possible or extra weight you didn’t use to carry.
Getting your pre-pregnancy body back is possible, and you can even do it with rather simple remedies.
1. Exercise Over Diet
As stated by WebMD, exercise is something you should start a lot earlier than dieting if you want to restore your pre-pregnancy body.
If you’re breastfeeding, then caloric restrictions can be dangerous for your baby and not too great for you either. On the other hand, your body is probably ready for a workout more than you might think.
A lot of exercises are actually encouraged throughout every stage of pregnancy. Exercising while pregnant will ease delivery and decrease your recovery time.
Not only can you burn fat and build muscle but you can also enjoy endorphins that ward off postpartum depression. The increase in your metabolism will certainly be effective in dealing with the exhaustion of mothering a newborn.
2. Breastfeed
Kids that aren’t breastfed turn out okay, so don’t feel like you have to do this. However, there are many health benefits to both the mothers and babies that do this. You’ll certainly bond with your baby in a way that can’t happen otherwise.
What’s interesting is that you’ll also burn 500 to 700 calories per day by breastfeeding. That adds up to a pound a week of weight loss while doing your child a lot of good for their physical and mental health.
If possible, take naps the same time your baby does. Your schedules will match, and getting sufficient sleep is beneficial for your figure and energy levels.
3. Get Rid of Your Pregnancy Pooch
One thing that happens to a lot of women who give birth is a condition known as diastasis recti. This might also be more commonly known as ‘pregnancy pooch’. It’s a separation that happens in your abdominal wall muscles and can result in anything from painful sex to incontinence.
Fortunately, even though it’s an interior issue, you don’t have to have surgery to correct it.
Although surgery is a possibility for those that want it, many women are able to restore their physique by doing the right forms of exercise as dedicated therapy.
4. Let the Weight Loss Happen
Your weight loss is likely to happen in two phases if you follow your doctor’s directions right. Your first post-partum doctor visit might not happen for six to eight weeks, and you might lose some weight on your own during that phase as your body adjusts to life with an empty womb. You won’t be back at your pre-pregnancy weight by that appointment, however.
Celebrities that post Instagram images of toned physiques after giving birth usually have personal trainers and expensive home gyms. They also probably have maids and nanny’s to take care of daily tasks for them.
You’ll probably still have 10 to 20 pounds on you after two months, but you can also lose those in the following months.
Sometimes a good walking routine is all you need. You don’t have to be a gym rat, and you probably shouldn’t be right after giving birth.
5. Get to Know Other New Moms
Knowing any mother is a good thing when you become one, but if you can get to know other new moms, then you’re meeting people in the same stage of life as you are. Learn from each other, support each other, and help one another.
The stress levels you are dealing with are pretty high, and many of the things stressing you are new to you. Just sharing this with others immediately goes a long way in alleviating stress, and it makes your post-pregnancy life a lot better. Anything that helps your mental and emotional health will positively impact your physical health, too.
You’ll never get back to a pre-pregnancy life, and there’s no reason you should want to. Motherhood is a beautiful experience and can fill you with love and joy unequivocal anywhere else in life.
You can, however, get your pre-pregnancy body back and improve your physical and mental health if you:
- Focus on exercise over dieting.
- Breastfeed.
- Say goodbye to your pregnancy pooch.
- Be patient with the weight loss.
- Get to know new moms around you.
These are simple and successful ways to restore your body and mind after giving birth to a baby.
About The Author:
Taylor Haskings is a freelance writer born in Denver, Colorado. She graduated with a bachelor’s in English from the University of Colorado, Denver. She enjoys hiking in the Colorado Rockies and loves the fine arts, such as playing the violin. Her true strengths include networking with others and expressing herself through the written word.
