Pregnancy and birth change the shape of your body – both inside and out. Moisturisers can help to fade stretch marks, exercise can flatten your tummy and bigger clothes can hide those extra kilos, but what about internal recovery? How do you rejuvenate that sling of over-stretched pelvic floor muscles?
How Your Body Changes After Pregnancy
Weight gain. You'll lose some of the weight you gained during pregnancy after you give birth. In addition, you may lose a few more pounds as your body adjusts to no longer being pregnant. But don't expect to lose more anytime soon. You'll still be losing weight for a few months after you give birth.
Some women experience problems with their thyroid after giving birth. This condition, called postpartum thyroiditis, can lead to unexpected changes in your weight.
Bigger stomach. You hear many women complain about the postpartum belly. Maybe not their belly specifically, but about celebrities who don't have a postpartum belly just a few months after birth. It's not fair. Well, you can do something about your postpartum belly. You can get back to your previous weight and shrink your postpartum belly with nutrition, exercise, and time.
Different bra size. Your hormones are responsible for your body's changes during pregnancy. One of those surprising changes is to your bra size. Your breasts get larger during and after pregnancy to prepare for breastfeeding. In addition, your ribcage and chest shape may have changed throughout your pregnancy. So even after you've given birth and finish breastfeeding, the shape of your chest and breasts will be different.
Postpartum swelling. As your body recovers from pregnancy, you may have residual swelling in your feet and legs. Swelling should fade with time and care. You may need to wear bigger socks, shoes, and pants postpartum. So, don't throw out your maternity clothes just yet.
Healing and recovery after birth takes time, patience, and determination. This challenge is made tougher now that there’s more than one of you to cope with. You thought that you would have all the time in the world – but somehow there just aren’t enough hours in a day!
The weight of your baby and the strain of giving birth on the pelvic floor can weaken this sling of elasticated tissue. Pregnancy hormones soften muscles, joints, and ligaments in preparation for birth, but once baby is born, these muscles need to snap back to their original positions to support the bladder, womb, and bowel. If this is not achieved, it could, in years to come, result in a prolapse, sometimes even necessitating corrective surgery.
Because giving birth (especially vaginal birth) is such a strenuous event, women need to start preparing during pregnancy – ideally from six months. Ante-natal exercises teach women which muscles to use when ‘pushing’, prepping these muscles to improve endurance, flexibility, and relatability. They should be passive and non-strenuous, helping women to generate, rather than deplete energy.
Post-natal exercises help to build strength, tighten muscles, and improve energy levels. Pelvic floor exercises can be done any time of the day, standing, sitting, or squatting.
Top Recovery Tips
Learn to focus on what’s important: food, warmth, and comfort
Give yourself time to heal
Focus on achievements
Make time to enjoy a hot bath (alone) every day
Call a friend when you’re not coping.
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