Table of contents:
- How long does it take for the stomach to return to normal after giving birth?
- Natural way to tighten sagging stomach after childbirth
- 1. Take care of your diet
- 2. Drink plenty of water
- 3. Regular exercise
- 4. Diligent breastfeeding
- 5. Massage with essential oils
Sagging skin after childbirth makes new mothers feel less confident. That's why new mothers are often looking for ways to tighten their sagging stomachs after giving birth. So, how long does it take for a sagging stomach to return to normal and how to tighten the stomach after giving birth?
How long does it take for the stomach to return to normal after giving birth?
Mothers who have just given birth usually experience almost the same problems, especially related to body changes, one of which is a sagging stomach.
During pregnancy, the skin of the stomach does stretch because you are carrying a baby whose size increases every month until the end of the third trimester.
Apart from being pregnant, weight gain during pregnancy is also a cause of postpartum sagging stomach.
As a result, sometimes there are mothers whose stomach size looks like they are still pregnant even though they have given birth before, either giving birth normally or by caesarean section.
Although it is quite difficult to restore the size of the stomach to its original size, in fact it does not rule out the possibility of the stomach back flat.
The key, you want to apply how to tighten a sagging stomach after giving birth and be patient in doing it.
It takes nine months for the body and stomach to expand during pregnancy. So, the body and stomach also take several months to return to normal size.
According to the Baby Center, it takes about 6-8 weeks during the puerperium for the uterus to contract back to its original size before pregnancy and childbirth.
Automatically it will take longer than that until the sagging stomach can return to flat as you hoped.
How quickly a sagging stomach returns to its original shape after childbirth depends on several things, namely:
- Body shape and size before pregnancy and childbirth
- Weight gain during pregnancy
- How active or how often you exercise after giving birth
- Body genes
Natural way to tighten sagging stomach after childbirth
Every woman who has just given birth must have longed for a slim body and a toned belly back to the way it was before pregnancy.
Relax, this is not just a dream, really! Yes, you can get back a toned and not sagging tummy after giving birth.
While taking care of your little one, do the following natural ways to tighten a sagging stomach after giving birth:
1. Take care of your diet
Besides speeding up the recovery process, adjusting a good diet after giving birth can also be a way to tighten a sagging stomach after giving birth, you know!
So that the stomach can get back taut, try adding various sources of protein in your diet.
Protein foods such as eggs, meat, and nuts are very good for the development of the body's muscles.
Protein also contains collagen which can help tighten a sagging stomach, such as in the arms, thighs, stomach, face and other parts of the body.
According to the Ministry of Health's Nutrition Adequacy Figures, the total protein needs of women aged 19-49 years are around 56-57 grams.
Now, because you are currently breastfeeding, it is imperative that you add 20 grams of protein to your diet every day.
2. Drink plenty of water
Not just quenching thirst, drinking enough water every day can also make your stomach more elastic.
The more regularly you drink water, the more moisturized the skin will be and in the end, gradually reduce sagging skin on the stomach.
Drinking water can also help burn fat in the body and reduce water buildup in the stomach so that it can be a way to tighten the stomach after childbirth.
As a result, a loose stomach will gradually tighten and make you look as slimmer as before.
3. Regular exercise
Have you set your diet and drink enough water? Don't forget to balance it with regular exercise, OK!
Not only helps you lose weight after giving birth, exercise after giving birth can also help tighten a sagging stomach.
No need to bother trying high-intensity exercise as a way to deal with sagging stomachs after giving birth so that fat quickly decreases.
You can do light cardio exercise such as brisk walking, jogging, swimming, or cycling as long as it is done consistently.
As you get used to it, add strength training to build and tone your muscles.
Starting from simple strength training such as sit-ups and push-ups or maybe take a yoga or pilates class.
These movements can tone your core muscles, hips, and buttocks for a long time.
To be safer, you should first consult your doctor about the time and type of exercise that is right for you.
This aims to avoid the risk of injury that may occur during sports later.
4. Diligent breastfeeding
Who would have thought that breastfeeding your little one could also be the most powerful way to tighten a sagging stomach after giving birth?
Apart from being a source of healthy nutrition for babies, the benefits of breast milk from breastfeeding are also good for the health of the mother.
Breastfeeding converts the calories in your body into breast milk for the baby.
The more and often you breastfeed, the more fat in your body will decrease.
In fact, mothers who are breastfeeding tend to lose weight faster than mothers who are not breastfeeding.
5. Massage with essential oils
The essential oil has anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties that can help improve the texture of the skin to make it firmer.
This is why massage with essential oils can be tried as a way to tighten a sagging stomach after childbirth.
Even apart from a sagging stomach, stretch marks that appear on the stomach are also a problem after childbirth, reported the March of Dimes.
For maximum results, try using olive oil or coconut oil to help get rid of postpartum stretch marks on the stomach.
Apply essential oil to the abdomen, arms, or legs and massage gently.
Routine massage after childbirth makes the blood flow under the skin smoother, so the skin is firmer.
In other words, the combination of massage and essential oils can maximize your efforts in implementing the postpartum sagging technique.
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