Many women have the expectation of regaining wonderfully looking bodies immediately after giving birth, especially if they didn’t add excess weight as they ate for two. This issue actually affects women more than you can imagine. It took reality TV star Kim Kardashian a very long time to get back on in public because she felt insecure, put into consideration that this is a billionaire who can afford any product and the best fitness advisors. Yet, even if mums make postpartum exercise and diet a priority, new mothers may take some longer time for the belly to be back to normal size. Such events can make some to feel the insufficiency and think they are failures.

What women need to accept is that when getting back into the routine of postpartum exercise, new mothers have to practice patience and be realistic. The formation of the pregnant body took approximately 40 weeks, and it may take longer to get back to normalcy during the pre-pregnancy period.  Whether you underwent quick labor, a longer one or through the surgical process; the body experiences a huge change to expel a baby. That’s is related to the reason that the tummy grows and the uterus enlarges to accommodate the baby.

A woman’s uterus grows to make more room for the baby that is growing, and so it broadens over the pubic bone, and the abdomen is pushed out during pregnancy. Can you believe that women can look up to six months pregnant after giving birth, not all, I mean each woman has her own journey influenced by many factors including the age of woman, the baby’s size, the delivery method and her weight before the period of getting pregnant — can affect the time it takes for the shrinking of her bump to shrink, as well. The uterus can also contract due to the process of breastfeeding. But generally we are counting like six months.

1) Go slow

It’s not an emergency, rest, especially if you had a caesarian delivery. The process of giving birth is not to be overviewed as an easy task even the fittest moms need to proceed with caution. After a C-section and on the process of recovering, you ought to defer a cycle until after you undergo the first post-operative check. Establish with your doctor that there is proper closing of the skin, and that you are cleared and ready for a walking routine. Don’t panic, you won’t just be walking forever especially if you used to enjoy your cardio, once your wounds are fully healed and the Obsgyn gives a go ahead you can proceed to more intense work outs, step by step.

A problem that new mums encounter is that every few minutes they are aware from their babies they feel anxious or like they aren’t bonding enough. You can actually stroll with the baby for the 5- 7 minute walks.

2) Wait for the bleeding to stop.

This is even self explanatory. Yes you want your sexy back but your health is more important than the thin waist line, which you will get back, eventually, after the bleeding stops. At times women rush back to heavy duties because it seems like the bleeding has actually stopped, just to tear up again and get new stitches. At times going hard can take you back to where you were; don’t frustrate your healing process.

3) Go slow when breast feeding.

Nutritionists say that one way to lose weight after delivery is to breastfeed, exclusively. The bodily functions and even milk formation can take a toll on the body. Calories naturally burn during all these bodily processes leading to weight loss. Not much but yes, you lose some weight. It is advised that during this period you eat healthy, clean and take a lot of healthy fluids, as you will be eating for two.

Eventually when the recovery process is over and the body is operating normally, you can start small. Otherwise going hard on the workout and dieting will not only fatigue you, affecting you psychologically; you may slow down your healing process.

4) Check your pelvic floor.

Kegels are always recommended for those who have undergone natural child birth. Kegels strengthens your pelvic floor hence preventing incontinence which affects most mums. While it’s treatable, it can affects one’s self esteem not to be able to hold their bladders before soiling themselves. Kegels are a must have for every new mum who has undergone natural delivery.

Also, stay away from some workouts that can affect your pelvic floor; like crunches and squats, at least start with your kegels, and incorporate the rest after being given the go ahead by your obsgyn.

5)  Repair Diastatis

It’s quite normal for most new mums to experience back pains and aches in their abdominal muscles. The best way to deal with this is to go for regular checkups and even physiotherapy if recovery takes longer. Don’t panic though, this comes with pregnancy and can be cured.

6) Check for Wobbly Joints

Ligaments and joints are usually softened during pregnancy by a chemical called relaxin. It usually gets expelled from the body after child birth. The chemical is usually important for pregnancy and childbirth to soften the ligaments to allow mobility and reduce joint pains caused by stiffness. Unfortunately this chemical can also overstay its visit, this should be checked as it can make one wobbly hence affecting your fitness and metabilosm.

7) Do post partum exercises

There re so many mama friendly post partum exercises that you can engage in that will not put you at risk of tearing or delaying your recovery process. Swimming will always be an option. Also, walks rarely cause harm to the new mothers as it is very effective while mild. You can do it for longer periods as well while bonding with the baby. Speak of hitting two birds with one stone.

8) Stay Hydrated

As your body is going through so many processes like milk formation, stay hydrated to replace the lost fluids. Taking lots of water also helps in detoxing which is very necessary at this point. It flushes out toxins in the body through urine.

9) Rest UP

Most mums say that those who say they slept like a baby don’t have one, as babies like waking up making it almost impossible for the mum herself to sleep. Stay rested as much as you can as balancing all the tips we have listed above can take a toll on the mum and she needs some beauty sleep. Enjoy motherhood.