Avoid the Post-Baby Tummy Pooch

By Valerie Lynn, Post-Pregnancy Wellness Specialist

Why does this happen?

I hear time and time again, “I’ve lost the baby weight, or most of it, but my stomach still sticks out a little. It never recovered fully.” Ah the dreaded pregnancy pooch. Why does this happen?

When the baby and placenta are birthed, this leaves an empty cavity in the lower abdomen. This empty space, that a growing baby once occupied, is temporarily filled by the internal organs that drop down as a baby is no longer pushing them up. As the organs shrink and reposition back to their normal place they lie on the distended, or super-stretched, abdominal muscles. In order for the female body to accommodate a growing baby the hormone called, relaxin, is released which allows the body to become malleable. This means it causes the ligaments to become supple. Ligaments hold the pelvis bones together, when the ligaments are supple this allows the pelvis bones to loosen to prepare for childbirth. This compromises joint stability and may cause pain when you sit for long periods, get out of a low seat, stand, walk, bend and lift or even roll over in bed.

Relaxin makes the spinal joints flexible stretching or accentuating the curvature of the spine causing a shift in the center of gravity forward. The hormone also softens the abdominal muscles and skin to stretch beyond whatever was thought possible. The relaxin hormone remains in a woman’s body for three months; and if breastfeeding a small percentage of the hormone remains constant.

As the process for the internal organs to shrink and reposition take place, they are supported by the abdominal muscles, that are at the same time, equally working to shrink back to their normal size. However, the muscles must cope with the constant weight of the internal organs pressing outwardly on them as they are trying to contract. The organs will eventually reposition and the muscles will shrink, but from the pressure of the organs the stomach muscles may not recover fully, ending up permanently stretched. It is like over extending a rubber band that never gets back to it’s original tight length.

Another reason for a post-baby tummy pooch can be cased by a separation of the muscles from the stomach or diastasis recti. The separation of the “six-pack” muscles, or rectus abdominis. This condition is very common during and after pregnancy which according to recent studies effect up to 60%, or approximately 2.4 million women.

One way to prevent the pregnancy pooch is to support a pregnant tummy with a support wrap from the third trimester to relieve the stomach and back muscles, and to wrap the core from the first week after giving birth up to six weeks.

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