After a miracle happened, when after a long nine months of waiting a beautiful baby was born, you can watch him for hours without ceasing to be touched. However, newly made mothers quite rarely feel completely happy, because a look at their own reflection in the mirror can inspire regret and self-doubt. Many even before the birth of the baby believe that the figure will quickly return to normal, but in most cases this does not happen. Not every woman after childbirth is able to return to the previous weight as soon as possible. Moreover, some do not succeed even after a few months or even years. Due to the fact that this problem is more than relevant, we propose to talk about how to recover from childbirth.
We return the body to its original state
First of all, it should be noted that the shape of the abdomen of a woman who has just given birth determines its contents, in this case, an enlarged uterus. So, for nine months of pregnancy, this organ is stretched, respectively, its volume also increases due to the appearance of new muscle fibers. So, the volume of the uterus at the time of birth increases by five hundred, and its weight - by 25 times! Of course, after delivery it will take time for the said organ to return to its original state. After a woman has given birth to a baby, the size of the uterus corresponds approximately to the parameters that were observed in the fourth month of pregnancy. And the tummy at this time is already very noticeable. Answering the question: “How much does the body recover after childbirth?”, We note that the uterus returns to its original size after about five to six weeks. We suggest now to learn about the first actions that need to be taken to speed up this process as much as possible.
Use ice
If you are wondering about how to recover quickly after childbirth, then keep in mind that you need to act already in the first hours after the baby is born. So, even when you are in the hospital for the first three to four days, it is recommended to apply ice to the lower abdomen for five to seven minutes several times a day. Cold stimulates vascular contraction and a decrease in bleeding of the damaged surface of the uterus, which accelerates the process of cleansing the cavity of this organ from blood clots and prevents bleeding from developing.
Lactation
Be sure to keep in mind that it will be much easier for a woman to lose weight after childbirth by breastfeeding. Moreover, experts recommend applying the baby to the chest not by the hour, but at the request of the baby. With this mode, the body of a young mother begins to produce the necessary amount of oxytocin, which helps to reduce uterine muscles. In addition, stimulation of the nipple at the level of reflexes causes contraction of muscle fibers in the female genital organ.
Lie on your stomach and move
In order for the uterus to contract faster, it is useful to lie belly down more often. This speeds up the process of emptying its cavity. So, it is quite enough to lie on your stomach several times a day for a quarter of an hour.
In addition, the most positive way to the process of restoration of the said organ is affected by the speedy rise to the legs (after a few hours after childbirth). So, due to muscle activity during walking, the bladder is stimulated, overflow of which prevents the uterus from contracting. In addition, the outflow of blood clots from her cavity improves.
How to recover from childbirth: use a bandage
In addition to the size of the uterus, the shape of the abdomen is determined by its rectus muscles located in the anterior abdominal cavity. In the process of bearing a child, they stretch and often diverge to the sides, forming the so-called diastasis. This phenomenon can persist for several months after childbirth, but, as a rule, it disappears after 8-12 weeks. To combat the stretched muscles of the abdomen and diastasis, experts recommend using a special postpartum bandage. It helps maintain the stretched abdominal wall, fixes the abdominal organs and does not allow a hernia to form. In addition, its use helps to fix the cesarean section. If you want to use a bandage, then without fail, consult a doctor who will tell you about how to wear it.
Choose a bandage
There are three varieties of this medical device. The first of them is called a bandage belt and is a wide (15-30 cm) elastic tape covering not only the stomach, but also the hips, and fastened with Velcro. This device is indicated for use both during pregnancy (located on the broad side on the back) and in the postpartum period (strengthens the most voluminous part in the abdomen).
There is also a bandage grace. It has the form of shorts with a high waist and tight inserts in the abdomen and lower back, as well as a wide belt. Another type of bandage - called postpartum - is recommended for use by women who have had a cesarean section.
Contraindications to wearing a bandage
When wondering how to recover quickly from childbirth, you should not focus on the speed of returning to your original appearance. The main factor is maintaining your own health. Indeed, even such a seemingly harmless thing as a bandage has a number of contraindications. These include the following pathologies:
- kidney disease;
- gastrointestinal diseases, which are accompanied by bloating or spastic pain (for example, colitis);
- allergic skin diseases (contact dermatitis, etc.);
- inflamed skin in areas in contact with the bandage tissue;
- inflammation of the sutures after cesarean section.
How to use a postpartum brace
Wearing a bandage must be exclusively lying on your back. In this position, the abdominal muscles are in a relaxed state, which allows you to fix them correctly. In the absence of contraindications, bandages are recommended to be used throughout the postpartum period, that is, about two months after the birth of the baby. Moreover, it will become not only an excellent means to restore the figure, but also reduce back pain, which quite often causes discomfort to young mothers. Do not forget that when wearing a postpartum bandage, you need to take breaks for 30-50 minutes every three hours throughout the day.
How to recover from childbirth using gymnastics
Another important step in the process of restoring a normal figure is special physical exercises. However, you should not rush into gymnastics. So, you can start active exercises 8 weeks after the birth, if your baby was born naturally, and not earlier than 2.5-3 months if you have had a cesarean section. At earlier dates, the load on the muscles of the press can lead to serious consequences in the form of an increase in intra-abdominal pressure, which entails the preservation of diastasis, the omission of the vaginal walls, and the divergence of sutures.
Gradual load
To maintain health after childbirth, it is recommended to resort to breathing exercises. They are performed lying on their backs. On inspiration, we try to inflate the stomach as much as possible, on exhalation we draw it into ourselves as much as possible. Repeat this exercise about 15 times in one approach, which can be done up to 10 per day. Training can be a little complicated. To do this, the exercise should be performed while lying on your stomach. At the same time, you will also stimulate the intestines, which will solve the problem of constipation so often disturbing mothers. However, keep in mind that such a training is shown only to women who have given birth naturally. If your baby was born through cesarean section, then such exercises are contraindicated, because they can provoke a discrepancy in the postoperative suture.
Another excellent answer to the question of how to recover from childbirth is walking. In addition, this most effective way to bring the abdominal muscles into tone has almost no time limits or medical indications. So, the process of walking involves most of the muscles of our body, and maintaining the body in an upright position contributes to the tension of the muscles of the abdominal wall. At the same time, you can always control the degree of load, changing the intensity of movement depending on how you feel.
Home workouts
After 1.5-2 months after birth, you can slightly increase the load on the abdominal muscles. However, it should be borne in mind that serious physical activity can affect the production of breast milk. Therefore, aerobics, shaping, sports dancing are recommended only after six months after the baby is born. Up to this point, it is best to limit yourself to home workouts.
Some simple exercises
1. We accept a starting position, laying on a back. The legs are bent at the knees so that the lower back is pressed to the floor. Hands easily grasp the neck. Slowly raise the upper body, stretch the chin to the knees, while straining the muscles of the press. Repeat this exercise 30 times.
2. We accept the starting position lying on the floor on the back. In this case, the legs are straightened, arms are extended along the body. Gently raise your legs up at an angle of 30-45 degrees. Do not bend your knees. Repeat the exercise about 20 times.
Do not forget about proper nutrition
If you are concerned about how to restore the figure after childbirth, then much attention should be paid to what you eat and in what portions. So, limit the intake of animal fats, which are found, for example, in pork and cream. Also, exclude high-calorie foods from your diet and be sure to keep track of your serving sizes. However, getting involved in diets is also not worth it. Your diet should be healthy and varied, because everything you eat will affect your baby (if you are breastfeeding). So, a woman after childbirth must definitely include fresh vegetables and fruits, cereals and dairy products in her menu. Limit the use of bakery products, butter, as well as all salty, fatty, fried and spicy. All this will help maintain health (both your own and your baby's health) and quickly restore former weight after childbirth.
Skin care
Far from the last role in the formation of the appearance that a woman acquires after childbirth is the condition of the skin. This is especially true of our tummy, which undergoes stretching during pregnancy, which often leads to the appearance of stretch marks and the formation of the so-called “apron” (excess skin). As a rule, the occurrence of such unpleasant consequences is purely individual. In most cases, after the baby is born, the skin on the stomach of a young mother is quickly reduced and returns to normal. However, to speed up this process, something to do after childbirth is still necessary. First of all, experts recommend increasing her tone using a contrast shower. It is advisable to take it in the morning. To start, use warm water for a few minutes, and then turn on hot water. Then let the cold water in for a few seconds. Be sure to keep in mind that it takes much longer to heat the body than to cool. After this procedure, it is recommended to rub with a hard towel. A kind of massage will help stimulate skin blood flow.
In addition to the contrast shower, you can use special cosmetics. However, their choice should be approached very carefully. This is due to the fact that the substances contained in them are easily absorbed into the skin, can penetrate into breast milk and harm the health of your baby.
Conclusion
So, today we found out that it’s quite difficult to accurately and unequivocally answer the question of how much the body is recovering after childbirth. After all, this process not only depends on how the baby was born, but also on many individual factors. However, regardless of this, you can always help your body with the right physical activity, a healthy diet, cosmetics and much more.