New
baby, new you
You don't have to carry around that pregnancy weight if you follow our simple
guide to getting your figure back after the birth... and discover how the stars
did it!
- Is your body ready?
- Do the ab check
- The best way to lose weight
- Try these easy exercises at home
- Your eating plan
- Help for you
- How the stars did it
You've had your baby and you're probably totally absorbed with nappies, feeding
and sleep (or rather the lack of it) but it's never too soon to think about
getting back in shape... as long as all is well medically and you take it gently
at first.
Don't forget, however, that you were pregnant for nine months so you shouldn't
expect your body to snap back instantly. "Lots of women expect wonders
but it usually takes at least as long as the pregnancy and you need to combine
exercise with paying attention to what you eat," says Anette Holtmeyer,
a postnatal exercise teacher in Stroud, Gloucestershire and member of the Guild
of Postnatal Exercise Teachers (see Help for you,
below).
Is your body ready?
Until you've had your postnatal check up with your GP - usually around six weeks
after the birth - you shouldn't attempt any serious exercise, but that doesn't
mean you can't start doing gentle toning of the pelvic floor (see
below) as long as you don't have any medical complications. If you've had
a Caesarean, don't attempt any formal exercise until after your check-up, around
8-10 weeks after the birth.
Be guided by your midwife/GP as to what you can do, tune in to your own body
and stop exercising if:
- anything hurts or you experience sudden, sharp pain
- you get any unexplained bleeding or it's heavier than usual
When you're discharged from hospital, the midwife or physiotherapist may give you a sheet of simple exercises that you can start doing at home. They'll include the pelvic floor exercises
(see Try these
simple exercises at home, below), as this is the area of your body that's taken the greatest strain during pregnancy and labour. "It's important to work those pelvic floor muscles so try to do it every time you feed or change your baby," suggests GMTV fitness expert Nicki Waterman.
You may want to avoid high impact exercise (for example, step classes or running) until your baby is around five months old as your body will still be under the influence of the ligament-softening hormone relaxin. Also your pelvic floor won't tone up properly until two to three months after the birth (as long as you've been doing the exercises).
Do the ab check
When you start formal exercise again, it's worth checking the state of your abdominal muscles. These muscles are in four layers:
- Deep (transversus) muscles that run across your tummy
- Internal and external oblique muscles that run diagonally in two layers
- The rectus abdominus that runs from down your ribs to the top of your pubic bone of your pelvis
The rectus muscles may have parted during pregnancy and it's important to find out how far as this will determine what sort of exercise you can undertake:
- Lie flat on your back, with your knees hip distance apart and bent.
- Looking at the palm of your hand, point the fingers downwards on your tummy just below the belly button.
- Take a deep breath in and, on the out breath, curl up with your head and shoulders and press your fingers into your tummy, until you feel the ridge of the muscles closing in on both sides.
- Avoid high impact exercise and sit-ups/curl-ups if you can get more than two fingers into the gap.
- If you're unsure about how wide the gap is, ask your postnatal exercise
teacher or midwife to do the check with you.
The best way to lose weight
This isn't rocket science and it's basically about building up to a regular exercise plan - whether that's organised activities like low-impact aerobics, Pilates and gentle forms of yoga (see How the stars shape up) or things that you can fit into your baby's routine like swimming or brisk walking - combined with healthy eating (see Your eating plan, below).
Breastfeeding will also help you regain your figure as it tones the muscles and shrinks your uterus (which grew 20 times bigger in pregnancy) back down to its normal size. Plus, it uses up calories - one study found women who breastfed for six months lost 2kg more than other mums in the first year after their baby was born.
"The only thing you need to remember if combining breastfeeding and exercise is to wear a supportive bra and feed your baby before exercising. Don't forget a good pair of trainers too," says postnatal exercise teacher Anette Holtmeyer.
Try these easy exercises at home
Pelvic floor toning
- Sit, stand or lie with your knees slightly apart and breathe steadily
- Slowly tighten and pull up the muscles around your vagina and back passage as tightly as possible. Hold for five seconds then relax
- Repeat five times
- Repeat the whole process, doing each pull-up and release quickly, again five times
- Do these as often as you are able each day, building up to 10 counts, 10 times in a row as often as possible - aim to do them a minimum of four times a week
- Lie flat on your back and find your neutral spinal position (usually slightly curved) with your knees slightly bent and hip distance apart
- Tilt your pelvis into the floor and then release again
- Repeat eight times at first, building up as you become stronger
- Lie in the same position as for the pelvic tilt above
- Take a deep breath in and on the out-breath draw in the tummy button towards your spine, keeping the back still
- Hold for a couple of seconds then release with the in-breath
- Repeat eight times, then try to hold contractions for longer while continuing to breathe. Repeat in sets of four
Your eating plan
This is straightforward stuff - it's basically about eating well-balanced, healthy meals without actually trying 'to diet', which isn't recommended as you need your energy and especially if you are breastfeeding which takes up to 500 extra calories a day.
Eat as much as you need to satisfy your hunger, snack little and often to boost your milk supply and keep your fluid intake up - drink something every time you breastfeed.
Whichever way you choose to feed your baby, the dietary advice for you is the same. Aim for small amounts of fat, medium portions of protein (meat, fish, pulses) and carbohydrate (bread, cereal, pasta) and bulk out your portions with lots of fresh fruit and veg, especially the dark green, leafy varieties.
Always have healthy snacks in the house to avoid you reaching for 'empty' calories like chocolate when you have an energy dip. Go for things like carrot or celery sticks with humous, yoghurts, cottage cheese and rice cakes, bananas or malt loaf. Keep your calcium intake up (dairy products, oily fish) and drink fresh orange juice with meals to increase your iron absorption.
Help for you
To find a post-baby exercise class in your area, log onto www.postnatalexercise.co.uk or contact your local sports centre.
TAKE NOTE!
Always check with your GP or midwife before starting any new exercise or eating regime.
Melanie Deeprose
Where to next?
- Read how the stars shape up after pregnancy
- Talk to others about your post-baby get fit plans on our New Parents discussion forum
- Check our postnatal health guide for more advice
- New baby, no sex? Here's
how to keep the passion alive
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