Giving birth is the most miraculous event in the life of a mother. Unfortunately for many who have given birth, the arrival of excess body fat with the pregnancy seems to be a foregone conclusion. While getting rid of the excess body fat is difficult enough for those who have given natural birth. Women who have undergone a C-section face additional challenges.
The first step is to allow the incision made into the womb to heal completely. Your doctor will inform you about the time that it takes for your C-section to recover fully so that you can resume all your normal activities. In most women, the scar will take about two full weeks to heal. During this time, you should be resting to recover from your pregnancy.
However, for many women who have recently had a C-section, there are certain things you can do to start reducing belly fat. Just keep in mind not to strain the area around the C-section until the two weeks have passed or, more importantly, when your doctor gives you the go-ahead.
Tips to Reduce Belly Fat the Healthy Way
Several tips will help reduce belly fat and give you back your strong, toned tummy. The most obvious is eating a balanced diet. Increase the complex carbohydrates and reduce the amount of sugar simple carbohydrates, and that will definitely help. This should be followed by a good exercise routine.
But you will have to take things one at a time until you are fully healthy and can engage in a complete exercise routine.
Breastfeed
You may be surprised to learn that breastfeeding is one of the best ways to shed excess pounds and reduce the size of your belly. This is because breastfeeding causes your body to burn more calories than normal, shrinking that belly fat.
Plus, breastfeeding releases oxytocin in the body, which reduces the size of the uterus back to its pre-pregnancy state. That way, you can shrink your belly even faster.
Postnatal Massage
A proper postnatal massage will break up the fluids and fats in the belly. This can have a positive impact on how much fat you will lose after the C-section. The massage activates the lymph nodes, which drain away from the swelling and the body’s waste products. In addition, the massage will boost the flow of blood, which helps to oxygenate your body.
Another positive effect is that a proper postnatal massage will release endorphins that will reduce the pain. Plus, it will boost oxytocin production, which, when combined with breastfeeding, will help shrink the uterus.
Walk
Walking is one of the most effective means of reducing excess weight in the body. And when you push your baby around in the stroller, it can even help to burn away more fat. One significant advantage of walking is that it puts minor strain on your abdominal muscles, so you can start walking soon after giving birth.
For the most part, walking burns away the calories in a healthy manner by increasing blood circulation. It also strengthens your cardiovascular system. Walking can also help you feel better and allow you to relax. Not to mention all the fresh air you will receive when walking outdoors when possible.
Yoga
Of all the exercise routines apart from walking that are available, yoga is one of the most effective in getting rid of belly fat. Yoga strengthens the stomach muscles and helps to burn away the excess fat around the belly. When combined with walking, yoga can be pretty effective in reducing belly size and burning away fat.
Additional advice includes taking all your exercises in moderation. Too many will attempt to do too much and then resign from exercise too quickly when they do not see the results they want. You cannot rush nature. It is far better to take one step at a time, add new exercises when needed, and eat a healthy diet.
How to Deal with a Hanging Belly?
A hanging belly occurs after some pregnancies in which the stretching of the skin, ligaments, and muscles remains to a certain degree. This is more common in C-sections than natural births as the skin, muscles, and ligaments tend to stay closer to their stretched state. To deal with a hanging belly, you may want to employ one of the oldest methods available.
Binding
This entails wrapping a muslin cloth around the midsection. When the band is wrapped tightly but not too tight around the belly, it will actually help to burn away some of the excess fat. More importantly, the binding returns your abdomen more towards its desired shape. It also assists in protecting the incision until the scar fully heals.
You can still use a muslin cloth, but there are other fabrics you can try as well. Just remember to bind tightly enough to support your abdomen, but not so tight that it cuts off the circulation. Once your scar has fully healed, you will want to switch to abdominal exercises to strengthen the muscles and tighten the skin of the belly.
After undergoing a C-section and your doctor gives the okay for you to do some exercise, you should start by eating a healthy, nutritional diet. Followed by a proper exercise regimen. And finally getting enough sleep.
Getting enough sleep with a new baby in the house will not be easy, but you will need to get all the rest you can during this time.
The most important advice for any woman who has undergone a C-section and wants to reduce their post-pregnancy weight is to work with their bodies and not against them. A woman’s body has mechanisms that can help shrink the belly, lose the excess weight, and get back the desired flat stomach.
Pregnancy, especially the first one, may indeed alter some aspects of a woman’s body. This means that while you may never fully regain your pre-pregnancy form, you can create a healthy, beautiful body by following some essential tips that burn the fat and flatten the tummy.
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