Postpartum flabby skin and cellulite are probably two of the biggest “concerns” for women these days. Weight loss after pregnancy and cellulite are not interrelated, however, and therefore, in this page, we will deal with them separately.
How can I firm my skin after having a baby?
Most women have loose flabby skin after having a baby. This is especially true for women who have large babies. During pregnancy, the stomach walls are stretched so much that the stomach muscles separate in front. This is natural and nothing to be worried about. After the birth of the baby, mothers need a recovery period so that the muscles heal and stitch back together. Not only the muscles, but due to the hormones secreted during child birth, even the tendons and ligaments in the rest of the body are loose. This is the reason why doctors recommend at least six months after childbirth before starting on any high impact exercises. Low impact exercises such as swimming, walking, cycling, etc. are okay, starting a couple of weeks after birth.
The stomach has three layers of muscles, the rectus abdominus, the external oblique, and the transverse abdominis. Out of these, the transverse abdominis is the bottom most layer of muscles. Generally, any stomach exercise such as crunches will only strengthen the external two layers and does nothing for the transverse abdominis, whereas it is actually the transverse abdominis that provides the framework for your abdominal muscles as well as holds your waist together. Strengthening the external layers will only result in your abdomen getting pushed to the front and sagging even more because the underlying layer which gives your abdomen shape is not strong.
Thus, most postpartum corrective exercises will target the transverse abdominis, giving your abdomen shape. Even cases severe enough for people to think of corrective surgery can usually be rectified with these exercises.
Note: You will never get back the same shape as you were before childbirth. It is impossible even with surgery because childbirth irreparably alters your physiology. You can, however, look good and stay healthy by doing the proper exercises.
Losing cellulite with a home remedy
Cellulite is nothing but fat under the skin. In fact, before the 1970s, there was no term such as cellulite, and the Journal of the American Medical Association stated that “there was no medical condition known or described as cellulite in this country” almost twenty years ago. As of now, the only “cure” for cellulite is healthy eating and exercise.
Most cellulite treatment focuses on the temporary tightening of the skin to give the appearance of cellulite having gone.
References:
- http://www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au/bhcv2/bhcarticles.nsf/pages/Post_natal_exercise_sample_workout
- http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/002033.htm
- http://parents.berkeley.edu/advice/pregnancy/ab_exercise.html
- http://goaskalice.columbia.edu/cure-cellulite
answered by M W