For most people, carrying a pregnancy and giving birth to a healthy baby is just about the greatest achievement and joy they can ever experience in life.
After this comes months or a few years of breastfeeding. Throw in months of sleep deprivation, and the aftermath of having your bundle of joy becomes all too visible.
If you were once firm and rounded in all the right places, this might no longer be the case. The good news is that you do not have to resign to fate. Here are some au naturel ways to help you get your groove back before you consult for a tummy tuck.
Breastfeed. Breastfeed. Breastfeed
One of the best natural things you can do to shed that extra pregnancy weight is to breastfeed your little tot. Aside from breast milk being the most nutritious thing you could ever feed your baby, it does wonders for the mom as well.
Breastfeeding helps you lose calories even with an additional food intake to aid in milk production.
Work Out
At your next checkup after the baby, the doctor should be able to clear you for exercise. This will be dependent on how you had your baby.
Women who had a vaginal delivery can often begin working out sooner than women than birthed their babies via C- section.
Either way, your doctor can discuss your options in each case. An ideal post-partum workout focus on rebuilding the core as well as some cardio. Cardio should help you lose weight all around, while core exercise will tackle belly fat.
Work Out
Working out covers you on both ends. For starters, it helps you lose excess weight and revert to your pre-pregnancy weight.
The second thing working out can help you with is to tone loose skin.
Minimize Stress
Being a new mom does bring along a level of stress. This is especially true for moms without much help around the house.
Chronic stress, however, can lead to elevated cortisol levels. This not only stimulates weight gain but also determines where the pounds pile. Often, this is the belly area.
It, therefore, helps to keep your stress levels at a minimum. Ask for help with the baby from friends and family whenever you can attempt to get adequate sleep, meditate and engage in activities that elevate your mood.
It’s Doable
Combined, these efforts can help you not only regain your pre-pregnancy body but build or sculpt a better body than what you had before. This is important for women that want to retain some of the pregnancy pounds.
The trick is to know what to do and then make an effort to do these actions consistently over time.