Get back into shape after having your baby

Unless you’re an A-lister with an army of personal trainers and nutritionists, chances are your pre-pregnant body is a distant memory. And while you may have resigned yourself to your mummy tummy, rounder hips and less toned tush, there’s really no reason why you still can’t have the figure you want. 

‘It takes nine months for your body to make a baby, so you should allow at least the same amount of time to get your body back,’ says pre and post-natal fitness expert, Jane Wake (baby-a-wake.co.uk). ‘Forget about the celebrities who are back in their skinny jeans at the drop of a hat – you have to think about practical solutions for you to lose the weight sensibly and healthily.’ After all, you have a demanding little person in tow, now.

And this is where M&B can help. If you don’t know where to start, read on for our guide to toning, trimming, and tightening your tummy muscles (yes they’re in there somewhere!)

Getting started

It’s highly unlikely that your body will ping back into shape straight after you’ve delivered your baby. During pregnancy, your rib cage expands and your uterus will have grown to over 500 times its normal size. Most women gain weight over and above the size of their baby, too – no matter how careful they were. ‘The average amount is nearly two stone,’ says nutritionist Anna Denny. ‘The extra pounds are there to help get you through the first few weeks of breastfeeding. Feeding your baby produces a lot of demands on your body and the extra fat stored during pregnancy will help with milk production,’ says Anna. However, there are exercises you can do to help things along and speed up your recovery.

 ‘As early as the day after you’ve given birth, you can gently exercise your pelvic floor muscles,’ says Jane (see box). ‘This will help to encourage blood flow to the area which has been mostly affected during the birth – as well as help with healing. You can do this, even if you’ve had a caesarean, though check with your midwife or doctor first.’

A natural solution

‘If you’re breastfeeding, your body is still producing pregnancy hormones which in turn will stimulate contractions to shrink your uterus,’ says Jane. ‘It’s a bizarre feeling as you sit there feeding, but it’s perfectly normal and doesn’t hurt as much as labour pains. How long it takes depends on the individual.’ Breastfeeding can also help you to get back into shape quicker as the extra fat stored during pregnancy is used to make breast milk. The Food Standard Agency recommends you don’t try to lose weight while you’re breastfeeding because you’ll need to keep your energy levels up.

 
Start gentle exercise

As soon as you’re ready, get out and about with your baby. ‘You don’t have to join the gym to lose the weight,’ says Jane. ‘There are practical solutions that will fit into your new lifestyle such as walking to the shops or around the block.
 ‘Start by taking a stroll with your newborn once a week around the block at a comfortable pace,’ she says. ‘Think about your posture – shoulders back, tummy held in - and walk tall. Then the next week, progress to walking twice around the block.  Go at a pace that feels right for you. If something hurts, or if post-natal bleeding increases, then stop.

 ‘As the weeks progress, you can walk daily, increasing the intensity as you feel more confident. How much you do depends on how you feel. The more active you were during pregnancy, the easier it is to resume exercise and recover after birth,’ says Jane.

Straighten up

While walking is a simple cardiovascular exercise that will help you shed the pounds, Jane believes the best post-natal exercise is Pilates. ‘As a new mother, your posture changes dramatically as you’re often sitting round shouldered holding your baby, with your neck bent and head down,’ she says. ‘You’re also spending a lot of time bending over, putting extra pressure on your back. Pilates makes you more aware of how each part of your body works, helping you correct bad posture, as well as toning your bum, tummy, legs, torso and arms. There are classes nationally, but it’s important you find a teacher who is fully qualified to teach post-natally. Some classes even let you bring your baby along.’ Visit pilates.co.uk to find a class near you.
 

The big squeeze

The single most important workout you can do (before) and after the birth is your pelvic floor exercises. ‘Your pelvic floors are a series of muscles that run from your coccyx (tailbone) to your pubic bone,’ says Jane. ‘You’ll feel them if you pull up through your vagina. You can start as soon as want after the birth, but don’t worry if you can’t feel them straight away – the feeling will come back with practice. And if you’re not sure that you’re doing them correctly, ask a post-natal exercise specialist.’

Here are Jane’s top three exercises to keep your pelvic floors toned. Do them every day for maximum results:

- Imagine there’s a lift inside you and pull up to five floors, then let it come down. Repeat 10 times.

- Next, pull the ‘lift’ up to the third floor, hold it for five seconds before slowly letting it back down. Repeat 10 times.

- Then pull up and release very quickly. Repeat 10 times.

Your post-baby diet

Exercising will undoubtedly help you tone up and shed the pounds, but you have to think about what you’re putting into your body as well. When you’re running around after a baby, it’s easy to fall into the trap of snacking on the wrong types of food. ‘Rather than sweets and biscuits, grab a handful of nuts or dried fruit to fill the gap between meals,’ says nutritionist Anna Denny. ‘Also, don’t mistake hunger for dehydration – many women confuse the two. Some studies have also shown that if you drink a large glass of water before a meal, you’re more likely to eat less.’
According to Anna, constipation is also a big problem for many new mothers. ‘Eat lots of fibre-rich foods, like wholegrain bread, brown rice and pasta, which will help ease digestion and keep you feeling fuller for longer,’ she says.

A healthy diet will also show on the outside. ‘While there’s no miracle cure for stretchmarks, eating a diet rich in essential fatty acids including omega 3, found in oily fish like salmon or tuna or walnuts and linseeds if you’re vegetarian, will help your skin to repair itself,’ she says. ‘Keeping well hydrated with plenty of fluid (ideally six to eight glasses of water a day) will also maintain the elasticity in your skin.’

Eating and breastfeeding

Breastfeeding places a huge demand on your body so don’t try to lose weight until your baby is weaned. ‘As well as keeping nutrient levels up, you’ll need to eat an extra 450 calories a day in the first month of breastfeeding, increasing to an extra 570 by the third month as you’ll be producing about 800ml of milk a day,’ says nutritionist Anna Denny. But before you reach for the biscuit tin, this is not an excuse to overindulge. ‘Snack on calcium-rich cheese, or yoghurt,’ says Anna. ‘Include small portions of red meat in your diet for iron, and fish and eggs for protein as well as lots of fresh vegetables and fruit.’