hello all.. my kid is now almost two years old.. i breast fed him for one year.. during that time, I didnt know about the Postpartum Belt, not in the hospital, not at my doctor's office, nobody told me about the belt.. now I have been reading about it.. and feel so sad.. i never used it.. i dont have a flat tummy yet.. have not gotten back my pre pregnancy size yet... was wondering.. is anything available in the market which i can wear to reduce my tummy? by the way I had c section..
I agree with the posters - there really is no magic belt, and every woman's body reacts differently with each pregnancy. Exercise, diet and a good pair of Spanx is probably the way to go :)
There is definitely something you can do! I am a prenatal/postnatal trainer specializing in restoring the prepregnancy midsection.
Most women have a split in their abdominal muscles postpartum, called a diastasis recti. This creates the not-quite-right asthetics of the “mummy tummy” – but even more it creates back problems, and can cause a hernia if not treated. Cosmetically women will notice they can exercise and exercise and it won’t go away. That is because they are not doing specific exercises to bring the recti muscles together.
An abdmoninal splint is used to approximate the recti during the day, at night and while working out to help bring the stomach muscles together. While the big belts can help the skin to not split, and help to bind the ribs and pelvic, it does not approximate them. I sell the splints if you want to contact me, or you can get them online at amazon.com. There is a link to them on my fitness blog:
www.beautifualafterthebelly.blogspot.com
I work privately with people in 3 sessions to train them to do the specific exercises that bring the stomach muscles together, and then also encorporate those into a full body workout. My women have had great results. You do NOT need a tummy tuck to get results, AND if you don’t learn what exercises to do to keep the recti together, and which exercises NOT to do, you can actually blow right through the tummy tuck.
You can also get Julie Tupler’s book, “Lose your Mummy Tummy” and go to her website:
to learn more about the technique. I am the only one certified in the state – please let me know if you have any questions. There are definitely steps you can take to restore the prepregnancy midsection – with the C section. You will also want to learn how to mobilize the scar so you can minimize the dreaded “muffin top”
Good luck,
B. Wayne
____@____.com
It has been 3 years since my last child birth and I had a belly big enough for people to think I was pregnant. I started watching my carbs and sugars based on the book The Belly Fat Cure and it worked! Very easy diet to do and once you learn about what you are putting into your body that is harming you it will be really easy. I also do 30 minutes of cardio (walking, stair climbing, biking) a day and sit ups (36-100) with an exercise ball. In 2 months I have dropped 17 pounds the healthy way and I went from a size 10 to a 6. It can be done. I still have a little belly but it will be gone by June which is my goal to have lost 30 lbs and many, many inches. Good luck!
Google diastasis recti. There have also been some posts about it on this website. Good luck!
Big hugs. I too, never heard about the belt (not until several years out)... and wasn't living in an area that had cocoabutter even!!!) I was carrying 40lbs in my uterus (I looked like I was carrying trips or quads), plus a lot of extra weight (over 100lbs) from being put on near-bedrest.
My oldest and best friend has promised me a tummy tuck if I can make it down to Argentina to see her... but I don't want to spend my vaction 1000's of miles from home recovering from major surgery. Which is a shame, because they have some of the best plastic surgeons in the world down there. So I'll be perking my ears to see if you get any tricks passed along.
You can now use the belt, while exercising. It's never too late, I too had a C-section and did not use the belt. I didn't breast feed, which would have been helpful. But, after a couple of years (yes too many to admit) my tummy is now beginning to get smaller, and this is because I walk everyday and visit the gym about 3 times a week.
I had a c-section & a v-back & I was able to get my flat tummy & pre-baby weight back. It took a lot of work & about 1 year, but I did it. You have to exercise (cardio & lifting weights) at least 3-4 times a week. You have to watch what you eat (fruits, veggies, lean meats & lots of water) and cut your portion size down (only allow 1200 calories a day). You can do it, but it depends on how committed you are to actually make it happen. Wearing a Postpardum Belt alone is not going to get the results you want. There is no easy fix.
I've had 2 c-sections, and even when I did reach my pre-pregnancy weight, I sure did not have a flat tummy. And I don't think I ever will. Because the muscles are cut during a c-section there's only so much you can do with excercise. Then you would have to get a tummy tuck to get a completely flat belly. I can actually see where the muscles were cut and there is a ditinct line where the flab with hang down from.
My 2nd is almost 3 (both kids over 10 pounds and both caesarean) and I still had the belly that looks like I'm 3 months pregnant...I decided to give up carbs and sugar (not natural sugar but desserts) for lent. I also workout in the mornings (30 minutes aerobic) and run in the afternoons. The exercise alone never made a dent in my belly fat, but giving up the carbs and sugar has made a huge difference in just the one month I have been doing it. Come Easter, I will definitely try to keep watching what i eat b/c the results are so exciting!
Check out the site http://theshapeofamother.com :)
