Once your new, healthy baby is in your arms after a c-section, that’s really the only thing that matters. But after the recovery time is over, every mom would like to see her body start to go back to normal.
Before you begin any exercise or lifting, you need to get approval from your doctor. Once they’ve given the all-clear, you can ease into some specific exercises that will pull your tummy back in and help you move towards your pre-pregnancy shape.
Here are four great exercises to tighten your tummy after a c-section:
1. Deep breathing
Believe it or not, deep breathing helps to increase your energy and decrease stress. Stress can make you eat more and hold on to more post-baby weight, so it’s important to keep yourself calm. Yoga is a popular way to get exercise and practice deep breathing.
2. Bridge exercise
The bridge not only helps to flatten your stomach, but it’s also great for tightening your glutes. It’s considered to be a safe post c-section exercise because it doesn’t put any pressure on your incision area. Check out this Youtube tutorial on how to do a bridge exercise:
3. Crunches
This may be the most obvious exercise, but once your body is ready, nothing tones your tummy like some classic crunches. They’re great for strengthening your abdominal muscles, as well as strengthening your back muscles and burning excess fat around your midsection.
4. Walking and swimming
A good cardio exercise is great for getting back in shape after a c-section. Pushing that new little one around the block every day or swimming laps in a pool are both great ways to tone muscles and burn fat safely.
It takes time after having a baby to get the extra weight back off and your tummy tightened, especially if you’ve had a c-section. Be patient with yourself and your body.
If you have questions or concerns about your body post c-section, schedule an appointment with one of our experienced obstetricians in one of our Florida women’s clinics today. Also, check out our knowledge center to learn more about women’s health, pregnancy, and prenatal care.
