Toning up After Baby

I saw a DVD online called "Restore the Core." It is specifically for moms. I also thought I'd mention that my belly continued to shrink up well past 5 months postpartum. I was just doing exercise (Stroller Strides) and trying to eat healthy. I was losing a little bit of weight, but mostly it was just my abs tightening up, as well as all that lose skin & tissue.

I got a book from the library called How to Lose Your Mummy Tummy. It made my poochy tummy flatter. Depends on how much time you devote, but the concept is tightening your tummy repeatedly so you can do it while you are driving or reading. I love it. Definintely noticed an improvement after just a few times.

Whew girl! I'm excited to read the responses. I'm in the same boat!

I was also back at my pre-pregnancy weight after 5 months, but my body still didn't feel normal, felt like jelly (mostly in the mid-section). Right around the 9-month mark (notice the same amount of time that it takes to get your body ready to delivery a baby), my body felt more like it used to. It took 9 months to prepare and 9 months to get back to "normal". Sit-ups/crunches/stomach exercises are the only way I know of though to really firm the abs up.

Hi D. (love your name),
Something that works for me (when I think to do it) is pretty easy and effective....it comes from pilates and another exercise program I used....what you do is tighten your stomach muscles, like your sucking it in, but imagine your trying to get your belly button to touch your spine...for some reason, that makes it feel different for me, like the bottom abdomen is being effected.
While your doing this, make sure you are exhaling (through the nose). Hold it for about 10 seconds, release for about 10 seconds.
You can do this lying with your back on the floor with your knees bent or with your calves resting on the seat of a chair (that's what was suggested to me). You can also do this during regular exercise and what I've found when I do, is it gives me a little extra stamina...immediately! It's strengthens your core.
I do it sitting at my desk a work, too. While I'm sitting and working, I'm also trying to get my belly button to touch my spine!
Hope this helps. Good Luck!

Hi I am studying to be a personal trainer and my advice would be pilates or yoga would do it fast with regular exercise and then of course your diet should be balanced with lots of fruits and veggies. I would suggest lots of protein to stay full also. and it really helps if you schedule exercise during your day(pencil it in on your day planner) and most gyms have daycare so you can take a yoga class, I love the YMCA they have several classes and programs and once you get started and finding something you like then it will become fun and easy to do. It may take time but keep at it. have fun!

A tummy tuck is obviously a great choice-- but only if you're not planning to have anymore children. It can cause all kinds of problems if you were to get pregnant later on! I would recommend Mederma. It tightens the skin- that's how it helps remove the stretch marks. Then just regular exercise! Cardio is supposed to really help. I have a friend that swears the only way she lost her 'baby belly' was yoga... I think there are a lot of good options- but they all have differing results on each person!

I dont know if you ever have watched the show "The Doctors" but I was watching an episode last week about this issue. Dr. Orden had stated that you will never get belly back to the way it was w/ exercise. He claims that once the muscles stretch out you cannot put them back together. He also stated that sometimes the only to get it back is by tummy tuck. So believe what you want of that.

Hey girl. I'm with the other girl. Good for you for losing the baby weight. I can tell you what I have used and what many others are using for that exact thing. Body Wrap. My friend showed it to me and I literally lost inches after one time, but it also tightened the wrinkly skin on my abs. It also lasts! I'm not trying to push. I am now part of the company as you'll see in my profile. But I did my due diligence and have heard from the Doctor & Co-founder of this company not to mention have used it now on MANY women in our area. It's awesome and it's natural and it's AFFORDABLE! There are other discounts, but if you want to try it just once I can get it to you for $25. I'm telling you for that price compared to salon wraps it is SO worth trying it. Contact me and I'll send you to my website to read more or contact me and we'll chat.

I feel your pain on this one, D.. I work out religiously and haven't achieved my old shape in 21 months. Here's what I've learned, though. THere are three layers of abdominal muscles. It's the inner layer, the transverse abdominus, that you'll need to tighten, and it's not crunches that gets it. It's a subtle flexing exercise that you can do from either the downward dog position or just getting on all fours and "sucking it in". ONce you know what flexing the transverse abdominus feels like, you can even do it from a sitting position. The more you do it, the more you'll benefit. It's sort of like doing Kegals.

Hi D.,

Good for you for loosing all the weight, it took me almost a year with my first daughter and 2 to 3 months with my second one, you can tell she was a lot taugher as a baby!LOL
I did get back in shape after the pregnancies so I don't believe in those you can't get your muscles back in shape. I did and you can too.
It might take some time, may be a year of the right excercise but you can! I have been doing a DVD by Ellen Barrett called Crunch - Fat Burning Pilates (2003)(The one wioth green cover)
You can find it here but you can buy it anywhere:
http://www.amazon.com/Crunch-Burning-Pilates-Ellen-Barret...
that is great, it is about 42 minutes and I found that the best you can do is do this DVD 3 times a week and 2 times a week something like eliptical or other escercise that uses different muscles.
I just turned 40 this month and my tummy is in the best shape ever! Hope it works for you!
Best of luck! Oh! Eat right too:)

First of all Good for you for losing all of your weight! I never got back to my pre-pregnancy weight after my first and I just had 2nd! I have almost excepted the fact I will never be 115 lbs again =(. Its hard but for my stomach there was this machine at the gym, I dont know what it was called, but you sat on a seat and put your arms on 2 handle bars and then lifted them down. I really felt it in my lower stomach. It started looking a lot better. I also think cardio is really good for your belly too. As far as the stretched skin and stuff I think it just takes time. After a couple years my belly started looking a lot better. Good luck!

Pilates and specifically Yogalates has helped me quite a bit. I'm back to being slender but still have a bit of skin and my son is 15 mos. old. I chalk it up as battle scars from childbearing since my body is so different in every way now. For $5 at Wal-Mart I found a 2 dvd set from Louise Salomon that are fantastic for Yogalates. They also helped me get in shape for my wedding. My body was totally transformed, fitter and leaner...then I had my honeymoon love child! : ) Time, exercise and eating well have really helped me though. Way to go on being a healthy example for your baby!!