Exercises to strengthen the abdomen after childbirth

Postpartum exercises help to lose weight and improve posture, but should only be performed after the obstetrician is released due to the risk of reopening the cesarean section or episiotomy. However, Kegel exercises can be performed right after delivery and are indicated to combat urinary incontinence and improve intimate contact. See how to do the kegel exercises.

Exercises in water, such as swimming and aqua aerobics, should only be started after 60 to 90 days after delivery, as water may cause some uterine infection.

The 3 postpartum exercises that we indicate below can be done at home and are very useful to lose belly because they strengthen the abdominal muscles, being also very useful to prevent and treat back pain caused by flabbiness of the belly and bad posture. Read more at: How to strengthen the abdomen after childbirth.

Exercise 1 - Abdominal with ball

In this exercise, you should stand still in the position shown in image 3 for 1 minute, always contracting your abdominal muscles.

Exercise 2 - Bridge

You should lie on your back and then raise your hips off the floor, as shown in image 1, but without touching your butt to the floor. This exercise should be done continuously for 1 minute.

Exercise 3 - Plank

You should lie on your stomach and then raise your body while maintaining support, supporting only your forearms and toes. It should be stopped in this position for 30 to 60 seconds. Watch the video to learn how:

As soon as you finish one exercise, you should start the next one, totaling 3 minutes of exercises. In the first days, 3 minutes is enough, but over time it is necessary to increase the duration of the exercise.

These exercises are great for postpartum because they do not expend a lot of calories and therefore should not interfere with the production of breast milk, not interfering with breastfeeding. But if you feel any discomfort or there is blood loss through the vagina, you should stop exercising immediately and inform the doctor of this situation.

Other solutions to strengthen the belly after childbirth

• Use brace

The woman can use an abdominal belt as it gives more security when moving and improves the appearance of the silhouette. However, you should avoid wearing a brace at all times, especially during physical exercise and while sleeping, as it prevents your belly muscles from contracting, delaying recovery. See some examples of brace at: Postpartum modeling belt.

In addition, you should not use shaping straps with the intention of thinning the waist and losing abdominal fat, as these actually prevent the natural contraction of the abdominal muscles and cause weakness and sagging in the belly. See when you should use a strap on a modeling belt to narrow your waist ?.

• Maintain good posture

For the belly to become stiffer it is necessary to maintain a correct body posture daily, keeping the belly contracted, applying strength in the abdominal area and taking the navel to the back. This contraction must be maintained constantly, as if the woman is slightly shrinking her belly.

• Having surgery

When the woman keeps the abdomen very flaccid and has back pain, even doing physical exercise, maintaining a good posture and moderating the use of the brace, it may be necessary to perform an abdominoplasty.

In this surgery, in addition to sewing the belly muscles, repositioning the abdominal wall, excess skin and fat from the belly is also removed. Read more at: Abdominoplasty.

Read too:

• 5 simple tips to lose weight and lose belly