What you Need to Know about Post-Baby Workouts
As a first time mom, my body wasn’t too terribly out of wack after my son was born. I was slightly jiggly in a few places but overall, I thought I fared pretty well. I was good at this post-baby body stuff!
Then I had a few more kids.
And then a few more.
Looking at my post-baby body after having twins (who were each over 6 pounds by the way) I cried.
It wasn’t just the weight. The weight I could deal with. It was the fact that my abdomen was so saggy I literally had to tuck it in my pants those first few months post-twins and the fact that my core muscles were so shot that I couldn’t sit up in bed without pulling myself up and doing a weird little side roll.
I didn’t think I was good at this post-baby body stuff anymore.
The good news is, I had two beautiful (and healthy) babies. They were preemies and we got lucky with how well they did so every time I started feeling sorry for myself I just kept reminding myself that it was worth it.
I’m now three years out, and my body is still not back to whatever “normal” is.
The other day I had a stranger argue with me and tell me I was pregnant. English wasn’t her first language but she was determined that I confessed my non-existent pregnancy.
Having strangers assume I’m pregnant is one of my least favorite things . . .
During pregnancy I carry all my weight in my abdomen, which is great while I’m pregnant . . . not so great afterwards. It also left me with a serious case of diastasis recti and seriously week pelvic floor muscles.Â
What is Diastasis Recti?
It took me a long time to figure out what Diastasis Recti actually was. Diastasis Recti is a separation between the two sides of the rectus abdominis muscle and there’s a lot of wrong information out there about the condition.
My doctors never mentioned it, even why I brought up the fact that my abdomen just wasn’t going back the way I felt like it should. The 30 day Abs, Core & Pelvic Floor program covers exactly what Diastasis Recti is and how to determine if you have it.
In the program, they state that up to 25% of all women in the US have symptoms of pelvic floor disorders. That is a HUGE portion of the population. Too many women assume this is the new normal or receive bad advice about treatment.
Diastasis recti, weak pelvic floor muscles and even incontinence are pretty common after having a baby, but they aren’t something that most moms want to talk about.Â
My diastasis recti left me with abdomen muscles that constantly protrude out (which means strangers like to ask me when my baby is due) but my doctor didn’t have much to share in terms of advice.
The good news is, Natalie Hodson and Dr. Monique MiddleKauff know exactly what to do to help you exercise correctly in order to treat Diastasis recti, weak pelvic floor muscles and incontinence.
Their 30 day program walks you through the steps you need to take to truly get your body back after having a baby.
What does the Abs, Core & Pelvic Floor 30 Day Plan Cover?
I love that this program really walks you through everything step by step and educates you along the way.
The exercises themselves only take about 10 minutes a day. I’m insanely busy and even I can fit that into my schedule. I’ve been setting an alarm on my phone to remember to do it. Ten minutes isn’t a huge sacrifice but the rewards for sticking with this program are amazing.
Too many women joke about peeing their pants when sneezing and accept it as the new normal. If you’ve been in this situation (and I think every mom has at one point or another — I had a rough patch for the first few months after my twins were born), then you deserve to practice some self-care and refuse to accept that as your normal.
This program eases you into an exercise program the correct way, without damaging already weak muscles.
I’m no longer a new mom but because I didn’t understand what the right post-baby workout looked like, I still have work to do on my ab muscles and pelvic floor. I’m convinced, after only a few weeks using this program, that every new mom needs this!
Check out the 30 Day Abs, Core & Pelvic Floor program here.
This post is part of a social shopper marketing insight campaign with Pollinate Media Group® and Natalie Hodson, but all my opinions are my own. #pmedia #abscorepelvicfloor  http://my-disclosur.es/OBsstV
Any program that takes 10-minutes a day is definitely worth giving a look at. Thank you for sharing your story – you look beautiful and I can’t wait to read more about this gal!
What a great post! I have a friend who just had a baby and she’ll love this, so I’m definitely sharing it with her. =)
I wish I had found this several babies ago!
Thank you so much Rachel, this was so helpful especially knowing how stressful and difficult pregnancy can be. By the way you look amazing in the pictures. Do you have any dieting tips as well that helped? ?
Thanks. That’s sweet of you. I’m still working on the weight loss after my twins. Right now I’m doing a modified Keto diet.
What is the program like? Can you do other exercises besides it for a good calorie burn?
Absolutely. This program isn’t really designed for weight loss or calorie burn. It just focuses on your core. You can definitely do other programs at the same time.