Your abdomen, which was stretched during pregnancy, is now loose and stretchy.
Exercise will help it return to a normal shape in about six to eight weeks.
Your stretch marks will fade, but may not go away completely.
If exercises cause pain, do them only up to that point and talk to your
healthcare provider.
To tighten your abdomen (stomach muscles):
- Lie on your back with knees bent. Try to hold your tummy in
- Lift your head and let your chin touch your chest. Hold for 10
to 15 seconds, then put your head down and relax your muscles
- Start with one a day and add one more each day until you build
up to 10 day
- During the day, try to hold your stomach muscles tight while sitting
or walking
Kegel exercises help tighten the birth canal muscles:
- Sit on the toilet with legs spread apart
- Pass some urine (pee), and then try to stop the flow of urine.
Notice the muscles you must squeeze to make the urine stop
- Once you know which muscles to squeeze, do the exercise when not
passing urine. You can do it while standing, walking, sitting or lying down
- Do 10 to 15 exercises at least three to four times a day