Nicky Wire

There are many changes to your physical appearance after you have a baby and one of these is the drastic difference in how your belly looks. Immediately after giving birth your belly will still be swollen up and most women still look pregnant. It can be disappointing if you go are under the impression that after you have your baby your belly will immediately shrink back to a somewhat normal size. Since your stomach muscles are so stretched from being pregnant for nine months they can not really hold everything in tight but this changes pretty quickly. Your uterus will begin to contract after you give birth and continue until it is back to its pre-pregnancy size. This will also strengthen your stomach muscles, returning them to their normal place in your belly as well. If you choose to breastfeed this process will happen a bit faster since breastfeeding stimulates the uterus to contract.

Even if you do not breast feed it will only take about six weeks for your uterus to return to its pre-pregnancy size. This does not necessarily mean that your belly will return to its previous state, in fact, most women do not get their flat pre-baby belly back in this six week period. It all depends heavily on what and how much you eat when you are pregnant, how much you exercise or are active during the pregnancy, how many babies you have (twins ect.) and your genetic make up. Even if you belly shrinks back to its normal size your skin can remain loose and flabby, this can be helped if you use good cream during your pregnancy. However sometimes their is nothing that you can do about your breasts if you breast feed you could end up needing a breast enlargement due to the loss of volume.

Also age is a factor in the elasticity of your skin so younger moms usually get their tight skin back more often than they older mom. Last but not least it is possible that you will attain stretch marks on your belly from your skin stretching as your belly grows. This can be help by using a good stretch mark cream the entire time you are pregnant, even if it does not look like your belly is growing early in the pregnancy you should use the cream. Regardless of all of the belly changes you will go through it will be well worth it to bring a life into the world.