The best way to prevent loose skin after pregnancy is by maintaining a healthy lifestyle and weight. Eating nutritious food and exercising regularly helps keep your body in shape. This can reduce the chances of loose skin post-pregnancy. It's also beneficial to keep your stomach skin hydrated whilst pregnant.
Over time, your postpartum belly will lessen on its own. However, there are ways you can improve your postpartum belly at home. Once your doctor says it's OK, try to add exercise to your daily routine. Start with walking and light body weight exercises.
This loose belly skin can take several weeks or many months to reduce and repair. After having a baby your skin should slowly return to normal, but it does take time for skin to regain its elasticity, and sometimes you need to help it along with the recovery process.
Pannus stomach develops when an excess of skin hangs down from the abdomen. The main causes include: Pregnancy: After the delivery of a baby, the extra skin necessary to accommodate the pregnancy can hang down, causing a pannus stomach. This is why some people refer to the condition as “mother's apron.”
It's very common to have loose skin after pregnancy, particularly in the abdomen, as a result of your body accommodating a growing baby bump. That may look like sagging or wrinkled skin that can be easily pulled away from the muscles beneath.
Certain creams and lotions can help to improve loose skin after pregnancy. These may contain ingredients such as collagen, retinoids, and vitamin C. These ingredients can help to strengthen skin elasticity, reduce wrinkles and tighten loose stomach skin.
It's recommended that belly bands are worn between two to 12 weeks postpartum for the best possible results.
After giving birth, it can take several weeks or even months for the skin around the abdomen to spring back to its pre-pregnancy shape.
BENEFITS OF POSTPARTUM BELLY BINDING:
Encourages healing from pelvic/pubic separation (a partial bind during pregnancy can be especially beneficial for pelvic support). Supports relaxed and stretched out muscles. Reduce fluid and air retention in bowels/abdomen. Gets rid of the “empty” feeling after childbirth.
Thicker Thighs and Legs
It can take up to a year to lose the weight gained during pregnancy, says Dr. Dawson. To lose weight gradually, experts recommend a mix of exercise and well-balanced nutrition.
You may be able to tighten loose skin after weight loss with a variety of lifestyle and medical treatments. These could include changes in diet and physical activity, non-invasive procedures, or body-contouring surgery.
Pregnancy can cause more fat on the abdominal wall than realized because everything in that area stretches so tight. Often times many new moms don't realize that most of the remaining pooch is extra fat that still needs to be lost.
During pregnancy, the muscles stretch to accommodate the growing fetus. The connective tissue between the abdominal muscles can thin and weaken, and that can lead to a bulge in your belly. That post-pregnancy bulge is commonly known as a "mommy pooch" or "mommy-tummy" and it will not go away with diet and exercise.
A belly band can offer both support and relief during the postpartum period. But there are limits to what a belly band can do. “In the long run, a belly band won't make your waist smaller or help you lose weight,” says Dr. Newlin.
You should avoid wearing the belt immediately after giving birth, regardless of your birth type. It is not recommended to put pressure on your internal organs at this time, and you need to recover safely. If you're after four months postpartum, it may be too late to wear a postpartum belly wrap.
Women should be wrapped as soon they can after birth, ideally on day five postpartum. The belly bind should be worn daily for 10-12 hours a day in the first 40 days.
Most belly wrap manufacturers suggest wearing one for around 10 to 12 hours each day, for up to six to eight weeks postpartum, to receive the full benefits.
You should not wear a postpartum belly band or wrap all day, every day. Some experts say that relying on the support for too long will cause your core muscles to weaken even further, which could then worsen your back and hip pain.
Don't wear a support band for more than two or three hours at a time. Wearing it for too long can weaken your muscles, leading to long-term negative effects.
Wear snugly.
You want your maternity support garment to be snug, but not tight. Bands and belts that are too tight can cause discomfort and pain.