The truth is that a woman’s body undergoes many transformations during the nine months of pregnancy and as much as lots of women still find it hard to digest this truth, these changes are sometimes physical such as an expanded belly, weight gain, stretch marks, and rough skin. Others are enlarged uterus, breast swelling, morning sickness and backaches; these changes leave you speechless.
The bigger truth is that, every woman has the tendency of getting her dream body after child birth but may take months to revert to normal. Just as it takes months for a baby to completely form in the woman’s body, so it is for the dream body journey. However, women most of the time are usually concerned of their after birth look but the challenges many actually face is birth control, which is a key factor to determining if your body is ready to look like the you before child birth.
Birth control is a medical system that prevents women from getting pregnant. Also known as conception or family planning, it is a pregnancy control that helps a woman wait at least 18 months before getting pregnant again. On a long run, a woman’s body needs time to recover from one pregnancy before it’s ready for another, because getting pregnant again too soon increases a chance of having a premature baby, and no woman prays for tears. There are various birth controls that work well such as Intrauterine devices also known as IUD, implants, pills and condoms etc.
Implants and IUDs work well at preventing pregnancy especially for those that are done with child bearing. Firstly, an IUD is a small plastic T-shaped device that the doctor inserts into the body to release progestin which is a man-made form of progesterone and can last up to 5 [five] years, depending on the brand you get. They are low in maintenance. This means that when you get them from your doctor, they work for a long time and you don’t need to worry about, remember how or when to use them and this becomes the perfect time to begin you dream body journey; now you are sure that pregnancy will not be a barrier. Secondly, an implant is a tiny rod that also has progestin in it and is inserted into the arm. This kind of birth control can last up to3 years and can be removed if by any chance the woman changes her mind and wants to have more children against her initial plan. However, other than abstinence, no birth control is 100% effective, so it is advised to talk to your health care provider about the right birth control for you, not your instinct.
The journey to a perfect body after child bearing is usually almost not feasible, but mothers who are determined always end the finishing line with a gold medal which also comes with lots of sweat. Though exercise is not advised immediately to a new mother, Hope Ricciotti MD, an associate of obstetrics and gynecology at
Harvard and a practicing Obstetrician at Beth Israel Deaconess hospital in Boston, recommends walking as one of the simplest ways to ease into a fitness routine for the first few weeks. You can start by strolling and walking backwards or zigzag to help your muscles.
Other exercises include, deep belly breathing with abdominal contraction which is done by sitting upright, breathing and holding your abs for a long time. Head lifts- By lying on your back with your hands along your sides, keeping your lower back on the floor, your knees bent as you inhale and your belly relaxed. Kneeling pelvic tilt is done by touching the floor behind you, arms straight down from your shoulder line, palms touching the floor; your back should be relaxed and straight not curved or arched. As you inhale, pull your buttocks forward, tilting your pelvic, rotating your pubic bone upward. Hold for a count of 3 and then you release, these help ease the back pain that comes with child bearing.
The above exercise actually prepare you for the gym, but before you start any high impact exercise, cough or jump with a full bladder to see if you leak any urine, if you don’t, you are ready to bring back the old you or even a better you.
Chinenye Anichebe,
Gaduwa Estate, Gudu, Abuja
07035170927
