Hijabi Mommies: How to Get Rid of Stubborn Postpartum Belly

Having children is a joy and a blessing–no mother regrets carrying her baby to term–and the bliss that children give mommies is indescribable. However, pregnancy can be straining on the body. Especially with multiple, back-to-back pregnancies, the process can take its toll on your body causing stress and damage. Pregnancy causes the body to undergo a variety of changes–one of which is diastasis recti. Simply put, diastasis recti is when, as your belly grows from pregnancy, your abs are spread apart and denatured.

The healing process for diastasis recti is different for every woman. Some women’s bellies snap back into place, and others remain loose from pregnancy. Perhaps you’re interested in repairing your core, and battle that postpartum belly. Stick around–we’re going to go over some at-home exercises that you can do to strengthen and rebuild your core.

We are going to show you two stages of exercises for your postpartum workout routine.

Stage one:

should be done in the early stages of your postpartum journey–about 4-8 months after giving birth.

Start off with 15 repetitions (reps) of each exercise, and increase with each week or month as you feel comfortable.

Glute Lifts x15

First, you’re going to want to lay down on your exercise mat with your back completely flat on the ground. Engage your abs, lift your pelvis as high as you can, and repeat. It should look like this:

Leg Reaches x15

Next, you’ll want to keep your back flat to the ground, and do some leg stretches. Keep your knees bent and your feet flat. Then, one leg at a time, with your leg lifted in the air, extend it as far as you can with your toes pointed. Hold the position for a few seconds, then switch to your other leg. Repeat 15 times for each leg. It should look something like this:

Vertical Leg Lift x15

Next, you’ll want to do 15 vertical leg lifts. With your back still flat on the exercise mat, lift both legs slightly. Then, alternate legs and lift one leg up vertically straight into the air, hold for a few seconds, lower, and repeat. It should look like this:

Knee Lifts x15

Next, with your back still flat on the ground, lift each knee towards your chest, alternating knees for 15 reps. Like this:

STAGE TWO

After about three or fourth months of stage one, you may be ready for some new stage two exercises. To really challenge yourself, combine stage one exercises with thai new set of exercises. Let's dive in.

Plank Alternating Knee Tucks x15

These are a little tougher, so starting out, just do as many as you can. Get into a planking position, and bring one knee forward towards your chest, alternating knees. It should look like this:

Dead Bugs x15

Next, with your back flat on the exercise mat, lift both legs slightly in the air, then, as you make a knee with your leg, lift it as close as you can to your chest. If you want to work in a little chest workout too, alternate with your arms are you move your legs like this:

Ab Crunch x 15

Lasty, you’ll want to do some ab crunches. Lay on your exercise mat, and bring you pointed legs towards you torso, and your torso towards your legs at the same time while engaging your abs. It should look like this:

That's both stages! Do these for 6-8 months, and you should have solid, well-repaired abs.  Fitness can be a tough journey for moms, but these easy, at-home exercises are a good first step in your hijabi fitness journey.