How wonderful it is to have a baby! Finally, a child to cuddle and love. But the downside of it is jelly belly, stretch marks and weight gain. It is a small price to pay, though, for the wonders of motherhood. Fear not, for there are ready solutions to help you get your figure back, provided you are willing to work at it.
For new mothers eager to regain their pre-pregnancy weight, the process of getting back in shape can begin right after delivery and the code to remember is BED – an acronym for breastfeeding, exercise and diet.
Prescribed by Elizabeth Muthu, midwife, lactation consultant and prenatal and postnatal fitness instructor at Pantai Hospital Kuala Lumpur, the combination will ensure that new mothers can emerge from their confinement periods rejuvenated instead of exhausted.
This is easier said than done for breastfeeding mothers like Shahlini Arasu, 37, whose daughter is 22 months and son is four months old. The first few days were tiring as she had to wake up every one-and-a-half hours to feed the baby.
“The lack of sleep got to me and one day, I just broke down and cried,” she reveals.
At the same time, the presence of stretch marks on her breasts and tummy are still too v isible for her to step out in a bikini with confidence. For someone who used to go for two-hour workouts at the gym five times a week and constantly watched what she ate, Shahlini also admits that the weight gain is making her feel a tad conscious.
Not one to take things lying down, Shahlini once again heads for the treadmill three times a week, for an hour each session, at a gym near her home in Shah Alam.
Fortunately, she has the support of her husband, mother and mother-in-law who look after the children when she goes for her workouts.
Adds Elizabeth, a good dose of TLC (tender, loving care) always helps, and so does a massage with special formulas (like Bio-Oil), which is a good way to relax, help stretch marks fade and firm up sagging breasts at the same time.
Traditional methods can also be employed. Sharifah Aini Muhmad, 39, remembers her second pregnancy with daughter Emerly, now 10, when she ballooned from a svelte 46kg to 80kg.
“I had back problems, so I could not go for my usual walks and home yoga sessions. It did not help that after the delivery, I had to go for three operations to have tumours removed, which meant that I was flat on my back for the next six months,” recalls Sharifah Aini.
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