Why is my belly still so big six months after giving birth?

Women's bellies are relatively large in the middle and late stages of pregnancy. After they successfully give birth to the baby, their bellies will become smaller. Even if there is some fat on the belly, the woman's belly will not be very large. At this time, there are many ways to lose weight in the abdomen. First, you must adjust your diet. In addition, you can use massage and other methods to help lose weight in the abdomen. Some women still have a big belly 6 months after giving birth. Why is this?

Why is my belly still so big six months after giving birth?

First, let’s understand why your belly gets bigger during pregnancy. The doctor explained that this is because after pregnancy, the uterus gradually becomes larger, the amniotic fluid in the uterus gradually increases, and the baby also grows, so the belly gradually becomes larger.

After reading the doctor's understanding, many people want to ask, if this is the case, then after giving birth, the uterus becomes larger, the amniotic fluid disappears, and the baby is born, but why doesn't the belly get smaller? In fact, this is because the weight gain of pregnant women is disproportionate to the weight they lose after giving birth.

The fetus and amniotic fluid are not actually very heavy.

Generally speaking, weight gain is inevitable during pregnancy. The increased weight includes the weight of the fetus, the weight of amniotic fluid and the placenta, and the mother's blood volume will also increase. Another part of the weight gain is stored in the subcutaneous fat of the pregnant woman's body.

Among them, the weight of the fetus, the weight of amniotic fluid and the increased blood volume of the mother basically account for a certain proportion. Generally speaking, the baby weighs about 3 to 3.5 kilograms, while the weight of the placenta and amniotic fluid is about 1 to 1.5 kilograms, and the weight of the mother's blood is 1.7 to 2.5 kilograms. The remaining weight gain is fat accumulated during pregnancy. Of course, subcutaneous fat can provide a good protection for your baby.

However, generally speaking, the additional fat needed is about 3 kilograms. According to this calculation, the weight gain during the entire pregnancy should be controlled at 10 to 11 kilograms. If the standard is relaxed, it is appropriate not to exceed 12.5 kilograms.

The uterus will gradually return to its original size.

But the weight gain isn't just in the belly. The part of your body that changes the most during pregnancy is your uterus! , the volume of the uterus increases by about 1,000 times! The weight is about 1000 grams, and after delivery it gradually returns to the pre-pregnancy weight of about 50 grams. The shrinkage of the uterus is due to a decrease in cytoplasmic proteins in the muscle fibers and a decrease in cells. Its muscle cell protein is broken down, part of it is utilized, and part of it is excreted in the urine. The cervix closes about 7-10 days after delivery, and returns to its normal size 4 weeks after delivery. Due to the trauma of delivery, the external os of the cervix of primiparas loses its original round shape (non-parous type) and becomes transverse (multiparous type).

About 10 days after delivery, the entire uterine cavity except for the site of placental attachment is repaired by the new endometrium. The placenta attachment site will not heal completely until 6-8 weeks after delivery. That is to say, it will take at least 3-6 months to restore the belly to its original state. So it is normal for a mother who has just given birth to a baby half a year ago to have a bulging belly.

How to reduce belly after childbirth

But there is one thing I want to remind all mothers: don’t think that your belly will naturally become smaller once your uterus recovers. Many people gain a lot of fat during the entire pregnancy process, especially for mothers who already have fat on their waist and stomach before pregnancy. It will not be easy for their stomach to flatten out after pregnancy.

During pregnancy, the belly expands, the skin on the belly becomes loose, and the fat accumulates to a certain thickness. Therefore, after giving birth, in order to reduce the belly, mothers must maintain healthy eating habits and do necessary abdominal exercises. Mothers who have had a caesarean section must wait until the wound heals about 2 months after delivery before they can do waist and abdominal exercises.