What is the reason for a big belly after giving birth?

Many pregnant women think that their big bellies will shrink a lot after giving birth. In fact, this is not the case. Many mothers still have big bellies after giving birth. This is actually related to personal physical condition. For example, rectus abdominis separation, excessive fat, unrecovered uterus and other reasons will affect the continuation of a big belly, so mothers must learn to regulate their bodies.

1. Rectus Abdominis Separation

The muscle on the outermost side of the abdomen, which runs from the top to the center of the abdomen, is called the rectus abdominis. The rectus abdominis muscle consists of two halves held together by a thin layer of fibrous tissue called alba. The muscles on both sides of the abdomen run diagonally through the abdomen from different directions, while the lower layer runs straight through the abdomen from one side to the other. Some of these layers of muscles do not cross in the center of the abdomen. There is only one layer of muscle down the center of the abdomen, making this area particularly fleshy and prone to injury.

During pregnancy, the linea alba begins to soften and start to expand, allowing the two layers of the rectus abdominis muscle to separate to accommodate the growing fetus. This separation of muscles is called rectus abdominis separation. 3-4 days after delivery, you will notice a space about 2-4 fingers wide. As muscle strength begins to increase, this space shrinks to the width of just one finger.

2. The main reason for a big belly after childbirth is too much abdominal fat, which makes the whole body look very fat.

3. The uterus has not fully recovered

During the 10 months of pregnancy, the uterus begins to enlarge significantly from the 4th month, and reaches its maximum size after the 6th month. How is it possible to fully recover in just a few months? Therefore, we need to give the uterus some time to recover slowly.

4. Immediately after giving birth, a woman will usually lose 5 to 7 kilograms in weight, which includes the weight of the fetus, placenta, amniotic fluid, and blood loss during delivery. However, there is still at least another 5 to 10 kilograms of weight that you must work hard to gain after giving birth.