• Simone Grove

Beyond the bump! Getting my tummy back!

Beyond The Bump : How to Get Your Tummy Back After Childbirth

Is It Ever Coming Back!?

As you look at your growing bump, you might wonder if you’re ever going to have a flat tummy again. With celeb mums seeming to fit back into their skinny jeans virtually overnight, many new mums feel the pressure to shape up fast. The key factor is knowledge.

It’s not about doing a million sit-ups a day, mums need to understand what has happened to their body and how to rebuild it safely and effectively”. At PhysioCare holistics we believe there are 3 key areas to understand:The muscles in your tummy and the stretching they have gone through. The three secrets to gaining a flat tummy. What exercises you can do, how many and when to them.

1. What has pregnancy done to my tummy?

During pregnancy, your waistline increases, as does the top layer of your abdominal muscles. This stretching in all directions occurs under the influence of a hormone called Relaxin (it sort of relaxes your tummy muscles!) which is released by the body during pregnancy. Most of the stretch occurs in the centreband to which the muscles attach (this is the centre dip in the middle of the six pack muscle we all dream of!).

The first step is to check that your stretched abdominals have come back together, this can be done by your midwife or your physiotherapist.

2. The 3 Secrets to getting your tummy back!

To gain a flat tummy you need to imagine that you are building a house, the most important part is the foundations! Your foundations are the deepest of your abdominal muscles which are part of your core stability muscles. It is important to exercise the deeper abdominal muscle back to full fitness before progressing onto sit ups and working those 6 pack muscles again.Muscle toning takes time and you need to do enough repetitions for the muscle to feel tired. Muscle toning takes between 3 and 4 months with regular exercise – so don’t put pressure on yourself for an overnight success! Three sets of 10-15 of each exercise is normally a good guideline. Core stability exercises alone are not enough to regain your tummy if you are still carrying some ‘pregnancy weight’. It is important to eat a healthy diet and to do regular cardiovascular exercise that works your heart and lungs. Good examples are walking, swimming, cycling and jogging.

3. What exercises and when?

Each individual is different and there is no “one size fits all” solution. The best people to advise you are specialist physiotherapists that fully understand exercise during and after pregnancy. Simone at PhysioCare Holistics is a Fitback and Bumps qualified instructor and is able to deliver this antenatal and postnatal exercise program on both an individual or a class basis in the South Manchester area.

A fitter, healthier body will bring you many benefits including reduced back and pelvic pain, stronger core muscles and reduced weight gain (before) and improved weight loss (after).

Please get in touch if you would like any more information at

Simone x