Mom Pooch - The Mommy Belly Explained
I think all birthing bodies are beautiful. But I know many people feel uncomfortable in their skin after having a baby – I certainly did! My belly felt like jello, and I just didn’t feel like myself. So many clients come to me asking, “How do I get rid of my mommy belly?” and, “What exercises should I do?”.
In this article, I tell all about the dreaded mom pooch. I’ll let you know what it really is, why it happens, and how to get rid of it – for good!
Mommy pooch - what is it?
The mommy pooch, or mom pooch, can be frustrating and uncomfortable at times. After growing a baby and having your muscles significantly stretched, it can leave a so-called ‘mom pooch’.
The mom pooch is a partially rounded belly that appears to hang. It can make you feel bloated and uncomfortable in clothes. But there’s more to it. It can also impact your muscle function.
The mom pooch is more common after multiple births. However, it can also happen after your first baby. When you’re pregnant, your core muscles separate to make space for your growing uterus. This is called diastasis recti, a condition that makes the mom pooch worse.
Overtime, the abdominal muscles begin to move back together with the right exercises. If you skip them or jump right back to regular workouts too quickly, you can end up with back pain, a hernia, hip pain, and even incontinence.
For some, the tummy goes down on its own after a few months postpartum. For others, it seems like it’s here to stay. Thankfully, there are ways to get rid of the mommy pooch.
How to get rid of mommy pooch: Six things you can do
You might find your needs at the bottom of the list when you're busy looking after babies and children. But you’re important, too, and you need to look after yourself. Feeling good in your body matters, and you also need to be strong enough to chase after your little ones!
Here’s how to get rid of the mommy pooch.
1.Check if it’s diastasis recti
Firstly, you need to check if you have diastasis recti. To check, lie on your back and lift your head and shoulders slightly. Place the tips of your fingers above your belly button and you’ll feel the sides of your abdominal muscles. Turn your fingers sideways to see how wide the gap is. Check below your belly button, too. If you can fit two fingers width ways, or more, between your ab muscles it’s considered a diastasis recti. If the gap is less than two fingers wide, you probably don’t have a diastasis recti.
I walk you through the diastasis recti test in my video. Do the test with me here.
If it’s diastasis recti causing the mummy pooch, you need to heal with the right exercises and avoid others. More on this later.
2. Strengthen your transverse abdominis
Your core consists of the rectus abdominis (sixpack muscle), the obliques (side abs), and the transverse abdominis (the deep core muscles). Training the deep core will help to close any diastasis recti. And if you don’t have any diastasis recti, you should still train your deep core because after pregnancy it is probably very weak. This can make your tummy bulge forward.
3. Think about your gut
A common and often unknown reason for the mommy pooch is gut health. If you took antibiotics at some point postpartum, for example due to an infection or mastitis, your gut health might be out of balance. When you take antibiotics it is important to restore the composition of your gut microbiome with probiotics. Healthy habits can improve your gut health naturally, like getting more sleep, consuming apple cider vinegar, eating fermented food, and drinking lots of water.
Keep a food diary and note any foods that trigger your bloating. It might be that you have a slight intolerance or that there’s just a certain food that makes you uncomfortable. By keeping a diary, you’ll notice a pattern and can begin to avoid those foods.
4. Watch what you are eating
If your gut is out of balance, you need to watch what you are eating. Eating well doesn’t mean living on eating bowls of lettuce. It means eating healthy, whole foods. Where possible, avoid fast food, processed food, and saturated fats. Fill yourself up with a balance of protein, healthy fats, and carbs. Don’t starve yourself, your body needs energy to feed your baby and to play with your kids. If you feel like you have a lot of extra fat in your tummy area, try going into a slight calorie deficit by eating healthy.
5. Train your pelvic floor and back
When thinking about “how to get rid of the mom pooch,” you’ll likely think it will involve crunches and stomach exercises. But actually, it’s more than that. You need to strengthen your pelvic floor and back, as they are important muscles connected to the core.
6. Reduce stress
Studies have found that stress can link to abdominal fat. Take some time out each day to de-stress. Now, I’m guessing you’re reading this as a mom, and moms are busy! But, reducing your stress doesn’t have to mean a day at the spa, though that would be nice. It might be going for a walk on your own, having a bubble bath, reading, yoga, or meditating.
Mom pooch workout
A regular mom pooch workout can help with a post-pregnancy belly pooch. However, there are exercises to avoid.
You might think that jumping around is the right thing to do if you have a belly pooch. However, if you have diastasis recti (that gap in your abdominal wall above 2 cm), you want to avoid too much impact. Jump squats, burpees, and even running can put too much pressure on the pelvic floor. Exercises that stress your sixpack muscle should also be avoided. Crunches, sit-ups, or any abs exercises where you lift your head and shoulders off the ground are a NO. Planks or push-ups are also too intense.
Instead, do exercises that strengthen your transverse abdominis (deep core). Here are the best exercises to get rid of the mom pooch.
1.Bird dog
Start in a tabletop position. On your exhale reach one leg and the opposite arm and tap to the round. On the inhale come back into tabletop position. Alternate sides. Compete 10 repetitions on each side.
2.Bear Hold Drops
Start in a tabletop position. On your exhale, activate your deep core and pelvic floor while lifting your knees off the ground. On the inhale drop your knees back on the ground. Repeat 15 times.
3. Glute Bridge
Place your feet on the ground and bend your legs. Your arms rest next to you. On your exhale, lift your bottom, activate your pelvic floor and squeeze your glutes. On the inhale bring your hips back down but keep them an inch above the mat. On the next exhale come back up. Repeat this 15 times.
4. Toe Taps
Start with your legs at a 90 degree angle and your back and head resting on the ground. On the exhale bring one leg down and tap your toe to the ground. While you are doing this, press your lower back on the mat and activate your deep core. On the inhale, come back to the starting position. Alternate sides until you have completed 10 on each side. Keep your head and shoulders on the ground at all times.
5. Dead Bug
Reach your arms up and bring your legs into a 90 degree angle. On the exhale reach one arm overhead until it is parallel to the ground while tapping the other foot to the ground. While performing this, press your lower back into the mat and engage your core. On the inhale, come to the starting position and switch sides. Repeat 10 on each side.
6. Single Leg Lift
Bend one leg while extending the other leg up toward the ceiling. On the exhale bring your extended leg down until it’s parallel to the ground. On the inhale, lift it back up. Keep your head and shoulders on the mat at all times. Complete 10 on one side - then do the other side.
7. Marching
Start with your legs bent. Toes are touching the mat while heels are lifted. On the exhale lift one leg up into a 90 degree angle. The other foot stays on the mat. On the inhale, bring the leg back down. Alternate sides until you have completed 10 on each side.
8. Side Plank On Knees
Bring your elbow right below the shoulder. Create one straight line from your shoulders to your hips, to your knees. Feet are pointing back. Legs are at a 90 degree angle. Lift your hips up and hold for 30 seconds. After completing 30 seconds, do the same thing on the other side. Your head should be an extension of your body to protect your neck.
These exercises are part of the 8-week postpartum fitness program REBUILD that helps moms to get back in shape while healing any diastasis recti and strengthening the pelvic floor.
Mommy Pooch before and after
These super-star moms all started their journey with me with a mommy pooch, something they were uncomfortable with and wanted to change.
They followed my 8-week postpartum fitness program called REBUILD and made a huge change to their body and lives. Once they were done with REBUILD, they continued with my fit mom program called BUILD & BURN. They feel great, and they look great, too!
Check their mommy pooch before and after pics! The left picture is always the ‘before’ and the right picture the ‘after’.
Best program to get rid of the mommy pooch
The best workout programme to get rid of the mommy pooch is one that moves you slowly and consistently through a variety of exercises.
Some days might be gentle core and pelvic floor focused, others might be more pulse-raising workouts.
REBUILD is designed for postnatal moms from five weeks to three years after birth. All the exercises are safe for diastasis recti and a weak pelvic floor – no burpees here! The follow along workout videos include safe and effective exercises that really deliver results. Some exercises are designed to get the heart rate up and burn calories -without jumping -while others are targeted to increasing muscle strength, closing the diastasis recti gap, and reducing the mom tum.
I designed this program with the busy mama in mind. Workouts are no longer than 15 to 30 minutes long and you will train just 2-3 times per week while still getting great results.
While REBUILD is great for beginners or postpartum moms, BUILD AND BURN is perfect for those who have already been exercising since giving birth. The BUILD & BURN plan takes you through progressive HIIT workouts, Pilates and Barre sessions. The course also guides you on supplements and gut health to help you feel your best in your amazing body.
Following a specially designed postnatal plan week by week, month by month, is the best way to get rid of the mommy pooch. It’s no quick fix, but with time and effort, you’ll see incredible results – just like my wonderful clients have.
