How I Got a Flat Stomach After Pregnancy and Having my Second Baby – My Secret!
Guys, it’s been a minute since I wrote a post. The pandemic happened. Life happened. I had another baby. I’ve missed you. I’m back…as much as a full-time working mom in the pandemic can be. But I had something I wanted to share desperately- my secret weapon for getting rid of my mummy tummy. I know this sounds like an infomercial, but I promise this is not even a sponsored post. Just my gift to my mom readers out there for how to get rid of your mummy tummy, flatten your abs and fix diastasis recti for good.
Moms always tell you that it’s impossible to get your body back after the second child. That it’s so much harder. Having never had an issue with losing weight, I dismissed what everyone said and assumed I would be different. I wasn’t. I was KILLING myself with intense, grueling workouts and not losing a pound or seeing any results. No matter how many planks or pilates classes I did, my body (especially my abs) wasn’t making any positive changes. I felt uncomfortable in my skin as I’m sure many other moms can relate to.
After maternity leave I continued to search for a solution–and I found one. I know. Mind blown. And this is going to sound insane, but it took zero sweating whatsoever. I read an article in NPR about how to fix diastasis recti that convinced me to try an online program on an app called Every Mother. Unlike most websites (and blogs–ironic I know) out there, I trust NPR and its journalists so I was determined to give the program my all.
Every Mother promises that its clinically proven to heal diastasis recti and I am a believer! I started my mission as research for an article I was supposed to be writing. My editor ended up getting laid off but I still wanted to share my amazing results.
You may be wondering what is diastasis recti and why do I care? Well, it’s the separating of your ab muscles. I also thought ehh who cares–but–it turns out that DR is the reason most postpartum women get a pooch! So trust me, I care now. And I bet you do too.
The craziest part is that it’s very easily fixed! And doesn’t require a single crunch or plank. In fact, the program requires you avoid doing any intense ab work like that initially. There is basically one breathing exercise you do while essentially flattening (essentially sucking in) your stomach for 10 minutes a day.
I have not done a single crunch or plank since this began. Only Every Mother’s program. And I am about 3/4 through with the program. As of day 63 (out of 84) days of the program I had lost over 3 inches off both my waist (defined as the narrowest measurement between the belly button and ribcage) and my abs (measurement at level of belly button). I suspect that I will lose another inch in the next few weeks and am very much looking forward to that measurement day!
In addition to having completely resolved my DR, perhaps the biggest benefit and improvement is that my lower back pain has all but disappeared. I truly can’t say enough good things about this program. I spoke with Leah, the program’s founder during research for the article I thought I was writing. She told me so many interesting things that my doctors seem to have no clue about. For instance, if you start showing really early in your second or third pregnancy it’s a sign that you have DR. Check!
I find it very disappointing that doctors aren’t recommending women complete exercises like this. It’s made a world of difference and it couldn’t be easier or cheaper. For an annual membership to Every Mother, it’s only $119.
I’m happy to answer questions, I literally wrote this just to help other moms out there struggling that want to get rid of their mom pooch and flatten their abs.
I also want to tell you that there are actually phases after Reclaim. I am currently doing Reclaim Phase 2 and then hope to move onto Surpass. In Reclaim Phase 2, the exercises are similar but a little harder. There also are exercise videos for each day that can help continue to help you heal. I hope to be able to share my final photos by the summer when I feel a little more confident 🙂
*I will take a before and after photo soon to share. I just don’t have any that are postworthy if you know what I mean.
About The Author
Katie
Katie is a luxury lifestyle expert. She runs luxury lifestyle sites, KatieLara.com and Smartypanties.com. But she's not only a luxury lifestyle blogger, she's also a freelance writer for The Huffington Post, Fodor's, Forbes, Pursuitist, Just Luxe and She Knows. She's also a professional photographer and her photos often appear alongside her writing.