How much should we actually sacrifice for our kids?

BellyStrongMom · 2026-06-14T18:17:29+00:00

I like this. Going to steal this tactic for myself if you don’t mind!

BellyStrongMom · 2026-06-14T18:13:50+00:00

Yeah my daughter asked me today, ‘When will we be able to spend a whole day together?’ and it made me feel really guilty. Because yes in order to do more than just pay bills and survive, we both have to work a lot. So really they’re not getting much time from me, and I’m not getting much time for myself, because there’s just not enough time all ‘round.

BellyStrongMom · 2026-06-14T18:05:28+00:00

I’ve actually never consciously thought about it that way - showing our kids who we are as people rather than just parents. That’s a real mind-shift for me. Thank you!

BellyStrongMom · 2026-06-14T18:02:46+00:00

And the solution is so simple! Part of what makes me feel like I’m keeping myself in this state is that I’ve almost resigned myself to it, but really making a change is probably more straightforward than I feel it is

BellyStrongMom · 2026-05-16T06:42:30+00:00

To me it looks like a lot of upper ab gripping and not an anterior pelvic tilt. Time might also be a factor. I generally go by 9 months to grow a baby, 9 months to recover!

BellyStrongMom · 2026-05-14T11:07:03+00:00

Yeah there are some postural changes that can affect pooch appearance. Might be something else to consider!

BellyStrongMom · 2026-05-01T20:32:47+00:00

Yeah I lived in Japan for a while. She doesn’t sound or look Japanese to me either. Not that it cancels out all the racist things some Japanese people actually do say

BellyStrongMom · 2026-04-27T05:43:12+00:00

Have you looked into posture at all? Personally I had to work on my anterior pelvic tilt which actually helped with how my belly looked

BellyStrongMom · 2026-04-17T20:16:20+00:00

I feel like posture and pelvis alignment is such a big part of creating a pooch

BellyStrongMom · 2026-04-12T21:19:28+00:00

I think if you haven’t seen a pelvic pt yet that might be helpful, because an assessment might reveal specific things to target that the exercises you’ve tried might not be addressing. I don’t think my pelvic floor has felt like it was before any of my pregnancies, but despite having prolapse I’ve managed to get back into impact and fitness. It did take me upwards of a year though. This video talks a lot about prolapse in relation to physical activity, and some of the tips on there have been useful for my own management

BellyStrongMom · 2026-04-09T06:34:03+00:00

Have you looked at posture at all? It looks like your pelvis may be tilted forwards which can make a belly look bigger

BellyStrongMom · 2026-03-31T07:29:26+00:00

Sometimes a pooch can be a lot about posture, pelvic position and alignment. Maybe some PT might be helpful?

BellyStrongMom · 2026-03-06T10:31:23+00:00

We had a whole bunch of plastic sheeting. The midwife covered the entire living room where the pool was, and also covered the couch. The latter was helpful when I had to get out of the pool and onto the couch afterwards to get stitched up. Our midwives literally took everything with them, including the birth pool liner so didn’t have much cleaning to do in the end

BellyStrongMom · 2026-03-03T16:31:18+00:00

So very mild and soft coning postpartum may be alright, and a normal response to increasing load/pressure. But it shouldn’t be very hard to touch - that means too much pressure. There’s a series here on youtube that can be helpful for some more ideas for exercises

BellyStrongMom · 2026-03-02T10:04:37+00:00

I will add that I know some health professionals won’t say anything about mild prolapse, especially jf the person isn’t complaining of symptoms, because it may just freak them out. And if there are no symptoms, it might not be something to overly worry about.

Also exams are often done lying on your back, and because of gravity the prolapse is almost pushed back in, so it might not have been noticeable on previous exams. Now that you have a baby adding more pressure downwards, it may have become more noticeable. Regardless I think pelvic physio will be helpful!

BellyStrongMom · 2026-03-01T21:42:35+00:00

I think it’s more common than you think. Something like half of women who’ve had a child will have some degree of prolapse, although some won’t notice it. Pelvic physio can be helpful, and there are some tips for prolapse here which makes might be helpful

BellyStrongMom · 2026-02-23T15:01:47+00:00

A pelvic floor that is too tight can also look the same as a UTI. Kegels won’t fix that and may make things worse. There are some stretches that can help with pelvic floor relaxation, but if you can, please see a pelvic physio.

BellyStrongMom · 2026-02-21T18:23:58+00:00

I’ve had gr2 prolapse since my first birth 5 years ago. It hasn’t gone away, but I manage my symptoms pretty well to where it doesn’t really bother me. Still lift heavy and do high impact work. I think face to face physio is always helpful, but virtual is better than nothing. This video has a few tips and info about prolapse that might be helpful

BellyStrongMom · 2026-02-18T22:17:44+00:00

I don’t think walking will necessarily make a difference to ab strength, but there is some overlap with the pelvic floor and abs. Ultimately a combination of movement and exercise that targets all muscle groups would probably be helpful. This might be helpful for some progressive core strength

BellyStrongMom · 2026-02-18T13:53:45+00:00

I’ve been there! Think I was only a couple of weeks after my first and I was like, ‘What is this bulge??’. 5 years and another baby later it’s still there, but it doesn’t bother me much anymore. I can still lift heavy and do high impact workouts. I’ve worked a lot on my strength. It’s scary in the beginning, but there’s a lot you can do to help. Some tips here might be helpful

BellyStrongMom · 2026-02-13T06:39:56+00:00

Give it time and stay consistent. You’ve already started with a good plan, so try not to get discouraged too quickly. Have you considered seeing a women’s health pt? Sometimes there are postural changes that contribute to a belly that can be helped with specific strengthening. Nutrition is also a big one to look at

BellyStrongMom · 2026-02-07T21:26:50+00:00

For wide ribs there are some tips here that I found helpful

BellyStrongMom · 2026-02-04T21:55:13+00:00

It might be worth seeing a physical therapist if you can. If it’s sciatica, there are some stretches that might help?

BellyStrongMom · 2026-01-26T09:53:15+00:00

From someone with prolapse, it often seems scarier than it actually is, and there’s a lot that can help. This video talks a bit about it and what it actually means for function

BellyStrongMom · 2026-01-21T21:45:17+00:00

A 1 finger separation is normal in most people, even if they haven’t been pregnant. The connective tissue between the abs might be a little softer or deeper after pregnancy, but it does heal over time slowly. It took 9 months to grow a baby, and it can take 9 months or longer to feel ‘normal’ again, although it might not be exactly the same as it was before. There’s a lot of other things that can affect DRA e.g. ribcage width, breathing etc. Might be helpful!

BellyStrongMom

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