Congratulations to you, new mother! You have brought your baby into this world safely and are finally cradling your bundle of joy in your arms. For sure, you’ve looked back on the changes in your life from the moment that you learned that you are pregnant all the way to giving birth. And one of those changes that you are sure to notice is your body, especially that bulging belly!

Pregnancy pouch is common even after you have given birth what with all the stretching that your belly had to do to accommodate your growing baby. This means that it will take time for your skin to come back to its natural state. There are many factors that can contribute on how quickly your skin goes back to its normal state such as your bone structure, how active you were while you were pregnant, and your genes even. That said, there are other ways to help speed up the process such as:

Start exercising

If you want to tighten your sagging belly quickly, then you will need to start working out once you are given the go-ahead by your doctor. You don’t have to push yourself too hard at the start. Start with postpartum yoga or even walking. When you feel that you are ready, you can move on to doing cardio workouts as well as aerobics is highly recommended.

Drink more water

Another way to help with tightening your skin after you’ve given birth is to drink more water. Water not only helps in keeping you hydrated, but it can also contribute to its elasticity as well. Take note that your body will be more efficient if you have enough water in your system. Not only does it help you burn more fats, but it can also prevent water retention from occurring in your belly.

Exfoliate

Exfoliating the skin in your belly while you are taking a shower is another way for you to help tighten the skin. One reason behind this that it helps boost the blood circulating in your body which can improve the condition of your skin. Not only will this make your skin healthy, you are also pushing new skin cells to the surface.

Choose proteins and healthy fats

Did you know that eating fats and proteins can help you build more muscles? Protein also has collagen which is necessary for skin tightening. The amount of protein that you should consume depends mostly on how much you workout per day, your height, as well as your weight. Protein is also necessary if you are breastfeeding your baby.

Breastfeed

Aside from being the best source of food for your baby, breastfeeding your little one also has numerous benefits to you. This is due to the fact that the calories in your body are converted into milk which means that it can also contribute to your weight loss and to tightening your skin. Compared to women who aren’t breastfeeding, those who breastfeed more find themselves getting their normal weight back fairly quickly.

Essential oils

There are certain types of oils that have been found to contribute to helping repair your skin which may be due to the antioxidants as well as anti-inflammatory properties that they contain. Almond oil has been found to help alleviate the appearance of stretch marks, while coconut or jojoba oil applied and massaged on your stomach can help tighten the skin.

These are just a few examples on how you will be able to tighten your skin after giving birth so that it can go back to its normal shape and to minimize the appearance of stretch marks too.