Trimming the tummy - Taking care of your tummy during and after pregnancy

DURING PREGNANCY your body goes though some incredible transformations andpreparations for the experience of birth.

In reality, while hormones turn you into a big, old emotional softy - or in some cases a complete and utter emotional reality, while hormones turn you into a big,old emotional softy - or in some cases a complete and utter emotional wreck - quite another thing is occurring on a physical level as your body takes one of the biggest hammerings it'll ever endure. Aside from joints softening and internal organs shifting, it's often the poor old tummy that takes the most traumatic knock. By the time you have given birth and eased back into some sort of normality you often find your stomach still looks quite abnormal.

To a large degree this can be prevented and/or cured by simplygetting into the routine of looking after your tummy from the moment you discover you're pregnant to after giving birth. Lynne Bluff, who is national co-coordinator of the Childbirth Educators Professional Forum, as well as a registered nurse and midwife, advises that during pregnancy you:

• Keep your body and skin well hydrated by drinking plenty of water. The greater the amount of water the skin can absorb the more elasticity it will retain.
• Eat a healthy diet containing among other things fresh fruit and vegetables. A pregnant woman's diet should contain selenium, zinc, vitamins A (this should be in the foods you eat and doesnot need to be supplemented), C and E (nuts, grains, meat, fish,meat and dairy products). These vitamins and minerals are vital to make your skin stronger when skin breakages occur due to weight gain.

• Carry out regular exercise at least three to four times a week but do check with your healthcare provider to confirm the safety.
• Massage the body areas where stretch marks are likely to form.The advantage of gentle massaging is that it gives your skin a healthy stretch. Apply a stretch mark cream or oil, on a daily basis.
• Keep pulling in your tummy and tucking in your bottom - this will help prevent back problems and keep those abs in tone. Post-birth, some women are left with a dark line snaking its waydown their abdomens. This is called line a nigra, which is caused by the increase of oestrogen levels and apparently women with adarker skin tone are more likely to show this line. Some will also end up with a surgical scar left by a c-section. 

It's not all bad though because from the minute you give birth hormonal changes cause your uterus to deflate, shrinking it back to something resembling its pre-pregnant state. Your uterus contracts back to its normal size over a four-week period. The cells in your body that had originally expanded during pregnancy start discharging their fluids in the form of urine, vaginal secretions, and sweat. That extra layer of fat is actually there for agood reason, to nourish your baby while it's developing in your womb. This fat starts burning off and even more quickly and effectively if you breastfeed and exercise.

Unfortunately, stretch marks, scars and linea nigra take longer to deal with than a flabby abdomen. They do however start becoming a lot less noticeable after about six months, especially if you massage your skin with oil or cream over the effected areas on a daily basis. These marks of motherhood don't evercompletely vanish though so look at them as a reminder of the miracle of love that they symbolise.

Most of us are not Victoria Beckham. In fact, it's extremely rare for women's tummies to bounce back that quickly. Be patient with your body. After all, it took nine months for your tummy to change shape to accommodate your baby, so it's going to takeat least that long for it to recover completely from pregnancy. Sticking to a few daily routines during and immediately afterpregnancy should help you regain your pre-mommy tummy. Lynn warns that during pregnancy, "Don't diet or use slimmingpreparations. Just eat healthily and sensibly."