One month PP and some questions

virginiagirl11

Hi, I haven't visited this board very much although I love to exercise and eat healthfully.

I was fit pre-pg and worked out throughout my pregnancy.  I am four weeks PP now and have about 8 lbs. left to lose.  I'm not too worried about dropping the weight as I figure it'll work itself out once I head back to the gym and return to running & swimming.

My questions are:

- What do you recommend for treating stretch marks?  I have a bunch on my tummy that are pink and tender to the touch.  Should I use Mederma scar treatment, and is that safe for BFing moms?

- Does anyone know if those hip-binding wraps work? Not the belly-binding ones but the hip ones.  My hips are wider now and if I could spend a few bucks to squish them closer together to avoid having to buy all new jeans and pants, I'd do it.  Plus, I liked my narrow hips pre-pg and would love to get them back.

- For those of you who worked out pre-pg and returned to your workouts post-pg, how long did it take you to reign in the pooch and have a relatively flat stomach again?  Not perfect, but just flat enough to look pretty normal again.

Thanks for your help!

SFAug07

I didn't get any stretch marks and my hips are not wider, so can't answer your first two questions. I used the belly bandit which helped me get back to a flat stomach about 2 weeks after birth. Actually my belly was flatter post-baby than before, as I lost all the baby weight and then another 18 pounds in the month after birth. I started running again a week after birth and ran a marathon 2 months after birth, so I got back into shape pretty quickly - but I also continued to run daily until I delivered.

brittwatt

I don't post on here but I thought I'd give you my answers.

 I didn't use anything for my stretch marks. They have just faded a lot. I've heard Mederma works so it couldn't hurt to try it. I'm pretty sure that it's fine if you're breastfeeding.

As far as hips widening, mine were back to normal 3 months pp. I didn't do anything to make that happen, my body just shifted back to normal and even my skinny jeans fit great. Overall, I was back to my normal body 3 to 3 1/2 months after birth. That happened through breastfeeding and very little exercise. My belly is just about the same. I imagine when I stop breastfeeding then the last little bit of pooch will leave as well.