The Mummy Tummy-You don’t HAVE to have one
Alright, ladies. Here is what you all have been waiting for. I’m going to skip my natural tendency to give a big, long, drawn out introduction to what I’m about to say. The bottom line is, when you have twins (or more), your stomach is pretty much guaranteed to come out of the whole ordeal very scathed. You call it mummy tummy, I call it twin skin. You may or may not have the foresight to understand this is a real possibility but I will tell you now, if you are pregnant with multiples, you will most likely end up with a diastasis (abdominal muscle separation) and you will also very likely end up with stretch marks AND loose skin due to the extraordinary amount of stretching your tummy had to do to house 2 or more babies. What does this mean? Think POOCH.
Losing the baby weight is one thing. The mummy tummy? Twin Skin? That is a whole other story. The bad news is there is not much you can do to prevent it other than moisturize, moisturize, MOISTURIZE. Think of a well oiled elastic band being stretched to its limits as opposed to one that has just been taken out of the freezer. Extreme opposites, right? One would stretch fairly well, the other would snap in half.
At 16 months postpartum I am leaps and bounds from where I was after I delivered, or even 6 months later. In a few weeks, I will be sunning it up in a bikini. Yes I have lost all the baby weight but now I’m trying to tighten and tone AND minimize that mummy tummy. What motivated me was this website, when I first found out I was pregnant with twins. This woman gave me faith that I could escape from this with minimal aftermath. I also found this site and ordered her book, the second I saw this woman’s body and saw that she has a set of twins (in addition to other kids). These 2 resources were my primary motivators. If you are serious about getting your stomach back, you will check out both these sites and follow what these women have done. And you will also take note of my pointers below:
Moisturize, moisturize,MOISTURIZE during and after your pregnancy (I know already said this, but it’s important!)
Drink lots of water and try to take in extra vitamin C (increases elasticity on the skin) in addition to consuming lots of healthy fats (fish oil, coconut oil, etc.)
Once the babies are born, start the “sideways elevator” exercise as soon as possible! (Pull belly button towards back SLOWLY, stopping every few centimetres as though it is an elevator stopping on different floors, hold bellybutton at spine, and slowly release)
Start to bind your belly as soon as possible: wrap it nice and taught as soon as you feel comfortable enough to do so! Baboosh Baby and the Squeem are 2 to check out. Continue belly binding for as long as you can!
Use extras like stretch mark creams (I liked Strivectin and BioOil), and retinol
Dry brushing is supposed to increase circulation, exfoliate, and induce collagen production-all excellent things if you are trying to tighten up that belly!
Finally, the BBL laser is the newest non invasive skin therapy that promises to tighten skin. I have now had 4 treatments and feel that it has helped me.
ALL of these things got me to the body I have today (and if you ask nicely, I just may post pictures), 16 months after having my twins! Good luck on your journey and please feel free to ask questions!