Pilates After Pregnancy

How to Get a Fit Belly With Baby

By Lyn Mettler

There's nothing like having a child to make you feel like you've been run over by a truck, and while the exhaustion and discomfort brought on by labor and delivery soon dissipate, they give way to new challenges to your body – from carrying a car seat and a growing toddler to bending over to pick up Baby and breastfeeding around the clock.

Fans of the popular Pilates method of exercise, develop by Joseph Pilates in the mid-1900s as a training regimen for dancers, say it can do wonders for helping new – and veteran – moms meet these challenges with a body that feels great and looks good, too. And better yet – it's a workout you can do with Baby.

"Post-natal Pilates is the best workout I know for providing you with the means to enjoy time with your baby while getting your body back in shape," says Sarah Picot, creator of the exercise video and DVD Post-natal Pilates (Pilates Pregnancy, 2003), which can be done with your 6-week to 6-month-old baby.

You've had your baby and you're looking for a way to get back in shape. Should you go for aerobics? Weight training? Yoga? Tae Bo? There's an endless number of choices on video store shelves and in local gyms, but Pilates offers many benefits that specifically address many new moms' concerns.

First up is toning that newly-babyless belly. "Pilates strengthens and flattens the deep lower abdominal wall that is so hard for postpartum women to tone after delivery," says Picot. Every exercise requires you to keep your naval to your spine so your tummy is always getting a workout.

Additionally, says Melinda Bryan, who developed and stars in the video and DVD Pilates After Pregnancy (Pilates Studio L.A., 2003), Pilates helps address pelvic floor weakness, which causes many new moms to leak urine both during and after pregnancy. "Pilates can focus on strengthening and toning the weak muscles; can give a new mom time to take care of herself and her recovery by exercising [which improves sleep and minimizes depression]; address postural issues, which many have developed through her pregnancy; and prepare her for lifting and carrying her newborn," she says.

Pilates may also help moms who experienced birth complications recover more quickly. "Pilates' breathing technique helps increase the amount of oxygen your lungs take on each breath," says Picot. "Increased oxygen and blood flow aid in the healing process."

For Dana Dowd, a 36-year-old mother of two in Kensington, Md., Pilates not only helps her stay in shape, it gives her a much needed energy boost. "I usually feel more relaxed and energized after a workout, not so drained," she says. "I know I feel better the minute the hour session is over."

Irene Large, a mother of two from Van Nuys, Calif., who practiced Pilates both during and after her pregnancies, agrees. "My workout time benefits me not only physically but also recharges me to be able to face the multitasking/shuttling everyone everywhere on time/managing the household/getting myself to work/feeding the family/etc. madness of my life as a mom," she says.

Plus, people who practice it say Pilates is fun. "People are hooked once they begin and find that it is like nothing they have tried before," says Bryan, who has worked with celebrities such as Drew Barrymore, Leonardo di Caprio and Monica Seles.

Want to see more?

• Battle of the Baby Bulge: Returning to Your Pre-pregnancy Weight
• Exercising With Your Baby Indoors
• Belly, Back and Bottom: Your Postpartum Restoration Plan
• Talk about it!