Belly is still huge after 3rd baby...

[ChristmasLover]

OK, it's 5.5 months since I gave birth to my 3rd and I still look pregnant.  I was back to normal after the first two...   I'vm 10 pounds away from pre-pregnancy weight (have lost 30)), and I exercise daily, but this belly won't budge!  I'm a size 12 woman with a size 20 waistline. 

Just need moral support-- who else is having this belly problem?   If you got rid of your belly, how long did it take???

[GuavaGirl]

Do you think you could have diastasis recti?  I do.

This page has some more info.  http://www.diastasisrehab.com/

[BeFitMom]

Lots of women, both with and without diastasis, end up with overly round protruding abdomens. To flatten your abs, as well as rehab diastasis, you need to start by building back A LOT of strength into your deepest abdominal muscle, the Transverse Abdominis, or TvA.

When contracted, the TvA compresses the abdomen. (The TvA does not move bone.) Then after this muscle has regained adequate strength, you need to do specialized postnatal rehab exercises that train the muscle to function properly as a stabilizer. The Tuppler technique omits this critical step.

In the mean time, do not perform ANY abdominal exercises that lift/flex the upper body off the floor or against the force of gravity, as these moves will make your abdomen balloon outward during exertion - exactly what you don't want to happen because in fitness, what you practive is what you get. No crunches, oblique pulses, roll-ups, roll-downs, most Pilates mat work, and yoga moves like “boat pose.”

Here's a great postpartum exercise to get you started:

Postpartum Belly Buster Exercise

1. Lie on your side with a small pillow under your head, knees bent, hips stacked, and spine neutral. Relax your abdominal wall and allow it to expand. (Don’t panic— everyone’s tummy lies next to them after childbirth!)

1. Inhale deeply, and then exhale slowly while hissing forcefully through you teeth. As you hiss, tighten your abdomen, pulling your belly up away from the floor, and in toward your spine as much as you can. Keep your torso completely still, maintain the neutral position.

1. Hold the contraction for a few moments, breathing naturally. Take care that you don’t relax your abs you breathe, keep them tight.

1. Inhale deeply, repeat the hiss/exhalation and try to increase the intensity of the abdominal compression. Maintain the abdominal contraction, breathing naturally.

1. Repeat the exhalation/hiss with abdominal compression a third time, trying to increase the intensity of the contraction even more. Once again, hold the contraction and breathe naturally.
2. Exhale, relax your abdominal wall allowing it to soften and expand naturally. (Don’t push it outward.) Perform 4 reps to make one set and do 4 or more sets daily.

BeFit-Mom