Gynaecologist explains enlarged bellies after child birth

Dr Boafor Theodore, Consultant Obstetrician/Gynaecologist of the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital, has explained that the increase in the belly size after childbirth is due to the stretch in the abdominal walls that occurs during pregnancy.

He said the womb begins to expand especially in the second half of the pregnancy, as it expands to cater for the growing foetus, and the growing amount of amniotic fluid around the baby.

“The stretch sometimes becomes so much that there is a lot of stretch marks called striae,” he said in an interview with Ghana News Agency, in Accra.

“After the baby is delivered, the womb may try to return to its original size but it usually doesn’t because of the stretch that has taken place.

“However there is individual variation.

There are people who have a lot more elastic muscle tissue so even when they are stretched, they come back a little normal than others, but for most people the stretch causes the abdominal walls to become lax.”

Dr Boafor said there is the need for a woman to do the abdominal wall exercise.

“If a woman had a normal delivery then three weeks after delivery when she is completely well then she can start the exercise. After a caesarian session with no complication, it may take a woman 4-6 weeks to be fit to start exercise.”

He added that the results are better if one starts the abdominal wall exercise early after childbirth.

“The woman should lie on her back and the neck resting in both hands. Then lift the legs with knees stretched up to the waist level. This can be repeated a number of times.”

Meanwhile a GNA survey revealed that most women after childbirth have big stomach and some men have a high regard for those who are able to maintain flat belly even after childbirth.

Some traders at the Tema station market explained that after childbirth, they used cloth to tie their stomachs for some time, but the reduction was not significant.

Most ladies working in the Ministries explained that they wore corset beneath their clothing, and very few exercised after childbirth.

There were also the ladies who did nothing at all after childbirth, but had their bellies return to normal.

From the survey, it was also discovered that some women were overly worried about their tummies after pregnancy whereas their husbands didn’t mind.

However, some men were very critical of young ladies who have not delivered but have visibly big stomachs. They explained that it is a complete turn off for them.