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I need help with this too! With second, the sagging is ten times worse.

Yeah, my belly after kid 2 is 10 times worse than ever kid 1. I mean, I haven't done any exercise or dieting whatsoever, but it definitely seems out of the range of what exercise or dieting can do.

I have really bad diastasis recti after this last pregnancy. Like, not just a pooch at the bottom but my whole belly sticks out. I've been doing exercise to help, but I think (hope) time will help... You should check for that!

@simplyfelicity: I know it can mostly go away but only with significant exercise and at this point it's still really hard for me to carve out time for that...

My mom had big ole babies too and hers still looks like that. Decades of exercise and yoga haven't done much.
My stomach looks worse than that. I've accepted it as my new stomach. Some people get tattoos professing their love...I get stretch marks and saggy skin.
My bikini days may be behind me but my baby snuggling days are here and they're way more fun.

I've had one baby and I'm pregnant with my second (and last). I will never wear a bikini again, but it doesn't bother me. I've got this pooch that won't go away, stretch marks, and a whole new shape, but every time I look at it, I feel pride in the fact that I made a person, I carried them until it was time for them to come out, and I did a damn good job.

That being said, the only thing that has helped my pooch to shrink any has been strength training in addition to cardio. My core was super weak going into my first pregnancy and before this one, I was working hard to make it stronger to help my back with a side of my pooch looking a bit better in clothes.

@simplefelicity: same belly here at 6wks pp and I'm sure it'll be the same for a longggg time for me. Lots of excess skin!

@oliviaoblivia: loveeee what you said, made me tear up.... Darn pp hormones

@simplyfelicity: focusing on reducing overall body fat would be #1 goal as well as spot reducing so focusing on getting your core strong again. So cardio is #1, minimum of 30 -60 minutes 4 or 5 times a week and core strength/toning, 10 minutes every other day.
You could also do a 20 minutes cardio session and then add a 20 toning session later in the day when you have time!
Focus on core work, like plank will really help tighten that midsection. Pilates, PiYo are some great options.

Here are some of my favorite videos below. Please remember that your midsection will take time to heal and if you feel any discomfort you should listen and not push it too hard.
I love Xhit Daily because the workouts are short and you can do one or two workouts depending on your schedule that day. I think circuit or hiit training is best for burning fat but it's important to find something you like to do

Focusing on reducing overall body fat, cardio is king but incorporating strength training will help you burn fat faster because Muscle burns Fat! So start lifting some weights, your own body weight counts, and sweat sweat sweat!!!

Core/Abdominal

So, I met with a nutritionist, and she said diet has a lot to do with it. Reducing body fat, cardio cardio cardio if you're overweight she said you really need 45min 5x a week (who has time!!), and core work to strengthen it. I just started her plan, and already my pooch has gotten a little smaller in a week. It's fitting in the cardio that's the hard part. But, it takes time my dear, time!

@Adira: I feel you. They say everyone has time but if I make time I would be miserable and have no time to myself. Right now I'm working full time, running an etsy shop, teaching art classes, and chasing after a 2 year old. Oh and I'm pregnant and sick AF.

I try and eat lunch at my desk and use my lunch time to walk outside when I can. Once I stopped putting pressure on myself to fix it I've been feeling so much better.

I have a big poochy belly but IDGAF

I think that everyone can find time, but we also have to adjust our expectations. There's no way I could work out 40-50 minutes every day, but if I can do one day, that's something. Or even if I just make sure I walk at lunch or make small changes, like taking the stairs at work instead of the elevator. Maybe if I stopped eating cake, but I love cake so I won't stop eating it. By making small changes and working out maybe twice a week (once on Mondays, once on Friday/Saturday) as it fit my schedule, I was slimming down/toning up with changes to my diet as well.

@Adira: same! I get up at the crack of dawn to get to work, pick up LO directly after work, make dinner, clean, bathe, etc. and am in bed at 9:30/10 so I can get 7ish hours of sleep, maybe.
DH doesn't get home until after LO and I are in bed. It's a struggle to pick up prescriptions and do grocery shopping, never mind find 45 mins one day a week for myself.

@adira: the only time i could get that done while working FT was if i planned on working out Sat/Sun, and then 2x during the workweek -- either during lunch-break, at a random time if i worked from home, or in the evening. but even for someone who likes working out, it's tough!

@Adira: thank you, friend. you are too kind

I feel like the only thing I can do for myself (besides walking/playing/running all over the place with J on the weekends) is yoga at home. Mostly planks and stretches. Cardio is not going to happen in a 2nd/3rd floor apartment.

We get an unpaid 1/2 hour lunch and I work in a small (two story converted home) office in the middle of nowhere. That's out, too.

I had a similar issue. I was contemplating plastic surgery because I was working out at least 1 hour per day. I found out that I have thyroid issues, I'm gluten intolerant, and I'm allergic to dairy. Once I started getting help, my stomach stays pretty flat even when I don't get to work out. I have to eat gluten and dairy free, plus I go to a holistic doctor (which is less expensive than all of the specialist that I was seeing).

@simplyfelicity: if its truly sagging skin it may never go away w/o surgery - reminds me of a blogger I follow who posted her pics -

@simplyfelicity: I think it's totally okay to care about it. It doesn't mean that you're not grateful for being healthy or that you're not grateful to have your beautiful child(ren). I also don't think its overly vain to want to prioritize/improve/fix it in whatever manner you see fit. And nobody should give you any flack about your decision(s). Because it's just that. Your decision(s). Your body is not your identity (we are all so much more than just our appearance), but it is part of who you are. And there is no shame in admitting that.

@simplyfelicity: I'm in the same boat. 14m pp, after gaining almost 90lbs with DS1 (I had out-of-control swelling and was on bedrest). I'm actually under my pp weight, but now have a lip of saggy skin that I just can't get rid of. Pair that with a 4-finger diastasis, and I still get seats offered to me on the subway. Barre has really helped me, but I only go once a week since it's spendy and that's all the time I get.

I love DS, but I really hate what pregnancy did to my body. I hate that I don't have time to fix it. Granted, the time issue is about me prioritizing other things, but I still hate that I have to triage myself out for now.

As a consolation prize I've bought better underthings. I love the retro high-waisted hanky panky underwear since they cover it up without looking like they are trying to cover something up.