WHEN you think of major body changes after pregnancy, your mind probably goes to the dreaded ‘mum tum’.
The obvious stretching of the belly and movement of the ab muscles leaves many women expecting to see a significant bulge after their baby arrives.
Krissy Cela says her body changed a lot during and after pregnancy, but not how she expected[/caption]
But a key area of the body many mothers don’t preempt seeing a huge change in after having kids is the bum.
Known as ‘mum bum’, so many women experience flatter, weaker and flabbier or untoned buttocks in pregnancy, and most struggle to build back shape once their little one arrives.
This includes Charlotte Dawson, who while pregnant with her second child in 2023 described her bottom as “flat as anything”.
The former Celebrity Big Brother star, who is the daughter of late comedian Les Dawson, said: “I’m embracing my Bridget Jones knickers and my flat-pack bum. Oh it’s flat as anything isn’t it? I’ve literally just got… a back.”
Actress Gemma Atkinson, engaged to Strictly Come Dancing‘s Gorka Marquez, also shared how different her body looked, saying: “My bum is just like… flat now.”
There are many factors at play here, and one woman who knows this all too well is one of the UK’s biggest voices in fitness, Krissy Cela.
Huge in the social media world, the 30-year-old fitness entrepreneur, who has more than 3.3million followers on Instagram, is mum to four-month-old son Arlo and world famous for her weights workouts for women.
The new parent says there is a lot going on with our muscles during the pregnancy and postnatal period.
“I think pregnancy is an incredible journey to go on as a woman, but nothing can prepare you for it,” Krissy, founder of both EvolveYou, an award-winning women’s workout app, and Oner Active, an activewear brand designed to celebrate women’s bodies, tells Sun Health.
“You know you are going to grow a big belly, and you expect that to take some time to heal and settle when you give birth and become a new mum.
“But no one really talks about all the other physical changes that happen to your mind and body. And one of those is definitely the bum.
“Your posture changes in pregnancy because your centre of gravity changes as your bump grows and you get front-heavy.
“You tend to push your hips forward and tuck your bum under.
“You might think that this would strengthen your bum muscles, but it actually just causes tightness and impacts your ability to use those muscles – so we use our lower backs instead.
“Hormonal changes also cause muscles in the hips and bum area to stretch and relax, which can change the shape of your bum.
“Then you have your baby and you are sitting down a lot in those first few months – which doesn’t help those bum muscles to grow.”
Krissy, who has openly shared the ups and the downs of pregnancy on social media (@krissycela), has received huge praise from women for her honesty about how hard it is to recover physically after having a baby.
She says: “Going into pregnancy very fit I thought, ‘Yes I’m going to get a bump which can change a lot of things, but that’s it’.
“I was naive. Pregnancy is very tough and every woman experiences it differently.
“Then I had my baby and the rush of hormones made me think, ‘I’m invincible’.
“I thought, ‘I’ve just had a kid, I can do it all, I’ll be back to how I was before in no time’.
“But there is so much you can’t control as a new mum and I underestimated how much strength I’d lost through pregnancy.
“I actually got stretch marks after Arlo was born, and postnatal hormonal cellulite.
“When I got into the gym, it really was a big shock to me just how much weaker I was, and it took a lot of mental resilience to stop and say, ‘Don’t quit, you’ve got this’.”
If I can help women feel like now is the best time to build back their strength after having a baby then that makes me incredibly happy
Krissy Cela
She adds: “My fitness app and my whole business is about empowering women to lift weights.
“I was used to having strong glutes that were properly engaged and strong, rather than weak and disconnected from my deep core – but I thought, ‘I just need to do what I’d tell the women who do my workouts to do’ – keep building slowly.”
So, are mums doomed to a life with sore low backs, pancake bums and weak lower bodies?
“Absolutely not,” Krissy says.
“It’s actually a great way to get back into movement as a mum, to have a focus like this to start off with, and it can be easier than you think.”
The new parent says her glutes were ‘weak and disconnected from her deep core’[/caption]
THREE STEPS
1. Stop the ‘bum tuck’
Krissy says: “First of all, it’s all about stopping that bum tuck.
“Try to catch yourself doing it when you are standing up holding your baby, and just relax your glutes.
“Do it throughout the day and you’ll eventually do it naturally.”
2. Try a glute circuit
“Second, start with an at-home glute circuit, or do it in the gym if you are lucky enough to be able to get to one with a little one,” Krissy says.
“I’ve put together a list of moves below. They are great because they lengthen your glutes rather than tighten them, while also building strength that will help you stabilise and build that lower body.”
3. Grab some weights
Krissy says: “I honestly think that lots of women do not train their glutes properly.
“There is a huge trend at the moment for Pilates and yoga, which are great. But these classes are not going to build back your mum bum.
“Band work and Pilates work the small muscle fibres and hip abductors, but to build back huge amounts of lost strength you have to put your muscles under enough stress to tear and rebuild, and that is through load – using weights.
“If you don’t create that load, then your bum is not going to grow and get stronger. Every woman should be lifting.”
Krissy says she’s passionate about helping empower women through education about weights – especially mums.
“Growing glutes is a necessity, especially in motherhood,” she says.
“The mechanics of the glutes and back need to be developed to allow us to pick up our kids, to stand up from the floor while holding them.
“They get heavy so quickly, Arlo weighs 18lb now, and I can’t imagine holding him without my strength.
“If I can help women feel like now is the best time to build back their strength after having a baby then that makes me incredibly happy.”
The ‘mum bum’ circuit
This circuit, demonstrated by personal trainer Sarah Campus, founder of LDN MUMS FITNESS, is the perfect way to build your glute strength at home after having a baby, Krissy says.
Do it every other day if you can, and repeat the circuit two to three times through, depending on how much time you have and your energy levels.
1. Squats with baby
“Squats are an amazing exercise for your glutes, especially when you add weight to them,” Krissy says.
“I know not every mum can get to a gym, and most may not have weights at home, but the beauty of motherhood is that you have a baby that loves being held and rocked 24/7.
“Either wear your sleeping baby in a sling or carrier or hold them snug to your chest and bend your knees, sending your bum back and keeping the weight in your heels.
“When you reach the bottom of the exercise, push into your heels and squeeze your glutes to bring yourself back up to standing.
“Repeat this 20 times, then rest.
“Honestly, if your baby is anything like mine, they will love it.
“Plus, the beauty of having a growing baby is that their weight increases gradually, meaning as you gain strength, your weight increases to keep it challenging.”
2. Reverse lunges
Krissy says: “Single leg movements are so important to fire up your muscles when you have been sitting down a lot and haven’t worked them in a long time.
“Forcing your body to perform exercises using only one glute, or quad, is super effective as it puts extra stress on that muscle.
“This helps to create those muscle tears and build back shape and strength.”
Start standing up. Again, you can either hold a weight or have your baby strapped to you or held safely.
“Send your left leg back behind you and bend both knees to bring yourself into a reverse lunge position,” Krissy says.
“From here, push into your left foot and bring it back to the start position.”
Repeat for 15 to 20 reps on one side, then complete the same on the other leg.
3. Single leg glute bridges
“Single leg glute bridges are great for tired mums, especially if you have a baby lying next to you as you can keep them entertained as you build back that bum,” Krissy says.
“Lie on your back with your knees bent and feet flat on the floor.
“Lift your left knee to a tabletop position and press through the foot that is on the floor to lift your hips off the ground.
“Try to keep your hips square while squeezing your glutes.
“Slowly lower your hips back down then repeat the movement. Do 12 to 15 reps and then swap sides.”
4. Coffee table squats
“This move always sounds appealing to mums because it involves the word ‘coffee’,” Krissy says.
“It’s another variation of a squat but it allows you to get deeper into the exercise and fire up those muscles.”
Stand in front of a coffee table (or sofa) with your back to it.
Again, holding a weight or a baby, bend both knees and slowly lower your bum back and down until it touches the table.
Push into your heels and thrust your hips forward back to the start position.
Repeat for 20 reps.
5. Step ups
Again, a single leg exercise to make sure you are maximising the stress on those bum muscles, Krissy says.
“Using a stable chair, table, or foot rest if you’re at home, or a bench if you have one or at the gym, start standing in front of it with a tall posture, shoulders back,” she adds.
“Step your left foot up onto the raised item and push into that foot, straightening your leg and thrusting your hips forward at the top to bring you into a standing position.
“Slowly lower your right foot back towards the floor by bending your left knee.
“Repeat for 15 to 20 reps on that leg before swapping to the other.”
The 5 best exercises to lose weight
By Lucy Gornall, personal trainer and health journalist
EXERCISE can be intimidating and hard to devote yourself to, particularly at this time of year, when the rain is as relentless as your craving for carbs.
So how do you find the right workout for you?
As a PT and fitness journalist, I’ve tried everything.
I’ve taken part in endless fitness competitions, marathons and I maintain a regime of runs, strength training and Pilates.
Fitness is so entrenched in my life, I stick to it even at Christmas!
The key is finding an activity you love that can become a habit.
My top five forms of exercise, especially if you’re trying to lose weight, are:
- Walking
- Running
- Pilates
- High-intensity interval training (HIIT)
- Strength training
