Are you struggling to get rid of the lower belly pouch? Know that slimming down your mom pooch is about MORE than diastasis recti. Learn the five main Reasons You Have A Mom Pooch and what to do to slim it down.
One of the biggest questions I get from moms is regarding the mom pooch.
And I get it, as a mom of three, I felt the same way about my postpartum body: everything is in a different place, you’re squishy, and no matter what you do, that area doesn’t freaking budge.
Couple that with changes in your pelvic floor, and the mommy pooch is icing on the cake (FYI, learn more about pelvic floor physical therapy).
And though you definitely need to take how to heal diastasis recti into consideration, what’s not as common is that diastasis recti isn’t the only cause.
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What Is A Mom Pooch (Mommy Tummy)
Personally, I don't love this phrase. A mom pooch (also known as a mom pouch or mommy tummy) is another name for a rounded lower belly.
Basically, when the lower belly area protrudes from the body, is soft, and squishy, and makes you feel like you’re still pregnant.
It’s an experience almost every new mom will go through, as the most common cause is diastasis recti, which is an abdominal separation that occurs in pregnancy.
Along with the belly pooch, many moms experience back pain, a lack of strength, a weakened pelvic floor, and diminished confidence.
What Causes A Mom Pooch?
Thankfully, diastasis recti has become more mainstream in the last few years paving the way for a lot of frustrated women.
However, when it comes to a low belly pouch, it’s not the only culprit.
The mom pooch is normally caused by a combination of the following:
- Poor posture
- A lack of abdominal wall strength
- Sucking in your tummy
- Wickedly tight upper back
The good news is that all of these can be fixed with a little effort and a good plan. Want something specific to follow? Learn how to heal your core.
1. Poor Posture
One of the biggest reasons for a “mom pooch” is posture, specifically an anterior pelvic tilt (hips tipped forward, belly pushed out).
When your ribs, hips, and feet aren’t stacked properly, your lower belly naturally protrudes, even if body fat isn’t the issue.
The goal: stack your ribs over your hips and find a neutral position (it might feel weird at first).
- Get movement into tight muscles: erector spinae, hip flexors, and quadriceps
- Strengthen weaker muscles: lower abdominals, glutes, and hamstrings
I will add to this that sometimes moms get stuck in a “tuck under” position.
So, instead of sticking their bum out, they tuck it under to carry the babe. If this is you, releasing your glutes and working hip mobility is where you need to be. Watch a video on this and why you have a mom pooch if you're a visual learner.
2. Diastasis Recti (Core Separation)
In short, diastasis recti is when the six-pack muscles (the rectus abdominus, aka deep core muscles up and down from the belly button), specifically the connective tissue, separate during pregnancy from being stretched.
If everything in the abdominal area is stretched, there’s nothing substantial to hold in the organs. They then press against the lower belly and cause it to look pooched.
You can learn to self test for diastasis recti at home here and know that you can learn how to fix diastasis recti years later.
3. Sucking In Your Belly Muscles
Listen, I get it. Most women do this because we’re super self-conscious of the area and so we suck it in so we appear smaller #societyhasscrewedusup
Buuutt, when you suck in your stomach, all of the pressure goes DOWN. It’s a balloon effect.
Sucking in your stomach places more pressure and bulge into your lower belly and creates a mommy pooch.
4. Wickedly Tight Upper Back Muscles
This happens most often from carrying a babe, sleeping with a babe, and feeding a babe.
As new moms, we spend SO MUCH time rounded forward!
The issue with being rounded (aside from upper back pain and a stiff neck, which you can use these breastfeeding stretches or thoracic spine exercises for) is that, like above, a tucked upper body places a lot of pressure on the lower stomach muscles.
5. Inflammation
This is last because it’s the hardest to change and doesn’t involve physically doing anything.
Once you’ve nailed down the stuff above, what you eat does come into play as reducing belly fat and the mommy tummy overhang.
Aim to keep your protein high (learn more about increasing protein intake), scale back on processed foods, and maybe give intermittent fasting for weight loss a go.
Inflammation, especially for women, is stored in the low belly area.
Why Crunches Don’t Fix It
Most moms jump into crunches, but if your issue is core dysfunction or diastasis recti, they can actually make things worse by increasing pressure through your midline. Here are some mummy tummy exercises, but know that the mom pooch won't disappear with just one thing.
How To Fix The Mom Pouch
As mentioned at the start, there’s never just one thing you need to do to change the mommy tummy appearance. Instead, you need to take a multifaceted approach.
The good news is that much of this is being aware of your position, and the other part can be done in just 10-15 minutes per day.
You’ll want to implement the following things:
- STOP sucking in your stomach. Like right now. Learn how to do a 36 breath.
- LEARN to stack your body into a neutral position and practice standing there.
- START learning to engage your abdominal wall properly with well-thought-out abdominal exercises (here are crucial exercises for new moms and 4 corrective exercises for diastasis recti)
- ADD some upper back mobility drills to your day anywhere you have time (here are the best thoracic mobility drills or follow along with these upper body mobility workouts).
- GET STRONG once you master the engagement part of diastasis (here is a great 10 minute diastasis workout), start getting stronger in general to help reduce the lower belly pooch, keep your body in alignment, and carry kids easier.
If you want a step-by-step plan that shows you exactly how to rebuild your core and flatten your stomach, my Heal Your Core Program walks you through it in just 10 minutes a day.
Mom Pooch FAQs
Losing the mom pooch is a blend of relearning breathing patterns, improving posture, healing diastasis recti, and losing body fat. You need to learn how to engage your core muscles from being separated during pregnancy and then build on that to lose the belly pouch for good.
There are multiple things that can cause a mom pooch but the most common is diastasis recti. Diastasis recti occurs during pregnancy when the abdominal muscles stretch and separate to accommodate a growing baby. After pregnancy, you need to learn how to re-engage and strengthen those muscles to support your back and lose the mom pooch. Mom pooch can also be caused by sucking in the stomach, inflammation, and poor posture.
When diastasis recti is not rehabilitated, most people will experience back pain, poor core stability, and sometimes leaking. Thankfully, you’re able to teach your deep core muscles to fire and fix diastasis recti years later, it’s never too late!
Kim says
This article sounds helpful! I've been struggling with that stubborn belly pouch after giving birth, and just focusing on diastasis recti exercises never seemed to make much difference. Learning about other reasons and potential solutions is encouraging. Thank you!
fitasamamabear says
Not a problem, any questions just holler!
Gen says
I had NO idea that sucking in your stomach could contribute to this! It's a habit I've had since I was a kid. Thank you so much for this article - I have a much better understanding of the different contributors now & can make a plan of action!
fitasamamabear says
Yea it's a hard hit when you learn that (or it was for me), I did it all the time!