During pregnancy and birth, your body does amazing things. Your uterus expands by about ten times to create the space your baby needs to grow. Birth brings about a hormonal shift that initiates various recovery processes. Your uterus will return to its original size almost magically in the first three to four weeks .

After the birth, the uterus can be felt again directly at the navel. Its upper edge should be felt about a finger's width lower than the day before. If you have a midwife in the postpartum period, she will observe this very closely. With an abdominal massage, you can encourage the uterus to return to normal from the first day of the postpartum period and at the same time support your digestion. It also helps the lochia to drain away, nourishes and tightens your abdominal skin and abdominal muscles - and, as a massage should, has a relaxing and balancing effect.

Ideally, your partner, a friend or even your midwife can pamper you. You can also massage yourself, for example directly on damp skin after a warm shower. Or you can plan the massage as a daily moment of self-care in your everyday life as a mother. Make sure that you feel comfortable and can let go - a belly massage after birth is very intimate, you can enjoy it to the full. Allow yourself to be in this moment of calm, come into recognition and appreciation for your beautiful belly in which a life has grown. Feel inside yourself. Free yourself from thoughts and images of what your belly should look like after birth. We would like to invite you to accept yourself and be grateful for what you have achieved. This may take a bit of practice, but the result is all the more valuable.

There is no right or wrong when it comes to a postpartum abdominal massage. The important thing is that you feel what feels comfortable and pleasant for you. Start gently and carefully - the uterus can be very sensitive to touch at first. Therefore, start with gentle pressure, which you can increase daily.

Take the postpartum belly massage oil by Ingeborg Stadelmann. It is ideally suited to the needs of your belly and uterus. Here you can find a great example of a postpartum belly massage . Just look at what you can take away from it:

The length of time it takes for the baby to shrink back varies from woman to woman. It depends on several factors, such as your birthing method and the size of your baby. However, it is important that your uterus shrinks a little every day.