When a woman gives birth, her stomach expands and becomes bigger.

While a woman is pregnant, her stomach expands astronomically. In the miracle of birth the baby is expelled from her stomach, and you can see her stomach deflate.

The skin around there can get saggy, stretchy and bigger.

Old wives in Nigeria have found ways around it from time past.

I sat with a Nigerian mother on the ways nursing mothers can get rid of their belly fat.

1.      Hot water press

While a new mother is having her bath, the old wife would press all the parts of her body with hot water, apparently to help her to return to her former body. 

2.      Drinking hot tea or alcohol

From the day she gives birth, she is not supposed to take cold drinks. All the water she takes in must be hot, or she could take alcoholic drinks in a bid to reduce her belly.

3.      Do not eat starchy foods.

According to her, new mothers should not eat starchy foods like Eba, Semo, Pounded Yam. Keep the food light, take a lot of pap without sugar or milk.

4.      Do not sit immediately after your meals

Do not sit or lay down after eating, walk around for a few minutes.

5.      Tie your tummy with a piece of cloth or girdle

Months after having a baby, tie your tummy with any cloth or wear a girdle so your tummy would return to its normal size.

Does it work?

Surprisingly, some of these things help in reducing fat but the doctors warn against the practice of new mothers sitting on hot water to expel blood clots.

Natural Remedies is a Pulse Lifestyle Content Series on nature's hack to better skin and a healthier body.