Is your torso wider after the baby?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I trained in Opera in Undergrad, and went on to get a degree in health science. When I trained in the sustained deep breathing for Opera, my ribcage grew in size due to my building the muscles and expanding the rib cage through stance and exercise (us older girls always told the newer ones in the department to not buy any new bras at the start of the year because they'd outgrow them by midterm!).
When I took anatomy, I learned that the rib cage is made of cartilage, bone, and muscle layers inside, in between the ribs (called "Intercostals") and on the outside.
Pregnancy softens the cartilage of the shorter, softer lower ribs and the spread apart to accommodate the baby, your organs, and give the lungs more room to expand. Yes, you may have some extra fat padding on the outside too, but most of the expansion is due to the softening and spreading of the ribs while the relaxin in your system makes the cartilage soft.
Can you get your ribs back into their old shape while the relaxin is still in your system? I plan to pull out an old corset and give it a shot, because it makes sense that I could. I certainly plan to use a hip band to reign my hips back in! Hope this more scientific breakdown is helpful!

Don't hold your breath!

[Anonymous]

In my first pregnancy and have had a coach through it all for posture and weight due to being slightly under weight with a severe lower back problem prepregnancy. I have the rib pain now and know it is not my posture or weight since I am still under my ideal weight and I see my coach daily so I don't damage my back further. Both doc and coach say the pain is from the rib cage expanding to allow other organs to come higher to make room for the baby. They further explained that after pregnancy to expect the expansion to stay (it is what we pay for having a child). As for the one saying she didn't have this problem, you are a vocalist and have forcefully expanded your ribs prior to pregnancy to be able to take deep breaths for singing and therefore would have bypassed this problem due to that.

[Anonymous]

I had my second baby 12 weeks ago and was back down to pre pregnancy weight within 2 weeks (which is around 98 lbs). But my rib cage is definitely wider. It's hard to notice until you put on clothes but I put on one shirt that had a flared hem that always grazed the waistband of my jeans and it didn't come close to that point. Had to donate it. My ribs widened just enough that any shirt that was that short will now not come down far enough to cover my belly. Pretty weird. I've also always worn a 32 band bra and I'm pretty sure I will need to move up to a 34 because my bras now ride up my back even though they fit in the cup.

[Anonymous]

How would I know?
I didn't measure.
Do you measure ?

[Anonymous]

I don't feel as if my rib cage expanded. Maybe because I'm tall my torso had extra room already without needing to push my organs up so far? How tall are you ladies who say your rib age expanded? My baby wasn't huge either, 19" and 5lbs 12oz.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:How would I know?
I didn't measure.
Do you measure ?

Well, I think you could know if you got down to your pre-pregnancy weight and didn't fit into the same size? pre-pregnancy I was a 4. I am now the same weight, but am a size 8. There are shirts that I wore before that no longer fit over my rib cage (and it has been 2 years so my boobs are no longer huge). It is annoying lol.

[Anonymous]

It could also be a change in body composition. For the same weight, fat takes up more space than muscle. So if you lost some muscle mass but increased body fat percentage you'll be bigger overall, even if you're at your pre-pregnancy weight.

[Anonymous]

i went from a 34 to 38 in the bra and thought that it was permanent during and after pregnancy. my rib cage and waist returned to normal around DC's first bday. i'm wondering what would happen if i had a baby now (early 30s). i was in my 20's then.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I don't feel as if my rib cage expanded. Maybe because I'm tall my torso had extra room already without needing to push my organs up so far? How tall are you ladies who say your rib age expanded? My baby wasn't huge either, 19" and 5lbs 12oz.

well that is a TINY baby.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don't feel as if my rib cage expanded. Maybe because I'm tall my torso had extra room already without needing to push my organs up so far? How tall are you ladies who say your rib age expanded? My baby wasn't huge either, 19" and 5lbs 12oz.

well that is a TINY baby.

Not the PP you're quoting, but no, that's not a TINY baby. It's a small baby, but well within the range of normal. Tiny were my best friend's twins, who each weighed just over 3 pounds at birth.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don't feel as if my rib cage expanded. Maybe because I'm tall my torso had extra room already without needing to push my organs up so far? How tall are you ladies who say your rib age expanded? My baby wasn't huge either, 19" and 5lbs 12oz.

well that is a TINY baby.

Not the PP you're quoting, but no, that's not a TINY baby. It's a small baby, but well within the range of normal. Tiny were my best friend's twins, who each weighed just over 3 pounds at birth.

Thank you. I'm the first quoted pp. yes she was smaller than average but not TINY. I was worried at the time but no one at the hospital raised an eyebrow and we were discharged in 24 hours. At 1 yr old she's still slim but 70th percentile for height. I was a thin baby too, looking back at my pictures.

[Anonymous]

My ribcage got smaller. Makes sense that if they could expand, the flexibility allows them to shrink, instead. (Ribcage expanded 4" during pregnancy and stabilized at 2" smaller than originally.) All the mass went to my middle. I used to be an hourglass with a tiny waist. Now I'm a ruler with a pudgy middle.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don't feel as if my rib cage expanded. Maybe because I'm tall my torso had extra room already without needing to push my organs up so far? How tall are you ladies who say your rib age expanded? My baby wasn't huge either, 19" and 5lbs 12oz.

well that is a TINY baby.

Not the PP you're quoting, but no, that's not a TINY baby. It's a small baby, but well within the range of normal. Tiny were my best friend's twins, who each weighed just over 3 pounds at birth.

It's in the 6th percentile. By all calculations that is tiny.
It's smaller than 94 percent if newborns. That is small.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don't feel as if my rib cage expanded. Maybe because I'm tall my torso had extra room already without needing to push my organs up so far? How tall are you ladies who say your rib age expanded? My baby wasn't huge either, 19" and 5lbs 12oz.

well that is a TINY baby.

Not the PP you're quoting, but no, that's not a TINY baby. It's a small baby, but well within the range of normal. Tiny were my best friend's twins, who each weighed just over 3 pounds at birth.

Thank you. I'm the first quoted pp. yes she was smaller than average but not TINY. I was worried at the time but no one at the hospital raised an eyebrow and we were discharged in 24 hours. At 1 yr old she's still slim but 70th percentile for height. I was a thin baby too, looking back at my pictures.

Smaller than 94 percent of other kids. Did you diet during pregnancy? What was your weight gain? Smoking?
How can you not think that is tiny?
Smaller than average? Lol, well yes will likely be the smallest in her whole class with regards to birth weight.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My ribcage expanded and has never gone back. Some things just don't move back.

+1, and my kid is almost 5.