“Why do I Have a Flat Butt After Having a Baby?”

Many moms wonder why their butt suddenly disappeared after having a baby. I’m here to tell you – you’re not imagining it. This is extremely common postpartum, and the good news is, we can correct it!

If we are meeting for the first time – Hi! Welcome to Vibrant Mama Wellness! My name is Megan, and I am a pre and postnatal personal trainer. I am certified through the National Academy of Sports Medicine, with a specialization in pre+postnatal fitness through PROnatal fitness. I am a mom of 2, and became interested in pre + postnatal fitness as I was going through my first pregnancy and postpartum journey!

(Disclaimer: I am not a doctor and this is not medical advice. This blog is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease or condition. This blog post is based on my own research and experience – please consult a medical professional before starting or making any changes to your exercise program).

Okay so first things first, let’s discuss what a flat butt after having baby actually is!

Having a flat butt after having baby, aka dead butt syndrome, aka pancake butt, is sometimes also referred to as “gluteal amnesia.” And is exactly as it sounds – basically your glutes have forgotten what they’re supposed to do.

This phenomenon is common after having a baby because of the dramatic alignment shifts that occur both during and after pregnancy. Your center of gravity shifts up and out, and many people compensate this by rounding the shoulders and tucking the pelvis under. This also puts the glutes in a shortened, tense position, and adds strain to the pelvic floor and core.

The good news here is that your glutes are the largest muscle in your body! You WANT them to be activated and working correctly. Having strong, engaged glutes can help alleviate back pain, improve your pelvic floor symptoms (i.e. leaking when you sneeze, pain and heaviness) and even help strengthen your core and correct the dreaded “mom pooch”.

Having strong glutes is pretty important. Besides the fact that it looks good in your jeans.

So what can you do to fix a flat butt after having a baby?

Here are a few tips:

• Work on your posture! As mentioned above, your alignment shifts A LOT during pregnancy and postpartum. Be mindful to stack your rib cage over your pelvis when you are standing and lifting, and pay attention to if you tend to tuck your butt under (clenching the glutes) or sticking your butt out. Getting back to a neutral position can do wonders for your entire body, but it can also help your glutes “wake up.”
• Glute focused workouts. I like to start small with exercises like clam shells to “wake up” the smaller gluteal muscles, like the glute medius. You can also think about incorporating squats, deadlifts, and single leg exercises. Keep in mind, this isn’t going to happen overnight.
• Progressively overload the glutes. Adding weight, doing progressive overload, and systematically building the glutes is what’s going to get them looking round again! (also healing underlying issues like pelvic floor dysfunction and Diastasis Recti!)
• Remember that there is no such thing as “spot treating”. Your body works as a system. So, you really need to look at the body as a whole to determine imbalances, where the overcompensations are, and most importantly – your breathing and posture.
• Learn how to connect to the pelvic floor. The pelvic floor tends to hold a lot of tension postpartum, and this corresponds directly to your glute functioning. I recommend working with a postpartum fitness coach, or a pelvic floor physical therapist to help you learn now to connect with the pelvic floor, and see where you might need some more TLC.

Another thing to remember is that progress postpartum takes time. While paying special attention to glute growth and activation in workouts helps, it’s also important to remember that nutrition and recovery (aka sleep!) play a big role in muscle definition as well. Be patient with yourself!

Like this post and want more?

Download my free pre/postnatal resources here.  

Check out my self-paced postpartum recovery program HERE.

Want a customized workout strategy to feel strong & confident throughout pregnancy and postpartum? Learn more here. 

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