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1222635 tn?1366396286

ribcage expansion

my ribcage expanded during my pregnancy and now i can't get on some things that button up in the front or zip in the back.. it's not my boobs because those didn't get a whole lot bigger at all. ive heard of rib closure exercises? but cant seem to find a lot on the internet about performing them...does anyone know how to do them and also can your ribcage close on its own? i'd like to be able to get back into my clothes & also don't want to have to go up a band size in my bras..id hate to have to replace them all. :( thanks!
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1222635 tn?1366396286
*bump*
Helpful - 0
1035252 tn?1427227833
Well one of the things you have to remember is that your joints are still softened and loose because not all of the joint-softening hormones have left your system. that being said...a lot of women gain a bra-band and/or shoe size due to joint softening and expansion..and it's not really something you can get back. just an unfortunate part of pregnancy...because it's not a muscle that you can tighten and tone, it's just that your joints soften all over your body to facilitate labor/delivery, and sometimes they grow extra tissue in-between to compensate that can't be removed short of surgery.

I haven't heard of the closure techniques, but I would guess that they're mostly bogus. aside from toning your muscles and just waiting to see how close to pre-pregnancy your body gets, there's not much you can do. your body will never be exactly the same, and expecting to fit into your pre-pregnancy clothes this soon (even if you gained very little weight and seem to be back to pre-pregnancy size...I promise everything is still *slightly* expanded if not more, lol) is unrealistic so don't worry....it took 9 months to build your body up to what it was, so expect AT LEAST 9 months to get everything back "to normal" and realize that some things will never be the same. but never fear! most women get close enough that it makes no nevermind and doesn't bother them.
Helpful - 0
796506 tn?1370188305
Hey I don't know about the rib exercises but I know that when after I had my boys my boobs were huge but also I had the problem with my rib cage expanding. Really it just took a few months for everything to move back into place. I am sure if you ask your doctor they can help you out on what to do. I do know that always when I am pregnant and after my hips and ribs can always be felt going back into place and it definitely is pretty painful =( But it will naturally happen, but they might not be pre-pregnancy size that they were. Our bodies to tons of strange expansions when we are making room for baby and sometimes it takes years to go back to normal if they ever do at all. My mom warned me about all of these changes when I was young and pregnant with my first baby and she was totally right my belly button has never looked the same!
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