If you’re a new mom, congratulations are in order. Pregnancy, labor, and delivery are not easy! Your body just spent nine months or so accommodating and changing to bring your new bundle of joy into the world.
It’s natural to be unhappy with postpartum changes to your body. While you’ve undoubtedly been busy showering your baby with attention, it’s just as important to be kind to yourself so that you can enjoy motherhood.
Here’s a look at some of the issues new moms face, along with a handful of safe and practical exercises to help get back your pre-baby body.
How Your Body Has Changed
Childbearing is a long, complex process, so it’s normal to experience body changes. These are just a few of the ways giving birth impacts your body:
Muscles
Whether you’ve had a vaginal delivery or a C-section, your abdominal and pelvic muscles have been affected. Stretched muscles result in the dreaded lower belly pooch. Some mothers encounter diastasis recti when the fascia between the abdominal muscles does not return to its pre-pregnancy tension. Others experience tears or abrasions in their pelvic floor muscles. All these changes impair your body’s muscular support system.
Hormones
Hormonal changes don’t end once you’ve delivered your baby. In fact, some of the hormones responsible for creating laxity in your joints for the baby to travel through the birth canal don’t return to pre-pregnancy levels for several weeks or sometimes even months after you stop breastfeeding. So when your ligaments are more lax, your muscles have to work even harder to support you.
Posture
Weakened muscles and stretched ligaments contribute to postural changes that often lead to lower back pain, neck pain or headaches. Babies also require a lot of lifting and bending, which can put even more stress on a recuperating system. Without adequate support, your bladder control could suffer, causing inconvenient leaks.
It’s important to respect these changes and not just jump right back into your previous exercise routine. Your body will need some time to heal before returning to your former activity levels. And, of course, you’ll want to get clearance from your doctor or midwife first.
Simple Exercises
Muscle Activation and Tone
Contracting and relaxing the muscles that make up your core helps your body recover from being overstretched to regain natural resting tone. These muscles are the diaphragm on top, pelvic floor on bottom, and transverse abdominal (TVA) around.
Coordination and Control
Your core muscles support you best when they’re all working together. During inhalation, the diaphragm and pelvic floor lower, and on the exhalation return back up. The TVA muscle expands and contracts as you breathe in and out.
Internal Massage
Letting your stomach rise and fall is like an internal massage to all the organs that got pushed around or stretched out during pregnancy. It also helps stimulate your lymphatic system.
Quality Time
Spend some bonding time with your baby in the floor and work your tummy at the same time. This exercise needs no special equipment and can be done in the comfort of your own home. You can start by lying on your back and progress to going on hands and knees with your baby nearby.
Once you’ve mastered diaphragmatic breathing, there are numerous ways to progress, including incorporating leg movement.
Fortunately, the human body has a substantial capacity to repair itself, but sometimes it needs a nudge in the right direction. Every woman is unique, so your exercises should reflect your specific needs.
If you are experiencing pain that is preventing you from being as active as you want or need some guidance on specific and safe exercises after pregnancy, contact your physical therapist. All SetPT locations have trained physical therapists who can cater to your needs. We offer hour-long sessions in comfortable private treatment rooms.
Motherhood can be some of the happiest days of your life. At SetPT, we’re here to make sure that you are fit and comfortable so that you can live life your way as a new mother.
