Your baby has arrived after months of preparation, your birth, and now what? Should you wait six weeks until your postpartum check-up to do any sort of rehab work?
No.
We shouldn’t run to the gym and start lifting heavy weights, BUT we can begin to reconnect with our core and pelvic floor as we start our healing process postpartum.
Looking to start your postpartum healing journey with gentle movement and breathwork?
Don’t miss out on our upcoming webinar with MamasteFit. Join us on Tuesday, March 28th at 7:30 pm EST for a 2-hour session on how to use movement and mindfulness to recover after birth.
This webinar covers everything from breathing exercises to core reconnection, gentle core exercises, cesarean birth considerations, meditations, and more. Plus, it’s recorded, so you can download it and watch it anytime!
Don’t miss out on this opportunity to navigate early motherhood with mindfulness and gentle movement. Register now and secure your spot!
4 Ways to Support Early Postpartum Healing
As we approach our postpartum healing, we first want to acknowledge that there is A LOT to heal from pregnancy and birth, regardless of your birth.
We spent 9 months carrying our babies, which involves A LOT:
- Extra mass/fluids putting more strain on our pelvic floor
- Relaxin causes extra joint laxity and movement
- The shift in our postural tendencies
- Change in our stabilization and balance
- Stretching of our abdominal wall
And then we have our actual birth to heal from:
- Stretching of the pelvic floor and perineum
- Major abdominal surgery if you had a c-section birth
- Perineal tearing
Waiting 6 weeks for our postpartum check-up is too long to wait to begin focusing on our rehab but also too short to just start going back to the gym to resume our usual pre-pregnancy workout routine.
This mini-course guides you through the first month postpartum as you begin your recovery after birth! This program includes weekly guidance on how to reconnect with your core and pelvic to support your healing.
- Breathing and Core Connection Exercises
- Mobility Exercises to Relieve Common Discomforts
- Gentle Core Exercises
- Watch on Mobile Device
1. Rest!
The first thing we can do to support our postpartum healing is REST.
The first week postpartum, we want to primarily lay in bed and stay off our feet. The more I stand up and try to do household tasks, the more my pelvic floor and core feel sore and strained.
This may be difficult to do if you have other kids and limited postpartum support. If you do have to get out of bed, try to find places to sit down as much as possible.
If you want to wear a supportive garment as you move out of bed, such as to the restroom or around your house, there are a lot of great options that also include perineal support such as the Bao Bei Bloomer or the Mamastrut!
Use code MAMASTEFIT for 15% off your Bao Bei orders!
2. Pain Management and Wound Healing Support
Next, we want to focus on managing postpartum pain and wound healing support if you had a perineal tear or cesarean.
Whenever I use the restroom, I am using a peri bottle to clean my perineal area and pat dry. Then I am using a perineal spray to soothe the area.
In previous births, I had a perineal tear, so I use a perineal balm on my perineum because I found if the area dried out it was much more uncomfortable. I also found perineal foams to be helpful to manage the discomfort. I would spray a line of foam on my pad.
The first 24 hours postpartum, I used an ice pack to help with initial swelling, as well, but I didn’t have much swelling this birth with a fairly short pushing phase.
Postpartum cramps are the WORST, and can last several days. This time, my cramping lasted til about day four (it tends to be worse with each postpartum period).
I started with taking Advil every four hours for the first day, and then started to space it out and only used it when I was feeling really uncomfortable. After 24 hours, I also started to use crampbark tincture.
What I found to help most was a heating pad! This was really helpful the first 48 hours. I would tuck the heating pad into my bloomers and was mindful that baby girl was not directly on top of the heating pad if I was holding her.
3. Supportive Breathing Drills: Core and Pelvic Floor Reconnection
After focusing on resting, pain management, and wound care, I am focusing on reconnecting with my pelvic floor and core in a supportive way!
Diaphragmatic breathing is one of the best ways to reconnect with our core and pelvic floor AND is the first core exercise we can do postpartum!
As we breathe, we want to focus on an inhale DOWN into the pelvic floor (also focus on back expansion), and then exhale to lift UP and IN with the pelvic floor and core.
I am choosing to do my breathing drills in supportive positions, such as supine or reclined, and also in a curled up position to help focus on back expansion.
Watch the video below for a breakdown of the supine breathing drill that you can do in bed!
After the first month postpartum, we can advance our core work to more challenging movements! We include a postpartum return to fitness progression in our online fitness programs!
4. Mobility: Supportive in Bed
And finally, we want to focus on MOVEMENT that is supportive and mainly in bed. We may find that resting is causing us to be more still, and this could cause some feeling of stiffness and discomfort.
We can focus on:
- Upper Back (Thoracic Spine) Mobility
- Chest Mobility
- Hip Mobility
And we can do all three in BED!
For thoracic mobility, sit on your heels and focus on arching and rounding in your back, rotational work, and lateral bending.
Watch the video below for an example of some thoracic mobility work that you can do in BED!
Start Your Recovery Postpartum!
We do NOT need to wait til our postpartum check up to begin any sort of recovery work! We can begin to focus on our recovery from day 1 postpartum.
We can focus on:
- Rest
- Pain Management and Wound Care
- Breathing Drills to Reconnect
- Mobility of the Thoracic Spine, Chest, and Hips
Ready to prioritize your postpartum healing journey?
Join MamasteFit for our upcoming webinar on March 28th at 7:30 pm EST, where you’ll learn how to use gentle movement and breathwork to navigate early motherhood.
Register now and get ready to prioritize your well-being!