You may find that shortly after giving birth, whether it was from a cesarean birth or vaginal birth (or a cesarean birth that you pushed for a long time prior to), when you cough, laugh or sneeze, you likely feel a lot of pain at your incision site and/or perineum!
Sudden increases in intraabdominal pressure, such as from laughing, coughing, or sneezing, can put a lot of internal pressure directly against our weakened tissues (lower abdominal incision and perineum). As we get further postpartum, our tissues get denser and can withstand the sudden increases in IAP, but early postpartum, we need to provide some external support!
How can we manage this sudden increase in pressure early postpartum? With external splinting!
1) Cesarean Birth: Abdominal Splinting
If you had a cesarean birth, use a soft object, such as a pillow (my favorite is to roll up a baby blanket because there is usually one nearby), to press against your incision site while you cough, sneeze, or laugh. You can also just use your hand, but may find that a soft object feels better for you.
This gentle external pressure can help counter the sudden increase of internal pressure. You may also need to do perineal splinting if you had a long pushing phase.
2) Vaginal Birth & Long Push Phase: Perineal Splinting
If you had a vaginal birth or pushed for a prolonged period of time, perineal splinting can be helpful. Placing your palm against your perineal area can help to counter internal pressure.
These splinting techniques can also be beneficial if you are trying to blow your nose, or even if you’re laughing early postpartum.
Learn more techniques to help support your healing on our blog, our weekly webinars, and our postpartum return to fitness programming.
