Post-natal Pilates with bub

Make time and enjoy our 15 minute post natal Pilates workout for you and baby

In the first few weeks after you give birth, it may feel unsafe to exercise – or you might never have enough time away from your bub to focus on your recovery.

This set of stretches and exercises is designed to safely help your body back to full strength after pregnancy and childbirth. We would recommend that you wait 4 weeks after having baby to start on these, but don't forget to work on your pelvic floor lifts as soon as possible after the birth.

We recommend also our 1 hour post-natal check up would help you to discuss any concerns about your pelvic floor, spinal health and abdominal separation post-baby. We can direct and further target your exercise program for home also at this checkup. Call us for more details

Do you find it nearly impossible to remember to do your pelvic floor exercises?

Try to associate doing them with another activity, such as taking a drink of water, changing nappies or feeding times.

Do you not feel much of a lift or activation down below?

Don't worry. This is very normal in the early days and weeks after having a baby. Don't stop 'doing' your pelvic floor lifts however. Your brain is still connecting to these muscles every time you send the message, which is all very important. Your pelvic floor is probably take some time off to recooperate after your pregnancy and birth. Perhaps the pain of having stitches (or not) has switched the muscles off for a little while. They will start to get going very soon.

Once you can feel some small 'closing and lifting' of the pelvic floor hammock, you can begin to enjoy these exercises. These fifteen minutes each day are also bonding time with your new bundle of joy - your baby forms an integral part of each exercise! All you need is a mat and a pillow or towel.

 Leg rolling and out and in 

Getting ready

• Lie on your back on a mat with your knees bent and your baby lying on your belly or chest
• Have your feet and knees hip width and check that your tail bone rests flat and heavy on the mat (this should give you a gentle arch behind your lower back)
• Rest your hands on your 'headlights' (the pointy bones at the front of your pelvis) on each side to check that you are not rocking your pelvis in any direction.

  Exercise

• Breathe in deep and wide as you allow the right knee to roll slowly out to the side
• Breathe out, gently lifting the pelvic floor and drawing the headlights together as you draw the knee back to centre
• Repeat 5 times each leg, alternating legs each time

  Hot tips

• Keep your pelvis still, and don't let your lower back to arch or flatten
• Keep a heavy feeling in your tailbone, focus on keeping it flat on the mat behind you
• As you draw the headlights together at the front, check that your lower abdomen draws in and does not dome outwards
• The leg that is not moving should stay quite still as you roll the other out and in. Imagine that hip is heavy, weighted in place
• Allow the thigh, calf and butt muscles to feel soft, relaxed and heavy. Imagine your legs are being dragged through thick honey, resisting your movements

Bird Dog 

 Getting ready

• Stay on all fours with your baby between your hands looking up at you or having tummy time
• Find your neutral pelvis and small lower back curve
• Keep your lower ribs from sinking down in the middle
• Draw your shoulder blades gently down your back, away from your ears, and grow long up the back of your neck

       Exercise

• Breathe in deep and wide and extend the opposite arm and leg away from centre (in front and behind)
• As you breathe out, gently lift the pelvic floor, draw the headlights together and bring the arm and leg back to the starting position
• Repeat, alternating sides, four times each way for a total of eight

     Hot tips

• Keep your pelvis neutral and your lower back arch from increasing or decreasing
• Keep your shoulder blades drawn gently away from your ears
• Imagine you are gently holding a big mango between chin and chest. Don't drop it!
• You should feel the pelvic floor, tummy, shoulders, butt and thighs all working gently

The Clam 

 Getting ready

• Lie on your side with your baby in front of you
• Have your knees bent, feet back in line with your bottom, neck supported by a pillow or towel
• Stack your hips one right over the other
• Find your neutral lower back arch, tuck your ribs in at the front, and stack your shoulders one right over the other
• Lift your lower waist a little off the mat to straighten out your spine

Exercise

• On a wide breath in, squeeze your heels together and lift the top knee in line with your body
• As you exhale gently lift the pelvic floor, deepen the naval and smoothly lower the knee
• Repeat eight times on each side

 Hot tips

• You should feel the top buttock working hard
• Keep your top hip still, not allowing it to roll back at you lift the knee
• Try to keep your small lower back arch the same shape, not tucking the bottom in or flattening your back
• Imagine your leg as a floppy, heavy, dead weight dragging through thick honey

Lunges with bub 

     Getting ready

• Stand facing a full length mirror with your baby held facing the mirror, low down in front of your hips with your arms relatively straight, hands hooked between their legs for support
• Starting with your feet hip width apart, step your left foot forward then your right foot back
• Keep your pelvis neutral – your right foot should be on tip toes. Check you have not twisted back on the right side, find your neutral zone and grow tall

     Exercise

• Breathe in deep and wide as you bend both knees and lower yourself straight down
• Breathe out, lifting the pelvic floor, gently deepening the naval to the spine and push back up
• Repeat 2 sets of eight on each leg

• Most of your weight should be through your back leg, and the front of that thigh should be working hard
• Keep your pelvis neutral, not tucking your tailbone under or flattening your lower back arch
• Make sure you drop your hip on the front leg side, not keeping it hitched up towards your ribs and shortening your waist – this will help your butt to work on the front leg side

Cat Stretches

      Getting ready

• Kneel on all fours, hands under your shoulders and knees under your hips
• Pop your baby on the floor on their back, looking up at you

      Exercise

• Breathe in and round your back up towards the ceiling like a cat, bringing your chin to your chest and pressing through your arms
• Breathe out and sink down through the middle of your back, drawing your head and tailbone high
• Repeat five times each way

 Hot tips

• Keep your shoulders still, always directly above your wrists, and pivot around them

Thread the Needle

     Getting ready

• Stay on all fours from the previous exercise
• Pop your baby off to your left side next to your hands, about an arm's reach away
• Find a neutral pelvis by rocking it forward and back and settling where you have just a gentle little lower back arch

     Exercise

• Lift up your right hand and reach it through underneath your left arm, turning from the waist not the hips
• Reach towards your baby and give them a pat, a tickle or a touch on the nose
• Come back to centre, then repeat four more times, and again 5 times to the other side with your baby off to the right

Hot tips

• You should feel the stiff upper back, ribcage and shoulder get a lovely stretch
• Keep that gentle lower back arch the same shape as you turn, not allowing it to get bigger or smaller
• Repeat five times each way

For best results repeat the whole program at least three to five days per week. Try this routine out the next time you are alone with your new baby – it will do you both a lot of good and prepare your body for returning to more intense exercise between six weeks and three months after the birth.

These exercises are safe for a new mum and are starting to return your body's core or inner strength. Remember this is essential before moving onto your outer strength, or running and other high impact exercises. If you are at worried, please chat with us.

Our 1 hour post-natal check up would help you to discuss any concerns about your pelvic floor, spinal health and abdominal separation post-baby. We can direct and further target your exercise program for home also at this checkup.

Your body as a very new Mummy

You have been attending The Fix Program for Pregnancy and together we have shared some wonderful experiences preparing you and your body for the joys of motherhood.

But what happens after you give birth?

Have there been any changes to your pelvic floor or tummy muscles?

How soon can you return to exercise?

What kinds of exercises are safe for you and your body post-natally?

Can you still exercise the way you did before and during your pregnancy?

Can I have sex?

What is 'normal'?

The Fix Program for Women's Health now offers a comprehensive 1 hour post-natal physiotherapy assessment with a women's health physiotherapist which involves:

• Pelvic floor muscle assessment
• Prolapse and incontinence assessment
• Tummy muscle separation (DRAM) assessment
• Fitting abdominal binder or SRC Recovery Shorts
• Musculoskeletal assessment of the pelvis including sacroiliac and pubic symphysis dysfunctions
• Breastfeeding/bottle feeding posture check
• Individualised exercises and advice

Your post-natal check should be booked at 4-6 weeks post-birth but can still be valid up to one year.

Call us to book yours on 02 9264 0077

Are you worried about your tummy muscles separating? 66% of pregnant women will have it, so try these easy tips 

Abdominal separation or Rectus Diastasis (RD) is the separation of the most superficial of the abdominal muscles that can occur during pregnancy (or less frequently in anyone, men or women who overtrain their abdominals with too many sit ups). The separation will cause a bulge to occur when the pregnant woman attempts to move, especially visible when going from lying to sitting.

The rectus abdominus muscle is the muscle we typically associate with our bellies - we see them all oiled, sweaty and washboard-like on men's health mags every time we are in the newsagent. Nearly all men would aspire to these 'six-packs', and most women too if to be perfectly honest. This muscle is divided into two, with a thin tissue or fascia which serves to separate and join the halves at the same time. This fascia is called the linea alba.

What does the research say out there about abdominal separation?

In pregnancy, the linea alba becomes overstretched to accommodate for the growing belly. This is a normal part of pregnancy. Research states that 66% of all pregnant women will have a degree of RD in their third trimester of pregnancy. In many women's cases, this separation will improve without any intervention, and that this will be seen mostly from week 1-week 8 after having their baby. Any remaining separation is unlikely to make any further improvements after this time if left alone. Physiotherapy for thorough assessment of abdominal and pelvic floor control and pelvic, spine and rib alignment is highly recommended to assist in reducing the remaining gap. 

So, can I prevent abdominal separation from happening when I am pregnant?

The short answer is, no. Your body is adapting this way to handle your growing uterus and baby size. But here are a few tips to make good habits in pregnancy and in those first months post-natally to reduce the pressure on the linea alba fascia. ( I must also make the comment for you non-pregnant folk who have read this far on, that these are excellent habits to adopt when moving and exercising regardless of having had a baby or not).

1. Move safely out of bed, through contraction of your pelvic floor and deep abdominal muscles, then rolling like a log and pushing up in a sidewards manner.
2. Learn to appropriate hold your pelvic floor muscles. This means in short, the 'lift' of the pelvic floor hammock, not the 'pushing down'.
3. Move about through your day without holding your breath. Forgetting to breathe will increase the pressure from the abdomen pushing out into the linea alba. This includes the simple things like getting up out of your chair and bed, to walking up steps, or lifting loads such as little ones or grocery bags. Keep breathing and reduce the tendency to stretch the fascia more!
4. Attend to gentle abdominal exercises (like the mat based deep abdominal exercises from The Fix Program) while being safe with your pelvic floor. This means not allowing the pelvic floor sling to bear down in a descending manner. This decreases the pulling or stretching forces of the fascia tissues within the pelvis that are all connected. Talk to our physios about appropriate pelvic floor and abdominal exercises for you.
5. Learn 'the knack'. This is another pelvic floor technique which supports the fascia within your pelvis and stops it from over stretching when coughing, sneezing or laughing. Try to contract or lift your pelvic floor before you feel any of coughs or sneezes coming on.
6. Support your abdomen with pressure from your hands when you cough, sneeze or laugh. 

What problems can abdominal separation cause?

The linea alba fascia is required for good tissue strength and support within the abdominal and pelvic regions. It is known to have roles in back support and posture, continence, breathing and holding the organs in their place. Overstretching of this tissue can therefore potentially lead to:

• Back pain
• Pelvic pain, including pregnancy related pelvic girdle pain (PGP)
• Urinary incontinence
• Breathing difficulties
• Vaginal prolapse.

Why not make the most of our women's health physiotherapist, Heba? She is a specialist in pregnancy and post-natal. If you feel you have abdominal separation in your pregnancy or after having your baby, come in for a thorough assessment of pelvic alignment, strength and stability of the pelvis, pelvic floor control and strength, presence of vaginal prolapse or abdominal separation. We call this our Post natal checkup This is especially important before you start an exercise program.