You deserve to give your body time
by Carrie Seow, women's health physio at The Fix Program Ryde
Did you know that it can take up to a year after giving birth for your body to regain its pre-baby strength, shape and tone?
We understand the pressure these days to want to return to your pre-baby body in a hurry. But please remember that giving birth to a baby is NO SMALL THING. Be kind to yourself as your body needs some time to recover. Changes that your body has gone through during pregnancy are very normal and usually temporary.
We see a lot of new mums wanting to get back into exercise as soon as possible after giving birth. Social media has much to blame for this as we see celebrity mums slipping back into their skinny leg jeans mear weeks after having their babies. This is not realistic for most and yest, places pressures on us all.
As the body is still recovering, it’s important to return back to exercise safely to reduce the risk of injury or pelvic floor dysfunction. What you do as a new mum may have an impact on your pelvic health for life.
Here are a few things to consider when returning to exercise after giving birth:
- It’s not just about how you feel on the outside.
Your body - including your abdominal muscles, pelvic floor and pelvic organs - have been through a lot! Jumping back into exercise too early or pushing yourself too hard may be placing extra stress on an already stressed pelvic floor and increasing your risk of pelvic floor dysfunction. Running, impact, heavy loads lited in an inappropriate way can add to pelvic floor pressures and risk of injury.
- Did you know that pregnancy and labour take its toll on your pelvic floor?
It is thought that during pregnancy, the pressure that a baby places on the pelvic floor is equivalent to that of a 100kg man jumping on a trampoline. And that’s in pregnancy alone! Labour definitely adds to this pressure in many ways and the stress is further compounded if you have suffered a perineal tear, episiotomy, a long second stage of labour, or given birth to a baby weighing more than 4kg.
Hormonal changes also add pressure to a pelvic floor that may not be strong enough to withstand the pressures of jumping, running, weights, squats or even coughing and laughing.
- Weak pelvic floor muscles may not only mean embarrassing leaks or passing wind when you don’t want to.
There is also a risk that the organs (bladder, uterus and bowel) in the pelvis can start sagging or dropping too low, also known as a pelvic organ prolapse.
- A caesarean is major abdominal surgery.
It can take some time for the abdominal muscles to recover. You need to give your body time and start gentle breathing, postural, abdominal and pelvic floor exercises.
- Abdominal separation is often a dreaded term amongst mums but it is actually a natural and normal event during pregnancy.
There would be hardly any space for a baby to grow if the abdominal muscles did not separate at all. Management of abdominal muscle separation is important in the early months following birth. Adopting good postures, wearing appropriate support, breathing techniques and deep pelvic floor and abdominal coordination is the key to rebuilding your core.
It may be common but you don’t have to put up with it. If you suffer from urinary or faecal leakage, pelvic pain, vaginal heaviness or discomfort, bladder urgency or frequency, dragging back pain then please give us a call to chat about your body and pelvic floor.
We believe it is important for all women to get assessed prior to returning to exercise after delivering a baby, regardless of whether you had a caesarian or a vaginal birth. Women’s health physiotherapists can assess and guide you through your return to exercise, based on your body, your pregnancy and your labour outcomes. Remember – it is different for everyone.
Check out The Fix Program's famous post natal checkup information. We recommend this from 6 weeks to 1 year post natally. This check will give you the confidence and the science of safe return to exercise. Our physio clinics also teach pelvic floor safe Mums&Bubs Pilates and functional training where you can bring bub along.
It is said that pregnancy is for 9 months, but post natal is forever. We new mums need to look after our bodies!
