Top 2 mistakes in post partum recovery

Top 2 mistakes in postpartum recovery:

1.) Waiting too long to get started

2.) Choosing inappropriate exercises

Waiting too long to get started

Finding time to exercise when you have a newborn is challenging. Yet, for optimal recovery of the pelvic floor and abdominals, the reconditioning program must start very soon after birth. Ideally, within a day or two of a normal delivery, women should start reconnecting with their pelvic floor (Kegel exercises).

Stimulus to the traumatized perineum immediate after birth helps re-establish neuromuscular control much better than waiting weeks or months to get started. Waiting too long to address the recovery of the abdominal wall that stretches immensely, and in many women separates at the midline, can be impossible if waiting longer than 6 months to get started.

The good news is that postnatal recovery programs are designed with a new mom in mind. Many of the exercises can be done while breastfeeding or in just a minute or two while the baby is a sleep.

Choosing inappropriate exercises

The most common misconception about abdominal recovery is that traditional crunches will help create a thinner waist and a smaller belly. This is very incorrect!

Postpartum women should avoid traditional abdominal work and be very careful of the exercises they choose. Many typical abdominal exercises (including Pilates) will worsen separated abdominals and can make the belly bigger.

Pelvic floor should be strengthened, the deep abdominal muscles re-toned, and the compensations left over from pregnancy should be corrected first before adding any load to the body. Corrective exercises and “diaphragmatic suction exercises” are the best methods for postpartum recovery.

A new mom needs time to recover. Her body has gone though an incredible journey of pregnancy and birth, and continues to have special needs for lactation and recovery. The hormonal soup within a postpartum mom’s body doesn’t stop with birth and joint laxity can last for months postpartum.

The very best method to aid postpartum recovery is thinking ahead and creating a fabulous connection to your pelvic floor and abdominal muscles before and during pregnancy.

Women who invest the time in prenatal fitness recover much faster postpartum as the neuromuscular connection is stronger, the muscles are more elastic and responsive, and the habit of exercise is more ingrained thus making it easier to get started again after giving birth to your precious child.