After I had kids, I was eager to get back in shape, so I jumped into running way too soon. My doctor just told me to “go back to doing what you were doing,” so that’s what I did. But, a few weeks later and for months on and off, my back and hips hurt so badly I could barely walk. My core still felt like mush. I went back to the doctor, desperately asking, “Are there any particular exercises I should do?” “Just take an Advil and rest,” he said. I was furious. His advice did not help me one bit. It left me feeling deflated, discouraged, and bewildered that there supposedly was no protocol or road map to healing for postpartum women.
And it wasn’t just my doctor. At the standard six-week-postpartum checkup, there is often no consideration for the muscular and postural imbalances that developed during pregnancy, birth, and the early postpartum period. Unfortunately, most women are not checked for diastasis recti, pelvic floor dysfunction, core strength, or pelvic stability.
At the standard six-week-postpartum checkup, there is often no consideration for the muscular and postural imbalances that developed during pregnancy, birth, and the early postpartum period.
Other mom friends of mine had similar complaints as I did: “I leak when I run, but I guess that’s the price I have to pay.” Or “Being a momma means you just have a belly pooch and you’ll never have a strong body like you once did.”
I didn’t want this to be my new normal. I knew movement was medicine and that I had to figure out somehow what movements postpartum women should do to heal their core and get strong again. I found a great women’s health physical therapist, I dove into postpartum research and read books on diastasis recti, a couple years later I trained to be a yoga teacher, and a year after that I completed training to be a pregnancy and postpartum corrective exercise specialist. I’ve learned so much! I can now run without low back and hip pain. My core is stronger than ever. I am excited to share with other moms what I’ve learned.
Moms of any age can benefit from a core restoration program. But the sooner after pregnancy that you can heal your core the better.
The metaphor I use most when beginning to work with a mom is to encourage her to think of her body as a house.
The sooner you fix your muscular imbalances the better so that you prevent a chain reaction of imbalances in the body. Some women wait years and years. Your house’s unstable foundation will not just fix itself with time and neither will your core. Moms of any age can benefit from a core restoration program. But the sooner after pregnancy that you can heal your core the better.
In the postpartum period, we need to release overly tight muscles, rebuild weak muscles, and reinforce our posture and daily movement habits so that positive change will stick. Check out the following three exercises you can do today to begin healing your core and pelvic floor.
1. Supine hip flexor release
One group of tight muscles in the postpartum period are the hip flexors. Muscular imbalances and lots of sitting and holding the baby cause this muscle to become overly tight.
Begin lying on your back with a small towel rolled underneath your low back for support. Bring one knee in toward your chest. Allow the other leg to remain long on the floor. Hold for 30 seconds. Repeat four to five times and then switch sides.
2. Side-lying thoracic rotation
Another overly tight area in the postpartum period is the upper back. Rounded shoulders from frequent nursing or feeding sessions wreck havoc on our upper back and posture. Try the following thoracic rotation in a side-lying exercise to mobilize the thoracic spine. Begin lying on your side with a small towel under your neck for support and a pillow between your knees. Place your arms in front of you and together. Next, with the hips still, open up your arms and allow your shoulder to move toward the floor. Hold the stretch for 15–20 seconds. Repeat four to five times. Don’t forget to practice on both sides.
3. Diaphragmatic breathing with band around ribs
Rebuilding weak core muscles such as the diaphragm, transverse abdominis, and pelvic floor is a great start in a solid core restore program. Try this 360-degree diaphragmatic breathing exercise to get on the path to building core strength. This exercise is foundational to healing abdominal separation (diastasis recti) and pelvic floor dysfunction and building a strong core.
Rebuilding weak core muscles such as the diaphragm, transverse abdominis, and pelvic floor is a great start in a solid core restore program.
Begin by sitting up tall. Place a band or belt around your ribs for tactile feedback. Inhale and feel your rib cage expand laterally, to the front, and to the back. As you inhale, relax the pelvic floor. Establishing a good inhale is foundational to finding the core–pelvic floor connection. Inhale for a count of four to five seconds and exhale slowly for a count of 8–10 seconds. Repeat four to five times.
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