Using specific exercises in the early stages of motherhood assist in retraining posture, strengthening muscles, preventing low back and neck pain.

The pelvic floor muscles form a sling from the pubic bone at the front of the body to the coccyx bone at the back. These muscles surround the anus, vagina and urethra and also support the pelvic organs such as the bladder the uterus and the bowel.

Childbirth can weaken these muscles and cause problems such as incontinence. To exercise them, first draw attention to these muscles. To identify them, they are the muscles of the birth canal. Try to relax your abdominal muscles. Don’t bear down or hold your breath. Gradually squeeze and increase the tension until you have contracted the muscles as hard as you can. See our physiotherapists for more information.

1.Abdominals
Lie on your back with knees bent. Maintain a normal back curve, arms resting on the floor and palms to the ceiling. Take a breath in, draw up your pelvic floor. Breathe out as you take the right knee away from the left knee, keeping feet together. Breathe in as you take the right knee back to the starting position. Important to strengthen those stretched abdominals from carrying baby.

2. Buttocks
Lie on your side with knees and feet together. Take a breath in, pull up pelvic floor and gently squeeze your buttocks together. Don’t let your back move. Keep your feet together, raise the top knee towards the ceiling. Then slowly lower to starting position. Helps with walking and carrying baby.

3. Postural Correction
Sit up straight. Look straight ahead. Gently pull your chin in, making sure your nose points straight ahead. Hold the position for 10 seconds, then slowly return to the starting position. Repeat 5 times. This can be done in lying, 4-point kneeling and sitting. Great exercise to reduce neck pain when breast feeding.

4. Windmill
Lie on your side and bend your knees as far as possible towards your chest. Reach forwards with your top arm as far as possible and then bring it back until it touches the ground behind you. Keep your knees together as you reach back. Stretches out tightened chest muscles from larger breasts and constant lifting of baby!

After you’ve had your baby, you may find things aren’t what they used to be….

• When you cough, sneeze or laugh, you may leak some urine
• You may lose sensation or control in your bowel
• You and your partner may have less sensation during intercourse

All of these situations may be due to weak pelvic floor muscles……SO TO ASSIST IN STRENGTHENING YOUR PELVIC FLOOR MUSCLES, YOU CAN PERFORM…..

Lying on your stomach
Place a pillow under your thighs and your chest (but above your breasts). As well as being in a good position to relax, the pressure on your stomach can help the uterus to shrink back down.

Sitting
It is good to sit regularly as the compression helps to decreases any swelling of the perineum (area between your legs). However, if this is very painful, try folding up two towels and placing one under each thigh.

Back Stretch
Lie on your back. Raise your legs in the air with knees and hips bent to 90°.Take a breath in, pull up your pelvic floor. Clasp your hands together at chest height. On the breath out, take your hands back behind your head as close to the floor as possible, keeping your back flat against the floor. Repeat 10 times.

Avoid bending forward

• Ensure everything is waist height, not hip height
• Don’t stand or lean over the bath – its better to kneel on a towel
• Check the height of ironing boards, change tables etc

Avoid lifting for long periods
This will reduce the risk of muscle fatigue, injury and back pain.

• While breastfeeding, support your feet on a footstool and rest your baby on a pillow rather than holding your baby the whole time

Keep the weight of your body and anything you are lifting inside your base of support Keep your baby close to you while lifting. Minimise heavy lifting.

Exercise is the only way to get your muscles back in shape. No amount of dieting is going to do that for you. Give yourself time – your body has been changing for nine months, allow at least that much time to restore it.

Keep a few things in mind before you start an exercise program.

Do:

• Check with your physician before beginning any aerobic postnatal exercise. Most women are able to resume exercise within 6 weeks of giving birth.
• Resume exercise gradually. Although exercise after childbirth is important, it won’t help if you overdo it. Avoid exercising to fatigue.
• Exercise regularly. Try to include aerobic activity for at least 20 minutes 3 -4 times per week to burn fat.
• Listen to your body. If it doesn’t feel right, modify or eliminate the movement. Modify or stop the exercise if you feel extreme fatigue or discomfort.
• Intake adequate calories. The demands of breastfeeding require 500 extra calories per day.
• Stay well hydrated. Drink plenty of fluids before, during and after exercise to prevent dehydration.
• Wear a supportive bra during exercise. Breasts can be particularly tender on the early postpartum period months.

Don’t:

• Don’t begin abdominal reconditioning work until sutures have healed, if you have had a caesarean birth. The sutures will generally heal within 4-6 weeks, but check with your doctor and get approval before starting abdominal work.
• Don’t do advanced abdominal exercises (crunches, reverse curls) if you have abdominal separation. Separation of the abdominal muscles, called diactisis recti, is a condition that can occur during pregnancy or childbirth. If you have this separation, avoid advanced abdominal exercises until the muscles have closed and the pelvic floor is strong.
• Don’t use jerky, jarring and twisting movements. This activity puts stress on the joints and body areas already overloaded by the increased weight of pregnancy and affected by hormonal changes.
• Don’t make quick directional changes. Your body shape and center of gravity is returning to pre-pregnancy state. You may still experience reduced balance in the early post-partum months.
• Don’t exercise if you experience any of the following: bright red vaginal discharge, sharp pains in the hip or pubic joint, breathlessness or lightheadedness, extreme discomfort anywhere in the body or breast infection or abscess.