with our Pelvic Health Physiotherapist, Agnes Budyn
Congratulations on the new addition to your family! As you navigate the beautiful journey of motherhood, it's essential to focus on rebuilding your core strength postpartum. Your abdominal muscles have undergone significant changes during pregnancy, and now it's time to retrain and regain their strength! In this guide, I’ll walk you through a step-by-step process to help you reconnect with your core and achieve a strong, stable foundation. Let’s go!
Understanding Postpartum Changes:
Begin by acknowledging the changes your abdominal muscles have undergone. Pregnancy stretches and weakens the abdominal muscles, leading to a separation known as diastasis recti. Although the amount of separation can vary, this is very normal with pregnancy. Understanding these changes and being kind to yourself and the work your body has just done to carry a baby is the first step towards effective retraining.
Pelvic Floor Activation:
Before diving into ab exercises, it's crucial to connect to and activate your pelvic floor muscles. Seeking out a pelvic floor therapist for a postpartum assessment (6 weeks after birth or after clearance from your health professional) is an important 1st step before undertaking any exercises. This will help you to reconnect with those muscles as well as determine whether you need to strengthen, release or learn to coordinate your pelvic floor with your core and breath.
Diaphragmatic Breathing:
Incorporate diaphragmatic breathing into your daily routine. This technique engages the deep abdominal muscles, promoting better core stability. These muscles work together with your pelvic floor. Practice inhaling deeply, allowing your diaphragm and abdomen to expand, and exhale fully to engage your core muscles, drawing your abdomen in. Pelvic floor physiotherapists are specially trained to help you rebuild this connection and therefore can help if you are finding it difficult or unnatural.
Gentle Abdominal Exercises:
Start with gentle exercises that target the transverse abdominis—the deepest layer of your abdominal muscles. Once you have mastered diaphragmatic breathing and connecting to your pelvic floor, you are ready to start with exercises such as pelvic tilts, leg slides, and seated marches. Gradually increase the intensity as your strength improves.
Diastasis Recti Exercises:
If you're dealing with diastasis recti, include specific exercises to address this separation. Consult with a pelvic floor physiotherapist to assess the degree of separation and to ensure you're performing your exercises correctly without any doming or coning at the midline. Some examples can include heel slides, seated leg lifts, and modified planks.
Gradual Progression:
Patience is key. Progress at your own pace, and listen to your body. Watch for any symptoms as you progress such as pelvic floor heaviness, pain, urinary leaking or uncontrolled doming and coning in the abdominal midline. Seek out advice from a pelvic floor physiotherapist if you notice any of these symptoms or others. As you feel more confident and your strength improves, you can incorporate traditional core exercises like planks, bridges, and gentle twists.
Consistency and Mindful Movement:
Consistency is vital in any fitness journey. Incorporate these exercises into your daily routine, but always prioritize quality over quantity. Mindful movement is crucial for reconnecting with your body and preventing injury.
Rebuilding your core strength postpartum is a gradual process that requires patience and dedication. By understanding the changes your body has undergone and incorporating targeted exercises, you'll pave the way for a strong and resilient core. Reaching out to a pelvic floor physiotherapist can help you understand some of the changes that your body has gone through as well as determine your new core and pelvic floor baselines prior to starting an exercise routine. Pelvic floor physiotherapists are specifically trained to determine what exercises are appropriate depending on which stage of recovery you are in and to ensure that you are performing them correctly to get maximum benefit. As you begin your rehab, celebrate your progress along the way, and remember that taking care of yourself is an essential part of taking care of your little one.
Agnes Budyn, PT
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