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It is understandable that new mums are keen to get their bodies back in shape and lose weight post-pregnancy, but taking time to recover from pregnancy and delivery is important before getting back into exercise.
If your baby was born by caesarean section this is all the more so. Your first and foremost priority is to recover from surgery and settle in with your beautiful new bundle of joy and not rush any fast weight loss.
Here at The Healthy Mummy we are continuously improving and expanding on our 28 Day Weight Loss Challenge App and features.
We pride ourselves on providing helpful, safe and effective fitness programs and meal plans for busy, tired mums wanting to lose weight and tackle their health from the inside out.
but taking time to recover from pregnancy and delivery is important before getting back into exercise.
If your baby was born by caesarean section this is all the more so.
Your first and foremost priority is to recover from surgery and settle in with your beautiful new bundle of joy and not rush any fast weight loss.
The early days and weeks after having a baby are a time for rest and recovery.
Performing simple pelvic floor and core exercises and walking within comfort is all you need to think about at this stage.
Once you have regained your core and pelvic floor strength and if all else is going well, you can commence low impact exercises, generally around 6 weeks after giving birth.
Women who had had a caesarean section can also commence pelvic floor retraining and gentle core recruitment soon after delivery, but avoid any activity that strains your midsection for a good 12 weeks.
As a guide, avoid lifting anything heavier than your baby until you are well healed. You too can gradually return to low impact and low load exercise. You should prioritise your core, pelvic floor and posture in this time.
In the early days after a caesarean delivery you will be mostly resting and recovering, with sensible pain management helping you to do gentle activities, commence feeding and bonding with your baby. During this time you will benefit from performing some very simple exercises 3 times per day:
As the days go on, simply getting up and about and looking after your baby is all the activity you need plus continuing pelvic floor strengthening and neck and shoulder stretches. Avoid any heavy lifting or strenuous activity for a good six weeks or more.
When you are comfortable you can start light walks. Getting out and about with your baby in the pram is great for your mind as well as your body.
Commence with 5 minutes and gradually increase your time within comfort , monitoring your comfort and energy levels.
The life of a new mum involves plenty of leaning forward over your baby, at the change table, on the floor and when cuddling or feeding.
This leaves them prone to neck and back problems. Add to this a subconscious tendency to protect your abdominal wound, women who have had a caesarean are even more at risk of back muscle weakness, strains and associated aches and pains.
To keep your back strong and your posture proud, sit or stand tall frequently and continue your simple neck and shoulder exercises.
Add upper back strengthening to your daily routine. Sit or stand tall with your fingers resting behind your ears and elbows pointing sideways. Lift your pelvic floor and engage your core then, without arching your back glide your elbows backwards , focusing on drawing your shoulder blades inwards and down wards. Repeat x 5
In regards to moving onto more strenuous exercise, you are well advised to continue gentle walking and light activities for 12 weeks after a caesarean delivery.
Then within comfort you may gradually return to low impact exercises, swimming and gentle strength training.
Sound healing and strong core muscles are imperative before trying abdominal curls and weight training. Gentle pilates style core exercises, raising an arm or leg on all fours for example, are ideal preparatory exercise for weeks prior to ab curls. As a guide to when you are ready , you should be able to engage and maintain pelvic floor and core recruitment before and during any exercise.
Most importantly, always listen to your body and know that you will get back in shape …all in good time.
When you are recovering from a cesarean section you need to remember that you are recovering from major surgery and therefore you need to treat your body as such. Once you have been given the green light to start exercising again by your health care professional it’s best to start with gentle exercise.
When beginning to do any postnatal exercise you need to be sure to stay mindful of possible issues such as diastasis recti or muscle separation. And when it comes to post-caesarean you need to be careful that you don’t damage your scar tissue as it heals.
If you are wanting to work your abdominal muscles to get back your pre-pregnancy flat tummy some exercises you might want to try include sit ups and other abdominal exercises.
Sit ups will work to flatten your tummy muscles but these aren’t the only abdominal exercises that you need to think about you can also work on your back and side abdominal muscles by including leg raises in your workout routine.
An important type of exercise you should consider including in your postnatal exercise program is pelvic floor exercises. Most of the time when pelvic floor exercises are discussed as part of any postnatal exercise routine, its part of a discussion of vaginal birth but they are just as important if you have a c-section delivery.
In fact all women should work on building the strength of their pelvic floor muscles. There are many pelvic floor muscle workout routines that can help you with this as part of the 28 Day Weight Loss Challenge.
***Disclaimer: This information is to be used as a guide only. Know your own body and if constant bloating persists, we recommend you visit a physician or dietician to investigate the issue further.***