Great! So you’ve gotten that double thumbs up from your medical provider at your 6 week postpartum follow up appointment to start getting back to “normal life” again. They typically give you permission to resume normal daily and exercise activities “as you’re able.” YAY!!!

But then you find yourself asking…What does that exactly mean? How do I do that? Where should I start? How quickly can I progress myself?

Regardless of whether you delivered your baby vaginally or via C-section, your body and pelvis have been through A LOT the past 9 months. Pregnancy alone puts a lot of stress and strain on the body, and now your postpartum body is feeling significantly depleted and overwhelmed with trying to care for yourself and your newborn…not to mention any other household family members!

It is important to honor the postpartum healing and recovery process. Unfortunately, many women accidentally jump back into physical activity too quickly and end up injuring themselves or predisposing their bodies to chronic conditions such as urine leakage, abdominal separation, prolapse or even pain. We also see many new mamas on the opposite side of the spectrum, avoiding exercise altogether. Inactivity is often due to lack of guidance and understanding of what they should and shouldn’t be doing for exercise, but also can be impacted by fear, anxiety, lack of motivation, deconditioning, and feelings of overwhelm. Both of these scenarios of overactivity and underactivity are NOT ideal, and certainly do not allow the body to THRIVE.

A healthy mama makes a happy family!

Every woman’s postpartum healing journey is unique, but there are some foundational skills that all new mom’s should cross off the list BEFORE skyrocketing back into their normal routines.

Develop a Foundation!

The most important things to establish in your early weeks of postpartum is a connection to your diaphragmatic breath and core muscles. This means being able to connect and activate your deep core (and pelvic floor) muscles. Notice I didn’t say strength….ACTIVATION is different than strength. It is important to first turn these muscles back on before we can attempt building strength again.

Step 1: Breathe From Your Diaphragm

• Did you know that the diaphragm is a part of your core?
• For pictures and more information, see our previous Blog Post on The REAL Core.
• It is common for many of us to develop bad habits of breathing from our upper chest and shoulders.
  • Pregnancy posture, high stress, and tight muscles around the pelvis and abdomen can lead to upper chest breathing.
• Learning to breathe from your diaphragm, in an expansive way, is super important for setting yourself for proper core activation and strength.
• Check out our YouTube Video with specific breathing instructions!

Step 2: Move Your Body…Gently!

• In the beginning, start small and simple
  • LESS IS MORE!
  • Prioritize gentle movements, stretching and posture for the first 2 weeks
  • 20 minutes of consistent physical activity is a great starting place!
  • Examples: walk around the neighborhood, postnatal yoga or pilates, gentle stretching, foam rolling, walk up and down the stairs, squats or lunges in place, go swimming
• With all of the changes in your posture and tissues from pregnancy and birth, be gentle with yourself as you start moving your body more regularly again. Better to start too easy than too hard.
• Exercise in an environment where you can easily stop and rest at anytime (nearby or within your home).
• Stretching through your spine, chest and hip flexors are important to offset the many hours spent sitting, feeding, holding and caring for your newborn (and other children). Not to mention what 3rd Trimester pregnancy posture does to your body…sheesh!
• Check out or Gentle Yoga Flow Video for a great way to open up through your chest, spine and hips, while practicing your breathing techniques.

Step 3: Reconnect to your Transverse Abdominis muscle

• Did you know the Transverse Abdominis (TA) is a part of your core?
• Acts like a giant back brace, wrapping around the front and sides of your trunk. Provides stability and upright posture.
• Check out our YouTube Video for specific activation instructions!
• When first starting, practice in a still, comfortable position where you can focus on technique.
• Practice activating in multiple positions (every woman is different with which resonates best).
• Be sure to pair it with your breath!
• For pictures of the TA, see our previous Blog Post on The REAL Core.

Step 4: Reconnect to Your Pelvic Floor Muscles

No, not necessarily Kegal. We are focused less on strengthening in this phase, more on reconnecting, restoring function and healing. Did you know the pelvic floor is actually a part of your core? CAUTION! Many people do NOT actually kegal correctly, so make sure that you feel comfortable with the proper technique. When first beginning, practice in a still, comfortable position where you can focus on your technique. Start with positions of anti-gravity – laying down on back or belly, childs pose, or hands and knees Be sure to pair it with breath! For pictures of the Pelvic Floor, see our previous Blog Post on The REAL Core

Step 5: Activate While Moving!

Common everyday examples include standing up from a couch or chair, picking up your baby out of the crib, lifting your heavy grocery bags out of the car. Use your exhale breath to gently activate these muscles during the most exertional part of the movement. For example, if you are standing up from the couch, scoot to the end of the couch, INHALE lean forward (nose over toes), then EXHALE as you gently engage your deep core muscles and stand up. Use this technique every time you are lifting your baby.

Bonus Tips – Getting Started & Self Progressing

Sprinkle your breath and activation techniques in throughout your day. Meaning, that you can practice on and off throughout your day and make it a PART of your day. Rather than having to set aside copious amounts of time to practice your “exercises.” Nobody has time for that!

Now, when you are first starting off with this you may need to set aside small amounts of quiet/private time for you to practice so you can concentrate on technique. This involves a lot of mind body connection when your body is not used to using these muscles. They have been turned off for quite some time!

Start with easier positions (on floor) and progress to more challenging positions (seated and standing). Examples of a progression:

Easy Positions: START HERE!

• Laying down on belly
• Childs pose (yoga)
• Laying down on back with feet supported (on ground or elevated on pillows or couch)

Medium Positions:

• Hands and Knees

Challenging Positions:

• Sitting
  • Feeding baby
  • On the toilet, before or after going to the bathroom
  • Playing with kiddos on floor
  • Driving in car
  • Diaper changing on floor or couch
  • Working
• Standing
  • Showering
  • Brushing teeth
  • Meal prepping at kitchen counter
  • In checkout line while shopping
  • Diaper changing at standing station
  • Working

Advanced Positions: PAIR WITH MOVEMENT!

1. Standing up from chair
2. Lunging
3. Squatting
4. Picking up baby from crib
5. Picking up baby from car seat
6. Lifting bags of groceries up to counter
7. Lifting shopping bags out of car

Make sure you can both relax AND contract these muscles. Often, we focus so much on activating and strengthening muscles, we forget that muscles need to be flexible and have moments of rest too. We don’t want our core muscles to be tight like a white knuckled fist all the time!

If you are struggling to know if you are doing these techniques properly, consult with a Women’s Health Physical Therapist. They are specialty trained to evaluate and help you progress your postpartum exercise and core strength on an individual level.