What to do after birth? REST, RECOVER, REHAB and RESTORE

After birth is important to understand that you need to REST, RECOVER, REHAB & RESTORE your body.

        Often your doctor will give you the green light to return to activities at 6 weeks. I encourage all moms to take a restorative approach to return to fitness, sport and your favourite activities. I truly believe in SLOW is FAST when recovering from birth, no matter how your child came into this world. 

Give yourself time to rest and when you are ready to begin some movement start with breathing for relaxing the nervous system and connecting to your pelvic floor. Learn how to do a proper 360/ diaphragmatic breath and learn how to relax your pelvic floor. You first need to be able to relax your pelvic floor before you are able to fully contract it.  Childs pose is a good place to start.  Learning how to connect your PF to your core is so important when regaining your strength and to coordinate your breath, pelvic floor and core with functional movements in the future. 

Pregnancy is hard on your body and there are so many physical changes that occur, leaving you with dysfunction, altered posture and pain. Start with some mobility and gentle stretching  help free up tight areas such as the hips, mid back and lower back. Start with thoracic rotation, foam rolling your back, cat cow and a hip flexor stretch.

Walking will get the blood flowing and give you some feel good endorphins as well as help you clear your mind and reduce anxiety. Start slow, on the flats and then slowly build on distance and elevation  over time.

These are a few great ways to slowly ease your way back into  movement as you reintegrate back into sport, fitness and your favourite activities.

Remember Slow is fast and ignore the social pressures to “bounce back”.  

Before you begin more structured program, I recommend all moms go see a pelvic floor physio for an internal exam at 6 weeks, so they can find out what’s really going on with their pelvic health. You could have a prolapse and not know it. PF Physio can ensure you are breathing, connecting and activating your pelvic floor and core properly.

Learning to breath and connect with your pelvic floor is important, so that when you are ready for more you are starting with a proper functioning core.

 “Mountain Mom Strong” is safe to start at 4 weeks as we begin with breathing and connecting to the pelivic floor. Although you may not be ready mentally at 4 weeks, you may be so sleep deprived and unable to cope with adding another thing on your plate. Listen to your body, rest & recover. When you are ready to take on more, we are here to help you rehab and restore your body.