The First 6 Weeks
Things to have on your radar:
At this stage, some new moms are eager to start moving their body a bit more and is therefore a time where often they reach out to me to schedule an online appointment to discuss ‘how much is too much?’ and what signs/symptoms to be looking out for.
Here are some of the points we discuss:
1
Are you having symptoms (bleeding, pain, heaviness, pulling, issues with healing, general body fatigue)? I encourage you to think of these as a threshold, your body giving you information that is worth respecting. Pushing through these symptoms can compromise healing and create inflammation which can lead to more scar tissue. If you have a symptom that doesn’t seem to be getting better, make sure to mention it to your care provider.
2
No two people are the same. Someone else at 2-4 weeks post birth is not necessarily presenting the same as you. When someone expresses that they want to do more, I am most interested in how they are feeling in their day-day and also what they WANT to do? My goal is to help you prioritize some of the activities/movements you want to do while still respecting the symptoms you may be experiencing. Quite often this involves talking through how you can pass off some of your ‘house jobs’ to others to allow you time to rest in order to prioritize your energy for a short walk or some light exercises in your house.
3
It’s important to start with an attainable goal for example 5 mins a day of focused exercise for yourself. Sometimes it’s hard for new moms to imagine that 5 mins is helpful and they are trying to find a way to get a 30 min session in…. it just rarely happens. A short session of 5 mins can still have great impact and it always feels better to be able to finish rather than not.
4
Are you having any issues with peeing/pooping? Constipation is common postpartum and some new moms are surprised to hear that it can be contributing to anal fissures, hemorrhoids, bladder urgency/frequency/leaking, perineal pain, abdominal cramping. Hydration, diet and gentle movement can be helpful and it never hurts to talk to your care provider about what supplements they suggest for helping with soft stools.
5
How are you doing emotionally? It is very common for new moms to feel emotions ranging from sadness, anger, overwhelm, anxiety, and often to think they are alone in this. I have included some podcast episodes at the bottom of this lesson because I believe this is an important topic to address. Your mental and physical health influence one another.
Here are some examples of activity/movement that new moms are often exploring at this stage
WALKING
Are you finding your walking progressing without your symptoms progressing? Walking or being busy around the house are good times to be wearing your compression garment if you have one.
Progress your distance gradually.
If it is snowy/icy where you live, consider using some spikes for traction on the bottom of your shoes (you can buy these to fit over your shoes/boots)
You don’t need to actively engage your muscles when you walk. Many new moms describe that they try to hold their core and pelvic floor when they walk. Rather, try to just allow these muscles to “just be” as no muscle is happy if it is actively engaged all the time and may be contributing to some of your symptoms of heaviness or pain.
remember to use your symptoms as a guide to whether you are pushing it a little too much. (pain, fatigue, increased bleeding)
STRETCHING
There are positions that new moms spend A LOT of time in (sitting, holding, bending over). Which means some muscles can feel quite tight and sore.
Adding some stretches into your 5 mins a day can help address your areas of tension and soreness.
I encourage new moms to focus on their core and pelvic floor coordination breathing when they are in their stretching positions as a way for the mind/body to connect the dots in a variety of positions
If you are questioning whether a stretch is “ok” for you or not, try it and only move to the level of comfort
Below is a video provided you can follow along for some stretch ideas. The nice thing about stretching is that each person can take the movement to the level that they feel comfortable and use this as a point to breathe into tension. This gentle stretching to the front of your body is very helpful because we spend so much time as new moms curled in a forward direction. If a movement causes you discomfort in your pelvic floor region, just don’t go that far into the movement. Use this video to find some ideas for stretches you may incorporate into your day.
Ellysia from Fit Empowered Mom Project
EXERCISES
At this early stage of recovery, I suggest to my clients that the goal of movement is taking the fear out of movement and coordination rather than strength progression. Our tissues have been stretched in pregnancy and now healing after vaginal birth and so this time is well spent helping the brain and body learn to work as a coordinated team before progressing to adding resistance or impact.
Below are some exercise examples where you will see that the focus is on moving slow and mindfully where I am:
INHALING - allow my muscles to lengthen softly
EXHALING - gently connect my pelvic floor and lower core to provide an anchor for the movement of my body/limb
Please note, there are no “magic” exercises for this stage of recovery. I encourage you to try and apply this strategy to other exercises that people have suggested to you. I am simply proving suggestions
When I work with people 1:1, I am able to tailor their exercises to the goal they have for the future. For example, someone who values rock climbing will have exercises that resemble the movements they use most and the same goes for someone who is keen to get back to running. The goal at this stage is to set the foundation for the longer term goals.
Here are some other ideas of how to incorporate the core and pelvic floor coordination into movements that involve different areas of the body that you can use as exercise ideas:
YOUR PERINEUM
Right from the get-go you have been addressing your healing by prioritizing rest. By spending time laying down and doing the core focused breathing, you are encouraging tissue movement and healing.
Gentle movement and stretching around the front of the body, the spine, and with the pelvis in a variety of directions helps to gently mobilize the pelvic floor. (notice this when you go through the stretching video provided above)
There are gentle techniques that you can start at this stage that involve touching the pelvic floor muscles that less affected by perineal tearing and/or episiotomy but may likely be holding onto tension. I am able to provide individualized guidance through online appointment and for many clients, I start in person hands-on tissue mobilization in areas around the scar in a way that is always safe based on your stage of healing.
Many women after vaginal birth report, “I don’t know how I’m supposed to feel so I don’t know if what I am feeling is not good?” If at this stage you are still having a hard time sitting down or tolerating walking around the house, maybe pain when you urinate or have a bowel movement, I would suggest having someone take a look at your area of healing to put your mind at ease.
