What changes after delivery
Postpartum is the phase after a baby is delivered, when a mother's body continues to experience changes that manifest in the days, months, and even years that follow. These physical and hormonal shifts, the result of carrying a growing baby for nine long months, can bring pain, discomfort, and displeasure.
Common postpartum difficulties include back pain due to poor posture, urinary and fecal incontinence, constipation, neck and shoulder pain due to breastfeeding, lower belly pooch, and separated abdominal muscles. These symptoms are normally caused by diastasis recti and pelvic floor disorder, both of which can be alleviated by attending physical therapy. Since the separation of abdominal muscles also contributes to pelvic floor dysfunction, pelvic floor therapy can minimize the symptoms and help bring your muscles back toward their original condition.
Rebuilding the pelvic floor and core
Pelvic muscle contractions are a straightforward place to start: contract and relax the pelvic floor muscle, holding each contraction for about one to three seconds before relaxing, with attention to proper breathing throughout for the best results.
It's also important to pay attention to how your body is feeling during exercise, if you feel difficulty breathing when doing a particular exercise, you might be pushing yourself too much. Some of the low-intensity exercises physical therapists usually recommend include heel slides, pelvic bridges, pelvic tilts, and modified planks. Done properly, and with the guidance of an experienced physical therapist, these exercises can improve your pelvic floor muscles while helping to prevent injuries and further discomfort.
Balance exercises for posture and core strength
Balance exercises are good for back pain and for improving posture. A few, using a yoga ball, strengthen the core muscles, reduce the gap in the abdominal muscles, and improve stability without causing unnecessary strain. With the guidance of your trusted physical therapist, these exercises can benefit postpartum recovery by relieving pain in the neck, back, abdomen, and pelvic sections.
Why consistency matters
Doing low-intensity exercises regularly and religiously during the postpartum period can strengthen your core, as well as your pelvic floor, which is important in maintaining good posture and stability, and, importantly, it reduces stress. This life stage for mothers is very challenging, yet fulfilling; amid the discomfort, pain, and fatigue, most moms simply wish to rest comfortably and go back to feeling like their strong, lively selves.
This is achievable through constant physical therapy sessions, which provide coping strategies for moms on how to optimize relaxation through deep breathing and mindfulness-based exercises. Physical therapy can help bring back your original energy, strength, and body.
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