The First Six Weeks
The first six weeks following the delivery of your baby can be a whirr. Don’t forget to look after yourself; a healthy mummy is needed to look after a healthy baby!
Caring for the Pelvic Floor – Body Care
I always recommend using support garments to provide support and help with healing of your perineum, pelvic floor and abdominal muscles after childbirth. Examples are shapewear, spanx, tubigrip and belly bands.
Good posture is important for injury prevention and healing – Help to protect your back after childbirth by sitting and standing correctly.
Sitting – sit tall at the back of your seat, and relax your back against the back rest. Your chin should be tucked in and shoulders gently pulled back together.
Standing – tuck your tailbone under and stand tall with your shoulders back.
The most important exercises after the delivery of your baby are pelvic floor exercises – regardless of the mode of delivery! See below for more details.
Deep abdominal “core” muscle exercises are also encouraged post-delivery. These muscles work with your pelvic floor muscles to support your back and pelvis and help tone your tummy. If you gave birth by caesarean section, gentle exercise can help you to heal. You may feel a pulling sensation when you tighten your muscles, but you should not feel any pain. Be guided by how you feel. After surgery, you may become tired easily.
Maintaining healthy bladder and bowel habits, see below
Healthy Bladder and Bowel Habits
Avoid constipation and straining – this weakens the pelvic floor muscles and can contribute to problems like haemorrhoids, incontinence, anal fissure or prolapse. Speak to your women’s health physiotherapist or GP if you suffer from any of these issues.
Bladder – the average woman goes to the toilet every 2-4 hours and 0-1 times per night, emptying between 300-500ml.
Drink 1.5 – 2 L per day or more if breastfeeding. Aim to limit caffeine, alcohol and soft drinks.
Bowels – it is normal to empty your bowels 3 times per day to 3 times per week.
Getting enough fluid will help keep you regular, as will eating plenty of fibre rich foods such as fruit, vegetables, wholemeal breads and cereals, grains and nuts.
If this is not enough – consider fibre supplements or gentle laxatives to help empty your bowels.
Correct toilet position – Back straight, leaning forward from the hips and resting your elbows on your knees. Position your knees higher than your hips by using a footstool or rising up on your toes. Your stomach should be relaxed and you should not have to strain.
Pelvic Floor Muscle Exercises
Stage 1 – Early rehabilitation
You should begin your exercises in a comfortable anti-gravity position such as side lying, on your back, or on your hands and knees.
Imagine that you are squeezing around the front passage and squeezing around the back passage, then lifting upwards towards your pubic bone (holding onto wee and wind).
Training for strength – The aim is to hold this maximal contraction for as long as you can. Let’s assume you can all do a 5 second hold. You should then relax for 10 seconds, then repeat til fatigue – assuming this is 5 reps
Training coordination and quick response – 10 x quick fast lifts
These two exercises should be repeated 3 times per day
Key points – keep breathing; keep your hips and legs relaxed; squeeze your pelvic floor 100% before you are about to sneeze, cough, laugh etc.
Stage 2 – Gold Standard
10 seconds x 10 reps
10 quick lifts
1 long hold (30 seconds)
Once the gold standard has been reached you only need to do your exercises once per day to maintain this strength. Unfortunately pelvic floor exercises are a lifelong program. Your muscles don’t magically maintain strength without challenging them!
If you are unsure you are contracting your pelvic floor muscles correctly, or have any questions on anything mentioned, please go to the contact tab to get in touch.