If you just had your baby, you probably would have asked whether your body will ever feel and look the same again? Social media is filled with images that depict a certain postpartum body leaving most of us pressured to look a certain way and “bounce back”.
I am 2 months postpartum at the time of writing this article and remembered vividly how I looked 3 hours after I delivered my baby, despite all my training and practice during pregnancy, my tummy felt so loose that I wasn’t able to connect or engage my core and my lower abs is hanging low like a ball in a hammock. As I looked at myself in the hospital toilet mirror, I am reminded of the mamas out there who just gave birth that might feel discouraged and afraid at the sight of their postpartum body, so familiar yet so foreign at the same time, but most of all I am reminded that my body just made a human and it deserves love and kindness.
Was I angry and disappointed that it seemed that my prenatal training was ineffective as I was carrying a protruding postpartum stomach? How we talk to ourselves matters. Instead of feeling disheartened, I surrendered my body to itself knowing that with patience, resilience and proper training it will heal itself. So I would like to invite you to be patient towards your body as well, take this time to recuperate and nourish yourself and not let negative chatters in your head affect your emotional wellbeing.
We often see an unfortunate pattern among women especially in the postpartum phase which involves the inability to LISTEN to their bodies when it comes to rebuilding, reclaiming, restrengthening and truly healing the core and pelvic floor in the way that is best. During pregnancy, women are so often restricted to avoid certain movements, quitting their favourite workouts that the postpartum brain struggles with the patience required to heal our bodies appropriately.
As counter-intuitive as it sounds, the fastest way to recover is to go slow. You might be tempted to hit the ground running as soon as possible wanting to lose all that weight you gained. I’ve been asked very often “how to avoid getting fat” and “how to be thin again” after pregnancy. I deliberately do not want to discuss weight loss, the focus should be on restoring your core and pelvic floor, fixing pain and leakages and rebuilding strength. Once these internal issues are rehabilitated, coupled with a balanced and healthy diet, slimming down is just an aftereffect.
Rushing into intensive exercises such as HIIT, running and jumping and other high impact exercises for the sake of losing weight might do more harm than good. Your body has undergone huge transformation for the past 9 months and your core and pelvic floor are inevitably stressed. Exercises that increases intra-abdominal pressure will further weaken the pelvic floor and core, causing pelvic dysfunction such as incontinence, pain during intercourse, organ prolapse and lower back pain. Relaxin hormones that loosen up ligaments and joints will remain present in new mothers and mothers who are still breastfeeding, therefore high impact exercises is not appropriate as it can be damaging to your joints.
Most doctors recommend getting back into your pre-pregnancy exercise routine 6 to 8 weeks after delivery. However, the golden window for core rehabilitation is the first 8 weeks right after delivery. The ability of tapping into the depth of your core connection is where the best results truly lie. Utilising Pilates breathing techniques combined with pelvic floor activation and core engagement during this period is extremely beneficial in toning weakened abdominal muscle. In our work with clients, the focus is always on restoring the core, pelvic floor and glutes. These muscles are the stabilisers of the body and without it functioning properly you will be prone to injuries.
The aim during the first few weeks post delivery is to regain muscle control. Muscles move on command from your brain. During pregnancy, the abdominal walls are stretched and these muscles were not communicating properly with the brain, hence if muscle control is not duly restored, execution of high performance moves becomes risky. You should take the time necessary to establish the deep core activation and connection before taking the leap. You will see much better results and feel better if you take the time to transition wisely.
It might sound all too complicated but it is not. The most powerful tool and effective method to slim down post baby is your breathe. You can perform breathing exercise right after delivery. Lying on a firm surface, place both palms on your lower abs, inhale through your nose, direct the breathe to your ribcage and feel your ribcage expand like a balloon in 3 directions (lateral, forwards and backwards) and further all the way down to your pelvic floor while visualising your pelvic floor muscles release and opening. As you exhale, draw the breath out from your pelvic floor muscle by contracting the same muscle up, zipping in and hugging in your lower belly to expel the breath out through your mouth. Do not underestimate this simple exercise, once you are able to incorporate breathing and deep abdominal muscle activation to exercise, you will yield much better results.
Postpartum recovery goes beyond the superficial facet of weight loss and getting rid of the mummy pooch. A lean and thin post baby body does not equate to being healthy. Hidden underneath those six packs could be a myriad of painful manifestations of exercises that were performed incorrectly. Struggling with body image is a prevalent issue amongst so many especially when you are comparing yourself to other mothers who seem to “have it all”. But be reminded that each of us are on our own journey, and with a bit of help and work you will eventually feel like yourself again.
