Postpartum recovery and fitness methods

First, confirm the basic body recovery through the 42-day postpartum review, and then follow the priority of "functional repair first, shape adjustment later". It is forbidden to blindly follow the trend of high-intensity weight loss training. All movements must be based on the premise that there will be no pain, urinary leakage, or falling sensation.

Last month, I accompanied my best friend Xiao Min for a postpartum check-up. She was 42 days after giving birth naturally, and her belly still looked like she was carrying a 4-month-old baby. As soon as she entered the door, she dragged the doctor and asked if she could do Pamela exercises to reduce her belly immediately. As a result, the pelvic floor muscle evaluation was only 58 points, and she also had 1 degree of anterior wall prolapse. The doctor directly said back: "First, adjust the pelvic floor muscles and rectus abdominis muscles. Otherwise, if you exercise once and leak urine once, the belly will become more and more prominent with the exercise." ”

There has been controversy about the timing of postpartum recovery. Many maternal and child bloggers shout that "6 months after delivery is the golden recovery period, and you will never recover after it." I have consulted two rehabilitation doctors with different backgrounds before. A rehabilitation doctor from a public tertiary hospital said that this statement is actually more of a marketing gimmick and evidence-based medicine. It seems that as long as the method is correct and the repair is started 1-2 years after delivery, the effect will not be significantly compromised. However, the progesterone in the body has not completely subsided within 6 months, and the ligaments are relatively loose, so the efficiency of functional adjustments will be higher. There is really no need to be so anxious that you can't sleep after 6 months.

Don’t be fooled by the video of “foreign mothers going shopping the day after giving birth”. People’s physiques are very different. After normal delivery, if there are no side incisions and tears and you are energetic, you can do simple abdominal breathing and Kegel exercises in bed 24 hours later. Contract for 3 seconds each time and relax for 3 seconds. Do 10 sets in 2-3 sets. Don’t be greedy for more. ； If there is a serious tear or a cesarean section, rest honestly for the first week. When coughing or getting up, press the wound with your hands to reduce traction. Wait for about 14 days until the wound is no longer painful, and then slowly start breathing exercises. There is no need to force yourself to get out of bed and move around.

Speaking of which, I have to mention the issue of restraints that everyone has been arguing about for a long time. Traditional confinement centers will recommend bandaging immediately after delivery, saying it can prevent visceral sagging and tighten the belly. However, exercise rehabilitation circles have not recommended long-term use. My own experience is: you can use medical-grade restraints for the first 7 days after cesarean section. When you tie them, don’t tighten them so much that you can’t breathe. It can cover the wound and reduce traction pain. Don’t wear it after you leave the hospital, especially when exercising. Wearing a waistband for a long time will make the core muscles "lazy", which will weaken the ability to regulate abdominal pressure. The problems of urinary leakage and rectus abdominis separation will only become more serious. I met a mother before who wore a waistband even when sleeping. After wearing it for 3 months, the rectus abdominis separation changed from 2 fingers to 3 fingers. It is really not worth the gain.

Many people step into the trap as soon as they start to move, and do crunches and planks as soon as they get up. This is really unacceptable. First, measure the degree of rectus abdominis separation at home: Lie flat on your back with your knees bent, lift your upper body slightly off the bed, and press your fingers directly above your belly button. If you can fit more than two fingers in, do not do any crunches, sit-ups, planks, or other movements that increase abdominal pressure. First do abdominal breathing + dead bug pose and other low-abdominal pressure core activation movements. After the separation is reduced to less than 1 finger, slowly add strength training.

In fact, there is really no need to complicate postpartum recovery. Taking care of a baby is already tiring enough, so how can you have so much time to go to the gym? Many mothers around me take 20 minutes to practice every day when their babies are asleep. They first do 5 minutes of abdominal breathing to activate the core and pelvic floor muscles. By the way, when doing abdominal breathing, don’t just push your belly forward. Imagine that your waist and abdomen are a balloon. When you inhale, open it 360 degrees, including your back and the lower corners of your ribs. When you exhale, slowly exhale, and lift your pelvic floor muscles together. This is effective. Then do 10 minutes of glute bridge and dead bug pose to train the core and buttocks. Do some simple stretching for the last 5 minutes. Just practice 3-4 times a week. Kegel exercises don’t have to be done exclusively in bed. Once you become proficient, you can do them secretly while breastfeeding or taking the subway, and no one will notice. Slowly develop a habit, and the effect will be better.

When the pelvic floor muscle score rises to above 80 points, and the rectus abdominis separation returns to within 1 finger, then slowly speed up walking, yoga, and low-intensity aerobics. If you want to do high-intensity aerobics, running, etc., it is best to wait 6 months after delivery and do another pelvic floor muscle assessment to confirm that there is no problem before starting. There used to be a girl in the group of mothers who was a fitness enthusiast before she got pregnant. She started to resume strength training 50 days after giving birth and deadlifted 30kg. As a result, she felt a sinking feeling down there after the exercise. She went to the hospital to find out that her pelvic floor muscle prolapse was getting worse. It took her three months to recover. Even if you had a foundation in exercise before, you have to treat your body as a new one after giving birth. Don’t be brave.

Harmful, in fact, to put it bluntly, there is really no need for postpartum recovery. If others have vest lines after confinement, that is someone else’s business. We know our own bodies. Take your time, first solve the annoying little problems such as leakage and back pain, and then slowly adjust your condition. This is better than anything else. After all, being a mother is hard enough, don’t add so many unnecessary KPIs to yourself.