I’m Newly Postpartum - Now What?

Written By Danielle Ufniak

Those first few weeks are a blur! There are some strategies we can think about right off the bat to help our body heal itself.

Pressure

Breathing with movement is essential to keep pressure on our abdominal wall and pelvic floor at a minimum. Pressure can also be caused by wearing too-tight leggings around our midsection or an inappropriate postpartum belly band.

Posture

We can start trying to stack rib cage over pelvis and drawing rib cage in and downwards, coming from the rib flared pregnancy posture we have assumed.

Position

Find positions on the bed and couch for feeding and resting that you can get up from with minimal strain. Use pillows and props to ensure you're not heaving yourself up out of a chair or couch.

Breathing Exercises

We can start some breathing exercises before the 6 week mark to begin tying together our breath and core and pelvic floor.

Abdominal Spinting

PELVIC FLOOR PHYSIOTHERAPY CONSIDERATIONS

Most mamas think that the 6-week medical clearance from their OB or midwife means they're 'good to go'. This couldn't be further from the truth, it means your external tissue (c-section incision, vaginal tearing/episiotomy) has healed without infection.

True clearance should come after an assessment with a pelvic floor physiotherapy where we assess:

  • Posture and changes in spine and pelvic alignment since pregnancy

  • Current integrity of your deep core muscles and linea alba that connects right and left abdominal walls.

  • Scar tissue from c-section integrity

  • Changes in breathing strategies

  • Pelvic floor scar tissue healing

  • Assess pelvic pain

  • Assess pelvic organ prolapse

  • Assess pelvic floor muscle tone and strength, coordination and endurance

  • Assess movement strategies

Danielle Ufniak
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