Congratulations!

 

Your bundle of fun has arrived!

 

I hope it's all going well so far - I'll not ask too many questions about the sleep situation just yet! Needless to say, if it's not going your way, it will get better.

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Whether you're a first time Mum, or  a pro juggling one, two, perhaps even multiples more, it can sometimes feel a little overwhelming. It's easy, debatably natural, to forget about looking after ourselves when we're so busy looking after everyone else - changing nappies, washing endless clothes, pounding the pavements and all the many other plate spinning activities that family life seems to throw at us.  

 

I hope you can find a  class which can offer you great support during these early days; physical strength and guidance to help you with your growing baby and their entourage of well -  stuff, emotional support and  reassurance from other Mums currently in the similar situations and finally,  mindful awareness - tuning into your postnatal body,  it's habits, how it moves and what we may need to tweak for the long term benefit.

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So how can Postnatal Pilates help?

 

Pilates is a very safe, gentle and highly effective exercise  which helps to  deeply strengthen, stabilise and ultimately move your after-baby-body with greater ease.

 

Do your research and look for a class which  will include exercises to re-build your core, support your pelvic floor and adapt to the challenges which your body now faces. Pilates can help you with pram posture, rounded shoulders/upper back from feeding, text neck from midnight Mummy group whatsapp chats, not to mention bending over cots and twisting in and out of car seats.  

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Find a class which works at your pace and takes into account the type of birth you've had, as well as any ongoing issues which you now face. It's worthwhile asking your teacher to check to see how separated your tummy muscles are using a 'diastasic recti test' - we want to avoid any form of doming so  the tummy doesn't  protrude forward further. Being mindful of these sorts of movements, will really help you in these early days - how you can get out of bed without putting too big a strain on your abdomen, how you can get out of a comfy sofa. You may be surprised that you don't have to do curl ups (a bit like crunches) to really feel your tummy muscles working (safely)!

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As a general rule of thumb:

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Make sure to get Medical clearance from your Midwife/Consultant. We also suggest to start gentle exercises from:

 

· 6 weeks plus, natural delivery, no complications. Any stitches have healed.

· 12 weeks plus for ladies who have had a caesarian, to give your body a longer time to heal. Pelvic Floor exercises should still be undertaken (once approved, normally 24hours after birth).

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Pelvic Floor Work

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In the meantime, can I remind you about your Pelvic Floor Exercises. Have you been doing them?  These can be started within 24 hours after birth (with Midwife clearance). For best results, try to do 6 sets of 10 second holds 10 times a day (that's only 10 mins a day). Perhaps you can set an alarm clock as a reminder, or you could practice when you wake up/when you are feeding/when you are making a cuppa.... mix it up and really do try not to forget about it. You'll thank me for it when your baby becomes big enough to want you to bounce on the trampoline.

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