how to exercise while recovering from caesarean birth

8/7/2019 How to Exercise While Recovering From Caesarean Birth

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How to Exercise While Recovering From Caesarean Birth

As both a postnatal fitness instructor and a birth doula, I've seen firsthand what is involved in acesarean birth and how women have successfully recovered their bodies afterwards. I'd like to

share some simple techniques that I teach my clients, since many women are under the

impression that no exercise of any kind is appropriate for months after cesarean surgery, which isuntrue.

If you've had a cesarean birth or know of a woman who has (that is most of us, since the c-

section rate is between 30-35% in the Bay Area by some estimates), please pass this on:- The Cesarean section operation is major abdominal surgery, so you may feel pain, soreness, gas

pains, bladder issues, difficulty moving or sitting up, or a pulling sensation on your belly, so takecare not to overdo anything.

While it may seem contradictory, gentle but frequent MOVEMENT is actually one of best

recovery tricks you can do for your body, as it reduces swelling in the incision and gets the blood

flowing to all your body parts. Remember to "RICE" - Rest, Ice, Compress, and Elevate.

The exercises:

1. Deliberately and loudly - COUGH at least 10 x an hour, pulling your belly button into your spine as if you are a mama kangaroo trying to hold in her baby 'roo - this will help heal your transverse abdominals, the deepest and lowest part of your tummy - the part that was pulled aside

when they made the incision

2. Pull your belly to spine and squeeze your pelvic floor UP to your belly as you say "HUP HUPHUP HUP HUP HUP HUP HUP HUP HUP" (10 HUPS) loudly. Again, 10 HUPS x an hour.

3. Imagine the face of a clock extending out from the center of your bellybutton, with the 12'oclock towards your pubic bone, and the 3'o clock at your right hip, the 6'o clock at your breastbone, and the 9'o clock at your left hip. Pull your belly up and in to the center as you imagine

starting the movement from each hour on the clock, working the entire abdominal area literallyaround the clock!

4. Getting out of bed - make sure you plant both feet firmly on the bed with knees and heelstogether, then roll gently to one side and come up to a bent elbow as you push yourself with your

arm strength to a side sitting position, then legs roll over the side and sit up on the bed.

5. When your scar tissue is healing well (between 8-12 days after surgery) AND your sutures or

staples have dissolved or been removed, you can begin to do some gentle self-scar massage OR hire an experienced postnatal massage therapist who can provide scar tissue massage andcesarean healing massage for you, and teach you and your partner how to do it for you. You

should perform scar massage DAILY, at least 3-5 times per day for at least 15 minutes in thefirst three months (yes this is a lot, but believe me it works and you will be grateful you did a

year later!). Your scar will start to flatten out instead of feeling like a raised bumpy line acrossyour belly, and if performed successfully after several months you will no longer be able to

FEEL your cesarean scar, you may only see it.



Lastly, if you are re-joining a regular fitness program or starting one up for the first time and youhave had a cesarean birth, be sure to let your fitness instructor know, and get medical clearance

from your provider no sooner than EIGHT WEEKS after the birth (usually six weeks for vaginalbirths), and begin at a very light intensity level. Pilates-based exercises are the absolute BEST at

helping you recover your abdominal strength and shape, so join a class that includes those

exercises.

If you'd like to contact me with any specific questions about this topic or any others regarding

pre- and postnatal fitness or recovery, feel free to email me at [email protected]!

Abdominal exercises after a c-section

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Lisa Stone

After a cesarean section, how can you get your abdomen back in shape? Lisa Stone, an ACE-

certified Pre-and Post-Natal Fitness Instructor , has some suggestions to consider along withyour caregiver's advice.

Your question What strengthens the stomach muscles after a c-section ? - Sharon C, California

The expert answers Sharon,

You can begin doing isometric abdominal contractions as soon as your baby is born. Combine

those with Kegel exercises to get the maximum benefit. Also, be aware of holding in your stomach *all the time* - that's a great strengthener!

When your baby is at least 4 weeks old, you can begin doing more traditional abdominal

exercises . You'll first want to check to make sure you don't have any separation of the mainabdominal muscle that runs vertically down your torso (if you need instructions on how to check

for separation, look here).

Assuming everything's okay there, start with modified crunches: lie on your back with kneesbent and feet flat on the floor; place one hand behind each ear with elbows pointing out to the

sides and chin lifted toward the ceiling; tilt your pelvis slightly so that your lower back ispressing into the floor; take a deep breath in, and, as you exhale, lift your head off the floor,

tightening the muscles in your abdomen and pulling your belly button in toward your backbone;inhale as you lower your head. Start with 8-12 repetitions. Gradually increase the number of

repetitions to 3 sets of 12. As you feel stronger, make the exercise more challenging by liftingyour head and your shoulder blades off the floor with each repetition. Visualize scooping out

your abdomen as you tighten the muscles.

To target the lower part of the abdomen, try the following exercise: lie on your back with knees

bent and feet lifted off the floor so that your shins are parallel to the floor (this is your starting



position); place one hand behind each ear with elbows pointing out to the sides and chin liftedtoward the ceiling; tilt your pelvis slightly so that your lower back is pressing into the floor; take

a deep breath in, and, as you exhale, lift your hips slightly off the floor, tightening the muscles inthe lower part of your abdomen (make sure to use your tummy muscles and not your buttocks!);

inhale as you return to the starting position. Start with 8-12 repetitions. Gradually increase the

number of repetitions to 3 sets of 12. As you feel stronger, increase the difficulty by lifting your head and shoulders off the floor at the same time you lift your hips.

To target the waistline and really flatten the tummy, you'll need to work your obliques: lie onyour back with knees bent and feet flat on the floor; place one hand behind each ear with elbows

pointing out to the sides and chin lifted toward the ceiling; tilt your pelvis slightly so that your lower back is pressing into the floor; take a deep breath in, and, as you exhale, lift your right

shoulder blade diagonally toward your left knee (visualize peeling your shoulder blade off thefloor toward the opposite knee); inhale as your return to the starting position; repeat on the other

side. Start with 8-12 repetitions. Gradually increase the number of repetitions to 3 sets of 12.

These should get you started!

how to exercise while recovering from caesarean birth

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