Postpartum core muscles

By Emilie Paradis

During pregnancy, a woman goes through many physiological changes. Pregnancy can leave a woman feeling scared, insecure and overwhelmed by her body’s transformation. But let’s be optimistic – the human body is a wonderful machine that can adapt physically and mentally to any situation, including gestation and postpartum.

During pregnancy, muscles of the abdomen expand while muscles of the back shorten. The linea alba, the fibrous structure down the midline of the abdomen, can thin and separate, causing the belly to bulge, a condition known as diastasis recti. The pelvic floor also weakens from the weight of the baby and from pushing while giving birth. Pre-existing imbalance of the hips is often intensified during gestation because of the weight and volume of the abdomen.

A mother’s most important role is to care for her newborn, but it is also paramount that she takes care of herself. Rehabilitating the whole core – abdominals, obliques, diaphragm, pelvic floor, back extensors and hip muscles, is essential for the mother. Doing gentle exercises will help her to reconnect with her body after these big physiological changes, improve her posture and strengthen her core. Neglecting the core in postpartum can lead to complications such as diastasis recti, umbilical hernia, pain in the back, hips and pelvis, pain during intercourse, constipation, poor posture and bladder leakage when jumping, crouching or sneezing.

Returning to a regular exercise routine is often not recommended before six weeks for vaginal delivery and for eight to 10 weeks for cesarian birth. However, pelvic floor specialists recommend practising gentle core exercises to help reconnect the muscles together. Always check with your doctor before starting any exercise routine. Here are some recommendations:

1. Breathing technique: slow and controlled inhale by nose, rib cage, stomach and back gently expand. Imagine exhale by your mouth through a straw, slow and controlled, gently contracting the ribs together, lifting the pelvic floor and bringing your belly button to your spine. Can be practised lying down, sitting, on knees or standing.
2. Bridge: on your back, knees bent, and heels align with knees. Exhale, push the feet into the floor and lift your hips up. Never bring the hips so high that you feel tension or curvature of your lower back. While inhaling, slowly bring the hips back to the floor.
3. Knee squeeze: on your side, place a pillow or yoga ball between knees bent to 90 degrees. Exhale (using the breathing technique) and slowly squeeze the ball with your knees. Inhale while releasing the pressure of the yoga ball.

These exercises can be done as early as the first week after delivery. Everyone is different, so listening to your body is key. Start slowly and progressively – increasing intensity, time and tension of the exercise sessions is key to healing and improving health. Exercise should make you feel better and more energized, not tired.

Make sure to:

• avoid doing typical crunches, which won’t help and will probably worsen the situation,
• when getting out of bed, turn on your side first and use you arms to push yourself up,
• avoid lifting any objects heavier than your baby.

And please, do not rely on a corset for support. It has many sophisticated (and misleading) names like waist trainer, waist belt, waist trimmer, waist support. On the contrary, it weakens your core muscles and pelvic floor, restricts oxygen, cause gastrointestinal discomfort and can damage nerves and internal organs. Instead, use a band that you can wrap around the hips, it is much more beneficial than a corset.

There are many group fitness classes in the neighbourhood that will provide you with a lot of information and offer proper coaching on how to rehabilitate your core. Most classes will let you bring baby. It’s a great opportunity to meet other mothers who are going through the same thing, and it will help you feel supported and make new connections.

Emilie Paradis is a holistic nutritionist, personal trainer and mobility coach and is co-owner of InStep.