Hi friends! There’s often so much information on the prenatal period. Apps that track your pregnancy and compare your baby’s size to different foods, frequent doctors visits, and so much more. It can be such an exciting time, but once you’ve delivered there’s often a lot less support and things can feel overwhelming. Today we’ll give you five tips for the postpartum period.
#1 Practice diaphragm breathing
Diaphragm breathing is a great way to start your recovery. While it’s not advised to start exercising right away, gentle exercises can help you prepare your body to be ready to exercise once you are cleared by your provider. Diaphragm breathing can help to improve the strength and mobility of your pelvic floor muscles and the rest of your core.
#2 Don’t be afraid to use a lubricant
There is often a bad stigma around using lubricants. There are many hormonal changes in the postpartum periods, especially with breast feeding, that can contribute to vaginal dryness. Once cleared by your provider to resume intimacy, consider using a lubricant to help you enjoy pain-free intercourse. Some of our favorite lubricants are Aloe Cadabra and Good Clean Love.
#3 Massage your scars
It is common to have scars postpartum, whether that be from a cesarean section or from perineal tearing. Once the scars have healed (typically around 6 weeks), ask your provider for clearance to begin scar massage. Scar massage helps to prevent excess scar tissue from building up and helps to prevent pain and associated muscle weakness.
#4 Don’t accept the signs of pelvic floor muscle dysfunction as normal
All too often, signs of pelvic floor muscle dysfunction like pain, urinary leakage, and prolapse are written off. Providers, friends, and family may tell you to “Join the club” or “Get used to it” because “This is what happens when you have kids.” However, this is not true! These symptoms are often signs that the pelvic floor muscles are not working properly. The good news: the pelvic floor muscles can often be trained to have better strength and mobility to get you back to controlling pee, not having pain, and being in control! A pelvic floor therapist is a great resource to help you get back on your feet postpartum. You can find one near you at www.mypfm.com/find-a-pt.
#5 Take our birth recovery course
For the month of August, our birth recovery course is free to register. The course will be live on Tuesday August 29th at 8:00 pm. After that, the course will be $25 for life time access. You can register for the course here.
Ready to learn more about your pelvic health? Here are some helpful resources:
Watch Netflix for Your Pelvic Floor at Pelvic Flicks
Watch our YouTube playlist on Postpartum and Your Pelvic Floor
Learn more about the pelvic floor muscles with our book: My Pelvic Floor Muscles The Basics
Sign up for our email newsletter!
Visit our Instagram page for more on pelvic health.
Take our Sex After Baby self-paced course
Take our Return to Exercise After Baby self-paced course
For providers, join our Ambassador Program and most of our courses are included with your membership!
The Role of PT for the 4th Trimester & Beyond with Marcy Crouch, PT, DPT, WCS
Postpartum Posture: Treatment and Prevention with Dr. Leah Fuller, PT, DPT
Contemporary Considerations for Management of Pelvic Girdle Pain: Pregnancy and Postpartum with Dr. Susan Clinton, PT, DScPT, OCS, WCS, FAAOMPT
Breastfeeding and PT: What to do about Nipple Pain? with Dr. Ann Croghan, PT, DPT
Early Cesarean Rehabilitation with Dr. Ann Croghan, PT, DPT
Prep H: Hemorrhoids in Pregnancy and the Postpartum Period with Lacey Forsyth, BA (Hons), MA, MPT
Written by Emily Reul, PT, DPT
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