Throughout the postpartum chapter of motherhood we move through various stages of recovery. This recovery is not necessarily linear and the lines between each stage may become blurred. Let’s chat some more about what each stage of recovery looks like and go over some activities and resources to help you heal optimally.

In the postpartum chapter SLOW IS FAST when it comes to reintroduction of fitness and movement. The beautiful thing about postpartum is that whether you were an Olympic athlete, or someone who has never run a day in their life, pregnancy, labor, and birth place us all at the same starting line. Be kind to yourself and give your self grace and patience during this important life stage.

STAGE 1: RECOVER

WEEKS 0-4 POST BIRTH

In this stage momma and baby are recovering from the athletic feat of labor and birth. During this time it is crucial to prioritize rest, nourishment, hydration, and bonding between momma and baby.

If short, light walks feel good in your body feel free to do so. Gentle pelvic floor and diaphragmatic breathing will also help to stimulate blood flow to healing tissues. No formal exercise routine should be started until bleeding has ceased.

During this period start to notice your pressure management tendencies that you are using during your daily life. Do you hold your breath while getting up from the seated position, what strategies do you use to roll over in bed, do you always hold baby on the same side, are you tense during breastfeeding or are you experiencing increased tension due to pain anywhere in the body?

Just notice how your new body is responding during this time without placing too much expectation on yourself or your body.

Support garment may also feel nice and supportive during this time as your core is recovering from pregnancy. I would highly recommend the Baobei sculpt and recovery leggings or baobei bloomers. SRC recovery shorts and V2 supporter are another nice option that provide support to the perineum. If you do choose a support garment you want to be looking for some gentle compression, tighter is NOT better. You should be able to breath normally, and should not feel any bulging or increased pressure in your pelvic floor.

STAGE 2: REINTEGRATE

WEEKS 3-8 POST BIRTH

As you gain more energy, and move about in your daily life more frequently, it is now a good idea to consciously reintegrate the deep core with pelvic floor activation, core breaths, gentle stretching, and coordinated movements.You will already be doing a lot of lifting throughout your day as baby gets bigger and you likely will be leaving the house more frequently. Those car seats and strollers can get heavy!

While lifting baby or baby gear try gently exhaling and activating your pelvic floor at the hardest part of the movement (usually the actual lifting part) to help your deep core muscles “turn on”. You may also notice a good amount of stiffness in your shoulders, upper back, and hips since you have probably been sitting and holding a baby more than you likely ever have before!

Now would be the perfect time to begin using my Bespoke Core program. You can find out more about that program here. It may also be beneficial to consult with a pelvic floor physical therapist to gain insight on the strength and integrity of your tissues post birth.

Check out these videos from the Bespoke Core that go over pelvic floor activations, core breathing, and some nice stretches to help loosen up some stiffness.

STAGE 3: REHABILITATE

8 WEEKS – 6 MONTHS+ POST BIRTH

In the rehabilitation phase we continue to focus on strengthening and recoordinating the inner core unit by placing varied demands on the system. By progressively loading your tissues we can work towards strengthening the inner core unit (diaphragm, pelvic floor, transverse abdominis, and multifidus) and reducing an pain or spymptoms you may be experiencing. We focus on functional training and education to keep you pain and symptom free!

By training in a variety of loaded positions we are training for life! My programming aims to add lots of variation by trying out different equipment, weight, and positioning during training to prepare you for the rigors of every day mom life. It’s rare that we’re able to lift a baby or stroller into the car with “perfect” form so that’s why we train in all the ways. This way, when an positionally awkward activity or demand (carrying a toddler with a handfull of groceries, lifting something awkwardly shaped, reaching into the back of the car to find something in the diaper bag, etc.) is placed upon you, you have the skills to adjust your strategies as necessary! 

More on this is outlined in the later phases of the Bespoke Core.

 

STAGE 4: REBUILD

6 MONTHS+ POST BIRTH AND BEYOND

In this phase we continue to challenge your body and increase load and demand to build strength and endurance. We still take into consideration all of the rehabilitative strategies learned in the previous stages, however, we are now ready to get into more high impact and high demand movements and strategies. Now it’s time to lift heavy, run, trial out some explosive movements, etc. IF these are your goals!

This is the really fun part, where, if you ask me, you start to really “feel” like yourself again. Let’s be honest the first year of parenting a newborn is mostly survival mode as you deal with lack of sleep, learning about your new body, time and organizational demands, and introducing a new being into your family structure. Once you get into a solid routine and everyone in the house is sleeping better and functioning at a higher level overall we can incorporate more of these high demand activities into your routine.

I am super excited to be launching my Bespoke Coaching Club, which will be appropriate for mommas in this REBUILD stage shortly. To get on the VIP launch list and learn about the details on this program sign up here!

One final note: remember that all of these stages are generalities and timelines will vary for each person’s individual circumstances! There are many factors that go into whether or not you are ready to start a fitness routine post birth including how you are sleeping, how baby is sleeping, the specifics of your labor and delivery, how baby is feeding, how you are eating, general energy levels, outside support, mental health, etc. All of those factors are important and should not be overlooked. If your body is craving movement, there are safe and supportive ways to go about doing that at any stage of motherhood; and if you just want to relax and snuggle your baby while you watch trashy TV that is totally wonderful too!  Postpartum is forever so take your time and give yourself grace as you transition into this new chapter.

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