“How’s the baby doing?” and “Is he sleeping through the night yet?” are questions that many women in early postpartum are asked. I will be the first one to admit that I used to ask these questions all the time. Now, after 3 babes of my own, my view on the early postpartum journey has changed quite a bit. My favorie question to ask now is “How’s your pelvic floor doing?”
I have dealt with the struggles of body image and leaking urine in the middle of a Costco aisle. As a result, my journey led me to educate myself on pelvic and core health. I realized that yes, I wanted to resolve my own issues, but I also wanted to help other moms have easier postpartum recoveries. Now my questions for new moms have changed. For instance, I often ask: “How are you doing mentally?” “How’s your recovery going?” “Do you have a support system right now?”.
WOMEN DESERVE MORE GUIDANCE AND SUPPORT IN POSTPARTUM
Pelvic health is something that is not talked about enough. Even though giving birth can be beautiful and miraculous, your body will require some resting and healing in postpartum. Growing a baby adds pressure on your pelvic floor, and birthing a baby can stretch and weaken your pelvic floor muscles. After struggling with my own pelvic floor dysfunction in postpartum (read my story here), I realized how much I had to advocate for myself to get the care I needed. In fact, I wasn’t asked much about my pelvic floor by my care providers. And when I spoke up about specific concerns, I was often told “it will get better with time”. Women deserve more guidance and support in the postpartum period and shouldn’t have to settle for vague answers like that.
There are a lot of reasons why you should spend time reconnecting with your pelvic floor in postpartum, but one of the most important is because you deserve a well-functioning and supported body. In other words, you do not have to live with embarrassment because you pee every time you sneeze or jump. You need to build a strong foundation and that starts by a well supported pelvic floor.
In one study, researchers found that 38% of women experienced incontinence after birth at 8 weeks postpartum. This statistic shows that we need to not only talk more about pelvic health, but also guide women during early postpartum (and ideally starting in pregnancy) to rehab their core and pelvic floor. Even though leaking urine is “common” in postpartum, there are things we can do to make it better.
SEEK HELP FROM KNOWLEDGEABLE HEALTH AND FITNESS PROFESSIONALS
First and foremost, I always recommend that my clients see a Pelvic Floor Therapist (PFT) in early postpartum to determine what is really going on. A PFT can assess you for various pelvic floor dysfunctions such as stress urinary incontinence or pelvic organ prolapse. I also recommend finding a fitness professional who specializes in pelvic health and can guide you in your return to fitness safely and effectively.
1. CONNECT, ENGAGE, RELAX
The pelvic floor is a complex system of muscles that attaches to the pubic bone in the front and the tailbone in the back. It is a crucial part of your deep core and acts in conjunction with the diaphragm.
The pelvic floor muscles encircle 3 openings: the anus (back), the vagina (middle), and the urethra (front). They are responsible to support your bladder, uterus, and bowels. As we move through our day, we create intra-abdominal pressure between the diaphragm and the pelvic floor. The pelvic floor acts as a trampoline to withstand this intra-abdominal pressure.
Take some time to be aware of where your pelvic floor muscles are. Practice engaging the muscles around each opening separately. Then, after you are able to connect with each opening, you can practice some quicker on/off contractions making sure you are relaxing these muscles fully between contractions. I like to think about the pelvic floor as a diamond shape. As you contract, pull all the corners of the diamond together and up. The goal is to have a well-functioning and balanced pelvic floor. You can also try to hold the contractions for endurance for 10-15 seconds.
2. PRACTICE DIAPHRAGMATIC BREATHING
Practicing diaphragmatic breathing is a great way to be more tuned in with your body and to make sure your diaphragm and pelvic floor are working well together. Diaphragmatic breathing will also help release tension in your pelvic floor!
Start by taking a big breath in outwards through the ribs and sending the air down towards your pelvic floor. Your chest should be relax, and you should feel the air filling your belly naturally. As you fill your belly, your pelvic floor should be relaxed. Then, as you breathe out, send the air up and out of your mouth.
3. ALIGN YOUR BODY
Proper body alignment is crucial for pelvic health. Remember that your body is all connected. To have a well supported pelvic floor we must practice good posture. I am not saying we must be in perfect alignment 24/7, but we need to be aware of our tendencies and work on correcting them from time to time. As new moms, we are often spending hours on the couch feeding a baby with bad posture. We tend to be on our phones and all hunched over. So, it is important to be aware of our posture and remind ourselves to work on it.
Start by thinking about keeping your ribs down (do not let your chest flare up). By lifting your chest up, you are increasing the load on your linea alba (connective tissue between your rectus abdominus muscles) which could worsen diastasis recti (separation of the abdominal muscles). Then think about stacking your ribs over your pelvis. By doing so, you will allow for the natural curvature in your lower back, and your glutes will be able to activate. We need strong and activated glutes in our daily activities, and if we keep hiding our bums (bum tucked under) we are not recruiting these important muscles properly. As you move through the day, nurse or carry your child, think about these cues.
4. FOURTH TRIMESTER RESTORE
Do you want to rehab and strengthen your body from the inside out after birth? Do you want to get rid of leaking, aches and pains, and that mushy core? I got something really special for you, mama! My new online program, Fourth Trimester Restore will help you heal your body from the inside out so that you can feel like yourself again! Everything I wish I knew after having my babies to restore my core and pelvic floor is in this program. Learn more about Fourth Trimester Restore here.
