It’s nothing new that after childbirth, everything changes for a woman. And one of the most significant and prominent changes comes in her body. So while it is an incredibly enchanting time for everyone, the mother goes through many significant changes all on her own.
Whether it is postpartum depression or the inability to feel connected to her body – it is enough for a woman to feel quite restless and depressed. However, if you follow a few tips and tricks, try out some new exercises and communicate your problems with your partner, everything will eventually fall into place.
In this article, we will focus on the exercises that will help you reconnect with your body and allow you to feel good about yourself once again.
What Happens to Your Vagina After Childbirth?
It’s a fact that your vagina has been designed to support childbirth and push out a human being, but it doesn’t mean that it’s easy. After delivery, you can expect your vagina to be swollen, bruised, tender and out of shape.
However, it’s normal and happens with every woman who has gone through vaginal delivery. So if you’re feeling bad about your body’s condition – you should stop doing that and celebrate your body.
You have done something incredible, and your body deserves all the praise.
How Can I Take Care of My Vagina After Delivery?
Apart from exercises, there are other ways for you to take care of your vagina after a vaginal delivery. Here’s what you can do:
- Take warm baths to clean your premium.
- Go for Kegel exercises to strengthen your pelvic floor.
- Wrap ice in a towel and use it as a compress on your vagina.
- Don’t go for tampons and only use pads.
- Take over-the-counter pain relievers.
- Try sitting on cushions.
If you follow these tips, you will definitely feel better about yourself. Ensure to follow the ones that help you feel delighted and avoid the ones you find exhausting.
What Are The Benefits And Targets Of Exercising?
You wouldn’t be astonished to learn the many benefits of exercising after a vaginal delivery.
Getting back in shape and reclaiming your body requires you to get your muscles working, and exercise is the only healthy and absolute way to achieve it. Some of the advantages of exercising are:
- Promotes weight loss
- Helps relieve stress
- Reboots your body
- Restores your energy levels
- Strengthens your pelvic floor muscles and abdominal muscles
- Improve cardiac function
Through exercise, you strengthen your Transverse abdominis (TrA). Consider it a core muscle of your abdominal region whose primary function is to support your lumbar and pelvic area simultaneously.
So if you want to reestablish the lost connection with your body – pay attention to your transverse abdominis, please!
5 Exercises To Follow After Vaginal Delivery
Now that you have delivered a baby and have shared your body with someone for the better part of the year – how can you reconnect with your body?
Well, exercises seem a pretty good way to help you do that! However, it’s ideal to wait at least six to eight months before starting an exercise regimen. For some women, the time frame can be shorter if they had an uncomplicated vaginal delivery, but to be on the safe side – give your body at least six months.
1. Pelvic Tilt – For The Initial Magic
The safest exercise, to begin with, is the pelvic tilt. Pelvic tilts help in toning your stomach, relieves your back pain and strengthens your abdominal muscles as well. Here’s how you can do it:
- Lie down on your back and bend your knees.
- Try to pull your belly button towards the spine.
- Lift your pelvis off the floor and tilt it a little.
- Make sure to involve your core to make this exercise more effective.
- Hold the position for 10 seconds. Repeat it for at least ten sets and complete 20 sets.
2. Brisk Walking – Easy & Light
Brisk walking is the answer if you’re looking for an ideal way to ease into the after-childbirth exercises. Since it’s just walking, there are no specific ways as to how to perform this activity. However, it would help if you begin with a light stroll and then take it up a notch when you feel ready.
3. Deep Breathing & Abdominal Muscle Contraction – Work that Stomach!
A straightforward and safe exercise to do in order to reconnect with your body after vaginal delivery is deep belly breathing paired with the contraction of your abdominal muscles. You can perform this exercise while lying, sitting or standing – but initially, you should go for the lying position. In order to do this exercise:
- Lie down on the mat and make yourself comfortable.
- Pull your belly button towards the spinal column as you inhale.
- All your abdominal muscles will contract as well.
- Now slowly release the tensed muscles as you exhale.
- Allow your belly to contract again.
- Repeat this at least ten times with proper intervals.
While you’re doing this exercise, try to focus on yourself and ignore your surroundings. It is vital to allow your body to heal, and only focus can accelerate this process.
4. Kegel Exercises – Pump Up the Pelvic Floor!
You must have heard a lot about Kegel exercises and how helpful they can be.
Kegel exercises help in strengthening your pelvic floor after childbirth. Once you have delivered a baby, it’s understood that your pelvic muscles are not the same as they were before. Because of this, you can experience urinary incontinence, which is a source of embarrassment for many women. If you want to avoid this situation, pump up that pelvic floor with the help of Kegel!
Here’s how you can do that:
- Think of holding or urine or stopping yourself from passing gas.
- As you do this, you contract a few of your pelvic muscles.
- Pay attention to those muscles, and try to hold the contraction for 10 seconds.
- Repeat three sets with a 5-second break.
- Aim for ten sets.
- Your target is to repeat these ten sets at least three times a day.
5. Side Planks – Your Best Friend
It’s “side planks”, not the regular planks. If you go for the regular planks, you can further damage the rectus abdominis that gets stretched and separated during the pregnancy. Therefore, to work your sides and to avoid a direct attack on your belly, side planks are indeed your best friend!
To do side planks:
- Lie on your right side.
- Stack your legs on top of each other.
- Balance your weight and lift off your hips from the ground.
- Hold the position for 10-15 seconds and repeat it at least three times.
- Your target should be to achieve a hold of 60 seconds.
Summing Up
Exercises can surely help you in reconnecting with your body and regaining your body autonomy. However, your doctor should know that you’re going for these exercises after a vaginal delivery so that they can assess your situation and give you a green signal. So always keep your doctor in the loop, and don’t try to be too hard on yourself. You’ll get there eventually!
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