Many new mothers are eager to get back into (or start) an exercise routine once the baby arrives.
It is important to keep in mind that it may take your body several weeks to recover from the changes of pregnancy. Adequate rest and good nutrition are a vital part in your recovery during the first weeks after birth.
Before starting any postnatal exercises, breathing techniques are not only easy and safe to do right after giving birth, but can be helpful to start the process of strengthening and toning the belly and back muscles .
Practice the following two breaths lying on your back on the bed or the floor. If needed place a support under your head and under your lower back. Relax your arms. Bend the knees, feet hip width apart. Walk the feet closer to or further from the hips until your pelvis is level, neither tilted forward or backwards.
Abdominal breathing
Deep abdominal breathing will help you regain the strength in your abdominal muscles and help you relax.
- Lie on your back.
- Inhale and feel your chest and abdomen expand.
- Slowly exhale while pulling your belly button toward your spine and your tailbone toward the ceiling.
- Hold this position until you run out of breath.
- Repeat this exercise five to ten times, each time feeling your abdominal muscles engage and your stomach flatten.
Reverse breathing
Tones deep muscle layers of abdomen and spine. Practicing reverse breathing regularly can prevent prolapse and stress incontinence caused by overstretched pelvic floor muscles.
- Lie on your back.
- Breathe in and pull the abdomen inwards.
- Breathe out and pull the abdomen in a little more.
- Relax at the end of the exhale.
- Take a normal breath and repeat. Practice until you can do 6 reverse breaths in a row.
“S”, “F” & ” H” sound breathing
Helps strengthen abdominal muscles and synchronize the movements of the pelvic floor muscles with the abdominal muscles.
- Lie on your back.
- Take a deep breath in through your nose.
- Breathe out with the “SSSSSSSS” sound, contract the pelvic floor, followed by the lower abdominal muscles. At the end of the exhalation, instead of relaxing, hold the contraction and breathe in again using the diaphragm, inflating all but the lower part of the abdomen.
- Repeat as before, making the “FFFFFFFF” and “HHHHHH” sounds.
I would love to hear from you in the comments below.
What helped you the most to start reconnecting with your body and yourself during the first few weeks after giving birth?
Leave a comment and let me know.
Thank you for reading and contributing.
RSS Feed