Whether you are pregnant or postpartum, here are 3 exercises that all mommas should do to assist with recovery.
#1 Thoracic mobility.
You should work on the thoracic part of your spine which is the part between your cervical (neck) and lumbar (low back). Your back is meant to have curves and is meant to move in all directions. During pregnancy, the curves and movement will be either diminished or accentuated due to the change in posture. Cat/cow is a great exercise to assist with this as well as any sort of thoracic rotation. Working on thoracic mobility while pregnant will assist with maintaining what mobility is present while your body is changing. During postpartum, thoracic mobility will assist with decreasing complaints of pain due to being in one position for extended periods of time like holding or nursing your baby.
#2 360 breathing!
Actually, this should probably be #1 but I put it second because its harder to perform without education. 360 breathing assists with:
Beginning to initiate lower transverse abdominal activation (helpful to get rid of the “mommy pooch").
Getting the diaphragm (breathing muscle) to work correctly again.
Managing core pressure which will activate the pelvic floor muscles and prevent prolapse or leaking issues.
360 breathing involves movement all around your trunk….yes in a 360 degree motion. We don’t want your breathing to be coming from your shoulders or chest. It’s hard to believe that breathing can be so simple and so important, but I find that ALL mommas don’t breathe correctly after baby due to the changes in posture and body. If you begin practicing this during pregnancy you will be in a much better starting point postpartum. I highly recommend you see a Pelvic Floor PT to really perfect your ability to perform 360 breathing.
#3 Meditation.
I know most people don’t really want to hear this, because I didn’t…..but #3 is meditation. Even if it’s for 5min a day. Meditation helps relax your mind and body, decreases stress and cortisol (don’t we all need to do this), and helps you to be more “in tune” with your body and muscles, joints and limbs. The last part is probably why it is important for us Mommas.
In order to assist with postpartum recovery, you need to bring your unconscious thoughts and body functions (like breathing or pelvic control) into your conscious brain. This involves us being “in tune” with all the wonderful parts of our body. Practicing meditation will help this to be much quicker for you. And yes, I say PRACTICE because you are probably not going to be good at it at first. Meditation IS HARD. But the more you practice the more your body will thank you. A bonus with this is that you can practice your 360 breathing while mediating so it’s a 2 for 1!
In my opinion, these are the 3 most important exercises for all Mommas. All 3 of these exercises can be done while you are pregnant to maintain as much mobility as possible while baby is growing and to help regain the mobility quicker afterwards. These exercises are also perfect to be able to start immediately postpartum, even before your 6-8week follow up with you doctor. They are safe because they are not over-exerting your body, yet are helping your body to jumpstart the recovery process.
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