So your baby is 6 weeks old and you are ready to attend your 6 week check up for mother and baby with your GP. You are looking forward to getting back to doing some physical exercise and maybe you are thinking about beginning a healthy return to your pre-pregnancy weight. You arrive at the doctors surgery and are called into the treatment room where you may have your blood pressure taken, questions asked around your mental health, period returning and whether you have thought about contraception. All very important, but does this really clear you for exercise??
"The 6 week check up is NOT the Golden Ticket back into safe exercise"
It is true, 6 week's is promoted as the guideline before returning to physical activity, but is it really the golden ticket back into exercising safely? As a pre/postnatal exercise specialist I know the 6 week check is simply not enough to clear you for safe exercise and you must choose someone who knows their stuff to guide you in classes, here's why.
During pregnancy the body stretches and expands to make room for the growing baby, in order to do this the abdominal muscles separate. With the help of pregnancy hormones the female body can change, ligaments become more 'stretchy' which allows hips to widen, diaphragm to expand and muscles to move giving baby the space to grow. These hormones are vital to a successful pregnancy but also can make you more prone to musculoskeletal injury during this time. Once baby is born the muscles remain stretched out which can cause postural issues, lower back and hip pain and the 'baby bulge' many women want to work on. The muscles that specifically need work to improve these issues are the transverse abdominal muscles (TVA) which acts as our 'inner corset', the term used for the separation of these muscles is Diastasis Recti.
How do I know I have Diastasis Recti?
Many women continue after pregnancy with no problems at all, this will be determined by the amount of separation remaining once the internal structures have returned to their pre-pregnancy position, how many pregnancies you have had and whether you carried twins etc. It is completely normal to have a slight separation after pregnancy, it is when the separation causes pain as mentioned above it can become noticeable.
At your 6 week check you can ask for the GP to check for a diastasis recti but if they didn't check, you can ask a qualified health & fitness instructor to do this for you. You may wish to try yourself to see if you can feel a separation of your muscles. Give it a go.
Lay flat on the floor, bring heels towards your bottom so knees bend, slightly lift your head and shoulders off the floor to engage your abdominals.
Using your second and third fingertips feel above your belly button feeling for any 'gaps' between the muscles.
Turn hand sideways to see how wide the 'gap' is (measure in finger widths).
Repeat below belly button.
An instructor should know about any potential separation so any exercises can be modified to a safe exercise and graded appropriately to reduce the risk of injury to you. As a postnatal specialist these are all things I ensure are part of the prescreening before exercise. Pregnancy hormones are still present long after the birth (especially if you are breastfeeding) which also need to be considered when starting an exercise programme. Knowing your own limit and listening to your body is so important during this time also.
Understanding how all these factors effect the body is important for any class instructor wanting to teach pre/postnatal students. As an instructor it is my role to assess the limitations of my students, observe correct form and provide adaptations to asanas (poses) when needed.
Returning to exercise after being pregnant whether that was recent or even months ago can be daunting. There are many benefits to your physical and mental health plus the social side of being part of a like-minded community. Why not give it a go?
I look forward to welcoming you
Natalie x
Mammy & Littlies Yoga Classes currently running Tuesdays 9.30-10.30am, Seaton Carew, Hartlepool.
Coming Soon...Postnatal Core Rehab Workshop
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