It can be challenging to deal with trauma or injury, but there are a lot of professional experts to help you with this. Specialists provide tons of recommendations to guide you through the difficult period of your life and help you recover soon.
However, it does not work the same way when the patient is a woman with postpartum problems. The rehabilitation program for such patients is extremely poor. Sometimes they do not even get instructions on what to do and just asked to wait for recovery.
What causes such attitude? Why do we medically treat physical injuries and rely on power of self-healing in postpartum period?
The body undergoes an immense transformation after childbirth. Fluctuations of hormone levels entail a range of physiological changes.
Mother Nature cared about women in labor and raised the level of relaxin to provide loosening effect for joints and ligaments. It helps to alleviate the delivery process but at the same time the hormonal changes affect the post-baby body. Women with extra weight and bigger breast size feel clumsy, begin to stoop and experience balance problems.
These are just some of the problems they face after giving birth. Additionally, women suffer from weak muscles, damaged after birth. Weakness in pelvic, lower back and abdominal muscles brings to undesired conditions, and can cause urinary incontinence thus driving a new mom to despair.
The body does not obey and it tells on psychological condition as well. Postpartum period brings a tangle of problems, which are no less important than physical trauma and should be addressed with the same attention.
4 Things To Avoid When Trying To Recover After Childbirth
1.Stay away from intense workouts after childbirth
Start exercising slowly to safely return to your previous exercise habits. This is a common mistake of sport-minded ladies who want to regain their physical shape as fast as possible.
Being surprised by the postpartum body, they try to solve the issue urgently without regarding current circumstances. They forget about potential problems that can arise while exercising with higher relaxin level. Exclude heavy lifting and intense cardio exercises in the first months of motherhood. This frequently brings to stretches and injuries.
2. Do not hurry to restore abdominal pressure
Core exercises are a good way to get flat belly again but the post-baby body is not able to handle it yet. If you neglect the warning, risks of bladder problems increase. You can also deteriorate diastasis recti by acting recklessly.
3. Postpone strict diets but stay away from junk food
Good nutrition is a necessary element of postpartum recovery process. Trying to get rid of extra weight, a mom begins to diet and does not get the building blocks required for restoration. Bad nutrition can undermine health. A nutrient-dense diet is necessary at this period as it is important to strengthen the muscles and give energy to the body. A healthy menu also improves mood and sleep.
4. Avoid prolonged rest if you want to recover fast
Plenty of rest is important for some time only. It is not necessary to make this period last for too long. Moderate postpartum exercises can help you recover fast and return back to normal sooner.
4 Ways To Manage Postpartum Recovery Issues Without Any Risks
1.Start postpartum exercise routine with cardio exercises of low intensity
It helps to improve cardiovascular and breathing systems. It is recommended to walk, cycle, swim etc.
Any activity bringing to injury should be avoided such as running or jumping to protect weak joints. Increase exercise load gradually. Let it last for 5 minutes in the beginning and then prolong it little by little to get ultimately half an hour sessions. You can do sports 5 times per week.
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2. Select simple core exercises to strengthen abdominal muscles and pressure
It does not take much effort to train different groups of muscles such as lower back, pelvic floor and others. Yoga and Pilates can be helpful for this goal. The exercises restore balance and general core strength.
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3. Establish healthy eating habits
Diet should include nutrients and much fluid. According to recommendations of Hawley Poinsett, MS, LD, who specializes on diets and nutrition, new moms need much more calcium, iron, fluids and fiber than nulliparous women.
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4. Have quality time to relax
Moms are always very busy and do not have time to themselves, especially after birth. They should find such hours if they care about health. Some help of close people is very useful at this stage. Do not be afraid to ask for support. Concentrate on yourself.
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Women supported by members of the family and friends tend to restore health much faster. Even several minutes spent on exercising matter a lot. In accordance with research results, mindfulness meditation and physical exercises help moms to avoid the baby blues.
