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How Long Till I Get My Body Back After Delivery?
You worked out consistently throughout pregnancy, stuck to a healthy diet, and did the hard work of delivery, so what now? What can you do to expedite healing and recovery so that you look and feel like your pre-pregnancy self? How long will it take? Women typically bleed for four to six weeks after a vaginal delivery and the uterus takes the same amount of time to contract back to normal size. C-section deliveries can take about four weeks to heal at the external incision, though the scar may take up to six months to fully mature. Some women experience birth trauma, whether physical, emotional, or both. Though it is easy…
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Why You Should Strength Train During Second Pregnancy
Strength training is one of the most useful forms of exercise for humans, but especially for pregnant women. Though it may have been traditionally thought of for men, research now shows us how beneficial it is for everyone. On average, women are waiting longer now to conceive, making strength training even more helpful during pregnancy and in recovery. When a woman becomes pregnant, her body must adjust to the physical, hormonal, and emotional changes taking place. The uterus will expand, abdominal muscles stretch, ribs can push out, extra pressure is on the pelvic floor, among many other changes. Strength training can improve the strength and length of muscles and tissue…
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Hysterectomy After Childbirth-Is It My Fate?
A hysterectomy is one of the most commonly performed surgeries on women, second to a C-section. The National Women’s Health Network states, “By the age of 60, more than one-third of all women have had a hysterectomy.” While there are completely legitimate reasons to have a hysterectomy, such as cancer, not all circumstances warrant one. Prolapse is a common justification used by doctors in performing this surgery, but jumping into surgery for this reason, without first rehabilitating the pelvic floor muscles, along with addressing postural and breathing patterns, is a mistake. The majority of women will give birth at some point in their life (about 85% of women). The uterus…
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Importance Of The Pelvic Floor
The pelvic floor is a hot topic for pregnant women and women who have recently delivered but the fact is all women should understand and care about their pelvic floor. A dysfunctional pelvic floor can cause pain, discomfort, and embarrassment and can be either prevented or addressed and cured. In the United States alone, nearly 4 million babies are born each year. Across the world, the majority of women will have children at some point in their lives. Pelvic floor dysfunction is so common that many women are left thinking that nothing can be done about it so they suffer in silence, sometimes even many years after the birth of their…
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Challenges Of The Postnatal Woman
The majority of women will end up giving birth at some point in their life. Because pregnancy and delivery are so common, they aren’t often thought of as an extraordinary experience or accomplishment. Birthing a baby is a major physical event. With this awesome experience comes challenges and changes and the extent of these are directly impacted by the woman’s lifestyle choices and self-care routine. After delivery, there is a period of recovery that should include rest and strengthening of stretched and damaged muscles and connective tissue. If a new mom neglects caring for her body (although easily argued that she can’t or doesn’t have time), this can create muscle imbalances,…
