Post Natal Guide: Quick After Birth Recovery

Post natal is a massive upheaval. To your body, physically, emotionally, to your lifestyle, and also to your sense of self. When you have a baby it’s not just the baby that’s born, it’s your identity as a mother. The sleepless nights the countless nappy changes when have you got time to think about yourself?

You will never find the right time but I don’t want you to wait until the little one is in nursery to have a check in with yourself and see the right person. It’s all about the start so when you have found that you are in a better mental state get in contact with Your Movement Physiotherapist

So, stop and think – do I feel good after doing the core and HIT sessions? Please stop thinking you can’t improve your symptoms. This blanket approach which you are being offered is not right for you. You need a more bespoke approach and that’s where I come in Your Movement Physiotherapist read service below.

Don’t rely on a blanket approach where just because it’s what your friends have done and family members found worked for them, it may not work for you. Not all uteruses are the same just like all pregnancies are not the same. Our bodies have their own story to tell so please tell all of your history to your health professional as most of the time it’s not what has happened during the post natal stage which is the issue, it’s what has happened in the past.

What type of delivery did you have? Read below:

Vaginal delivery – can cause tears during childbirth, also called perineal lacerations or tears, occur when the baby’s head is coming through the vaginal opening, and it is either too large for the vagina to stretch around or it is a normal size but the vagina doesn’t stretch easily. Tears can range from affecting only the skin around the vagina to involving the anal sphincter (third- and fourth-degree tears important information). The type and severity of the tearing will have an effect and there may be a need to go above and beyond just doing kegel exercises and stopping your wee to improve your pelvic floor.

Caesarean delivery (C-section) is a surgical procedure used to deliver a baby through incisions in the abdomen and uterus. Possibly this procedure might have occurred if the little one needed to come out quickly or if the baby was in the breach position. So not only mummy will need some attention post natal but also the little one growing up might need to see a cranial therapist, osteo or Physiotherapist to check on alignment issues which can occur post Caesarean or forceps deliver.

Recovering from a caesarean usually takes longer than recovering from a vaginal delivery. The average stay in hospital after a caesarean is around 3 or 4 days, and 1 or 2 days for a vaginal birth.

You may experience some discomfort in your tummy for the first few days. You’ll be offered painkillers to help with this.
When you go home, you’ll need to take things easy at first. You may need to avoid some activities, such as driving, until you have had your post natal check-up with the doctor at 6 weeks.

Both of the above deliveries will have a localized affect down below and those changes will have an affect above and below. SO, review the trauma which has occurred and see how this affects your current issue don’t just work in isolation is my motto but we need to take the rest of your body into consideration also.

Post Natal Follow up with GP/ Midwife 

Follow up with your GP at 6 to 8 weeks to review stitches and if have a c- section review scar or vaginal delivery check healing or any issues such as heaviness and bowl movements, eating habits and sleep generally well-being should be discussed.

If you feel that something is not right and need more reassurance into a particular issue, please don’t ignore what you are feeling. Please don’t not do anything, get in touch with GP and ask to be referred to someone who can help. It’s not always a tablet which is going to resolve all your symptoms and issues. That approach is just putting a bandage around the pain not identifying the problem.

This does not mean you jump straight into a Joe Wicks HIIT session or intense Yoga or Pilates because you will have relaxing hormones still present which can last from 5 to 12 months in your system. So please don’t force your body into extreme positions. I would ask yourselves how stretchy do you need to be?

I would also advise against doing countless planks and squats lunges just imagine what you have been carrying around inside you for 40 weeks, 280 days and a labour lasting hours which seemed endless for some.

So, be gentle with your body it’s done an amazing job by given you a beautiful bundle of joy even at times it doesn’t feel like that when they won’t go to sleep they are not that cute then for sure. It does get easier in time. Please enjoy the process and this journey you are on.

You are only a few steps away so let, me help you get direction and perspective. You are not an algorithm so we need to take all information present and past into account.

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Read More About Physiotherapy

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