Welcome to Part 5 of 'The Safe Return to Exercise Series' which is all about Diastasis Recti.
Many women have never even heard of Diastasis Recti let alone know if they even have one! I can't stress enough how important it is to be assessed to find out if you do have a Diastasis.
During pregnancy there are a number of postural changes that can occur to accommodate your growing baby. Once you have had your baby these muscular changes can remain which can lead to pain locally, in and around the surrounding areas.
It may seem quite a bold statement to say this. However, from my own experience and the feedback received from many of the post-natal women I have worked with over the years I can confidentaly say that the check is not enough. The reason being, that the focus at these checks is very much on baby and not the mum.
Welcome to PART 2 of the "Safe Return to Exercise Series' where we are talking about The Post Natal Healing Process. Many women are the under the impression that once they have given birth, their body will just return to what it was like pre pregnancy.
There are two key points here: 1) Your body changes during pregnancy and birth and will not be exactly the same again!
2) Your body needs time to heal following pregnancy and childbirth which many women do not realise.
Welcome to Part 1 of ‘The Safe Return to Exercise Series’ which is all about understanding your post-natal body.
Before we even discuss exercise, it is important for you to understand some of the changes that may have occurred to your body during pregnancy and birth. How these changes can not only impact your return to exercise but also how you function and feel on a day to day basis.
YES you do need a Post Natal Assessment and here’s why….
Your body goes through many changes during pregnancy and birth. These changes can affect how your body functions, they can also have an impact on what activities you return to post birth. It is so important that you understand these changes and how they can affect your exercise choices post birth.
Do you leak when you laugh, cough, sneeze, run or jump?
Do you have to wear a pad daily or during activities that you enjoy?
Do you just accept leaking as being part of having a baby?
You don’t really hear anyone mention the Fourth Trimester and it’s a pretty big deal so that’s why I wanted to write about it! There are many milestones during pregnancy, from your first appointment with your GP and midwife, your 12 and 20 week scans. The three trimesters which are all milestones in themselves. Each trimester comes with lots of information about what to expect.
A Prolapse is when one or more of the Pelvic Organs (the Bladder, Bowel or Uterus) slips from their normal position. This can happen when the Pelvic Floor Muscles become weak and are no longer able to do their job of supporting the Pelvic Organs. There are a number of different factors that can make our Pelvic Floor weak, one of these is pregnancy and childbirth.
I think it is fair to say that when it comes to the Pelvic Floor it is very much ‘Out of sight, out of mind!’ It certainly isn't a muscle we are taught to exercise and strengthen throughout our lives until of course we become Pregnant!
