Lifestyle/Nutrition
Simple Postnatal Workouts and Tips to Help Mothers Post-Pregnancy

Getting regular exercise after childbirth offers a range of health benefits to new mothers. Most importantly, exercise can help mothers get back into pre-pregnancy shape, address changes in their post-pregnancy bodies, and increase energy to cope with the demands of motherhood.
The time it takes to heal from childbirth depends entirely on the mother and their circumstances but can be especially long if you've undergone a cesarean delivery. However, in most cases, you can begin simple, safe exercises to start toning your pelvic floor and abdominal muscles fairly quickly after delivery.
This can, for example, aid with healing a cut or tear in the perineum during birth. In many cases, pelvic floor exercises can help speed up recovery for a wide range of minor postnatal issues.
That said, breastfeeding can also cause bodily changes as well. Therefore, only ease into these exercises and do not rush to address natural post-partum developments.
A Tummy Exercise You Can Try
In the meantime, you can tone your midsection by performing an exercise that straightens the deepest muscle layer, the transversus abdominis. This exercise can be performed lying down, sitting, standing, or while supporting yourself on your hands and knees.
Your doctor or medical professional should always weigh in, but follow these guidelines:
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Keep your lower back flat.
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Breathe out, and draw the belly button towards your spine.
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Ensure that your back does not flex or move.
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Holding this position, breathe lightly, count up to ten seconds, then relax and repeat.
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Do ten sets, as many times per day as you want.
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Feel free to perform pelvic floor exercises simultaneously.
More Advanced Postnatal Exercises
Once you have started to bridge the gap in your abdominal muscles, you can progress to more physically demanding exercise. For example
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Lie on your back with your knees bent and both feet on the floor.
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Place your hands on your thighs.
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Exhale, contract your abdominal muscles, and lift your head and shoulders off the floor.
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Slide your hands towards your knees, slowly raising the shoulder blades.
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Keep your head and shoulders stable.
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Hold this position, then slowly ease your shoulders and head back to the floor.
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Repeat up to 10 times for one set of exercises.
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Aim to perform around three sets per session.
Pelvic Floor Exercises You Can Try
The pelvic floor muscles are tightly placed between the tailbone and the pubic bone and support the bowel, bladder, uterus, and vagina. These are the muscles that you usually contract to stop urinating. Childbirth weakens them, potentially causing problems like incontinence in later life.
As such, these muscles are extremely important to exercise after childbirth. As with any exercise, it is crucial to maintain a conscious mind-muscle connection.
This is a simple exercise you can do, seated or standing, to help keep them in shape.
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Relax your abdominal muscles, but do not hold your breath.
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Squeeze your pelvic muscles slowly and hold for 5 to 10 seconds, then release.
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Perform quick, short, and hard squeezes. Repeat up to 10 times.
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Squeeze, clear your throat, and cough lightly. Repeat up to three times.
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Aim for 5 to 6 working sets for each day.
Other Types of Postnatal Exercises
Remember that ligaments and joints will be loose for roughly three months following birth, so avoid high-impact exercises or sports that require rapid direction changes in major muscle groups. Excessive stretching should be avoided, and you should also aim to perform dynamic stretches during a warm-up over static stretches. Recommended low-impact postnatal exercises include:
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Walking
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Low-intensity aerobic workouts
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Aqua aerobics and swimming
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Pilates
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Light Yoga
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Light weight training
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Cycling
When exercising after childbirth, aim for gradual weight loss at around half a pound to a pound weekly. Avoid any activities that will place excessive stress on your pelvic floor and hip joints until strength and stability have significantly improved, especially after exercise. Be wary about activities requiring strict direction changes, such as high-impact aerobics or contact sports. Your circumstances will be unique; no postnatal exercise regimen should be considered one-size-fits-all.
Please consult a physiotherapist or certified trainer if you need help with techniques in the previously mentioned exercises.
Other actions you can take to remain comfortable and safe during exercise include:
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Wear a supportive bra.
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Exercise at first for only 5 to 10 minutes at a time.
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Increase the length of your workouts gradually.
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Average exercise sessions should last between 30 and 50 minutes.
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Drink plenty of water to maintain hydration.
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Refrain from pushing yourself too hard when doing these exercises.
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Take any experience of pain as a sign to stop.
A Postnatal Solution for Your Ideal Body
We understand it can feel urgent for both your physical and mental well-being to get back to your pre-childbirth level of fitness.
For residents in and around the Research Triangle, the AirSculpt Mommy Makeover offers Raleigh mothers a minimally invasive fat removal and transfer procedure to revamp their postnatal bodies. Thanks to this patented approach's delicate mechanism, areas that can be simultaneously sculpted include the breasts, abdomen, pubic-area fat, and arms.
This highly customizable procedure can be altered to sculpt any patient's specific issue areas. Some mothers may also want to tighten their abdominal region, which can be seamlessly done with our AirSculpt+ skin tightening add-on or our Mini Tummy Tuck procedure. Others may wish to only remove fat, while some may still want to transfer fat to their buttocks instead of their breasts. This concern is especially common for those dealing with a "Mom Butt," which tends to occur after breastfeeding.
The AirSculpt procedure itself is based on a simple, efficient process: fat extracted from one area is used to augment the volume in another. This procedure does not require the use of scalpels, stitches, needles, or general anesthesia. This significantly reduces complications when compared to traditional liposuction.
AirSculpt procedures offer several additional benefits, including:
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A 48-hour downtime period, which is excellent for mothers on a busy schedule.
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Our dedication to body contouring and curvature means your results always look natural.
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Using a biopsy punch instead of a scalpel nearly eliminates scarring.
For more information on the next generation of body sculpting in Raleigh, contact us today to learn more and begin a complimentary consultation.
If you are not in the Research Triangle but are still interested in this versatile, innovative Mommy Makeover technique, call any of our 27+ body contouring locations to begin your AirSculpt experience.
AIRSCULPT® YOUR DREAM FIGURE