Working the abdominals postpartum can be quite a daunting thought. As a physiotherapist, I am able to guide you through some safe post natal exercises to regain your abdominal strength and tone post pregnancy. These post natal Pilates exercises are also designed to heal diastasis rectus. We will also focus on pelvic floor exercises in these videos.
We recommend you check with your midwife/physiotherapist before starting but as a general rule, we suggest starting these workouts 6 weeks after delivery or 12 weeks post c-section.
It is important when starting to exercise again post natal that you start with the basics. Building strong foundations in the core/pelvic floor muscles will allow you to really get the best results. During your pregnancy and delivery your body has changed and adapted. Your abdominal muscles have been stretched and there is potentially some trauma to the pelvic floor muscles. It is essential that you regain pelvic floor strength post partum to prevent any issues occurring in the future.
The order of these videos have been designed by physiotherapist Lyndsay Hirst who has over 17 years experience helping women recover after birth. Starting at a low level then gradually building strength from the inside out is how these post natal Pilates videos work. There can be lots of benefit to repeating the same video more than once so please take time to heal.
If you have any questions about starting or what to do next please email Lyndsay at lyndsay@yourpilatesphysio.com