What CAN I Do The First Few Weeks Postpartum?
What CAN I do in the first few weeks postpartum?
You’ve just delivered your baby and you might be feeling a bit overwhelmed by the information you were told about your recovery.
No soaking in the bathtub
6 weeks of “pelvic rest“ - nothing inserted in the vaginal canal (tampon, menstrual cup, no intercourse)
Avoid heavy lifting (maybe a 10# lifting restriction if you’ve had a C-section)
Rest when your baby rests
Limit exercise and strenuous activity
OK, all of this is important information, but what CAN I do in the first few weeks postpartum?? Too often, the focus gets placed on what you CANNOT do, but truly it is empowering to discuss the things that women CAN do in her first few weeks of recovery postpartum. A key word in the last sentence is “recovery.” After a major surgery such as a knee replacement, you are not advised to lay in bed for two weeks and avoid movement. In fact, you are usually up and walking on the same day or very next day after surgery. It is important to have movement as part of the healing process. Yes, you’re not advised to go run a marathon on the day after your major surgery, but there are a lot of things to start doing right away to ensure you have smooth healing from that operation.
We should be looking at postpartum recovery in the same way! We shouldn’t send moms home from the hospital with a list of things not to do, but instead give her some ideas of what TO DO to help in her recovery.
Gentle belly breathing exercises (getting your diaphragm muscle and abdominal muscles gently moving)
Neck, upper back, and upper body stretches (especially important for moms who spend much of their day holding baby in front of them and curled forward during feedings)
Walking for short durations throughout the day (think about getting up and making a few laps around the house at least once every hour), the slowly moving to outdoor walks of 10-15 minutes if the weather allows and slowly increasing the duration of movement as well as the pace or speed of movement
Rest is important too during the healing process, so pay attention to signals from your body and rest when you feel fatigue, increase in soreness, or notice an increase in bleeding or vaginal discharge
Keep yourself well hydrated, drinking plenty of water throughout the day
Eat healthy, small meals throughout the day with plenty of fiber to be sure you maintain good bowel health - which can make your pelvic floor and abdominals feel better in the first few weeks of recovery
Within the first few weeks, you may even want to start some gentle body weight exercises or movements such as heel raises, mini squats, sidestepping, countertop push up - or really anything where you feel your muscles moving and working through some motion!
If you are feeling like you’re stuck during the first few weeks of postpartum recovery, or unsure about what you can and SHOULD be doing - reach out to us at Shift Physical Therapy!
Written by: Renee Hancock, Pelvic Floor Physical Therapist, Physical Therapist
