I don’t think anything quite prepared me for the reality of what my post partum body would be like.
I was pretty fit before and during both my pregnancies. I loved prenatal pilates, prenatal yoga, swimming, walking and strength training. It came as a shock that after my first pregnancy I could only walk for 20 minutes very slowly in the first couple of weeks. And the aches and pains! In my mid back, lower back, shoulders not to mention down below!
Second time around my recovery seemed to be somewhat easier, however regaining my core strength and stability took much longer and I definitely gave myself more time to get back to my previous level of exercise.
Having knowledge of Women’s Health as well as Pilates resulted in me taking things slowly in my return to exercise and being kind and listening to my body and it’s needs.
For many new mums the importance of returning to some kind of exercise can be multi factorial, whether for mental and physical health as well as for social reasons, to name a few.
Whether your goal is to return to walking, running, Yoga, Postnatal Pilates, HIIT or cross fit, starting with the 5 key elements is so important to set your body up to succeed in your return to exercise.
What are the 5 Key Elements of Pilates?
Breathing
Centering (Pelvic position and neutral spine)
Rib position
Shoulder blade position
Neck and head position
Breathing and Rib cage placement
During pregnancy your rib cage widens and your diaphragm is raised resulting in breathing being more shallow and having reduced rib and thoracic spine mobility and tight neck muscles.
In Postnatal pilates, learning how to breathe laterally and into the lower lungs will enable better core and pelvic floor activation and coordination as well as enabling deeper breath which when returning to sport/exercise is important for optimal respiratory function.
Place your hands around your lower ribs and notice on your inhale your rib cage expanding outwards and backwards into your hands. As you exhale aim to relax all the muscles of the rib cage completely.
Learning how to correctly position your rib cage over your pelvis and having heavy ribs (avoid rib flare) will also enable you to activate your deeper and more superficial abdominal muscles during everyday activities and postures which transfer nicely to your exercise program.
Centering
This is the activation of the deep core muscles which includes deep abdominal, back and pelvic floor muscles.
Importance post partum??
These muscles stretch and weaken during pregnancy as well as through child birth whether that be vaginally or via C-section.
Finding, engaging and strengthening these muscles post birth will give you the foundation for everyday movement and activities (such as picking up baby, lifting car seat) and enable you to strengthen the larger global muscles in the rest of the body safely with less risk of injury.
Pelvic floor cue to initiate core activation
Take an inhale. On the exhale, slowly and gently squeeze around your back passage (like trying to stop passing wind) and zip up from your tail bone upwards and forwards towards the pubic bone. Continue to slowly zipper upwards gently drawing in through your lower tummy.
Alternatively, you can focus more on activation of the deep core by activating the transversus abdominus. Find your hip bones and move your fingers in an inch and down an inch to the lower tummy. Take a breath in to prepare, on your exhale slowly and gently draw the hip bones together and feel a gentle tightening under your fingers. You could imagine you have magnets on the inside of your hip bones that are drawing together.
Relaxation of the core and pelvic floor fully is as important as the activation to avoid tension and gripping in these muscles that can lead to pelvic pain, incontinence, constipation to name a few.
Try resting in childs pose and focusing on the relaxation and lengthening of deep abdominal and pelvic floor muscles for a few deep, relaxing breaths.
Pelvic position and neutral spine
Pregnancy results in massive weight shift and subsequent postural changes due to the growing baby and tummy. This results in an increased lumbar lordosis or arching of the lower back to accommodate these physical changes.
Postnatal, these physical compensations do not suddenly return to pre-pregnancy status (sadly).
Pelvic tilts in lying, sitting, 4 point kneel and standing are a great way to get mobility back into the lumbar spine and pelvis.
Tuck the tail bone under rounding the lower back, then tilt the pelvis forwards arching the lower back. Finding the neutral position is individual for each person, and will be roughly in the middle of these two ranges and should feel comfortable for you with your back muscles either side of the spine relaxed.
Shoulder blade placement
Our shoulders really take a lot of strain during pregnancy due to postural changes, weakening of lower shoulder blade muscles and tightening through the pec muscles. This can result in a rounded posture.
Add on a new baby, new postures, lots of sitting/carrying/lifting….aaah.
Find your optimal shoulder blade placement firstly by bringing the shoulders forwards (shoulder blades move away from the spine) then draw them back towards one another (shoulder blades slide closer to spine). Find the mid point between these two ranges and think of a widening across the front of the collar bones, without pinching the shoulder blades together.
Neck and head positioning
Just like the rest of the spine posture changing during pregnancy, so too does the neck and head position.
Pregnancy can often result in tightness in the pecs, upper shoulders and front neck muscles as well as weakness in the lower shoulder blade muscles (lower traps) and deep neck flexors.
As a new mother you will be using your upper body A LOT! When feeding your baby you will often find your head off to one side and the shoulders may roll forwards. Combined with weakness/tightness around the neck shoulders this can lead to pain and stiffness.
Learning to lengthen through the crown of the head once you have gone through the other key elements will ensure a beautiful posture and help avoid any aches and pains. (Plus you’ll look taller!)
Postnatal Pilates
The 5 key elements is an essential element in all Pilates classes. Given the physiological changes that take part in pregnancy, extra time and particular focus on these is necessary in Postnatal Pilates client. Incorporating them in everyday life and activities will help you regain core strength and stability, improve your posture and set you up for returning to your favourite exercise!
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