Exercise is an important aspect of postnatal routine,It helps to maintain a healthy weight. Many women get worried overtime because their body takes so much time to return back to a desired shape after childbirth.Most women who gained so much weight during pregnancy look for a means to loose those weight to maintain good health.
During your postnatal checkup your care provider should teach or write out some postnatal exercise which you can practice at home,this is an important aspect of postnatal checkup.
Postnatal exercises are to be done daily during the first 3-6months after delivery for an effective Result. It’s expected you start your postnatal exercise within 24-48hours post birth if you passed through v*ginal delivery, for CS birth you may need to obtain a consent from your surgeon but ambulation is encourage few hours after a CS operation,for other postnatal exercise you may need to wait after 4weeks.
The following are examples of an effective postnatal exercise to help mothers return back to shape.
1.Lying on the back with knees bent,feet resting on the floor:Breath- in,letting your abdomen go up and down(Up as you breathe in and down as you breathe out)
2.Lying on the back with legs straight and ankles crossed:Tighten your seat muscles(muscles that are affected while sitting down),press your thighs against each other,draw in the muscles of your back passage and pull your abdomen in,Hold it all tight for a moment,then let it relax slowly.
3.sitting down with hands resting on top of the head:turn as far to the right as possible,then to the left.
4.Kneel on all fours:Tighten your seat muscles and pull your abdomen in hard,making your back as round as possible, then relax and make your back hollow.
5.Standing with back against a door post,relax forward and touch the toes,Uncurl slowly,start by pulling your abdominal muscles in until you stand upright,your back must touch all along the door post.
These exercise postures helps a lot to maintain a healthy weight after birth,changes are seen starting from the first one month of these exercises.
Make this a routine after childbirth and you will see a positive result thank you.
Joy Eke Ilediagu
