A caesarean is a major operation, and if you overdo it following your C-section you could find that you strain yourself or cause yourself an injury.
It’s important to give your body time to heal following your caesarean – you should think of the first six – eight weeks following your operation as your healing phase. You shouldn’t be doing any heavy lifting or strenuous activity during this time – however, when you’re feeling stronger and when you feel comfortable doing your pelvic floor exercises, you can think about starting gentle exercise again. Click here for more information and exercises to help your pelvic floor
After you have had your 6-8 physical week check and all clear from your Doctor, gentle toning exercises on your tummy are a good place to start with exercise, as they will make your stomach muscles stronger and will therefore help your scar knit together more strongly.
Whilst it is natural to feel worried about your scar following your operation and it can feel natural to stoop so that you protect it, standing straight is one of the best ways to make sure that your scar knits together more strongly.
Trying to stand up straight, combined with the gentle exercise outlined below is one of the best ways to tighten your tummy and to improve strength in your stomach muscles.
Exercises post caesarean
Lie down flat on your back with your feet flat on the floor and your knees bent. Squeeze your pelvic floor muscles as you breathe out, and hold your belly button up and in. Try to hold the squeeze for 10 seconds, but try not to hold your breath whilst you do it. Repeat a couple of times, then rest.
One of the best ways to start exercising again is to go out for brief walks – just 5 minutes at a time to start with if that’s all you can manage, then build up to walking for longer periods of time. Other aerobic exercise should only be undertaken when you’ve had your six week check and your doctor says that it’s okay to exercise.
You could try gentle, all over body workouts such as swimming or cycling for short bursts of 10-15 minutes at a time to start with, then you can build up to exercising for longer periods of time when you start to feel fitter and stronger.
It’s also a good idea to gently massage the area around your caesarean scar, as this will improve blood flow, help to get rid of toxins, encourage oxygen flow and will also help to break down scar tissue – this will leave you with a flatter looking tummy in the future.
Sit-ups and crunches should be avoided after a caesarean as could put too much pressure on your lower stomach muscles and your pelvic floor muscles. You also shouldn’t be doing lots of stomach exercises if your stomach muscles are still separated. Please also see the videos below show some safe post pregnancy exercise you can do – but again wait until you are 100% healed and have your Doctor’s clearance
A gym ball is an excellent way of toning your stomach after a caesarean once your stomach is healed and you are fully recovered. Just sitting on the ball forces you to use your stomach muscles to anchor yourself – so sit on it in front of the television or when you have a spare 15 minutes. When you feel up to it, you can do exercises on the ball such as push-ups, squats or lunges which will all work your muscles even further.
The important thing to remember after a caesarean is that you shouldn’t push yourself. Give yourself time to recover and time with your baby before you start a heavy exercise routine and remember – your body didn’t change overnight, so it won’t go back to how it used to be overnight.
Get Our Exercise DVD
And for the ULTIMATE SAFE, EFFECTIVE & TRUSTED Post Pregnancy Workout – see our EXPERT Post Pregnancy Exercise DVD below – you can purchase and see more information on it here
The DVD can be followed by all mums (for example new mums or mums with older children) and can be followed by someone with a basic or a more advanced level of fitness.
Lisa Westlake is our incredible fitness instructor and postnatal exercise specialist throughout the DVD. With her extensive physiotherapy experience and qualifications (Lisa is one of the most awarded fitness professionals in Australia), Lisa is the perfect fitness instructor to bring The Healthy Mummy Post Pregnancy Exercise DVD to life – you will love working out with her. (You can see our Q&A with Lisa with commonly asked questions on the DVD here)
The exercises in The Healthy Mummy Post Pregnancy Exercise DVD are effective and safe and Lisa will guide you through each of the workouts. As well as assisting in the improvement of your overall fitness levels, the workouts in the DVD will also help in the burning of calories, the improvement of your core strength and the strengthening of your pelvic floor.
The six workouts are broken down into 10 and 15 minute sections that you can do when it suits you – or if you have the time and energy you can do the DVD as one 70 minute continuous workout. The Healthy Mummy Post Pregnancy Exercise DVD also covers special considerations post-birth, such as caesarean sections, back strains, muscle separation, incontinence and pelvic floor issues.
[pb_vidembed title=”The Post Pregnancy Exercise DVD” caption=”” url=”http://vimeo.com/73423922″ type=”vem” w=”600″ h=”450″]
