3 steps to caesarean birth recovery
At present in the UK, around 1 in 4 women give birth by caesarean.
Despite these statistics, and the fact that a caesarean is a major surgery that requires proper healing and rehab (like any other type of surgery!), the level of support and guidance provided after a c-section birth is often very limited (if not absolutely poor!) leaving most new mums to their own devices.
Often, the instinctive focus of new mums is to go straight to try and rebuild strength in the abdominals. However, this will often be harder, or not as effective, if some ‘foundations’ for healing are not in place.
Here are the 3 steps that I share with all the new mums I work with after a caesarean. These steps go hand in hand and it all starts with step 1!
3 - Calf & foot stretch
Another close relationship that might seem strange and yet true! Any tightening in the calves, legs, feet (and buttocks too) will automatically tense and tighten the pelvic floor! And unfortunately, we tend to clench these a lot, especially when stressed, in challenging situations (such as labour & birth!) or simply by being too stationary (spending most of our days sitting at a desk, for example). Taking regular leg and foot stretches helps reduce the build up of tension, which will in turn make it easier to release the pelvic floor. These stretches are also fantastic to alleviate leg cramps and sciatica, so common in pregnancy, and prevent your arches from collapsing.
From an all fours positions, extend one leg back, tuck the toes under and press the heel gently away from the body. Then untuck the toes, rest the top of the foot on the floor, and shake/wobble your leg from foot to buttock as if your were a rag doll. Repeat a few times on each side.
In addition to the above, it is really worth remembering that caesarean birth recovery is not only about your scar and abdominals. Like any other birth, it is also about supporting the body to ‘close’ and re-stabilise after pregnancy, regaining posture, and keeping the upper body nice and relaxed as well to support that full breathing (and generally feel more comfortable amidst all the holding and feeding of your baby).
If you would like more support with your recovery, I cover many foundational exercises in my Postnatal Recovery Essentials workshop, which you can access in my on-demand Postnatal Recovery Collection of progressive postpartum and postnatal yoga recorded resources.
For more personalised support, I offer 1:1 sessions either in-person or online. If you would like to arrange a free consultation over the phone to see whether this would work for you, you can do so here.