More and more often, pregnancy ends with a caesarean section. It is largely determined by our body structure, as well as our lifestyle and physical activity both during pregnancy and long before it. A cesarean is obviously a serious surgical procedure but, contrary to appearances, it is necessary to return to activity as soon as possible. However, you should know when you can start training after a cesarean, and what exercise to do to make it safe. So, what should physical activity look like after a cesarean section? You will find everything on this topic in this article.
Post-cesarean exercise – is it worth doing?
Many women do not realize that exercising after a cesarean section can and must be performed. It is not about full physical activity and pumping kilograms in the gym, of course, but light exercise dedicated to women after cesarean. During a cesarean section, the abdominal wall is cut, including the abdominal muscles and the muscles of the uterus. Proper activity after this type of childbirth will accelerate the contraction of the uterus, make the skin more elastic and reduce scar discomfort, prevent the lowering of the uterus and vaginal walls, eliminate problems with defecation, help to return to the pre-pregnancy form faster and have a positive effect on mood.
When can you start post-cesarean exercises?
If there are no medical contraindications for this, women should start physical activity as soon as possible after caesarean section. Post-cesarean exercises include upright standing, i.e. getting out of bed for the first time and going to shower, or taking care of the baby. This is, of course, quite an individual matter, because the exact time depends on many factors, including mainly the woman’s personal predispositions, well-being after the surgery and accompanying ailments. Any activity, even the smallest one, a few hours after cutting, is not the easiest and most pleasant thing to do, but it has a decisive influence on further convalescence. The first exercise, getting out of bed, is possible as soon as about 6 hours after the procedure. On the second day after giving birth, you can perform simple exercises – lying in bed or standing in the shower. It is a gradual tightening of the muscles, especially the abdominal muscles, but also a Kegel exercise, because despite the lack of natural childbirth, the pelvic floor muscles were heavily overloaded and strained.
The next stage of post-cesarean activity is performing more advanced exercises, such as gluteal lifting or gentle stretching. It is possible after about 14 days after giving birth. However, all exercises must be thoughtful and should be performed in a way that does not cause pain. You should also remember about the current condition of the wound – in the event of any blood or pus leakage, it is absolutely necessary to stop the activity and contact a doctor. This moderate exercise is best performed throughout the puerperium, i.e. up to 6 weeks after childbirth. Then we usually go for a follow-up visit, during which the doctor can give us the green light to increase our activity range and exercise more intensively. A tool in the form of gymnastic wall bars will be perfect for this, thanks to which the exercises will be pleasanter, more efficient and interesting.
Exercise after cesarean on gymnastic wall bars
Why are gymnastic wall bars the best exercise equipment for a new mom? Well, it is a completely safe tool, because we use it as much as our muscles and joints are able to cope with, moreover, it is multifunctional and with its help we can engage all muscle groups – of course, those that we want at the moment. In addition, a gymnastic wall bar at home is always at your fingertips and you can use it without leaving the house and whenever you find a moment of free time – for example, while your child is napping or while playing, still keeping an eye on them all the time. The renowned producer of gymnastic wall bars BenchK have also made sure that the equipment takes up as little space as possible, is completely safe through appropriate certifications, is multifunctional and has a designer look. All this is an additional motivator to quickly take up physical activity after cesarean.
Exercises for the abdomen after cesarean
“Exercises for a flat stomach after pregnancy” and “What exercises to shed unnecessary kilograms after cesarean?” are questions that new moms often ask online. And no wonder, because it was this part of the body that was largely affected by pregnancy and childbirth through caesarean section. The first exercise we can do should go as follows – we lie down in front of the gymnastic wall bars so that our legs are slightly bent at the knees and that our feet touch the lowest rung. Put your hands by the side of the body. The exercise involves lifting your hips upwards, but remember not to push them up too much, but keep them parallel to the floor for a while, and then return to the starting position. From this position, we can also perform the second exercise – we clasp our hands behind the head, and then we try to alternately touch the elbows with the knees – the left elbow with the right knee and the right elbow with the left knee. Remember that we make these movements as much as we can without feeling pain. The third exercise is performed in various ways from the supine position, except that we lie on the back with our head next to the wall bars so as to catch the second or third rung from the bottom with our hands. Then raise the straightened legs up so that your toes touch the ladder. Another exercise is the hanging position – while standing with your back to the wall bars, raise your arms and grasp the rung so that you can hang freely just above the floor. Then we twist the torso one way or the other, holding the position for a moment.
Kegel exercises after cesarean
Kegel exercises should also be mandatory right after giving birth. The method of delivery is irrelevant because, despite having a cesarean section, these muscles still became weakened and strained during the pregnancy. One of the most effective exercises for their regeneration is the one in which we lie down next to the gymnastic ladder so that our feet are hooked on the lowest rung, with our arms along the torso, and on the stomach we place some relatively light object – it can be a book or a pillow. Then we push the hips forward strongly, simultaneously clenching the pelvic floor muscles, and dropping back to the floor, relaxing them. The second exercise is free hanging on the gymnastic ladder and pulling the bent legs as close to the chest as possible, while during this movement, the Kegel muscles should be tightened, and by lowering the legs, relax them.
At the beginning it may be difficult, but the gymnastic wall bars is a tool that will additionally strengthen the effects of our work, and thanks to the fact that by exercising with it you use your own body weight and you can control every movement and intensity of a given exercise, it is a safe way to return to fitness after cesarean.
