The most common goal when post-natal women come to see me?
Lose weight – return to the pre-baby body
This tends to lead to mums wanting to get back to their exercise routines and diets as soon as possible and potentially making choices that will in the long run be detrimental for their bodies. ‘Who cares about the long run! I want to feel good and look better now!’ This isn’t unlike the pressures felt by women on a day to day basis.
I always feel it is a shame that this spills over into early motherhood, it has taken 9 months to create and produce the amazing bundle of joy that is your son/ daughter/s. That is 9 months of the body going through a phenomenal number of changes, physically, mentally and hormonally. These adaptations do not regress and return to pre-baby levels in a matter of weeks, it can take months of progressively loading the body to be fully strengthened and ready to cope with the pressures you would normally put the body under in day to day life.
Lets be radical here, you know you want to 😉
Okay, what if we
- Take our time losing weight, eating healthy, balanced diets (not DIET), restricting calories can affect breast milk, and/or your own energy levels to cope with the demands of having a baby. Drink sufficient quantities of fluid to help with your digestion, thereby your energy levels and again, vitally important if breastfeeding.
- Respect your new bodies and the healing process. As mentioned above it took 9 months for our bodies to get to this stage, they are not going to spring back in a flash. This literally may mean reducing or taking time out from high impact activities to allow the pelvic floor to recover (even if you have had a c-section) and your abdominal muscles to strengthen.
Focus on strengthening the core and getting everything to work in synergy, build the strongest foundations that you can to take you forward into the rest of your life. Leakage due to pelvic floor dysfunction does NOT need to be an accepted fact! (I will discuss this further in another blog). - If you are not having the time of our lives, if you are struggling to cope, it is OKAY to ask for help! Speak with friends and family, seek help from a qualified professional if you feel that you are suffering from post-natal depression.
If you want a different outcome, you have to do something differently. I have touched upon some of the consequences of overdoing it and following that tried and tested path of society. I have also highlighted doing some things differently, which may make you uncomfortable at first as you challenge the preconceptions of those around you. Consider your own health in the long run and what it may be like in 10 – 15 – 20 – 30 years time if you push on or don’t push on.
As always there are some circumstances where youa re able to push on further and quicker, however, this must always be done with a qualified professional and definitely with consideration to the impact being put on pelvic floor, any diastasis you may have. And of course, your ability to look after your family and yourself.
Have an awesome day folks, this is certainly turning into a great Easter holiday!
If you would like to attend M.O.M (Mums On a Mission) classes pop over to Louise’s PT 4 U ( http://www.louisept4u.co.uk/) for more information and to register interest.
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