How to recover reconnect & rebuild your body in the first six weeks postpartum!

During pregnancy, we have a vision that the first weeks after giving birth are going to be bliss, filled with newborn cuddles, easy breastfeeding, and a few sleepless nights. But no one prepares you for the physical changes that can leave you feeling unhappy with your body for months.

By Savannah Taylor, Pregnancy and Postpartum Coach at Sleekgeek SA Health Revolution

Most people don’t tell you that it will hurt to sit and even walk, that you may be sore and bleeding for weeks and that you might not enjoy being a mom or even bond with the new baby like you expected to.

Whenever people talk about the postpartum phase, the attention is often on adjusting to life with a newborn: bonding with the baby, breastfeeding or bottle-feeding, sleep deprivation, and soiled nappies. Recovery from birth doesn’t seem to get spoken about often.

So let’s chat about it! There is no denying that recovery takes time. After all that your body went through to conceive, sustain the pregnancy, and deliver a baby, we need to give it time to recover.

There are many factors within our control that can help support and boost the recovery process.

Nutrition

By eating a variety of nutrient-dense foods, you can help your body repair muscles, tissues, and any scarring, or tearing. Some of the nutrients that we know are super important for helping to heal wounds and repair tissues include:

Protein: It is involved in just about every process in your body; it is great at helping to stabilise your blood sugar and keeps you fuller for longer. It will also help with your milk supply and give you more energy. Protein will also help with muscle repair.

Where do we find it?

• meat and offal • poultry • eggs • dairy products • soy • legumes

Iron: It is required to provide oxygen throughout the body which is needed for wound healing. Iron is important to replenish with the increased blood loss postpartum.

Where do we find it?

• red meat and offal • poultry • pork • fish and shellfish • lentils • dark leafy greens like spinach and kale • fortified cereals, rice, wheat, and oats

Vitamin C: It is important for immune function and collagen synthesis. Vitamin C also helps our bodies absorb iron better.

Where do we find it?

• bell peppers • kale • broccoli • cauliflower • oranges • strawberries

Manganese: It is important for your brain function, immune system, organ function, blood clotting, and enzyme function.

Where do we find it?

• mussels • oysters • brown rice • chickpeas • spinach • pineapple

Zinc: It is required for protein and DNA synthesis, wound healing, immune function, growth, and other processes in the body. Zinc is also involved in the proper function of your thyroid which affects hormone transportation. It may also help decrease inflammation, a good thing for every stage of life and condition.

Where do we find it?

• red meat and offal • shellfish • poultry • pork • eggs • baked beans • yogurt • chickpeas • pumpkin seeds

Exercise

The first six weeks before your check-up with your doctor are very important! While rest is great for healing, you should include breathwork to help with recovery.

Breathwork is crucial for Diastasis Recti, pelvic floor healing, and restoring posture. It is the foundation for everything we do and one of the biggest things we overlook so often.

0-2 weeks postpartum:

1. Walk for no more than 10 minutes once or twice each day at an easy pace. 2. Perform 1-2 sets of 10 reps of the Connection Breath (inhale on the easy part, exhale on exertion).

3-4 weeks postpartum:

1. One to two 10-20 minute walks each day at an easy pace. 2. Perform the 10-minute Full-Body Gentle Circuit once daily, or as often as your energy level and schedule allows. 3. Perform 8-10 reps of each of the exercises in the following circuit, making sure to perform the

Connection Breath with each rep (inhale on the easy part, exhale on exertion). Rest minimally between exercises. Repeat this circuit for 1-2 rounds. • Connection Breath (supine or side-resting) • Half-kneeling hip flexor stretch (complete all reps on both sides) • Glute bridge • Open book (complete all reps on both sides) • Clamshell (complete all reps on both sides) • Wall slide

5-6 weeks postpartum:

1. Walk for no more than 30 minutes once or twice each day. 2. Perform the following 20-minute Full-Body Gentle

Circuit once daily, or as often as your energy level and schedule allows. 3. Perform 10-15 reps of each of the exercises in the following circuit, making sure to perform the

Connection Breath with each rep (inhale on the easy part, exhale on exertion). Rest minimally between exercises. Repeat this circuit for 1-2 rounds. • Connection Breath (supine or side-resting) • Half-kneeling hip flexor stretch (complete all reps on both sides) • Open book (complete all reps on both sides) • Bodyweight squat • Bodyweight reverse lunge (complete all reps on both sides, supported if necessary) • Wall slide

How to do each movement!

How to do Half-Kneeling Hip Flexor Stretch:

1. Get into a kneeling position, placing one knee up at 90 degrees and your back foot toes tucked under. 2. Place both hands on your hips. 3. While engaging your core and keeping an upright posture, move your weight to the front foot rocking your hips forward, and hold that position for 30-45 seconds. Do not hyperextend your back or allow the pelvis to rotate.

How to do a Connection Breath:

1. Get into place. You can do this lying down, on your side, seated, and standing. 2. Place one hand on the side of your rib cage, one hand low on the belly. 3. Take a deep breath in, inhaling into your hands and relaxing the pelvic floor muscles. 4. Exhale.

How to do a Glute Bridge: 1. Lie down on the floor with your knees bent and your feet flat on the ground.

Your feet should be hipwidth apart. 2. Squeeze your glutes and lift your hips up. 3. You want your shoulders, hips and knees to be in a straight line. 4. Slowly release back down to the floor.

How to do an Open Book:

1. Lie on your side. 2. Bend your legs 90 degrees or less. 3. Start with both arms bent behind your head. 4. Inhale and then with the top arm opening up exhale. 5. Inhale to close. Make sure to keep your eyes following your elbow.

How to do a Clamshell:

1. Lie on your side, with your knees bent at a 45-degree angle. 2. Rest your head on your lower arm and place the other onto your hip. 3. Keeping your feet touching, raise your upper knee as high as you can without moving your hips or pelvis.

Don’t move your lower leg off the floor. 4. Close the upper leg to the starting position on the ground.

How to do a Wall Slide:

1. Stand back up against a wall so that you are almost leaning against it with your feet shoulder-width apart. 2. Bend your arms up to 90 degrees, pressing your shoulder blades into the wall. The backs of your hands will be against the wall with your thumbs at about the height of your head. 3. Inhale, slide your hands and forearms up over your head, but still against the wall. 4. Exhale as you lower your elbows back to their bent starting position.

How to do a Bodyweight Squat:

1. Stand with your feet just a little wider than hip-width apart. 2. Keep your chest up and take a deep breath. 3. Sit back and down with your hips into a sitting position until your thighs are parallel or almost parallel to the floor. 4. Exhale and push back up to the starting position.

How to do a Bodyweight Reverse Lunge:

1. Standing tall, feet about hipdistance apart, and straight to the front. 2. Take a step back with your one foot, landing on the ball of your foot. 3. Lower your body and bend your front knee until it forms a 90-degree angle. 4. Reverse the movement to return to standing. 