1. Breasts
Continue to care for your breasts after birth. Stretch marks can occur after childbirth. Yes, their stretch marks are mostly dependent on genetics, hormonal changes and skin tension, but there are a few steps we can all take to minimize them. The two most important steps are: Moisturize the skin and wear a good, supportive bra. Choose nursing bras with wide bands and straps that provide adequate support for your breasts. They are heavy with milk and need more support than before.
Exercise. Often during feeding, we may find ourselves slouching, and the shoulder and back muscles may weaken. Exercising and practicing good posture will help prevent the appearance of drooping.
2. Stomach
Perform breathing exercises. The front wall of the abdomen is formed by several muscle groups. During pregnancy, they seperate — this is called diastasis [1]. After giving birth, the muscles should come back together, but sometimes this does not happen. To strengthen the core, the first exercise you can do is breath work. Lie on your back. On the inhale, push out your stomach, on the exhale — draw in. Repeat several times a day, 5 to 20 times. It is proven that such exercises can help in the early stages of diastasis [2].
Wear a postpartum bandage. The weakened front wall of the abdomen can hardly cope with the load of your intestines as your uterus returns to size. Help your abdomen out with a belly band or bandage. Wear it constantly for the first two weeks, and then gradually reduce the time.
Take care of your skin. Due to growth of your belly, a fine-wrinkled mesh or creases may appear. Moisturize regularly.
3. Intimate area
Train the pelvic floor muscles. The growing uterus presses on the pelvic floor and during childbirth the muscles open up and stretch to allow safe passage of baby. As a result, the pelvic diaphragm weakens. This can cause a plethora of uncomfortable problems from painful sex to incontenence [3]. After six to eight weeks, start training your pelvic muscles.
Exercises such as kegels and physical therapy on fitball will help strengthen these incredibly crucial muscles. Several authoritative studies have shown that such physical exercise works [4, 5, 6, 7]. Painful sex and peeing when you sneeze do not need to be the new norm. Seek expert help; specifically trained doctors and therapists can give you detailed instructions on postpartum physical therapy.
