Even If You Have to Trick DRINK MOR
Giving birth is an incredibly joyous moment for mothers everywhere, and bringing new life into your family is always exciting. However, labor is incredibly taxing on the mother’s body, and birthing trauma is common among new mothers. Birthing trauma is the distress a woman undergoes after childbirth, including tearing, bleeding, swelling, and the presence of relaxin in a mother’s system after birth. Relaxin is a hormone that creates a laxity in a woman’s body and allows her hips to expand wide enough for a baby to pass through. While this is extremely helpful during pregnancy, the presence of relaxin can become a hindrance after the child is born. With relaxin still present, a woman’s pelvis and pelvic muscles are still stretched out. This can cause issues with bladder control, posture, and even walking. When the body experiences trauma in certain areas (like childbirth), the muscles turn themselves off to an extent, so it’s critical to perform exercises that get those muscles to contract again. However, it is extremely vital that new mothers do not lift anything heavy after giving birth, so weight lifting is not a safe option for regaining strength. Dr. Jen is Myokinetix’s in-house pelvic floor therapist who works with new mothers to overcome any postpartum difficulties. She has two exercises new mothers can safely perform at home to strengthen those muscles! SIT TO STAND In this exercise, you work on activating your glute muscles, which are essential for regaining strength in your pelvic floor. While sitting on the edge of a surface about knee height, pretend to pick up a marshmallow between your glutes. Once you pinch the pretend marshmallow between your glutes, drive your weight down into your heels (this activates your glute muscles) and stand up nice and tall. GLUTE BRIDGES While lying on your back with your knees bent, you’re going to pretend there is a marshmallow on the table between your butt cheeks. By squeezing your glutes, pretend to pick up that marshmallow once again and drive down into your heels to lift that marshmallow into the air with your glutes. Your body will create a straight diagonal line without over-extending your hips forward. Gently lower your hips back down and repeat. These exercises are great examples of why pelvic floor therapy is helpful as a postpartum treatment for new mothers because they are safe and don’t exert any extra force on a mother’s body. NEW MOMS NEED THERAPY, TOO! Why Every New Mom Can Benefit From Pelvic Floor Therapy
For many, maintaining proper hydration is difficult — after all, water is essentially tasteless. According to Mayo Clinic, women should be ingesting 11.5 cups of water each day, and men should have 15.5 cups daily. This amount can be tough to swallow, but water is essential for your health, skin, and bodily functions. Here are some tips to up your water game. INVEST IN A ‘FLUID BUDDY.’ Believe it or not, purchasing a thermos or reusable water bottle and taking it everywhere is a great way to increase your water intake. With a constant reminder to drink H2O in your cupholder, purse, or on your desk, taking a sip here and there will never slip your mind. CONSUME FOODS RICH IN H2O. Did you know that most fruits and vegetables are rich in water? Watermelon is 91% water, celery is 95% water, zucchini is 95% water, and honeydew and cantaloupe are both 90% water. Not only are these fruits refreshing, but they pack a punch when it comes to hydration! Did you know? Laughing is good for the heart and can increase blood flow by 20%. CODY’S FUN FACT
If you or someone you know is a new mother or mom-to-be, call us at 973-585-4990 to meet with Dr. Jen and find out what pelvic floor therapy can do for you and your quality of life.
Scan this code to see Dr. Jen demonstrate these exercises for new moms!
-Cody
2 • www.myokinetix.com
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